Back to School / 15 September 2016

Homework for Parents: Try our fun quiz to test your knowledge

Do you remember everything you learnt at school? Or do you struggle to help with homework as you find all the facts have simply dropped out of your head?

A new series of books devoted to five subject areas – I Used To Know That: English, Maths, History, Geography and General Science – will help refresh your memory in easily digestible bite-sized chunks (with a sense of humour.)

By Bonita Turner

Take our quiz to find out which book you need most!

English

1
Collective nouns: what’s the term for a group of dolphins?

(a) a pod
(b) a flock
(c) a flipper

2
Who said: “I don’t want to talk grammar. I want to talk like a lady”?

(a) Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion
(b) Little Orphan Annie
(c) Jordan

3
What is it called when we run the initials of several words together to form a new word, as in NATO?

(a) an acronym
(b) an anachronism
(c) a nickname

4
Which schoolroom rule is broken by the following words: caffeine, heinous, seize?

(a) I before e, except after c
(b) 30 days has September
(c) No talking at the back

Geography

1
Which is the longest waterfall in the world?

(a) Angel Falls
(b) Niagara Falls
(c) Viagara Falls

2
What was the first GM crop?

a) A Tomato
b) A Pomegranate
c) A Poddington Pea

3
What settlement is defined as having a population below 100 and few if any services?

(a) Hamlet
(b) Village
(c) The Shire

4
What is the literal translation of El Niño?

(a) Little boy
(b) Warm wind
(c) The Nincompoop

History

1
Which King was forced to sign Magna Carta by his barons?

(a) King John
(b) Richard I
(c) The Sheriff of Nottingham

2
Which of Henry VIII’s six wives was the mother of King Edward VI?

a) Jane Seymour
b) Anne Boleyn
c) Mary, Queen of Scots

3
Who set sail on the Beagle?

(a) Hamlet
(b) Village
(c) The Shire

4
What was Benito Mussolini’s job before he became the dictator of Italy?

(a) Primary School teacher
(b) Train driver
(c) Tea-maker

Maths

1
What is the cube root of 8?

(a) 2
(b) 4
(c) 800

2
What is 2/5 expressed as a percentage?

(a) 40%
(b) 25%
(c) 110%

3
What size are each of the three angles of an equilateral triangle?

(a) each angle will be 60 degrees
(b) 30 degrees, 120 degrees, 30 degrees
(c) 3 degrees

4
What kind of diagram includes overlapping circles?

(a) a Venn diagram
(b) a pie chart
(c) a cake chart

General Science

1
What is the unit in which resistance is measured?

(a) Ohms
(b) Watts
(c) Groans

2
Which of these planets has no moons: Mars, Saturn, Venus or Neptune?

(a) Venus
(b) Saturn
(c) Krypton

3
Pb is the chemical symbol for which element in the Periodic Table?

(a) Lead
(b) Silver
(c) Peanut butter

4
How many chromosomes do humans have?

(a) 46
(b) 24
(c) 1

ANSWERS

If you answered mostly ‘a’s: Congratulations! You’re the teacher’s pet. You will be an invaluable help to your children with their homework and an asset to any quiz team. Take a house point!

If you answered mostly ‘b’s: I’m afraid you’ve forgotten most of what you were taught at school – were you paying attention?

If you answered mostly ‘c’s: Oh dear, oh dear. We’ll assume you’re the class clown with answers like these – otherwise it’s into the corner with you and pop the dunce’s hat on!

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