What is the difference between asteroids and comets? 1) Asteroids are small rocky planetoids, while comets are made of ice, dust and rocky material. 2) Asteroids are found mostly between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, while comets are found mostly between Venus and Mercury. 3) Comets show a perceptible glowing tail, while asteroids do not. Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

The correct answer is B (1 and 3 only). Statements 1 and 3 are right, and statement 2 is wrong.

• Statement 1 is correct. Asteroids are rocky or metallic leftovers from planetesimals that never formed a planet. Comets are icy bodies with embedded dust and rock, often described as dirty snowballs.
• Statement 2 is wrong. The main asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter. Comets do not cluster between Venus and Mercury. Short-period comets come mainly from the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune, and long-period comets from the distant Oort Cloud.
• Statement 3 is correct. When an icy comet nears the Sun, its ices sublimate and form a coma and tail. Most asteroids lack significant volatiles, so they show no such tail. Some main-belt objects do show activity, which is a later refinement, but the exam's intended contrast holds.

The core concept is the classification of small Solar System bodies by composition and origin. This links to Mains GS-III on space technology and planetary defence, since asteroid and comet missions such as Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx were designed around these differences.

Trap: Aspirants often mark statement 2 as correct by assuming comets are inner-system objects. Their origin is in the outer system.