How much does an African elephant weigh, and which country has no capital? Try our kids’ quiz

Illustration: Hennie Haworth/The Guardian

1. Martha, 9, asks: how much does an African elephant (like the one pictured above) weigh?

   1. 11,000kg

   2. 35,000kg

   3. 2,000kg

   4. 15,000kg

2. Daisy, 9, asks: how does a piano make a sound?

   1. Pressing a piano key sends air through little pipes inside it that make a noise

   2. When you strike a piano key, it makes a hammer hit a string that vibrates

   3. A little mouse runs around inside the piano and plays notes as you press the keys

   4. When you press a piano key, the warmth from your finger creates vibrations that make sound

3. Jack, 13, asks: why do elephants have such big penises?

   1. To impress females

   2. To bash other elephants

   3. To do huge wees

   4. To help them mate more easily

4. Leo, 11, asks: what is the circumference of the Earth?

   1. About 22,195km round the equator

   2. About 40,075km round the equator

   3. About 63,008km round the equator

   4. About 50,278km round the equator

5. Martha, 10, and Zadie, 7, ask: which of these countries has no capital?

   1. Micronesia

   2. Malawi

   3. Nauru

   4. Brazil

Solutions

1:A - The largest African elephant recorded weighed 11,000kg. Of the two types of African elephant, Savannah is bigger than Forest, with an average male weighing up to 6,000kg. Females are lighter; Indian elephants are smaller., 2:B - Inside a piano is a row of strings and, below, a row of little felt-covered hammers. Each string is stretched to vibrate at a different speed. When you press a key, the hammer linked to it hits the string below – or strings, if it’s above two or three – and they vibrate, making a note., 3:D - Elephants are the largest living land mammals and their huge size makes it tricky for them to mate, so having a longer penis helps. It can also be used like a leg to prop themselves up, swat flies and scratch their tummies!, 4:B - The Earth measures about 40,075km round the equator, but it isn’t a sphere, and bulges at the equator, so from pole to pole it measures only 40,008km., 5:C - A tiny island in the Pacific, Nauru has no official capital. Only 10,000 people live there and its flag is a horizontal line representing the equator with a white star beneath it indicating where you can find Nauru.

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.

Does your child have a question? Submit one here