Why is honey sweet, and why do animals have tails? Try our kids’ quiz

Illustration: Hennie Haworth/The Guardian

1. Jacob, 7, asks why is honey sweet?

   1. It is filled with sunshine

   2. Bees add sugar to it

   3. So that it tastes delicious to bees and humans

   4. Because it is made from plant nectar

2. Daisy, 9, asks: why can’t we feel the Earth spinning?

   1. Because the Earth spins at a constant speed

   2. We can when we are first born but we get used to it, then can’t

   3. Because it spins so slowly we can’t feel it

   4. If you sit really still and pay attention, you can feel it

3. Flora, 10, asks: why do tree leaves go orange or yellow in the autumn?

   1. Plants break down chlorophyll in autumn, leaving behind other chemicals

   2. The autumn sun turns them different colours

   3. The wind blows all the green out of them

   4. All the autumn rain washes the green colour out

4. Elise, 9, asks: how do wireless electronics work?

   1. By sending electrical power out into the air

   2. Power is changed from an electric current to an electromagnetic field

   3. By connecting to a huge wireless battery that pumps electricity all over the world

   4. We’re not sure how wireless electronics work

5. Oscar, 5, asks: why do animals have tails?

   1. Tails don’t have any uses

   2. Tails have lots of uses

   3. Tails are useful for tickling other animals

   4. Tails mean animals always have something to play with

Solutions

1:D - When bees make honey, they gather nectar from flowers. Nectar is made of sugar and water, which plants make very sweet so creatures will drink it and spread their pollen to make new plants., 2:A - The Earth spins at one speed and we move with it at that constant speed. You feel motion only if your speed changes, so we do not feel anything as the Earth spins., 3:A - In spring and summer, leaves contain chlorophyll, which makes them green. Plants use it to turn sunlight into food. In autumn, leaves get less sun, so plants break down chlorophyll to get out the nutrients and store them for winter. The chemicals left give leaves an orange colour., 4:B - With wireless electricity, one circuit transmits power and one receives it. The transmitter is connected to a power source and converts it to an electromagnetic field. The receiver connects to this field and converts the power back into an electric current., 5:B - Animal tails can be used for many different things. On dogs and cats, they’re for balance and showing emotion; on fish and birds, for steering; on monkeys, for grabbing on to branches; on elephants, for swatting flies.

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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