Discovery and Orbits of Asteroids

Reading Paragraph 1
In the late 1700s, many astronomers were hunting for an additional planet they thought
should exist in the gap between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The Sicilian astronomer,
Giovanni Piazzi, thought he had found this missing planet in 1801 when he discovered
the first asteroid (or as it was later called, “minor planet”) orbiting the Sun. His
discovery, which he named Ceres, was quickly followed by the detection of three other
little planets in similar orbits. Clearly, there was not a single missing planet between
Mars and Jupiter but rather a whole group of objects, each much smaller than our
Moon. By 1890, more than 300 of these minor planets or asteroids had been discovered
by sharp-eyed observers. In that year, Max Wolf of Germany introduced astronomical
photography to the search for asteroids, greatly accelerating the discovery of these dim
objects. In the twenty-first century, searchers use computer-driven electronic cameras,
another leap in technology. More than half a million asteroids now have well-
determined orbits. And many of these foreign objects are located in the area of space,
which is commonly referred to as the asteroid belt, or the main belt, to distinguish this
particular area in space from other asteroid populations like near-Earth asteroids and
trojan asteroids.
1. The word detection in paragraph 1 is closest in
meaning to
a. Alignment
b. Pairing
c. Recognition
d. Analysis

1. C (vocabulary)
2. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true?
a. Astronomers were searching for a planet between Mars and
Jupiter in the 17th century
b. Sicilian astronomer Giovanni Piazzi discovered a large new
planet in 1801
c. Giovanni Piazzi was an astronomer who named his discovery
Ceres
d. Minor planets were found orbiting the Moon

2. C is correct because the paragraph states that “The Sicilian

astronomer Giovanni Piazzi thought he had found this missing
planet...” and that he named his discovery “Ceres”.
3. According to paragraph 1, how did technology help
advance the study of astronomy?
a. Astronomical photography and electronic cameras aided
astronomers in finding faint objects
b. Computer-driven cameras introduced in the 21st century
detected missing planets
c. The development of astronomical photography led to the
discovery of asteroids
d. German astronomer Max Wolf invented cameras that were
used specifically for astronomy
3. A is correct because the second half of the paragraph says that Max Wolf
“introduced astronomical photography...greatly accelerating the discovery of
these dim objects” and that in the 21st century, “searchers use computer-
driven electronic cameras, another leap in technology.”
 Reading Paragraph 2
Asteroids are as different as black and white. The majority are very dark, with a
reflectivity of only 3 to 4%, like a lump of coal. However, others shine brighter. The
dark asteroids are usually referred to as primitive bodies -- those that have
changed little chemically since the beginning of the solar system -- composed of
silicates, a type of mineral that combines silicon and oxygen and helps form rocks
here on Earth. Two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Pallas, are primitive, as are
almost all of the asteroids in the outer part of the belt. The second most populous
group is the S-type asteroids, where “S” stands for a stony or silicate composition.
The S-type asteroids are also chemically primitive, but their different composition
indicates that they were probably formed in a different location in the solar system
from the C-type asteroids. Asteroids of a third class, much less numerous than
those of the first two, are composed primarily of metal and are called M-type
asteroids (“M” for metallic). Since a metal asteroid, like an airplane or ship, is a
much better reflector of radar than a stony object, it appears bright when we
aim a radar beam at it.
4. Why does the author say, “like a lump of coal” in paragraph
2?
a. To provide an approximate size comparison for asteroids
b. To suggest that asteroids have a texture similar to coal
c. As proof that other asteroids shine brighter
d. To provide a comparison of the color and reflectivity of dark
asteroids
4. D is correct because prior to this phrase, the author discusses the
color and reflectivity of dark asteroids, which make up “the majority”,
and he uses this comparison to illustrate the color and level of
reflectivity
that these “very dark” asteroids possess.
5. What does the author say about asteroids in paragraph 2?
a. Few are dark because they have a low reflectivity
b. The two largest asteroids that we know of are Ceres and
Pallas
c. Asteroids that have undergone little chemical change are
typically called primitive bodies
d. The most common group of asteroids is the S-type

5. C is correct because the third sentence states that “dark asteroids are
usually referred to as primitive bodies -- those that changed little
chemically since the beginning of the solar system.”
 Reading Paragraph 3

