Upper Primary School English Quiz - Vocabulary 10 - Compound Words Related to Space (Questions)

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for MANKIND."

Do you recall these famous words spoken by Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, in July 1969? You may be surprised to know that MANKIND is a compound word formed from two words MAN and KIND. MAN is a noun and KIND is an adjective and the two together form the word MANKIND, which is a noun meaning 'the collective group of all human beings'.

Compound words are formed by combining any of the types of words representing the different parts of speech. They may or may not have meanings similar to those of the words used. The same compound word also may have several different meanings and belong to different parts of speech (nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections).

[readmore]Compound words are simply formed by placing the two words side by side without any alterations. The order is important and must be maintained. For instance MANKIND is a word but KINDMAN is not.

Over a period of time compound words begin to acquire the status of single words and to be assimilated into the English vocabulary. Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon opened up a plethora of activities connected with outer space, the stars, moon, sun and other astronomical bodies and phenomena. The exploits in space also paved the way for many words to be coined in order to describe events connected with the subject. Many new words connected to space have been formed as compound words by combining two other words. In the quiz that follows you will see some examples and by taking the quiz you can test your knowledge of such words.

1.

Choose the compound word related to space exploration from the following list.

[ ]	Flyby
[ ]	Byfly
[ ]	Flyaway
[ ]	Flyin

2.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Lifton
[ ]	Liftaway
[ ]	Offlift
[ ]	Liftoff

3.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Beammoon
[ ]	Moonbeam
[ ]	Moonray
[ ]	Moonflash

4.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Loadpay
[ ]	Paycargo
[ ]	Payload
[ ]	Payfreight

5.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Sunpole
[ ]	Polesun
[ ]	Starpole
[ ]	Polestar

6.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Spacecraft
[ ]	Craftspace
[ ]	Spacevehicle
[ ]	Spacecar

7.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Spotsun
[ ]	Sunspeck
[ ]	Sunspot
[ ]	Sundot

8.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Centrichelio
[ ]	Heliocentric
[ ]	Suncentric
[ ]	Heliocentre

9.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Gazerstar
[ ]	Starstare
[ ]	Starseer
[ ]	Stargazer

10.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Supernova
[ ]	Novasuper
[ ]	Supersun
[ ]	Greatnova

Upper Primary School English Quiz - Vocabulary 10 - Compound Words Related to Space (Answers)

1.

Choose the compound word related to space exploration from the following list.

[x]	Flyby
[ ]	Byfly
[ ]	Flyaway
[ ]	Flyin

A 'flyby' is a close approach of a spaceship to a satellite or planet. The compound word 'flyby' is a noun formed from a verb and a preposition. 'Flyaway' is also a compound word used to describe hair which is not easy to control. In this context it is an adjective but it is not related to space exploration! The other two options are not recognised words

2.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Lifton
[ ]	Liftaway
[ ]	Offlift
[x]	Liftoff

'Liftoff' is the first movement or rise of a rocket from its launching pad. The compound word 'liftoff' is a noun formed from a verb and an adverb. The other three options are not recognised words

3.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Beammoon
[x]	Moonbeam
[ ]	Moonray
[ ]	Moonflash

A 'moonbeam' is a ray of light reflected from the moon. The compound word 'moonbeam' is a noun formed from two other nouns. The other three options are not recognised words

4.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Loadpay
[ ]	Paycargo
[x]	Payload
[ ]	Payfreight

The 'payload' is the apparatus or equipment that an artificial satellite carries. It has also come to mean the amount of cargo or passengers carried by an aeroplane. The compound word 'payload' is a noun formed from a verb and a noun. The other three options are not recognised words

5.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Sunpole
[ ]	Polesun
[ ]	Starpole
[x]	Polestar

A 'polestar' is a star that is nearest to the North or South Pole and the brightest as well. The compound word 'polestar' is a noun formed from two other nouns. The other three options are not recognised words

6.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[x]	Spacecraft
[ ]	Craftspace
[ ]	Spacevehicle
[ ]	Spacecar

A 'spacecraft' is a vehicle that is used to travel into space beyond earth's gravity. The compound word 'spacecraft' is a noun formed from two other nouns. 'Space vehicle' has the same meaning as 'spacecraft' but it is a collocation rather than a compound word as there is a space between the two words. The other two options are not recognised words

7.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Spotsun
[ ]	Sunspeck
[x]	Sunspot
[ ]	Sundot

A 'sunspot' is something that appears on the sun's surface periodically carrying its own magnetic fields. The compound word 'sunspot' is a noun formed from two more nouns. The other three options are not recognised words

8.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Centrichelio
[x]	Heliocentric
[ ]	Suncentric
[ ]	Heliocentre

'Heliocentric' means 'to regard the sun as the centre' and is the scientific view of our solar system. The compound word 'heliocentric' is an adjective formed from a noun and an adjective. The other three options are not recognised words

9.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[ ]	Gazerstar
[ ]	Starstare
[ ]	Starseer
[x]	Stargazer

A 'stargazer' is a person who looks at stars, such as an astronomer. The compound word 'stargazer' is a noun formed from two other nouns. The other three options are not recognised words

10.

Choose the compound word from the following list.

[x]	Supernova
[ ]	Novasuper
[ ]	Supersun
[ ]	Greatnova

A 'supernova' is a star that has become vastly brighter than the sun for a short period of time due to it exploding and scattering most of its mass into the cosmos. The compound word 'supernova' is a noun formed from an adjective and a noun. The other three options are not recognised words