Why are snails so slow and how was plastic discovered? Try our kids’ quiz

1. Lena, 9, asks: why are snails so slow?

   1. Because they are small creatures

   2. Because they are always very tired

   3. To conserve energy and because they don’t have legs like we do

   4. Because they have nowhere to be

2. Greta, 9, asks: how do rubbers erase pencil marks?

   1. By depositing a white residue all over the pencil mark so that it is hidden from view

   2. By loosening the particles of the pencil marks and getting them to stick to the rubber

   3. By a chemical reaction that happens between the pencil and the eraser that makes the marks evaporate into the air

   4. By making the pencil markings transform into a thin film across the part of the page you’re erasing till they’re no longer visible

3. Santiago, 11, asks: how many countries are there in the world?

   1. 47

   2. 82

   3. 154

   4. 193

4. Owen, 6, asks: how sharp is a T rex’s tooth?

   1. It’s as sharp as a samurai’s sword

   2. It’s not very sharp but it is serrated

   3. It’s as dull as a pebble; it’s a myth that they’re sharp

   4. It’s the sharpest of all the dinosaurs’ teeth

5. Percy, 8, asks: when was hockey invented?

   1. In Ancient Egypt, about 2000BC

   2. In Canada in 1899

   3. At the London Olympics in 1908

   4. At Eton school in Berkshire, in 1874

Solutions

1:C - Snails are slow for many reasons. They don’t eat very much so they move slowly to conserve energy, and they have heavy shells for their little bodies! It’s also because they travel using their bodies rather than moving two (or more) legs about, which is much, much faster. , 2:B - Pencil marks are made from graphite. When it is rubbed with a rubber, the friction loosens the graphite particles and the rubber is stickier than the paper, so they end up sticking to the rubber instead of the paper., 3:D - The UN recognises 193 states – and two independent nations, Palestine and Vatican City, so you could say there are 195! There are also contested countries, such as Taiwan. So it’s a tough question to answer. , 4:B - Tyrannosaurus rex didn’t have very sharp teeth, but relied on the strength of their bite to kill and eat prey. Their teeth were serrated for ripping through flesh. , 5:A - A form of hockey was played throughout antiquity in different places, including in Ancient Egypt, around 2000BC. The way field hockey is played now was developed in English private schools in the 19th century.

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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