Compare the planets of the solar system

S6ES-IVg-h-6

Grade 6 Earth and Space Worksheet

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“FLYING ROCKS”

https://tinyurl.com/af23cubt

There are rocks in our Solar System that never flocked together to form
planets. Larger ones called asteroids gather in the Asteroid Belt, a strip found
between Mars and Jupiter. Some asteroids don’t move along this belt but
have paths that bring them close to the earth. These are called Apollo
Asteroids.

There may be half a million asteroids whose diameters are bigger than
one kilometer. The largest asteroid is over 1000 kilometers across. It is
speculated that many asteroids were once larger but they collided with
each other and became small fragments.

Adopted by: Mercy I. Gascon

Lucena Central Elementary School
Mercy.gascon002@deped.gov.ph
 Unlike asteroids, meteoroids are small rocky bodies,that are scattered
in space and do not orbit the sun. They cross the Earth’s orbit and are often
seen burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere at night. The faint flashes of light
they make are called shooting stars.

Questions:

1. What are asteroids?

a. Large fragments of rock in the Solar System

b. Large fragments of rock that circle the moon

c. Small fragments of rock that do not circle the sun

d. Small fragments of rock that do not circle the planets

2. What are meteoroids?

a. Large fragments of rock that circle the sun

b. Large fragments of rock that circle the planets

c. Small bits of rock that do not circle the sun

d. Small bits of rock that do not cross the planets’ orbits

3. Which among the following statements is NOT true?

a. Some asteroids move close to the earth.

b. Large rocks flock together in the Asteroid Belt.

c. All rocks in our Solar System have formed planets.

d. The Asteroid Belt is found between Mars and Jupiter.

4. “It is speculated that many asteroids were once larger.” What does the
word speculated mean?

a. written

b. guessed

c. confirmed

d. questioned

Adopted by: Mercy I. Gascon

Lucena Central Elementary School
Mercy.gascon002@deped.gov.ph
5. What is a possible reason behind the fact that asteroids are not

anymore as large as they were first thought to be?

a. They could have shrunk when they got closer to the sun.

b. They could have hit one another and broken into pieces.

c. They could have burned up and eventually become smaller.

d. They could have rammed into some planet and broken apart.

6. Which of the following statements is TRUE of asteroids and meteoroids?

a. Both asteroids and meteoroids can be seen in a belt of rocks

between Jupiter and Mars.

b. Both asteroids and meteoroids circle the Earth and can be seen as
faint flashes of light.

c. Both asteroids and meteoroids are composed of rocky particles

found in the Solar System.

d. Both asteroids and meteoroids are scattered randomly across in

space and do not orbit the sun.

7. Many asteroids must have collided with one another. What is a synonym of
the word “collided?”

a. trapped into

b. crashed into

c. converged with

d. connected with

8. If you see faint flashes of light in the night sky, which of the following

could have happened?

a. Flames shoot up from the sun and come closer to the earth.

b. Meteoroids have just crossed the earth’s orbit and burned up.

c. Meteoroids have just crossed paths with the sun and burned up.

d. There are moments when the earth orbits a lot closer to the sun.

Adopted by: Mercy I. Gascon

Lucena Central Elementary School
Mercy.gascon002@deped.gov.ph
Answer Key

References:

https://tinyurl.com/af23cubt

PHIL IRI post Test Grade 6 pp. 558-560

Adopted by: Mercy I. Gascon

Lucena Central Elementary School
Mercy.gascon002@deped.gov.ph