Why are rainbows curved and why is cow’s milk white? Try our kids’ quiz

1. Paul, 8, asks: why are rainbows curved?

   1. So they look extra pretty

   2. It’s because of the way sunlight is bent and reflected through water drops in the air

   3. It’s so that leprechauns know where to put the gold

   4. Rainbows are straight – they just appear curved

2. Ayu, 11, asks: when did humans start eating bread?

   1. 140 years ago

   2. 1,400 years ago

   3. 14,000 years ago

   4. Humans have been eating bread since the beginning of time, but toast came later

3. John, 12, asks: what are the statues on Easter Island called?

   1. They’re called estatuas – the Spanish for statues

   2. They’re called George, Fred, Timmy and Betty

   3. They’re known as “moai”

   4. They’re just known as the Easter Island statues and no one knows how they got there

4. Dylan, 8, asks: why is cow’s milk white?

   1. The protein and fat in milk make it look white

   2. It’s white because it is SO creamy

   3. It’s white so that it makes amazing vanilla ice-cream

   4. It’s the easiest colour for baby cows to see in the dark

5. Riley, 7, asks: how many veins are in the human body?

   1. 1,333

   2. 130 million

   3. There is no specific number

   4. We get more as we get older, so by the time you’re 80 you’ll have 200 times as many as you do as a child

Solutions

1:B - When light hits water drops in the air it bends – or refracts – and splits into different colours. A rainbow looks curved because every drop of rain or mist in the air is spherical, so the light it reflects and refracts effectively casts a circle of light on the sky. However, we can’t usually see the full circle as the ground is in the way. , 2:C - Humans began eating bread about 14,000 years ago. Archaeologists in Jordan found tiny bits of bread made by hunter-gatherers that date back to then – the world’s oldest breadcrumbs!, 3:C - The huge stone monoliths are known as moai, which means statue in the native language of the island., 4:A - Milk is made mostly of water, which has no colour, but it also has fat, protein, lactose, minerals and vitamins. It is the fat and protein in the milk that make it look white., 5:C - There isn’t a specific number of veins in the body as it varies – and it’s very hard to count them! Veins come in different sizes from very small (venules) to large (major veins).

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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