Question

in 2019, 20 previously unknown moons were confirmed to be orbiting saturn. three of the moons have prograde orbits (orbiting in the direction the planet spins), and the other 17 have retrograde orbits (orbiting in the opposite direction of the planets spin). all but one of the 20 moons are thought to be remnants of bodies that orbited saturn until they broke apart in collisions. although the one exceptional moon orbits in the same direction as the planets spin, its orbit is highly eccentric compared to the rest, which may suggest that it has a different origin than the other 19 moons. based on the text, which choice best describes the moon with the eccentric orbit? a it doesnt have a retrograde orbit, but it likely has the same origin as the moons with retrograde orbits. b its orbit is so tilted with respect to the other moons orbits that its neither prograde nor retrograde. c it has a prograde orbit that is likely the result of having collided with another body orbiting saturn. d it has a prograde orbit and may not be a remnant of an earlier body that orbited saturn.

Explanation:

The text states that all but one of the 20 moons are remnants of bodies that broke apart in collisions. The exceptional moon has a prograde orbit (same direction as Saturn's spin) but a highly eccentric orbit, suggesting a different origin. Option D aligns with this: it has a prograde orbit (matches "orbits in the same direction as the planet's spin") and "may not be a remnant" (matches "different origin than the other 19 moons").
Option A is wrong because the moon has a prograde orbit (not retrograde) and a different origin (not same as retrograde - orbiting moons). Option B is incorrect as the text doesn't mention tilt making it neither prograde nor retrograde. Option C is wrong because the text implies it's not a remnant (so not a result of collision - related origin like the other 19).

Answer:

D. It has a prograde orbit and may not be a remnant of an earlier body that orbited Saturn.