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Quiz about The wonderful world around us
Quiz about The wonderful world around us

The wonderful world around us! Quiz


This quiz explores the science behind our everyday lives and the world around us!

A multiple-choice quiz by MikeMaster99. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
MikeMaster99
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
345,209
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
2387
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Why is a campfire so hot? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. How does a plane fly when it is so heavy? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Why does popcorn go 'pop' when heated? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What gives grass its green color? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Why do ice blocks float in a glass of water? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Where does the sand at the beach come from? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Cutting up onions often makes you cry. What causes the tears? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In a big storm, why do I hear the thunder after I've seen the lightning? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Looking up into the clear night sky, you watch the brief trail of a shooting star. What is a 'shooting star'? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Why do cats have whiskers? Hint





Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Why is a campfire so hot?

Answer: Burning wood releases energy

Burning requires a fuel (wood), oxygen from the air and a source of ignition (a match!). Burning, called combustion, is a chemical reaction that releases energy from the chemical bonds that make up the wood and this energy is released as heat.
2. How does a plane fly when it is so heavy?

Answer: The plane's forward and upward forces are stronger than gravity

Gravity will pull any object towards the earth. The forward power from the engines, combined with the shape of the wings which give lift when traveling through the air overcome gravity, allowing the plane to fly.
3. Why does popcorn go 'pop' when heated?

Answer: Water in the corn turns to steam and expands, popping the kernel

Corn, like most food, contains water, and when the corn is heated, the water turns to steam which takes up more space than water. This expansion causes the tough outer kernel of the corn to split suddenly, causing the popping sound.
4. What gives grass its green color?

Answer: It contains a green pigment called chlorophyll

Many plants, including grass, contain the green-colored pigment called chlorophyll. This natural compound helps trap sunlight, in the process of photosynthesis, which provides the energy needed for the plant to grow.
5. Why do ice blocks float in a glass of water?

Answer: Ice is not as dense as water

Ice and water are the solid and liquid forms of the same chemical, H2O. Very unusually, the solid form is less dense than the liquid and hence the ice floats.
6. Where does the sand at the beach come from?

Answer: Small particles eroded from rocks in the landscape

Sand is mostly made up of small particles, or grains, of quartz (silicon dioxide) that have eroded (worn away) from large rocks such as granite. Different sand colors come from a range of minerals that can occur in small amounts in the quartz grains.
7. Cutting up onions often makes you cry. What causes the tears?

Answer: A volatile chemical is released that causes tears to form in the eyes

Cutting up the onion releases a volatile, organic chemical called thiopropanal S-oxide. Being volatile, it moves through the air to where it irritates the nerves around the eye, forming tears. As this chemical is water soluble, cutting the onions under a stream of flowing water minimizes this problem!
8. In a big storm, why do I hear the thunder after I've seen the lightning?

Answer: The speed of sound is much less than the speed of light

Lightning and thunder both come from electrical discharges between the clouds and the ground. From the same discharge, lightning will always be seen first as the speed of light is about one million times faster than the speed of sound.
9. Looking up into the clear night sky, you watch the brief trail of a shooting star. What is a 'shooting star'?

Answer: A small piece of rock from space burning up as it enters the atmosphere

A shooting 'star' is not a star! It's a piece of rock flying through space at high speed that then enters the earth's atmosphere where the rock becomes extremely hot. This heat is released (in part) as visible light.
10. Why do cats have whiskers?

Answer: As part of their sensory system

A cat's whiskers, called vibrissae, are highly sensitive to touch and help the cat move around the environment. The whiskers are about as wide as the cat's body, so if the whiskers don't go through a gap, the cat knows it can't fit its body through either. Cats should have shallow, wide food bowls so that the whiskers aren't aggravated when trying to eat.
Source: Author MikeMaster99

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor NatalieW before going online.
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This quiz is part of series Everyday Science:

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  5. Forensic Science under the Microscope Average
  6. Run to the Lab! World Changing Experiments. Easier

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