Astronomy current events question: asteroid 6478 Gault color change

Astronomy 210L, fall 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!)

Jennifer Chu, "For First Time, Astronomers Catch Asteroid in the Act of Changing Color" (August 29, 2019)
news.mit.edu/2019/asteroid-changing-color-first-0830

The asteroid 6478 Gault is changing color as surface dust is lost due to:
(A) internal heat.
(B) cryovolcanoes.
(C) internal asteroidquakes.
(D) increasing rotation rate.
(E) collisions with micrometeorites.

Correct answer: (D)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186
(A) : 13 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 19 students
(E) : 4 students