What makes a shooting star happen and do fish sleep at night? Try our kids’ quiz

Illustration: Hennie Haworth/The Guardian

1. Ivy, 10, asks: what makes a shooting star happen?

   1. Someone lights the star and it shoots across the sky

   2. It’s when you wish on a star so hard it begins to fly

   3. It’s when one star flies to see a friend

   4. They’re not stars but dust and rock that burn up falling into our atmosphere

2. Edith, 7, asks: why does cooked halloumi squeak when you eat it?

   1. To warn mice you have it

   2. Its proteins squeak when they rub against your teeth

   3. All cheese squeaks but halloumi is the loudest

   4. It doesn’t squeak – you’re hearing things!

3. Evan, 7, asks: how do sheep eat stinging nettles without getting hurt?

   1. Lasers in their mouths shoot the stings off nettles

   2. They have rubber in their mouths to protect them

   3. Researchers aren’t sure, but one theory is that they move their lips into a shape that avoids the stinging

   4. They get stung, but they love nettles so don’t care

4. Mollie, 7, asks: do fish sleep at night?

   1. No, fish swim all night and day

   2. Yes, most fish rest at night

   3. Yes, fish are always asleep

   4. No, night-time is the only time they swim

5. Arlo, 7, asks: what is the universe’s smallest star?

   1. EBLM JO555-57Ab is the smallest star, a tiny bit bigger than Saturn

   2. Betelgeuse is the smallest

   3. The sun is the smallest

   4. A star called Twinkle, the size of your fingernail, is the smallest

Solutions

1:D - Shooting stars aren’t stars! They’re tiny bits of dust and rock falling into Earth’s atmosphere and burning up. The trail of light this makes is called a meteor, which we often call shooting stars. If any bits survive the fall and hit Earth without burning up, they’re called a meteorite., 2:B - Halloumi cheese is very dense in a type of protein called casein, and these strong protein strands squeak when they rub against your teeth., 3:C - Sheep are very clever, and one farming researcher discovered that as they go to eat nettles, they move their lips to a shape that helps them avoid the stinging., 4:B - Fish have an inactive phase at night that looks like “sleep” – though it might be more resting than sleeping. If you go snorkelling at night, you’ll see them resting in holes in rocks where they are protected, or floating on the floor of the ocean. Some fish are nocturnal but most rest at night., 5:A - The smallest star we know about is EBLM JO555-57Ab and it’s a little bigger than Saturn, which is nine times wider than Earth – so it’s huge!

Scores

1. 5 and above.

2. 4 and above.

3. 3 and above.

4. 2 and above.

5. 0 and above.

6. 1 and above.

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a weekly podcast answering children’s questions, out now as a book.

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