Why can’t wasps swim and which shark is fastest? The kids’ quiz

1. Jake, 9, asks: why can’t wasps swim?

   1. They don’t like getting their hair wet

   2. They’re allergic to water

   3. They’re afraid of sharks

   4. A few species of wasp can, but most don’t have the physical features required to swim

2. Jacob, 7, asks: what did cavemen evolve from?

   1. Cavemen evolved from dinosaurs

   2. They evolved from an ape-like ancestor that is now extinct

   3. They evolved from cats

   4. They evolved from large penguins

3. Fintan, 5, asks: which shark is the fastest shark?

   1. The in-depth cheetah shark

   2. The great white shark

   3. The shortfin mako shark

   4. The Scottish torpedo shark

4. Ivy, 10, asks: what makes people blind?

   1. Infections and illnesses

   2. Injuries and other physical damage

   3. Genetic factors

   4. All of the above

5. Florence, 8, asks: what did it mean to “claim pregnancy” on a pirate ship?

   1. Claiming that you were pregnant could delay your potential execution

   2. If a pirate ship was pregnant, it meant it was ready to be stolen

   3. Claiming pregnancy on a pirate ship meant your salary would double

   4. Claiming pregnancy would cause the pirate ship to head directly to the nearest port

Solutions

1:D - Most wasps haven’t evolved to swim – they have no gills or flippers and don’t even have lungs. A few (such as some species of the fairyfly) can swim using their wings as paddles., 2:B - We don’t know which primates cavemen evolved from, but humans share an ancestor with chimpanzees and bonobos. The ape Proconsul africanus is considered one possible ancestor of great and lesser apes, and humans., 3:C - The shortfin mako shark is the fastest shark, reaching speeds of 46 miles an hour (74km) in bursts., 4:D - Many different things cause blindness. More than 260 genes can cause blindness at birth, as can some infections and diseases. Certain chemical spills can impair vision and some eye conditions can develop into blindness in old age., 5:A - Claiming pregnancy, or “pleading the belly” as it was known, was a valid legal defence in England up to 1931. Pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read are said to have used it to delay and eventually avoid execution, though it was likely neither of them were pregnant.

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 Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book, as well as her new title, Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World.