NSEW Quiz 2012 Answers

Level 1
Suggested for ages 6 to 10

Level 2
Suggested for ages 11 and above
Level 1

Round 1: Our world in motion

1) A tidal wave or tsunami is caused by what?

a) An earthquake under the sea

The sudden jolt from an earthquake can lift up a large amount of water, which
creates a wave out to sea.

2) What is the fastest land animal?

a) Cheetah

The cheetah can run at speeds of up to 120km per hour in short bursts.

3) What in our bodies do we use to make us move?

a) Muscles

When our muscles contract, they pull the bones of our skeletons in certain
directions. Complicated movements are carried out using groups of muscles.

4) Which of the following cannot move on its own?

a) A rock

Animals and plants can both move by themselves (plants can move to face the sun
for example). A rock cannot.

5) Wind is the movement of what?

a) Air

Wind is created by the movement of air from high to low pressure areas.

Round 2: Physics and Space

1) If the forces acting on something are balanced, what will happen to the way it
moves?

a) Nothing

The motion of the object will only change if the forces are bigger in one direction
i.e. unbalanced.

2) A shark can swim fast because of its

a) Long pointed body

The long, streamlined bodies of many sharks allow them to glide easily through the
water.
3) Why is it dark at night?

a) The sun is on the opposite side of the earth to us

The earth spins once in every 24 hours. The place you live spends roughly half of
this time facing the sun (daytime) and the other half facing away from the sun
(night time).

4) An object that does not let light pass through it is called

a) Opaque

Objects that are solid or thick can still let light through, like a thick piece of glass.
Objects that transmit light without diffusing it are called transparent. Objects that
do not transmit light are known as opaque.

5) If a loud car zooms past you, what happens to the sound it makes as it moves
further away?

a) It gets quieter

When the sound source is further away, the sound is more spread out by the
time it reaches the listener.

Round 3: Engineering
1) Which one of these is not a job for an engineer?

a) They all are

Engineers work in a huge range of places doing an amazing variety of jobs.

2) When was the first call made on a hand held mobile phone?

a) 1973

Mobile phones using radio waves had been developed previously but the first
call on a truly hand-held prototype was not made until 1973.

3) What is the fastest land vehicle in the world?

a) Thrust SSC

The Thrust Super Sonic Car (SSC) broke the land speed record in 1997. It is
powered by two jet engines and can reach a top speed of over 1,227
kilometres per hour.

4) An engineer who works to improve the natural environment is called

a) An environmental engineer
 Environmental engineers help deal with waste, air and water pollution and
recycling amongst other things

5) Why is diamond used in in some drills and saw blades?

a) Because its really hard

Diamond is one of the hardest substances on earth. It is used in blades and drills
used on other hard materials like concrete.

Round 4: Chemistry
1) If you were choosing material to make a mop, the best material would be one
that is:

a) Absorbent

Absorbent materials are able to take up liquids into their structure

2) Which one of the following is a chemical?

a) They are all chemicals

Chemicals are all around us, in both man-made and natural materials.
Chemicals are not just harmful things like bleach or sulphuric acid.

3) If you hold an ice cube in your warm hand it will eventually turn to what?

a) Water

4) Which of the following is not a gas?

a) Water

5) What is dynamite?

a) An explosive

Dynamite is a high explosive used in mining, quarrying and construction .

Round 5: Biology
1) Which of these foods does not come from a plant?

a) Cheese

Carrots are swollen roots, lettuce is a leaf and the banana is the fruit of a plant.
Cheese is made from the milk of various grazing animals.

2) Which of the following is a predator?

a) Fox
Pigeons, rabbits and mice are consumers and in turn are preyed on by predators like
foxes.

3) Which of the following animals moves by flying?

a) Bee

Penguins swim rather than fly.

4) What is the biggest fish in the world?

a) Whale shark

The whale shark can reach a length of 12 meters and weigh up to 21 tonnes.

5) What is the longest bone in the human body?

a) Thigh (femur)

The average length of the femur in an adult male is 48cm.

level 2

Round 1: Our world in motion

1) What is the fastest animal in the world?

a) Peregrine falcon

The peregrine falcon can reach speeds of up to 325km per hour whilst swooping
on its prey. The cheetah is the fastest land animal and the sailfish is the fastest fish.
The three toes sloth is thought to be the slowest mammal.

2) What are the moving plates of the earths crust called?

a) Tectonic plates

It is the jarring of these plates that causes earthquakes.

