Why do fire colours come first in a rainbow? The kids’ quiz

1. Niamh, 5, asks: why do fire colours (red, orange and yellow) come first in a rainbow?

   1. The parts of our eyes that see those colours are bigger

   2. Because the sun is yellow

   3. Fire colours are on the rainbow’s outer curve because they are bent (or refracted) the least

   4. Those are the rainbow pixies’ favourite colours

2. Flora, 10, asks: why do people get allergies?

   1. You get them if you’re tall

   2. It depends on the colour of your eyes

   3. Sometimes the immune system treats safe substances as harmful

   4. People born on a Tuesday always get allergies

3. Angus, 4, asks: why do dogs bark?

   1. To guard their territory

   2. For attention

   3. As a greeting

   4. All of the above and even more

4. Arun, 6, asks: what are stars made of?

   1. Mostly hydrogen

   2. The same material fluorescent jackets are made from

   3. Mostly helium

   4. Teabags

5. Arthur, 9, asks: why do we move around in our sleep?

   1. As part of our natural sleep cycle, we all breakdance in deep sleep

   2. We only move in our sleep if we dream about swimming

   3. We mainly move in our sleep to relieve pressure and help blood flow

   4. Scientists still can’t work it out

Solutions

1:C - You see a rainbow when sunlight shines through a raindrop – the colours within the light are bent (or refracted) at different angles, so you see them separately. Red, orange and yellow are refracted less than colours like blue, indigo and violet, so they are on the outer edge of the rainbow., 2:C - Allergies happen when your immune system treats things such as pollen as harmful, even when they aren’t. The immune system attacks the substance, and this causes an allergic reaction. We’re not sure why some people develop allergies, but it’s influenced by your genetic makeup and your environment., 3:D - Dogs bark for many reasons, like when someone approaches what they feel is their territory or when they want attention. They also bark when greeting others or if they feel unwell., 4:A - Stars are big balls of hot gas, which is mostly hydrogen, with some helium and some other elements., 5:C - We move while sleeping to help blood flow and to get comfy, or if we’re too hot or cold. We also move if our dreams are vivid, or when our muscles relax we twitch.

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.