1. Cecily, 6, asks: how do dolphins’ spouts (blowholes) work?

   1. Their pressure release helps dolphins to know where they are in the sea

   2. They are just for show

   3. Dolphins breathe through them when they surface

   4. They are used for farts!

2. Isabel, 7, asks: why do tumours grow teeth?

   1. Scientists don’t know

   2. In certain rare conditions, a tumour formed from a “germ cell” will grow teeth

   3. It’s a myth to scare people

   4. Tumours on the rare tumora plant grow teeth to scare predators

3. Connie, 7, asks: why are reindeer called reindeer?

   1. The name comes from a fairytale by the Grimms

   2. Because their antlers protect them from the rain

   3. They are “deer” that often have “reins” attached

   4. It comes from the Old Norse word “hreindyri”

4. Faaris, 8, asks: how do camels survive in the desert?

   1. Fat in their humps can be converted into energy

   2. They can reabsorb some of the moisture from the air they’re breathing out

   3. Camels can lose up to 30% of their body weight in water and survive

   4. All of the above

5. Esme, 7, asks: how fast do clouds travel?

   1. From less than 10 miles an hour to more than 100 miles an hour

   2. Clouds are always still – it’s the Earth that moves

   3. 500 miles an hour

   4. Faster than the speed of light

Solutions

1:C - Dolphins are mammals, so can’t breathe underwater like fish. When they surface, they breathe out and then in through the blowhole, a “nostril” on their head. They can hold their breath under water for eight to ten minutes, sometimes longer depending on the species., 2:B - It’s very rare, but in certain conditions a tumour in the human body will grow teeth. It only happens in germ cells – the cells that produce sperm and eggs. When the growth of these cells veers off course, they produce tumours called teratomas, which can grow teeth, hair, fat and muscle. It doesn’t happen very often!, 3:D - Reindeer is likely to come from the Old Norse word “hreindyri”, in which “dyr”, means “wild animal”., 4:D - Camels are good at saving water! Fat in their hump provides energy if supplies are low, and when they breathe out, some of the moisture in their breath is reabsorbed. And their poo is so dry, it can be used to start a fire!, 5:A - Some clouds travel very slowly, but the highest clouds can be pushed along by the jet stream at more than 100 miles an hour.

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.