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Quiz about Cosmic Impacts in Fact and Fiction

Cosmic Impacts in Fact and Fiction Quiz

Asteroid and comet impacts have shaped our planet and our solar system. See how much you know about famous cosmic impacts in fact and fiction.

A multiple-choice quiz by cag1970. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
cag1970

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
87,592

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
2241

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In what year did the Tunguska Event occur? Hint

1906

1908

1904

1910

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which well-known civil-rights activist wrote the short story "The Comet"? Hint

Carter G. Woodson

W.E.B. Dubois

Frederick Douglass

Mary McLeod Bethune

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Question 3 of 10

3. Meteor Crater outside Winslow, Arizona, was at one time named after what person? Hint

Daniel Barringer

Kit Carson

Barry Goldwater

Eugene Shoemaker

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which metallic element is commonly associated with the doomsday asteroid believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs? Hint

Iridium

Platinum

Vanadium

Technicium

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which astronomer is best known for referring to comets as "dirty snowballs"? Hint

Fred Whipple

Edwin Hubble

Eugene Shoemaker

William Herschel

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Question 6 of 10

6. In the 1979 disaster movie "Meteor", what is the name of the main-belt asteroid splintered by a giant comet? Hint

Vesta

Cerus

Orpheus

Hermes

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Question 7 of 10

7. Though "Meteor" was a fictional movie, it actually had its basis in fact. What was the name of the 1967 study on asteroid defense that inspired the movie? Hint

"Project Hermes"

"Project Toutatis"

"Project Icarus"

"Project Geographos"

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Question 8 of 10

8. What popular science fiction author co-wrote "Lucifer's Hammer" with Larry Niven? Hint

Gregory Benford

Jerry Pournelle

David Brin

Bruce Sterling

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Question 9 of 10

9. What international organization dedicated to asteroid and comet defense is named for a similar program mentioned in an Arthur C. Clarke novel? Hint

FreeSpace

Spacewatch Project

Spaceguard Foundation

Project NEAT

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Question 10 of 10

10. True or False: During the 20th Century, there were no confirmed reports of any human beings ever being struck by cosmic debris.

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In what year did the Tunguska Event occur?

Answer: 1908

On June 30, 1908, a large fireball, origin unknown, exploded above the Tunguska River valley in Siberia. The explosion flattened hundreds of square miles of forest and was heard over 400 miles away.

2. Which well-known civil-rights activist wrote the short story "The Comet"?

Answer: W.E.B. Dubois

Written in 1920, "The Comet" is a story about a world-weary old black man who befriends a young affluent white woman after a mysterious comet's close approach appears to destroy all other life in Manhattan.

3. Meteor Crater outside Winslow, Arizona, was at one time named after what person?

Answer: Daniel Barringer

A mining engineer from Philadelphia, Barringer was one of the first people to realize that the crater was an impact structure. Like Leonid Kulik, who tried to find the object that caused the Tunguska explosion in 1908, he never found the rock that formed the crater. The late astronomer Eugene Shoemaker would confirm Barringer's hypothesis many years later.

4. Which metallic element is commonly associated with the doomsday asteroid believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs?

Answer: Iridium

Scientists Luis and Walter Alvarez made the connection between the thin layer of iridium in the Earth's crust and the cataclysmic impact believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs.

5. Which astronomer is best known for referring to comets as "dirty snowballs"?

Answer: Fred Whipple

A native of Iowa and a graduate of UCLA, Whipple postulated that comets were solid chunks of ice with rocky debris mixed in. His hypothesis, first floated in 1950, was proved correct in 1986, when the European space probe Giotto rendezvoused with Halley's Comet.

6. In the 1979 disaster movie "Meteor", what is the name of the main-belt asteroid splintered by a giant comet?

Answer: Orpheus

"Meteor" came at the end of the disaster-film craze of the 1970's, and in critics' circles is regarded as a turkey of a movie. It marked one of the late Natalie Wood's last screen appearances.

7. Though "Meteor" was a fictional movie, it actually had its basis in fact. What was the name of the 1967 study on asteroid defense that inspired the movie?

Answer: "Project Icarus"

In June of 1968, the asteroid Icarus approached to within 4 million miles of the Earth. Graduate students at MIT devised a plan to intercept and destroy the asteroid with six nuclear-tipped Saturn V moon rockets. Although this defense was never employed, it was among the first serious studies on the topic.

8. What popular science fiction author co-wrote "Lucifer's Hammer" with Larry Niven?

Answer: Jerry Pournelle

The first hardback edition of "Lucifer's Hammer" was published by Playboy Press in 1977. Part of Hugh Hefner's legendary Playboy publishing empire, the book-publishing arm was purchased by Putnam in 1982.

9. What international organization dedicated to asteroid and comet defense is named for a similar program mentioned in an Arthur C. Clarke novel?

Answer: Spaceguard Foundation

The novel was the 1973 classic "Rendezvous With Rama".

10. True or False: During the 20th Century, there were no confirmed reports of any human beings ever being struck by cosmic debris.

Answer: False

In 1954, Mrs. Ann Hodges of Sylacauga, Alabama was struck by a small meteorite that crashed through the roof of her house while she was napping in her living room. She was only slightly injured by the impact.

Source: Author cag1970

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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