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(1) What is the coldest temperature ever recorded at the South Pole?
a. +83 degrees Celsius
b. -117 degrees Fahrenheit
c. 0 degrees Kelvin
d. None of the above
The answer is B- -117 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowest temperature recorded at the South Pole station was -83 degrees Celsius. That is about -117 degrees Fahrenheit. But the coldest place in Antarctica is the Russian Station of Vostok which is at an elevation of about 3,500 meters. On one occasion in 1983, the temperature fell to -89.6 degrees Celsius.
(2) How warm has it ever got at the South Pole?
a. Fahrenheit 451
b. -22 degrees Celsius
c. 42 degrees Fahrenheit
d. None of the above
The answer is D- None of the above. From records at the Research Centre for the Antarctic & Southern Ocean Environment, the highest temperature recorded at the South Pole Station was -8 degrees Celsius, which is +17.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
(3) How old is the Sun?
a. 280 million years old
b. 2 light years old
c. Approximately 4.5 billion years old
d. 22 A.U.
The answer is C. We know from the rate of radioactive decay that the Sun is 4.5 billion years old.
(4) How many stars are there?
a. 97,086,921
b. 17 to the 12th power
c. 1,00 for each planet
d. None of the above
The answer is D - None of the above. It is not known how many stars there are. The difficulty is that we don\'t know how big the universe is. In some theories the universe goes on forever in all directions, in others it is finite. If the Universe is finite, there are probably something like 10 to the 20th power stars in it. If not, there are infinitely many. It is known that there are A LOT. Probably it is currently possible to see (if you look hard enough) evidence for something like 100,000,000,000,000,000,000. There may be lots more!
(5) What is the record for the tallest person?
a. 8\'11.1"
b. 5\'3"
c. 12\'9"
d. 4 meters & 3 centimeters
e. A & C above
The answer is A- 8\'11.1" Robert Pershing Wadlow was born, educated and buried in Alton, Illinois. His height of 8\' 11.1" qualifies him as the tallest person in history, as recorded in the Guinness book of Records. At the time of his death, he weighed 490 pounds. For internet information on Mr. Wadlow, go to http://www.altonweb.com/history/wadlow/
(6) What causes the allergy to cats?
a. The cat\'s food
b. Clippings from the cat\'s toenails
c. Small scales of skin
d. Microwaves emitted from the cat\'s whiskers
The answer is C - Small scales of skin. Many people are allergic to animals. Most people are not allergic to the animal\'s fur or feathers. They are actually allergic to dander (the small scales of skin) that the animal sheds. The allergy is an immune reaction to a protein (an allergen) found in saliva, dander (dead skin flakes), or urine of an animal. People are not allergic to the hair of an animal, as many may believe. Rather, the allergen is carried in the air or in the dust on very small invisible particles. It then lands on the lining of the eyes (conjunctiva) and nose. It may also be inhaled directly into the lungs, which causes allergic symptoms. Allergen contact with an allergic person\'s skin may also cause itching and hives. Cat allergy is one of the most common pet allergies. A tiny protein particle the Fel d 1 allergen is found in the cat\'s skin and saliva.
(7) How much does our stomach weigh?
a. 2 ounces
b. Between 1 and 2 pounds
c. 17 kilograms
d. None of the above
The answer is B- between 1 and 2 pounds. The adult stomach, when empty, weighs between 1 and 2 pounds. When full of course, it weighs much more.
(8) What are freckles?
a. Particles of dust
b. Stains from fingernail polish
c. A sign of extreme sunburn
d. None of the above
The answer is D - none of the above. The cells that produce skin color (melanocytes), are sometimes not evenly distributed so the skin color they produce (melanin) is deposited in spots and forms what we call freckles.
(9) Why do we get goosebumps?
a. Because of tiny hair-erector muscles
b. To make us look bigger
c. To make sure we are still alive
d. To keep circulation going to our arms
The answer is A- Because of tiny hair-erector muscles. "goosebumps," or "Goose pimples," occur when tiny hair-erector muscles contract in response to cold, excitement, or fear.
(10) Why are polar bears white?
a. They don\'t look good in plaid
b. To blend in with the ice and snow
c. So that their fur can absorb heat from the Earth\'s surface
d. B and C above
The answer is B- Polar bears are white to blend in with the ice and snow of their chilly Arctic environment. Many animals that live there are white in the winter.
