Common-Sense Science

Please read each question carefully and select the correct answer by clicking on the corresponding button. The answer key will be provided after the quiz is scored. Streeeetch that mind!

1.	Which of the following statements about the metal mercury is NOT true?

Mercury is also called quicksilver

At room temperature, mercury is liquid

Mercury is very poisonous

Mercury is highly radioactive

I don't know

2.	The echidna and the platypus are the only two mammals that:

Lay eggs

Are capable of flight

Do not require oxygen

Do not nurse their young

I don't know

3.	What is spelunking?

The study of tropical birds

The exploration of caves

Deep-sea diving

The study of ancient animal tracks

I don't know

4.	What is the cause of the sound made when you "crack a whip"?

The actual sound of the whip is imperceptible. What we hear is a sharp echo against the earth, which greatly magnifies the slight sound.

A shock wave is created when the end of the whip travels faster than the sound waves created by its own motion.

As you sharply crack the whip, the leather of the whip stretches and suddenly becomes taut, making a loud noise.

Each whip is designed with two internal 'sticks' that snap together, making a loud noise when the whip is cracked.

I don't know

5.	Dry ice is:

Regular ice, with all the moisture sucked out

Frozen water with the addition of special chemicals to make it smoke

Frozen carbon dioxide

Frozen helium

I don't know

6.	How many numerals can the average person remember in the correct order?

I don't know

7.	How many karats is pure, unalloyed gold?

I don't know

8.	How do dairies ensure that the cream does not rise to the top in whole or 2% milk?

They pasteurize it.

They homogenize it.

They pack it in sterile containers.

They keep it constantly refrigerated.

I don't know

9.	What would some doctors prescribe a century ago when a patient complained of continual fatigue (a possible mineral deficiency)?

Apples that have been pierced with nails and stored for several days.

Whole oats steamed with molasses and bran.

Ground olive pits cooked with dark tea in a heavy enamel pot.

A dozen raw eggs a week.

I don't know

10.	During the time of the dinosaurs, how many continents were there on Earth?

I don't know

Make it a point to do something every day that makes you laugh.

"I have a new philosophy. I'm only going to dread one day at a time."
Charles M. Schulz

Don't value yourself based on what other people think of you. You worth is incalculable.

Common-Sense Science