According to the Giant Impact Hypothesis About the Formation of the Moon

Multiple Choice

According to the giant impact hypothesis about the formation of the Moon, why did the Earth not break apart into many pieces when the giant impact happened?

A) cosmic impacts are always so slow, the bodies involved never break into pieces
B) the impactor was about the size of Mars or smaller, so it ejected material from the Earth but did not break it
C) the impactor was made of such light material (mostly gas and liquid) it could not break the Earth apart
D) there were more than a dozen small impactors, all hitting one after another
E) the Earth did break apart into many pieces, which then re-formed into a planet
Section 9.5: Mercury