It's Summertime! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lightning Bugs

We didn't know at the time, but fireflies use their bioluminescence during twilight in order to attract mates! The light is chemically produced, and can be yellow, green, or pale red. Don't forget to put small holes in your jar lid, and release all of the fireflies before you go in for the night!

Answer: Earthworms

Truth be told, most fish will never encounter an earthworm in their natural environment unless it is on a hook! It definitely doesn't comprise the normal diet of any fish; they typically eat insects, plants, and sometimes even other fish! Even so, fish apparently aren't picky eaters, and a nice mess of bass, bluegill, and even catfish can be caught by using an earthworm on a simple cane pole.

Answer: Salt

Adding rock salt, or simple table salt, lowers the temperature of the mixture around the ice cream. Because ice cream isn't plain water, it requires a temperature of less than 32°F to freeze. It is necessary to keep adding both salt and ice when using a hand crank machine, but worth the effort! Just be extra cautious when removing the lid of the churn! Ice cream mixed with salt isn't tasty!

Answer: Yes

Back in the day, ladies wore skirts when riding bicycles, so it was considered to be more proper for girls to ride a bike with a slanted top crossbar. In addition, it wasn't considered good form to show one's underwear while lifting one's leg over a high crossbar.

The high crossbar was used in boy's bicycles because it added stability and durability; boys were typically a bit harder on their bikes than girls were.

Answer: Barbecue

The difference between grilling and barbecuing is the amount of time the meat is cooked, as well as the type of heat that is used. Grilling is done quickly over a rather hot fire, while barbecuing is a slower process that uses smoke to flavor the food and indirect heat to cook it over a lower temperature.

Answer: Vacation Bible School

Who can forget the art projects at Vacation Bible School? One that I can still remember was gluing macaroni on a milk carton and spray painting it gold. What was that supposed to be? Honestly, though, I remember the exact year when the lesson was about Abraham who lived in Ur in ancient Mesopotamia.

Intriguing! I was totally hooked, and have been ever since! Yes, I was the nerdy kid at Vacation Bible School!

Answer: No

The fruit of the strawberry is not a botanical berry, which is defined as "a fleshy fruit without a stone produced from a single flower containing one ovary". It is, instead, an aggregate accessory fruit, which is sometimes called a "false fruit". In a strawberry, several ovaries group together to form the fruit; raspberries and blackberries fall into the same group.

Answer: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Bookmobile made its rounds to many small communities, and returned to mine approximately every three weeks during the summer. The trick was to make sure I took enough books - without being piggish about it - to last for the three weeks! The "Harry Potter" series was first published in 1997, long after "Black Beauty" (1877), "Little House on the Prairie" (1935), and "Anne of Green Gables" (1908).

Answer: Swimming

Going swimming was a real treat of the summer, however, public pools were few and far between in my neck of the woods. One of the upsides to taking swimming lessons was that, as with any lesson, my parents believed that study and practice was necessary. That meant, at least for a time during the summer, that trips to the nearest public pool were in order.

Many pools required swim caps thinking that they would help keep hair from clogging the pool equipment. My cap was an aviator style - it had a chin strap!

Answer: Arizona

I remember staying in motels like the ones in the picture that hopefully had the AAA rating. If we were lucky, we might be able to find one with a small pool - that was double fun! I must admit, although the Grand Canyon was glorious, what I really remember about that trip was swimming in the Pacific Ocean!