Why do we have lips, and why is sugar sticky? Try our kids’ quiz

Illustration: Hennie Haworth/The Guardian

1. Oona, 13, asks: why do we have lips?

   1. So that we have something to put lipstick and lip balm on

   2. So that we can make funny marks on windows

   3. They help us with eating, sucking and communicating

   4. So that we can blow raspberries

2. Moe, 9, asks: what was the purpose of the sphinx statues in ancient Egypt?

   1. To guard tombs and temples

   2. So that big cats, like lions, would be attracted to the area

   3. They had secret rooms inside the heads that people could spy out of

   4. So that people could sit on top and see far into the distance

3. Flora, 10, asks: why is sugar sticky?

   1. So that it can catch things that try to eat it

   2. Sweet things are always quite sticky

   3. Because its hydrogen bonds start to break when it combines with a liquid

   4. Because it has tiny bits of glue inside it

4. Rosa, 7, asks: Uranus isn’t the furthest planet from the sun, so why is it the coldest planet?

   1. It ate too much ice-cream and can never warm up

   2. It has lots of high mountains covered in snow so it is cold there

   3. The sun never shines on it

   4. Scientists think that a huge object crashed into it, knocking out its heat

5. Edith, 8, asks: how do microwaves cook things?

   1. By blasting the food with invisible lasers

   2. By waving microscopic heaters at the food

   3. By heating up like a super-charged oven

   4. By heating the water molecules in food

Solutions

1:C - Lips allow us to hold in food when eating and to suck, important when we are babies so we can breastfeed. They help us communicate, with kissing, smiling and making sounds such as “p”., 2:A - A sphinx is a mythological creature with the body of a lion and the head of a person. The ancient Egyptians built sphinx statues as spiritual guardians to protect important areas such as tombs and temples. Their heads usually represented a god or pharaoh., 3:C - Sugar is made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and contains lots of hydrogen bonds. When sugar combines with a liquid, the bonds start to break and the loose hydrogen atoms look for something to stick to. As they stick to a nearby surface or other molecules, the sugar becomes a sticky mess!, 4:D - Scientists think that, billions of years ago, something big crashed into Uranus and tipped it on to its side. This meant some of the heat trapped inside escaped., 5:D - Inside it, a device called a magnetron sends out microwaves, which go into the food and make the water inside vibrate, which makes heat, which cooks the food.

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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