The Red Stuff - The Blood Quiz!

Answer: Heart

The heart is like a big pump and every time it beats it sends blood throughout our bodies. Each beat sends it further along and when the blood has done its job it comes back to the heart to get a new job to do, before being pumped out again.

Answer: Oxygen

We get oxygen from breathing. As we pull the air into our lungs, our blood cells move by and collect the oxygen from our breath and they drop off carbon dioxide for us to breathe out.

Answer: True

As a general rule, arteries carry the blood which is full of oxygen and other nutrients to the other cells in our bodies. When the blood gets where it needs to go, it drops all the oxygen and other nutrients off. The cells then give the blood any waste they have and the veins collect this blood and drop off the waste where it needs to go.

Answer: Bone marrow

Red blood cells are made in our bone marrow and then sent out to do the work. After about four months of rushing around our bodies, these cells get tired and are sent back to the bone marrow where they get recycled and made into brand new red blood cells.

Answer: They fight infection

White blood cells work really hard when we get sick. There are always in our blood but if we get an infection, they start to multiply, making lots of new white blood cells. They fight infection by surrounding any infection cells, or other things that shouldn't be in your blood, to stop them from doing harm to other bits of your body.

Answer: Lots of them stick together to seal the cut

Platelets are great! They flow along in the blood until you get a cut and then they leap into action. Lots of them group together with a special protein that is also in your blood called fibrinogen (fy-brin-oh-gen). This forms a clot which blocks up the hole made by the cut and stops you bleeding.

Answer: True

There are four different blood groups and they are called Type A, Type B, Type AB and Type O. Adults can donate blood to be given to sick people who might need it and it is important that the sick person gets the right type of blood.

Answer: Transfusion

If you are very sick and you are given blood it is called a transfusion (trans-few-shun). It is important to be given the right blood type but in an emergency doctors can give Type O blood to everybody because it is safe no matter what type your blood is.

Answer: Plasma

Plasma is actually a clear, pale yellow liquid - it is the red blood cells that gives blood its colour - but it makes up about half of all our blood.

Answer: Iron

Iron is very important in making red blood cells. If you don't get enough it can make you feel weak and tired. This is called iron deficieny (de-fish-en-see) anemia and you might have to eat lots of green vegetables because they have plenty of iron in them!