Quiz: Space and earth

Published May 24, 2014

1 Which meteor showers peak during August and can been seen in the night sky as shooting stars?

2 Which night sky phenomenon is caused by the collision of charged particles with the upper atmosphere?

3 How long is the orbit, or after how many years does Comet Halley pass by Earth again?

4 Some 200 million years ago it is believed that there were no continents just one giant landmass that later broke up to form the seven continents as we know them today. Name this landmass.

5 The Earth’s atmosphere consists mostly of which two gases?

6 Which was the last mission to take humans to the moon?

7 In the rock cycle, which kinds of rocks are made from rocks that undergo heat and pressure?

8 In what phase of the water cycle does rain fall?

9 Most of the water on Earth is saline (salty) — true or false?

10 What kind of eclipse do we have when the moon is between the Sun and Earth?

Answers:

  1. Perseids

  2. Aurora

  3. 76 years

  4. Pangaea

  5. Oxygen and nitrogen

  6. Apollo 17, in December 1972

  7. Metamorphic rocks, e.g. marble

  8. Precipitation

  9. True, 94 per cent of the water in the world is saline water in the oceans and seas

  10. A solar eclipse.

Opinion

Editorial

Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...
Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...