(11) Why do we grow?
a. So we can get tall enough to reach the top shelf
b. So that we can breathe cleaner air in the higher altitudes
c. To counteract gravity
d. None of the above
The answer is D - None of the above. The reason we grow is that our cells are constantly dividing. When the number of cells formed is greater than the number of cells which die our body grows in size. That is why children grow so fast. After a few years the rate at which the cells divide slows down the growth stops. That is why adults do not grow.
(12) Why do we hiccup?
a. Because the diaphragm suddenly contracts.
b. Because the muscles between the ribs suddenly contract.
c. Because the air inside the lungs expand
d. A and B above
The answer is D - Because the diaphragm and muscles between the ribs suddenly contract. This causes a sharp, uncontrollable inhalation of air, which does not reach the lungs because the muscle spasm has closed the windpipe. Hiccups usually occur repeatedly in short spasms lasting a few minutes. Most folk remedies, such as holding the breath and counting to some number, have a physiological bais in that they tend to increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the lungs, so triggering the breathing reflex, which opens the windpipe.
(13) Why is thermometer called a thermometer?
a. The root comes from ancient Argentina
b. The root comes from Greek
c. Because it looks like a telescope
d. None of the above
The answer is B - The root comes from Greek. The word thermometer is from the Greek word "therme," which means heat and the Greek word "metron," which means measure.
(14)How does a music box work?
a. Flat piece of metal with little fingers
b. Using a cylinder with little bumps on it
c. None of the above
d. A & C above
The answer is D - If you look inside a music box you\'ll probably see a flat piece of metal with little "fingers" sticking out from it. In other words, something like a metal hand. Well, when one of these fingers gets plucked (moved away from their resting position and released), they vibrate and by doing so give off sound. The length of each finger is just right for each to give off some particular note. In the music box there is usually a cylinder with little bumps on it. When a spring causes the cylinder to spin, the bumps hit the little fingers, it causes them to vibrate, and you get your little song! In fact, you\'ll notice that the song slows down at the end as the spring gets more and more unwound.
(15)How do planes stay up in the air instead of crashing to the ground?
a. The Bernoulli principle
b. Anti-gravity effect
c. Newton\'s fifth law
d. Canadian ingenuity
The answer is A - Airplanes (and birds) both stay up in the air using the Bernoulli principle - something that also makes the aerator on you kitchen faucet work. It is a different principle from that makes rockets (or vertical take-off and landing aircraft while taking off and landing) fly, and baseballs curve, and propellers work, etc. It is not completely clear how certain insects fly. If a fluid moves moderately smoothly then it has (this always surprises people) a lower pressure when it is moving quickly than when it is moving slowly. Wings (and propeller blades) are designed so that the air moves more quickly over the top of the wing than over the bottom of the wing. The pressure is therefore lower on the top of the wing than on the bottom. This causes "lift." A discussion of the Bernoulli effect (and a short derivation) can be found in a number of first year college texts, such as The fundamentals of Physics 5th edition, page 361ff. However, this is very hard to understand intuitively.
(16)What are shooting stars?
a. John Wayne with at rifle.
b. What you see when you are hit on the head.
c. Meteors
d. A & C above
The answer is C - Meteors. Shooting stars are actually fainter meteors, which usually occur singly and sporadically.
(17)How big is the Universe?
a. 1,400 square miles
b. possibly infinite
c. Scientists aren\'t sure
d. None of the above
The answer is C - Scientists aren\'t sure. It is impossible for the human mind to conceive a true picture of the size of the universe. We not only don\'t know how big it is, but it is hard for us to even imagine how big it might be. If we start from the Earth and move out, we\'ll see why this is so. The Earth is part of the solar system, but a very tiny part of it. The solar system consists of the sun, the planets that revolve around it, the asteroids, and the meteors. Not, this whole solar system of ours is only a tiny part of another, much bigger system called "a galaxy." A galaxy is made up of many millions of stars, many of which may be mu7ch larger than our sun, and they may have solar systems of their own. So the stars we see in our galaxy, which we call " The Milky Way," are all suns. They are all so far away that distances are measured in light years instead of in miles. Light travels about 6,000,000,000,000 miles in a year. The bright star nearest to the Earth is Alpha Centauri. Do you know how far away it is? 25,000,000,000,000 miles! But we\'re still talking only about our own galaxy. This is believed to be about 100,00 light years in width. This means 1000,000 times 6,000,000,000,000 miles! And our galaxy is only a tiny part of a still larger system. There are probably millions of galaxies out beyond the Milky Way. And perhaps all these galaxies put together are still only a part of some larger system! So you see why it is impossible for us to have an idea of the size of the universe. Incidentally, it is believed by scientists that the universe is expanding. This means that every few billion years two galaxies will find themselves twice as far apart as they were before!
