Worksheet on comets with reading comprehension questions and a diagram.

Reading Comprehension: What is a Comet?

Let's go through the passage and answer each question step by step.

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#### Passage Summary:
A comet is a small object that orbits the Sun. It's made of ice, dust, and rocky particles. The name "comet" comes from the Greek word meaning "hair of the head," as Aristotle thought they looked like stars with hair. When comets get close to the Sun, their ices turn into gas, forming a fuzzy outline called a coma. Some also have a tail. Comets can be short-term (periodic) or long-term based on their orbit time. Short-term comets take less than 200 years to orbit the Sun; long-term ones take more than 200 years. Halley’s Comet is the most famous short-term comet, visible every 75–76 years. It was last seen in 1986 and will return in 2061. It was the first comet recognized to have a periodic orbit.

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Answer Key with Explanations:

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#### 1. What is another word for “short term comet”?

Answer: B. periodic comet

✔ Explanation:
The passage says: *"Short term comets take less than 200 years to orbit the sun; long term comets take more than 200 years."* Then it states: *"Comets can be either short term (also called periodic) or long term."* So, "periodic comet" is another name for a short-term comet.

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#### 2. How did comets get their name?

Answer:
Comets were named by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who thought they looked like "stars with hair." The word "comet" comes from a Greek word meaning "hair of the head."

✔ Explanation:
This is directly stated in the passage: *"Comets were named by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who thought comets were 'stars with hair'. The word 'comet' comes from a Greek word meaning 'hair of the head'."*

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#### 3. When was the last time Halley’s Comet was visible?

Answer: 1986

✔ Explanation:
The passage clearly says: *"The last time it appeared was in 1986."*

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#### 4. When will Halley’s Comet be visible again?

Answer: 2061

✔ Explanation:
The passage states: *"It won’t be visible to us again until 2061."*

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#### 5. What is a comet and how is it formed?

Answer:
A comet is a small object that orbits the Sun and is made up of ice, dust, and small rocky particles. When a comet gets close to the Sun, the heat causes the ice on its surface to change from solid to gas, creating a fuzzy outline called a coma. This process forms the comet's visible features.

✔ Explanation:
From the passage:
- A comet is described as a "fairly small object that orbits the sun."
- Made of "ice, dust, and small rocky particles."
- When near the Sun, "water, carbon dioxide and other compounds... quickly change form solids to gases," forming a coma.
- This transformation is what makes the comet visible and gives it its characteristic appearance.

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✔ Final Answers:

1. B. periodic comet
2. Comets were named by Aristotle because they looked like "stars with hair"; the word comes from a Greek word meaning "hair of the head."
3. 1986
4. 2061
5. A comet is a small object made of ice, dust, and rock that orbits the Sun. When it gets close to the Sun, the ice turns into gas, forming a coma and sometimes a tail.

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