When did woolly mammoths go extinct? Try our kids’ quiz

1. Alfie, 7, asks: when did woolly mammoths go extinct?

   1. They went extinct 100 years ago

   2. 1,000 years ago

   3. 10,000 years ago

   4. 1 million years ago

2. Alba, 6, asks: when do crickets sleep?

   1. They sleep in the afternoon – they love a power nap

   2. They sleep all night

   3. They mostly sleep during the day

   4. It depends on their schedule – they sleep whenever they’re not busy

3. Naomi, 8, asks: why do balloons lose air?

   1. It only happens because the knot in the balloon isn’t tight enough

   2. Balloons lose air because the air inside them melts

   3. Balloons don’t lose air, they just shrink over time

   4. Balloons lose air because over time air molecules escape through very tiny holes in the balloon’s material

4. Felix, 13, asks: can worms feel pain?

   1. They can’t feel a thing!

   2. We think that they experience pain

   3. No one has ever asked, so we don’t know

   4. Earthworms hear it when you shout very loud – it hurts their ears – but can’t feel it if you tickle them with a leaf

5. Gabriel, 9, asks: how many species of spider are there in the world?

   1. About 5

   2. About 500

   3. About 5,000

   4. About 50,000

Solutions

1:C - Woolly mammoths became largely extinct about 10,000 years ago – though researchers believe the last known group of woolly mammoths survived until about 1650BC., 2:C - Most species of cricket sleep during the day – they’re nocturnal and come out at night. They rest in dark, warm places during the day., 3:D - Balloons are not completely airtight, so over time, air molecules slowly escape through microscopic holes in the surface of the balloon, or leak out through the knot., 4:B - Earthworms produce two kinds of chemical – enkephalins and beta endorphins – which means they probably experience pleasure and pain. Scientists still don’t know how similar these experiences of pain might be to those of humans., 5:D - There are about 50,000 species of spider on Earth. They live in almost every habitat in the world, including forests, deserts, our own homes, and even at the edges of oceans. Most are venomous, but only a very small number have venom that can harm humans.

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 podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and the new Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book.

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