(18)What do scientists mean when they talk about the "Big Bang" and the "Big Crunch"
a. Two new very exciting candy bars from Hershey
b. The cause and effect of an automobile accident
c. The major concern of most companies regarding the Y2K bug
d. None of the above
The answer is D- None of the above. The phrases "Big Bang" and "Big Crunch" refer to theories of the beginning and end of our universe. It is commonly accepted that the universe is expanding from an initial singularity (usually referred to as the "Big Bang") which occurred 10-15 billion years ago. The "Big Crunch" is what some scientists consider will be the end phase of the Big Bang expansion. In other words, some scientist theorize that like a rubber band that can only be stretched so long before it contracts back to it\'s original form, our universe may only be able to expand so much before it begins to contract and return to its original form.
(19)Why is the Earth round?
a. Gravitational pull
b. So people wouldn\'t fall of the edges of a cubed Earth
c. So it doesn\'t block the Sun from the other planets
d. None of the above
The answer is A- Gravitational pull. The Earth is round because it was formed, as all stars and planets are, by a gravitational pull of dust and particles in space. The gravity forces pull particles equally from all sides, compacting and condensing them into a sphere. However, it is not a perfect spheres, the equator bulges out, as does the North Pole. In addition, the south pole dents inward, causing a pear-shaped form, instead of a perfect sphere.
(20)How many craters are on the moon?
a. 25 large ones and 7 small ones
b. 133
c. more than 3 trillion
d. None of the above
The answer is C - more than 3 trillion. The entire moon has about 3 trillion craters larger than 1m (3.32 ft) in diameter.
(21)How many wrinkles are on the average brain?
a. 12 on an adult male
b. 23 on an adult female
c. A and B above
d. None of the above
The answer is D- None of the above. This is a difficult question to answer because everybody\'s brain has a different number of wrinkles in it and the number of wrinkles changes from the time when you are a baby in your mother\'s womb to when you are an adult. You asked for an average number - the only problem is that there aren\'t any scientists working on counting the number of wrinkles in a persons brain for several reasons. The main one is that you need to get a brain outside the skull to count the wrinkles and the only way to do that is if the person is dead and does not need his brain anymore. So, scientists do not worry a whole lot about the number of wrinkles present in a person\'s brain. What scientists worry about is what the certain areas of the brain do.
(22)Why do we sneeze?
a. Nerve endings in the nose are irritated.
b. Our optic nerve is stimulated by a bright light.
c. A and B above
d. None of the above
The answer is C- A and B. Actually, sneezing is the act of sending out air from the nose and mouth. It is a reflex act, and happens without control. Sneezing occurs when the nerve-endings of the mucous membrane of the nose are irritated. It can also happen, curiously enough, when our optic nerve is stimulated by a bright light. The irritation what causes sneezing may be due to a swelling of the mucous membrane of the nose, as happens when we have a cold; it may be due to foreign bodies that somehow get into our nose, or it may be due to an allergy. The act of sneezing is an attempt by the body to expel air to get rid of the irritating bodies.
(23)Why do people\'s feet stink?
a. So people can find each other
b. Because of the action of bacteria on the skin
c. From lack of vitamin E
d. None of the above
The answer is B- Because of the action of bacteria on the skin. The odor of "stinking feet" is produced by the action of bacteria on the skin. Dry feet don\'t stink, which is why foot powders are used to prevent foot odor. Some of these food powders are fortified with antibacterial agents and perfume. Simple corn starch, being highly absorptive, will work as well, provided that it is replenished with sufficient frequency to prevent its becoming saturated with moisture. Feet began to stink when people started to enclose them in shoes, thus preventing free air circulation around the feet. Feet consequently became moist from retained perspiration, and skin bacteria flourished in the then, surface layer of perspiration and in moist socks and shoes.
