What are a fly’s wings made from, and why do trees have bark? Try our kids’ quiz

1. Alfie, 6, asks: what are a fly’s wings made from?

   1. Metal – if you looked through a microscope, you’d see tiny spikes like barbed wire all over them

   2. Cuticle, the second most common natural material in the world

   3. Flies’ wings are made out of really tiny bones

   4. They’re made of silken threads which flies spin out of their mouths and make into wings at night

2. James, 8, asks: why do lions have manes?

   1. So you can tell one lion from another

   2. Because lions like them, just as some men like having beards

   3. Their manes keep them warm

   4. To show female lions they are healthy and strong

3. Inigo, 7, asks: what is the biggest island in the world?

   1. Greenland

   2. Iceland

   3. Cuba

   4. Madagascar

4. Billie, 7, asks: where are red blood cells made?

   1. In the heart

   2. In the bone marrow

   3. In the brain

   4. In the left foot

5. Fridal, 7, asks: why do trees have bark?

   1. To make them blend in with each other

   2. To protect the tree like a hard skin

   3. So that animals can scratch their backs against them

   4. So that animals can climb up into the branches

Solutions

1:B - A fly’s wings, legs and joints are all made from cuticle. It is much tougher than bone – the parts of a human body it is most like are our fingernails, as it is made from proteins and something called chitin that helps keep the cuticle strong. Flies can’t repair their wings: if one gets damaged, there is no way of fixing it., 2:D - Male lions have manes, whereas cubs and females do not. The reason males have them is to show females that they’re strong and healthy, and would make good daddy lions. Manes are also useful for protecting lions’ necks when they’re fighting with other lions., 3:A - The biggest ocean island is Greenland in the Arctic, and one of the smallest islands is Bishop Rock in the Isles of Scilly, in the Atlantic., 4:B - Blood cells are made in the bone marrow, which is the soft, spongy material in the centre of your bones. It produces about 95% of the body’s blood cells., 5:B - Bark protects a tree’s trunk and branches; it’s like a hard skin keeping what’s inside the tree safe from storms, diseases, insects and other animals that want to eat the tree.

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