Why do volcanoes shoot lava and how fast can bees fly? Try our kids’ quiz

Illustration: Hennie Haworth/The Guardian

1. Kit, 5, asks: why do volcanoes shoot lava?

   1. Because, just like us, they need to sneeze sometimes

   2. Because the sun heats up lava through the crater, causing it to rise up

   3. Because magma is created underground, building pressure and then rising to the surface

   4. They need to get rid of their lava, otherwise they get too full of it and collapse

2. Esther, 7, asks: how tall is the world’s tallest person?

   1. 272cm

   2. 251cm

   3. 208cm

   4. 184cm

3. William, 7, asks: how fast can bees fly?

   1. Up to 40 miles per hour, about the speed of a gazelle

   2. Up to 30 miles per hour, about the speed of a cat

   3. Up to 20 miles per hour, about the speed of a squirrel

   4. Up to 10 miles per hour, about the speed of a running human

4. Cas, 7, asks: why are bulldozers called that?

   1. Because they look like sleeping (or dozing) bulls

   2. Because they were once used to herd bulls

   3. Because they are as powerful and violent as a “dose” fit for a “bull”

   4. Because they used to be pulled by bulls

5. Rowan, 9, asks: why do people snore?

   1. It’s how some people’s bodies react to nightmares

   2. When they have colds and their noses are blocked

   3. If their noses are too small for the air to get through

   4. People snore when their breath makes their tongues, mouths, throats or nose airways vibrate

Solutions

1:C - Magma is molten rock formed when the Earth’s mantle (between its core and crust) melts. It rises up, building gas bubbles that create pressure. This pushes the magma up through openings in the volcano. Outside, it becomes lava and hardens into rock as it cools., 2:B - The tallest living person is Sultan Kösen who is a staggering 251cm (8ft 2.8in) tall! The tallest man ever is Robert Wadlow, who in 1940 measured 272cm (8ft 11.1 in) tall., 3:C - Honeybees can fly 15-20 miles per hour at top speed. Returning to their hive laden with pollen, they go slower, around 12 miles per hour., 4:C - The word “bulldoze’” was first used in the 19th century in America as slang for a “dose fit for a bull”, as in a punishment. It became a more general term for bullying and forcefulness, and ended up being used to describe bulldozer machines as they can be destructive., 5:D - When you are sleeping, your tongue, mouth, throat and nose relax. For some people, the movement of air through these makes them vibrate and it sounds like a snore. You’re more likely to snore sleeping on your back!

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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