Science 8 · Unit 6: Light · Cambridge Lower Secondary Science Stage 8

Questions

1. 1. What are asteroids made from?

   • ice cream
   • liquid water
   • gas
   • rock
   Check

2. 2. Which statement about asteroids is true?

   • All asteroids are larger than planets.
   • Asteroids are made of gas.
   • Asteroids can have irregular shapes.
   • All asteroids orbit the Earth.
   Check

3. 3. Where is the asteroid belt?

   • between Uranus and Neptune
   • between Venus and Earth
   • closer to the Sun than Mercury
   • between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
   Check

4. 4. What is the path of an asteroid around the Sun called?

   • a spin
   • an orbit
   • a phase
   • an axis
   Check

5. 5. How are asteroids different from a planet like Earth?

   • They are much smaller, and most have irregular shapes.
   • They have more moons.
   • They have atmospheres.
   • They are bigger.
   Check

6. 6. Why don't all asteroids have names?

   • It's against the law.
   • There are far too many of them.
   • Nobody can see them.
   • They are all the same.
   Check

7. 7. Mercury is 5000 km across. If Vesta is about a tenth of that, how wide is Vesta?

   • 500 km
   • 5000 km
   • 50 km
   • 50 000 km
   Check

8. 8. What do asteroids and planets have in common?

   • They both have rings.
   • They both orbit the Sun and are made of rock (rocky planets).
   • They are the same size.
   • They both give out light.
   Check

9. 9. Why do most asteroids not have moons?

   • Their gravity is too weak to hold a moon in orbit.
   • Moons don't exist near them.
   • They spin too slowly.
   • They are too hot.
   Check

10. 10. How does the small total mass of the asteroid belt support the idea that asteroids are left-over rocks?

    • It shows they come from Earth.
    • It proves aliens made them.
    • It shows they are new.
    • There wasn't enough material to form a planet.
    Check

11. 11. An alien website says there's a building on Eros. A university says it's light reflecting off a crater. Which is more reliable?

    • the alien website, because it is exciting
    • both equally
    • neither, ever
    • the university, because it is based on scientific evidence
    Check

12. 12. What may asteroids be?

    • alien spaceships
    • rocks left over from when the Solar System formed
    • broken planets from last year
    • frozen clouds
    Check

13. 13. Why are asteroids not usually round?

    • They are hollow.
    • They don't have enough mass for gravity to pull them into a sphere.
    • They spin too fast.
    • Wind shapes them.
    Check

14. 14. Which is larger - the asteroid Vesta or the planet Mercury?

    • Vesta
    • Mercury
    Check

15. 15. What is the largest asteroid?

    • the Moon
    • Ceres
    • Itokawa
    • Mercury
    Check

16. 16. Ceres is covered with craters. How were they most likely formed?

    • by volcanoes erupting
    • by rivers wearing it away
    • by people digging
    • by other rocks hitting it
    Check

17. 17. Why do asteroids sometimes hit the Earth?

    • Asteroids are magnetic.
    • The Sun pushes them towards Earth.
    • Asteroids are attracted to the Moon.
    • Earth's gravity is strong, and many asteroid orbits pass close to Earth.
    Check

18. 18. At Tunguska in 1908, an explosion flattened trees. Small rocky fragments were found, but no metal parts. Which cause is most likely?

    • a volcano erupting
    • an alien spacecraft crashing
    • an asteroid exploding above the ground
    • a new type of bomb
    Check