The asteroids all revolve about the Sun in the same direction as the
planets, and most of their orbits lie near the plane in which Earth
and other planets circle. The majority of asteroids are in the asteroid
belt, the region between Mars and Jupiter that contains all asteroids
with orbital periods between 3.3 to 6 years. Although more than 75%
of the known asteroids are in the belt, they are not closely spaced.
The volume of the belt is actually very large, and the typical spacing
between objects is several million kilometers. This was fortunate for
space crafts like Galileo, Cassini, Rosetta, and New Horizons, which
needed to travel through the asteroid belt.
6. According to paragraph 3, most asteroids are located where?
a. In an asteroid belt close to and around the Sun
b. Between Jupiter and Mars in the asteroid belt
c. In the asteroid belt between Earth and the Sun
d. Outside the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars

6. B is correct because the paragraph says that “The

majority of asteroids are in the asteroid belt, the region
between Mars and Jupiter.”
7. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 3 EXCEPT
a. Most asteroids are in the area between Mars and Jupiter
b. Greater than three-quarters of the known asteroids are located
within the asteroid belt
c. The asteroids within the belt are typically millions of kilometers
away from each other
d. Some spacecrafts have had trouble navigating around the
asteroids in the belt
7. D is correct because the paragraph says that the “typical
spacing between objects is several million kilometers” and that
the spacing was “fortunate for space crafts...which needed to
travel through the asteroid belt”.
 Reading Paragraph 4
Still, over the long history of our solar system, there have been a
good number of collisions among the asteroids themselves. In
1918, the Japanese astronomer Kiyotsugu Hirayama found that
some asteroids fall into families, groups with similar orbital
characteristics. He hypothesized that each family may have
resulted from the breakup of a larger body or, more likely, from the
collision of two asteroids. Slight differences in the speeds with which
the various fragments left the collision scene to account for the
small spread in orbits now observed for the different asteroids in a
given family. Several dozen families exist, and observations have
shown that individual members of most families have similar
compositions, as we would expect if they were fragments of a
common parent.
8. What was Kiyotsugu Hirayama’s explanation for his findings?
a. The speed of an asteroid allowed it to be grouped into a family
b. There were about a dozen categories of families
c. Breakups and collisions of asteroids created families
d. Families of asteroids tend to be made up of the same elements

8. C is correct because Kiyotsugu Hirayama found that “some asteroids

fall into families” and “He hypothesized that each family may have
resulted from the breakup of a larger body or, more likely, from the
collision of two asteroids.”
9. Look at the four squares (A, B, C, D) that indicate where the following
sentence could be added to the passage.
This knowledge spurred a search for more “missing planets.”
Where would the sentence best fit?
The Sicilian astronomer Giovanni Piazzi thought he had found this missing
planet in 1801 when he discovered the first asteroid (or as it was later called,
“minor planet”) orbiting the Sun. A His discovery, which he named Ceres,
was quickly followed by the detection of three other little planets in similar
orbits. B Clearly, there was not a single missing planet between Mars and
Jupiter but rather a whole group of objects, each much smaller than our
Moon. C By 1890, more than 300 of these minor planets or asteroids
had been discovered by sharp-eyed observers. D
9. C is correct because the pronoun referent “this knowledge”
refers back to the idea that there was a “whole
group of objects” missing. The mention of “missing planets” in
quotations refers back to the mention of the
“missing planet” in the previous sentence but also makes
reference to the earlier statement that it was not
actually a missing planet but an asteroid. The following
sentence explains how many more asteroids were
discovered by 1890, following the discovery that there were
many objects between Mars and Jupiter, and
after the search for more “missing planets” started, so D is not
correct.
10. Select the phrases that correctly describe each farming method.
Two of the
phrases will NOT be used. This question is worth 3 points.
All asteroids a. They are the second most common and have a stony
-
- or silicate makeup
- b. They are largely made up of metal and are much less
S-type asteroids common than the other groups
- c. They are typically spread millions of kilometers apart
- in the asteroid belt
d. They are mostly similar in chemical composition and do not vary greatly in size
e. Their chemical composition is considered primitive
f. Most of them are dark with a low percentage of reflectivity and are located in the
asteroid belt
g. They orbit the Sun just as the planets do
10. Options C, F, and G are characteristics that describe all
asteroids, while options A and E describe S-type asteroids.

Option B is incorrect because it describes M-type asteroids,

and option D is incorrect because it is untrue. The passage
explains how different asteroids are by saying they are “as
different as black and white”.