A Super Quiz

Answer: Star

A superstar is someone who is more than just ordinarily famous. He or she could be an actor or a singer or even, occasionally, a business person or politician. Most people would agree that Madonna and Elton John are superstars as they have sold so many records and been around for so long.

Answer: Glue

Superglue is made from chemicals called cyanoacrylates. They form very strong bonds when water is added and can be extremely difficult to remove. If you've ever managed to get superglue on your fingers, you'll know this. Superglues can be used in medicine and industry as well as in the home.

Answer: Natural

The supernatural refers to anything out of the ordinary, but is most often used to describe things like ghosts or werewolves. It can also used for beliefs in angels or other supernatural beings. Super means over or above and natural refers to the everyday world around us.

Answer: Visor

You probably associate the word visor with helmets, perhaps worn by motor cyclists or people working with dangerous objects for protection. A supervisor refers to someone who 'sees' over other workers, so both supervisor and visor have a connection to the Latin word for seeing.

Answer: Nova

A nova is a kind of star, which changes brightness. Stars become supernovas when they reach the end of their lives and the gases from which they are made explode. A supernova often leaves a black hole where the original star was.

Answer: Sonic

The word sonic relates to sound, so supersonic means faster than the speed of sound. It is mostly used in the context of aircraft travelling faster than sound can. The first person to do this was an American pilot, called Chuck Yeager, in 1947.

Answer: Power

Power refers to strength or might, so a superpower means any country which has more power than most others. During much of the twentieth century, the two main superpowers were the United States of America and the Soviet Union, consisting of Russia and many other countries which were part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Answer: Tanker

A tanker is a vessel used for moving liquids by sea or by road, on lorries or trucks. A supertanker is a very large ship capable of carrying the equivalent of millions of barrels of oil. This works well, but when accidents happen, as with the Exxon Valdez in 1989, it can cause a lot of damage to the environment and wildlife.

Answer: Impose

The word impose can be used to mean something which is placed on people - for example, a tax can be imposed. To superimpose something means to place one thing on top of another in such a way that both can be seen. For example, you could make a picture by cutting out designs and superimposing them on a different coloured background. On television, subtitles are superimposed on the screen so you can still see what is happening.

Answer: Man

I expect you've probably heard of Superman, the hero played in films by Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill. He started life as a comic book character in 1938. The idea of a superman was also used by a German philosopher called Friedrich Nietzsche in 1883 and also has connections to the religion called Buddhism, meaning someone who is beyond a normal human being.