BHS -> Mr. Stanbrough ->Physics -> Mechanics -> Momentum -> this page
A mood is something you have - you are happy, sad, etc. - it is a characteristic of your current state of being. In the same way, momentum is something that an object has - it is a characteristic of its current physical state.
A "pop quiz" in physics is something that happens to you. In the same way, an impulse is something that happens to an object.
Just like a pop quiz in physics can affect your mood, an impulse will affect the momentum of an object.