Why do the clouds go dark when it’s going to rain? Try our kids’ quiz

1. Solomon, 9, asks: why do the clouds go dark when it’s going to rain?

   1. Because they’re grumpy

   2. Clumps of water droplets in the clouds reflect less sunlight so the clouds look dark to us

   3. It’s because the blue sky turns to black when it rains

   4. It’s not always because of rain; it can happen when the sun goes in for a rest

2. Harry, 7, asks: why is the moon following us?

   1. The moon is very nosy!

   2. So we can see in the dark

   3. It doesn’t follow us – it’s an optical illusion

   4. It only follows the luckiest people

3. Himi, 9, asks: why do we smile?

   1. To show we are hungry

   2. To show we have cleaned our teeth

   3. To show we are friendly and to make us feel good

   4. To show we are feeling furious

4. Molly, 11, asks: where in the world is the oldest cave art?

   1. Sulawesi, an island in Indonesia

   2. The Amazon rainforest

   3. The outback of Australia

   4. North-west Italy

5. Amy, 8, asks: what is the actual distance you travel if you’re moving at the speed of light?

   1. You’d circumnavigate the equator 7.5 times a second

   2. You’d travel 4 kilometres in a second – the speed of the world’s fastest train

   3. You’d travel 1km a second – the speed of a cheetah

   4. Light travels at the speed of a flicker in a fire – you can’t measure the distance

Solutions

1:B - Clouds usually appear white because water droplets within them are tightly packed, so most of the light that hits them is reflected. The water droplets clump together when it’s about to rain, leaving larger spaces between the droplets. Less light is reflected, making the rain cloud appear darker., 2:C - It’s an optical illusion! The moon is an average distance of 384,000km from Earth. When we move, its position in the sky doesn’t really change much, so it seems like it’s following us., 3:C - We smile to show we’re friendly – other people smile back and it helps us bond. It also releases feelgood chemicals. Though sometimes people do smile when they’re embarrassed or afraid – it’s complicated!, 4:A - The oldest known cave art that tells a story rather than being abstract markings is in Sulawesi, Indonesia. It shows a pig and three human-like figures, and is at least 51,200 years old., 5:A - Light travels through a vacuum at 186,000 miles a second (about 300,000km a second). According to Nasa, at this speed a human would travel around the equator 7.5 times in one second.

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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