Astronomy current events question: breaking apart asteroids

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Chanapa Tantibanchachai, "Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Asteroids are Stronger, Harder to Destroy Than Previously Thought" (March 4, 2019)
releases.jhu.edu/2019/03/04/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-asteroids-are-stronger-harder-to-destroy-than-previously-thought/

Researchers propose that large asteroids would be more difficult than expected to break apart, based on:
(A) computer simulations.
(B) lunar impact crater sizes.
(C) melting meteorite samples.
(D) observing asteroid belt collisions.
(E) firing probes into smaller asteroids.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30679, 30680
(A) : 24 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 1 student
(D) : 6 students
(E) : 0 students