What is the difference between an asteroid and a meteorite? The kids’ quiz

1. Sè Felix, 8, asks: what is the difference between asteroids and meteorites?

   1. “Asteroid” is an American term and “meteorite” is British

   2. Asteroids are large rocks in space – meteors are smaller rocks that break off them, called meteorites if they reach the Earth’s surface

   3. There’s no such thing as an asteroid

   4. Meteorites are debris that has come from the moon – asteroids come from everywhere else

2. Arthur, 9, asks: are there more storms in the night?

   1. It depends where you are in the world

   2. No, there are more storms in the day

   3. Yes, there are more storms in the night

   4. There are just as many storms in the day as at night

3. Douglas, 8, asks: does it rain in space?

   1. Yes, space is one of the rainiest places ever!

   2. Yes, but only during a lunar eclipse

   3. Not like it does on Earth

   4. It rains on Mars but no other planets, which is why humans might be able to live there

4. Helena, 11, asks: what inspires creators to make films or series? Books, real life or their imagination?

   1. Books

   2. Real life

   3. Imagination

   4. All of the above

5. Clara, 13, asks: which musical instrument is the hardest to play?

   1. Violin

   2. Harp

   3. Ukulele

   4. Maracas

Solutions

1:B - An asteroid is a rock that orbits the sun. When a piece of rock breaks off, that is a meteoroid. If it enters our atmosphere and vaporises, it is a meteor, but if it reaches the Earth’s surface, it is a meteorite., 2:A - Storms are caused by hot, moist air rising to cooler parts of the atmosphere. On land, the warmest parts of the day are in the afternoon and early evening, so this is when storms happen. At sea this usually occurs in the hours just before dawn., 3:C - In most of space there is no air, so rain cannot fall, but there are other kinds of “rain”. On Venus it rains sulphuric acid that vaporises before it touches the ground., 4:D - Fiction or film can be inspired by anything, from watching a bee landing on a flower to living through something yourself and wanting to share it. Or it can come from your imagination – there are no rules!, 5:A - It’s hard to answer this, but the violin is a top contender for most difficult instrument due to the time it takes to learn and play it. The oboe, theremin and french horn are also considered hard to play., 6:, 7:, 8:, 9:, 10:

Scores

1. 5 and above.

2. 4 and above.

3. 3 and above.

4. 2 and above.

5. 0 and above.

6. 1 and above.

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book, as well as her new title, Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World.