(24)What do we call the piece of skin that connects our upper lip to our gum?
a. Silicon
b. Cartilage
c. Fatty tissue
d. None of the above
The answer is D - None of the above. The piece of tissue that connects the upper lip to the gum is called "frenum." There are several similar pieces of tissue in our mouth. Frenum is a type of connective tissue covered with smooth epithelium. The core fiber of the frenum may mingle with adjacent muscles and when the muscle moves the frenum may move as well. The possible function of the frenum could be holding two tissues together. For example, the labial frenum may hold the lip to the gum and the frenum underneath the tongue may keep the tongue to the mouth floor. When there is excessive fiber component in the frenum, it may cause problems. The tongue may not be able to move freely because of a tight, short frenum and the person will have some difficulty in speech. A strong frenum located inside the upper lip may extend in between the two center teeth and create a gap between those teeth. Fortunately, these problems can be corrected with very simple surgical procedures.
(25)Why does hair turn gray?
a. Pigment cells at the root of the hair
b. Stress
c. Using too much shampoo
d. None of the above
The answer is A - Pigment cells at the root of the hair. Our hair color is caused by pigment cells at the root of the hair. The type of pigment these cells produce is controlled by our genes. Gray represents a loss of the pigment cells as a part of the aging process. This is also controlled by our genes. Some hair grays earlier that others. The genes you received from your parents already have a program encoded in them to determine when you will turn gray.
(26)How many different species of spiders are there?
a. 1,000
b. 3 billion
c. 34,00
d. 1.3 million
The answer is C - there are approximately 34,000 species of spiders in the world.
(27)What does a Portuguese Man-O-War eat?
a. Fish
b. Small swimming animals
c. A & B above
d. None of the above
The answer is C -Fish and small swimming animals. Portuguese Man-O-War eat fish and small swimming animals. They are related to the jellyfish, but they are a "colony" of individuals. Each strand or "tentacle" is its own individual. A jellyfish is just that - ONE jellyfish.
(28)Why doesn\'t a cactus need much water?
a. They contain no salt
b. They get the moisture they need from insects
c. It isn\'t a living thing
d. None of the above
The answer is D - None of the above. The cactus has no leaves or only very small ones that usually drop off as the plant matures. The cactus thus avoids a huge loss of water. The stem is fleshy and thick and can store a large amount of water. Its tough skin keeps the water safely hoarded. Cactus roots spread out near the surface of the soil, enabling the plant to absorb water from a wide area during the infrequent, light rains that occur in the desert.
(29)What is the fastest growing plant?
a. Bamboo
b. Kudzu
c. Morning glory
d. All of the above
The answer is D- all of the above. There are various types of plants that grow fast. Bamboo is a type of grass. New shoots grow slowly, but the growth rate increases rapidly and may reach nearly 60 cm (24 inches) per day in some gigantic tropical species. Kudzu, types of fungus and members of the willow family, all grow at a rapid rate. Morning glory can grow to be 142 inches tall. A holly shrub can grow to be 590 inches tall. A sweet gum tree can grow to be 148 inches tall.
(30)What is dry ice?
a. The opposite of wet ice.
b. Carbon dioxide
c. Frozen dry water
d. None of the above
The answer is B- Carbon dioxide. Dry ice is composed of carbon dioxide, which at normal temperature is a gas. The carbon dioxide is stored and shipped as a liquid in tanks that are pressurized at 1,073 pounds per square inch. To make dry ice, the carbon dioxide liquid is withdrawn from the tank and allowed to evaporate at a normal pressure in a porous bag. This rapid evaporation consumes so much heat that part of the liquid CO2 freezes to a temperature of -190 degrees Fahrenheit (-78 degrees Celsius). The frozen liquid is then compressed by machines into blocks of "dry ice" which will melt into gas again when set out at room temperature.
(31)What are the names of all the layers of the atmosphere?
a. troposphere, stratosphere
b. Mesosphere, Thermosphere.
c. Both A and C
d. None of the above
The answer is C- The names of the layers in the atmosphere are Troposphere (0 to about 7 miles up), Stratosphere (7- 30 miles up), Mesosphere (30 - 50 miles up), and Thermosphere (about 50 miles up). Above about 180 miles, the atmosphere gradually merges with the thin gases of interplanetary space.
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