What’s the biggest litter a cat has ever had? Try our kids’ quiz

1. Natasha, 10, asks: what’s the biggest litter a cat has ever had?

   1. 31 kittens

   2. 3 kittens

   3. 8 kittens

   4. 19 kittens

2. Aoibheann, 8, asks: why is the bark of a redwood tree red?

   1. Berries stain its bark red

   2. It contains tannin, which makes it reddish-brown

   3. The trees grow on patches of spilt animal blood

   4. It isn’t! The trees get their name as they’re made into newspapers, and get read!

3. Esther, 9, asks: do we have taste buds all over our mouths, including under our tongue?

   1. We only have taste buds in the middle of our tongue

   2. Most taste buds are on top of your tongue, with some on the roof of your mouth and in your throat

   3. No, they’re in our noses

   4. It depends – some people have them in their ears, too!

4. Buster, 6, asks: why are there 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour?

   1. Ancient civilisations used to count in units of 60

   2. Because the Earth spins round in 60 seconds

   3. Tutankhamun had 60 as his favourite number

   4. Because you can eat a chocolate bar in 60 seconds

5. Joey, 5, asks: how do horses sleep?

   1. Lying down on soft hay

   2. While trotting, by closing down half their brain

   3. Horses can sleep standing up or lying down

   4. Horses sleep upside down, like bats

Solutions

1:D - According to Guinness World Records, the world’s largest litter of domestic kittens was 19, born to a Siamese/Burmese cat in Oxfordshire, England., 2:B - Redwood trees contain lots of the substance tannin, which not only gives the bark its red colour, but also helps protect these beautiful trees from insects and fungus., 3:B - Most taste buds are on the upper surface of your tongue, with some extra along the sides of your tongue, on the roof of your mouth and in your throat. Adults have between 2,000 and 8,000 taste buds in total! We do have a few under our tongue, but not many as food and drink mostly touches the top of our tongues. , 4:A - The Babylonians divided the hour and minute into 60 because they used to count and do maths and astronomy using units of 60 (a sexagesimal counting system), as 60 is a number that can easily be divided by other numbers., 5:C - Horses can doze on their feet, as they have a special mechanism in their legs that locks them in place, so they don’t fall over. To get into a deep sleep, they lie down.

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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