Do unicorns exist and what is your brain made of? The kids’ quiz

1. Quinn, 7, asks: do unicorns exist?

   1. Yes, they live in remote mountain regions and are just very good at hiding

   2. No, they’re creatures of mythology

   3. They’re a species of horse that evolved to have a horn

   4. Not any more – they became extinct in 2003

2. Felix, 8, asks: what is your brain made out of?

   1. Fat, water, salts, protein and carbohydrates

   2. It’s just a big muscle

   3. It’s entirely made of fat

   4. It’s filled with air pockets that help transmit thoughts

3. Annika, 10, asks: how long is the perimeter of the Earth?

   1. It’s infinite because the Earth is flat

   2. About 2,000 miles – walking 10 hours a day, it would take more than two months to walk it

   3. About 25,000 miles

   4. Exactly 15,000 miles

4. Oscar, 12, asks: who helped design the rotary printing press for newspapers, and died because of it?

   1. William Bullock

   2. Mr Bean

   3. King James I

   4. Amelia Earhart

5. Aisling, 9, asks: why do sheep grow wool instead of fur?

   1. Sheep are cold-blooded so wool keeps them warm

   2. Wool acts as a natural flotation device, helping sheep swim across rivers

   3. Sheep used to grow less wool, but they’ve been bred to produce more of it

   4. Sheep grow wool to look fashionable

Solutions

1:B - The unicorns of mythology – a horse-like creature with a single horn – do not exist. Some believe that an ancient, now extinct, large rhino called the “Siberian unicorn” may have inspired these legends., 2:A - The human brain is made mostly of fat, water, proteins and neurons (nerve cells) and glial cells. Neurons transmit signals all over your body, while glial cells provide neurons with support and protection., 3:C - The perimeter, or circumference, of the Earth is just under 25,000 miles. It measures slightly differently depending on which angle you measure it from, as the Earth is not a perfect sphere., 4:A - William Bullock improved the design of the rotary press, to speed up the process of newspaper publication. However, a few years after he perfected his design, he got tangled up in his machine. His leg was crushed and he died during an operation to amputate it., 5:C - Early domesticated sheep had coats more similar to hair or fur, but over thousands of years, humans selectively bred individual sheep whose coats had softer and longer fibres.

Scores

1. 5 and above.

2. 4 and above.

3. 3 and above.

4. 2 and above.

5. 0 and above.

6. 1 and above.

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and the new Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book.