3) When animals move a long way to another habitat in search of food, it is known
as

a) Migration

4) The sea has two high tides and two low tides per day. What causes the sea to
move like this?

a) The gravitational pull of the sun and the moon

 The gravitational forces from these two bodies create two bulges of sea water.
Sea levels increase at the bulges, which we see as a high tide. The bulges move
as the earth rotates.

5) What is the approximate speed of light?

a) Three hundred million metres per second

Thats once around the earth in one tenth of a second.

Round 2: Physics and Space

1) What is the name given to the rocks in orbit around the Sun between Mars and
Jupiter?

a) Asteroids

Asteroids are space rocks found in mostly in the asteroid belt. Kuiper belt objects
orbit the sun outside the orbits of the planets.

2) A wind turbine transforms movement energy mainly into what other form of
energy

a) Electrical

A wind turbine is a type of generator that turns rotary movement into electricity.

3) How long does the earth take to complete one orbit of the sun?

a) A year

The earth spins at just over 1600 km per hour at the equator and rotates once
every 24 hours. The earth orbits the sun once a year and travels through space at
a speed of over 107, 000 km per hour!

4) What type of materials are good thermal conductors and good electrical
conductors

a) Metals

Metals are good conductors of both heat and electricity. Metals, like almost all
other things are made up of minute atoms, which contain even smaller electrons.
In a metal some of these electrons are free to move around, helping to carry
heat and electricity.

5) In Albert Einsteins famous equation, E=mc2, what does the letter E stand for?

a) Energy

This equation illustrates the idea that matter and energy are linked. The amount
of energy in any amount of matter is equal to its mass in Kg multiplied by the
 speed of light squared (a huge number). This energy can only be released in
nuclear reactions, not chemical reactions like burning.

Round 3: Engineering
1) Which of these famous engineering projects was completed most recently?

a) The Airbus A380 superjumbo jet

The Airbus A380 is the worlds largest passenger plane. Its maiden voyage was in
April 2005.

2) How could an engineer help reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses we

produce?

a) By designing cars that use less fuel

By designing more efficient car engines, mechanical engineers can help to

reduce the amount greenhouse gasses we produce.

3) What kind of engineer might help to produce artificial limbs for humans?

a) Biomedical engineer

Biomedical engineers are engineers that use their skills to create things which will
improve peoples health and wellbeing.

4) How are computers connected to the internet?

a) Through optical fibres

Computer signals are sent underground through transparent glass tubes as

pulses of light. These tubes are called optical fibres.

5) What is the world speed record for a solar powered car?

a) 115 kilometres per hour

The Sunswift IVy broke the speed record for a solar powered car in 2011. It uses
about as much electrical power as a toaster.

Round 4: Chemistry
1) To separate solid salt from a solution, what would you do to the solution?

a) Heat it to evaporate the liquid

As the liquid evaporates, more and more salt will come out of solution until
eventually all that is left is dry, solid salt.

2) A kettle boiling is an example of a

 a) Change of state

The process is not irreversible, as the water vapour could be collected and
condensed into liquid water. Neither is boiling a chemical reaction as no new
products are formed. An oxidation reaction is an example of a chemical
reaction.

3) Roughly how many atoms make up the head of a pin?

a) One billion trillion

The diameter of an atom of iron is roughly 0.000000012mm

4) Rusting is an example of what kind of reaction?

a) Irreversible

Rusting is an example of an oxidation reaction. Iron reacts with oxygen to form

iron oxide. This process cannot be reversed.

5) Which is the only pure metal that is liquid at room temperature?

a) Mercury

Mercury melts at -39oC meaning that it is the only pure metal that is liquid at
room temperature.

Round 5: Biology
1) Yeast and bacteria are examples of what?

a) Micro-organisms

Micro-organisms are tiny living things that, on their own, are too small to see
without a microscope.

2) As well as certain nutrients and oxygen what other three things do plants need to
grow?

a) Carbon dioxide, water and light

Plants do not need food like humans do. They make their own food using
sunlight, water and carbon dioxide in a process known as photosynthesis.

3) Which organ in your body contains hydrochloric acid?

a) Stomach

Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid used to help our bodies digest protein. The
stomach is not damaged by this strong acid as it has a protective layer of mucus.
4) Excess fertilisers from fields that wash into rivers and streams can cause algae to
overgrow. What is the main problem with this?

a) Algae blocks out light, causing other water plants to die

The dead plants then rot, using up the dissolved oxygen that fish and other
aquatic animals need to live. This process is called eutrophication.

5) What proportion of food crops are pollinated by insects, birds or mammals?

a) Two thirds

If these crops were not pollinated, these foods would not be available to us.
Some crops, like wheat are pollinated by the wind, which spreads the pollen
from plant to plant.