Quiz: How much do you know about spring?

We all know daffodils and lambs mean spring, but what else do you know about the season of rebirth? Photograph: Peter Mason/Getty Images/Cultura RF

1. The UK recognises two types of spring: meteorological spring, which begins on 1 March 2017; and astronomical spring, which begins on 20 March 2017. When does meteorological spring end?

   1. 20 March

   2. 31 May

   3. 1 January

   4. 30 February

2. Which song by the American comic songwriter and mathematician Tom Lehrer begins with the words: “Spring is here, spring is here, life is skittles and life is beer”?

   1. Poisoning Pigeons in the Park

   2. Cherry Blossom Girl

   3. Au Printemps

   4. 0 to 100/The Catch Up

3. We have the tilt of the Earth to thank for the fact that we have seasons at all. What is the current angle of that tilt?

   1. 45 degrees

   2. 16.6 degrees

   3. 23.4 degrees

   4. 32.8 degrees

4. Gerard Manley Hopkins’s celebrated poem Spring starts: "Nothing is so beautiful as spring/When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush", but how does the next line begin?

   1. And I, big boots on, head out into the bush

   2. With blossoms and insects all crowding in a crush

   3. Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens

   4. For I bend over, and a sheep admires my tush

5. Allergic rhinitis is a common condition where an allergy to certain materials can cause noses to stream and eyes to itch and water. When the allergen is pollen, which is abundant in springtime, allergic rhinitis is given a special name. What is it?

   1. Grass itch

   2. Red nose

   3. Dottingham

   4. Hay fever

6. The hottest April temperature yet recorded in the UK was 29.4C, in Camden Square, London. In what year was this record set?

   1. 1868

   2. 1949

   3. 2016

   4. 1976

7. According to ancient Greek myth, spring marks the annual return of which goddess from the clutches of Hades?

   1. Persephone

   2. Androcles

   3. Acropolis

   4. Diana

8. In English, the following adjectives are derived from the seasons: summery; autumnal; and wintry. What is the adjective derived from “spring”?

   1. Venal

   2. Vernal

   3. Venereal

   4. Springy

9. Bumblebees come out of hibernation in spring. Most bumblebee colonies contain up to how many worker bees:

   1. 400 workers

   2. 1,000 workers

   3. 50,000 workers

   4. 100,000 workers

10. The warmest spring yet recorded by the Met Office, in 2011, boasted an average daytime temperature of 9.2C. The coldest spring was in 1962, with 5.8C. What is the mean average daytime temperature for a UK spring?

    1. -1C

    2. 3.2C

    3. 7.7C

    4. 8.8C

Solutions

1:B, 2:A, 3:C, 4:C, 5:D, 6:B, 7:A, 8:B, 9:A, 10:C

Scores

1. 8 and above.

   Well done. You make little lambs leap for joy and bluebells ring at your approach. Don’t let hayfever and allergies spoil your spring and summer. Pirinase Hayfever Relief treats all major hayfever symptoms, including itchy and watery eyes and nose, sneezing and nasal congestion. Nothing is more effective without prescription. Pirinase Hayfever Relief for Adults 0.05% Nasal Spray contains fluticasone. Always read the label.

2. 0 and above.

   You need some more spring in your step. Wake up and smell the freshly mown grass. Don’t let hayfever and allergies spoil your spring and summer. Pirinase Hayfever Relief treats all major hayfever symptoms, including itchy and watery eyes and nose, sneezing and nasal congestion. Nothing is more effective without prescription. Pirinase Hayfever Relief for Adults 0.05% Nasal Spray contains fluticasone. Always read the label.

3. 5 and above.

   Promising, but you’re more of a darling bud with room to bloom than a fully fledged flower. Don’t let hayfever and allergies spoil your spring and summer. Pirinase Hayfever Relief treats all major hayfever symptoms, including itchy and watery eyes and nose, sneezing and nasal congestion. Nothing is more effective without prescription. Pirinase Hayfever Relief for Adults 0.05% Nasal Spray contains fluticasone. Always read the label.

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