What Ball Am I? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Paintball

Developed in the 1980s, paintball is a non-contact game in which individuals or teams try to eliminate their opponents by hitting them with dye-filled pellets fired from specially manufactured paintball guns. Because of the nature of the game, protective equipment such as full face masks, and elbow and knee pads are worn to protect the players.

Answer: Ballast

Ballast can be any material, as long as it is not dangerous for the journey or mode of transportation in question. Ships often have ballast tanks that hold water, hot air balloons often use bags of sand as ballast, and small sailing vessels sometimes make use of the crew themselves as ballast!

Answer: Cannonball

The first recorded naval battle that made use of cannons and cannonballs was The Battle of Arnemuiden, fought between England and France in 1338 at the start of the Hundred Years' War. Although cannonball damage to wooden battleships could be repaired (via a large wooden plug), the procedure to do so was far from simple, with increased water pressure providing a real challenge.

Answer: Ballot

Derived from the Italian word "ballotta", meaning "small ball used in voting", a ballot can be used to select anything from who will be first to speak in a class exercise to the next President of the USA. The method used to record each vote can be scraps of paper, electronic means, punched cards - anything really that can be used to allow a person to secretly cast his or her vote.

Answer: Eyeball

The human eyeball is situated in the cavity of the skull known as the orbit. Often referred to as the most complex organ in the human body, the eyeball contains a number of different working parts, such as the cornea and the lens (both of which focus light), the iris (controls the amount of light that reaches the back of the eye), the retina (converts optical images into electronic signals), and the optic nerve (transmits these signals to the brain).

Answer: Balloon

The first rubber balloon was invented by English scientist Michael Faraday in 1924 for use is experiments with hydrogen at the Royal Institution in London. Today, balloons come in all shapes, sizes, and colours, and are often used to create stunning displays at major events such as sports finals and political rallies.

Answer: Hairball

Particularly common in cats, which tend to do a lot of self-grooming by licking their fur, hairballs are often vomited up by the animal when they become too big. Although uncommon, hairballs have been known in humans, and can be quite dangerous as hair is not able to be digested or passed by the gastrointestinal system.

Answer: Ballroom

Ballrooms were originally located in private residences, where formal parties (balls) would be held, however nowadays ballrooms can also be found in hotels, holiday resorts, and in purpose-built buildings. It is important that the floor of the ballroom is suitable, with hardwood or stone flooring being the most commonly utilised throughout the world.

Answer: Snowball

A snowball is created by scooping up snow and pressing it into a rough sphere shape with the hands. As long as not too much pressure is applied in this process (which would thereby make the snowball too hard), soft snowballs can be used to participate in fun and competitive 'snowball fights' with family and friends!

Answer: Ballet

Originating in the 15th century in the Italian Renaissance courts, ballet is a highly popular type of performance dance with a vocabulary based on French terminology, that is taught and performed worldwide. Two of the most famous ballets of all time are "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake", both by Pyotr Tchaikovski, and which are performed by professional ballet companies in the most prestigious of venues.