How long have gorillas lived on Earth? Try our kids’ quiz

1. Hannah, 7, asks: how long have gorillas lived on Earth?

   1. About 1 million years

   2. About 10 million years

   3. About 100 years

   4. About 10,000 years

2. Oscar, 7, asks: is the universe going to expand for ever?

   1. No, science predicts that gravity will start to pull everything back together in about 1,000 years

   2. It will expand as long as humans exist, because we put more and more things into the universe and make it bigger

   3. Scientists think that it will, because something called “dark energy” is pushing everything apart

   4. No, because it’s at its maximum size already and there’s no more space for it to expand any further

3. Ava, 8, asks: what’s the smallest country in the world?

   1. Monaco

   2. Vatican City

   3. Liechtenstein

   4. San Marino

4. Elodie, 10, asks: what is the record for the world’s fastest rollercoaster?

   1. 80 miles an hour

   2. 149 miles an hour

   3. 174 miles an hour

   4. 212 miles an hour

5. Beatrice, 7, asks: are dogs ticklish?

   1. Yes, they can be! But where they are ticklish varies from dog to dog

   2. No, because they can’t laugh like humans can

   3. Only some dog breeds, such as terriers, are ticklish

   4. All dogs are ticklish, but they’ll only react when they’re in a good mood

Solutions

1:B - By studying fossils, scientists have estimated that gorillas evolved and diverged from other species of ape between 7 and 10 million years ago. , 2:C - Scientists aren’t 100% sure what will happen to the universe as time goes on. Right now, its expansion is getting faster. We think that the expansion is being caused by something called “dark energy”, a mysterious force that we don’t yet know much about., 3:B - At only 0.17 square miles (0.49 square km), Vatican City may be tiny in size, but that doesn’t make it any less significant. It’s where the pope lives, and it’s the spiritual centre for millions of people worldwide., 4:B - The Formula Rossa rollercoaster in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, gives you the thrill of feeling like you’re driving in a Formula One car. It accelerates to a speed of 149 miles an hour in just a few seconds – strap in!, 5:A - Just like humans, some dogs do have ticklish spots! Where those spots are varies from dog to dog. They don’t laugh like humans do, but sometimes they’ll twitch or let out a big breath.

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 weekly podcast answering children’s questions, out now as a book.

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