Why do golden sloths appear gold and what are stars made of? The kids’ quiz

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Monty asks: why does a golden sloth appear golden?
1. Yellow fruit colours its fur
2. It rolls in golden sand as camouflage
3. Its fur reflects sunlight in a special way
4. Some species of sloth have naturally golden fur
Betty asks: on my way to school, why are the moon and sun out at the same time sometimes?
1. The moon is trying to race the sun to school
2. The Earth’s rotation lets us see both
3. Some days the sun’s extra bright rays light the moon
4. They want to make sure you get into school on time
Trisha, 4, asks: how many books would it take to build a bridge from Scotland to Norway (if books could float and be used as building blocks)?
1. 235 books
2. 2,350 books
3. About 235,000 books
4. About 2.35 million books
Min, 7, asks: how do people know how hot the sun is when it’s so far away?
1. Scientists fly rockets right into the sun to measure it
2. They use a giant thermometer that stretches from Earth to the sun
3. They guess by seeing how hot it feels on a sunny day
4. They use special telescopes and maths to measure the sun’s light and energy
Arun, 6, asks: what are stars made of?
1. Golden glitter
2. Golden rocks
3. Hot gases
4. Summertime and magic

Solutions

1:D – Different species of sloth have fur that appears golden. The two-toed sloth has caramel- and cream-coloured hair and the pale-throated sloth has a bright yellow face. It’s their natural colouring, to help camouflage them in the forest canopy., 2:B – The moon is quite often visible during the day, so you can see the moon and sun at the same time. The moon doesn’t make its own light but it reflects sunlight, so depending on its position in relation to the Earth, we can see it during the day too., 3:D – The distance from Peterhead in Scotland to Stavanger in Norway is about 470km. If each book is 20cm long and they are laid end to end, you’d need about 2.35 million books to stretch across the sea., 4:D – Scientists use telescopes in space to study the light the sun gives off – like visible light, and invisible rays such as ultraviolet. Then, using maths and physics, they can work out the sun’s heat. The surface of the sun is about 5,500C., 5:C – Stars are balls of hot gas, mostly hydrogen, with some helium and tiny amounts of other elements.

Scores

5 and above.

4 and above.

3 and above.

2 and above.

0 and above.

1 and above.

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and the new Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book.

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