Let’s Get Quizzical: Facts That’ll Blow Your Mind

Include this article in your Skills Builder Journal. It could help you develop... 

Looking for something to do this weekend? Don’t worry, we’ve got you sorted. Put your best Quizmaster hat on, set up a Zoom a FaceTime with your mates, and get quizzing! Add this round to a longer quiz, or just keep it short and sweet. This one’s all about facts that’ll blow your mind...answers at the bottom.

QUESTIONS

1. On Jupiter, it rains:

a) Water
b) Dust
c) Metal
d) Diamonds

2. There are more ______ in the USA than real flamingos:

a) Sheep
b) Fake flamingos
c) Croissants
d) Stadiums

3. Humans share 50% of their DNA with what?

a) Bananas
b) Chimpanzees
c) Dogs
d) Trees

4. Cheetahs can’t _____

a) Jump
b) Smell
c) Roar
d) Swim

5. What species have scientists found are immortal?

a) Ant
b) Jellyfish
c) Parrot
d) Cat

6. A strawberry isn’t technically a berry, but a _____ is?

a) Peach
b) Satsuma
c) Lemon
d) Watermelon

7. Frank Oz, the voice actor who voiced Yoda, also voiced what popular character?

a) Miss Piggy
b) Big Bird
c) Homer Simpson
d) Marge Simpson

8. What was once worth more than gold?

a) Pumpkins
b) Butter
c) Sesame seeds
d) Carrots

9. The world’s most expensive hotdog costs how much?

a) $50
b) $72
c) $169
d) $387

10. True or false: human teeth are just as strong as shark teeth.

True
False

ANSWERS

1. The answer is d) diamonds! 

Scientists in the US have calculated new atmospheric data for Jupiter,  indicating that carbon is abundant in its dazzling crystal form. Lightning storms turn methane into soot, which hardens into chunks of graphite and then diamond as it falls. These diamond hail stones eventually melt into a liquid sea in the planet’s hot core.  

2. The answer is b) Fake flamingos!

There are only about 950,000 flamingos in the wild today. But their bright pink, lawn ornament plastic counterparts, produced on a mass scale since 1957, number well into the millions! 

3. The answer is a) Bananas!

Don’t worry, you’re not going to suddenly grow a yellow peel and start being popular with monkeys. Our bodies have 3 billion genetic building blocks that make up who we are. And it just so happens that about 40-50% of those blocks are similar to the way our fruity pals are also made up. Delicious!

4. The answer is c) Roar!

As shocking as it might seem, a cheetah is actually classified as a ‘small cat’. And unlike the four ‘big cats’ of the world - lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars - small cats have a ‘fixed structure’ voice box, that, unlike their big cousins, limits the range of sounds they can produce. So, whilst they can purr continuously, they cannot roar. 

5. The answer is b) Jellyfish!

Yep, that’s right, scientists have found that there’s a wibbly wobbly jellyfish out there - the Turritopsis Dohrnii Jellyfish - that can revert back to its juvenile polyp stage after maturing, continuing an endless cycle of life!

6. The answer is d) Watermelon!

Get ready for this, because, according to the scientific definition of a ‘berry’, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries don’t actually fit the description! A berry is technically a plant that has three distinct layers; an outer skin, a fleshy middle and (this is the key) internally contains seeds. So, because their seeds are on the outside, all those berries aren't actually berries...but...a watermelon is! 

7. The answer is a) Miss Piggy!

Frank Oz started his career as a puppeteer and voice actor for The Muppets, specifically Miss Piggy! Is it really any wonder that he was drawn to another small green creature in Yoda?

8. The answer is c) Sesame seeds!

The people of the Middle Ages prized sesame seeds so much that they cost more than their weight in gold. Lots of civilisations thought they held magical or spiritual properties, bestowing luck and fortune. Pretty good topping for your burger bun, hey!

9. The answer is c) $169!

Hot diggity dawg, this is one luxury eat! The Seattle based Tokyo Dog’s hot dog comes in at a whopping $169. It’s made up of a smoked cheese bratwurst, butter teriyaki grilled onions, maitake mushrooms, Wagyu beef, foie gras, shaved black truffle, caviar, and Japanese mayonnaise on a brioche bun. Yum!

10. The answer is, true!

Yes, shark’s teeth may be scarier, but our own chompers are just as strong according to a study in the Journal of Structural Biology. The 2012 study shows that the enamel on a human wisdom tooth is just as hard as the enameloid coating on shark teeth. Both are made of mineral crystals, bound together with proteins, which prevent teeth (both shark and human alike!) from shattering under a sudden impact.