Science quiz for kids

20 questions

1. What colour do you get when you mix blue and yellow paint?Ages 5–7

   Choose from: Purple, Green, Pink, Orange

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   Green. Blue and yellow paint mixed together make green.

2. Which Indian scientist won the Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering how light scatters (the “Raman Effect”)?Ages 8–10

   Choose from: C. V. Raman, Homi Bhabha, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Jagadish Chandra Bose

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   C. V. Raman. C. V. Raman won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. India celebrates National Science Day on 28 February in his honour.

3. Which ancient Indian text on surgery and medicine is linked with Sushruta?Ages 11–14

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   Sushruta Samhita. The Sushruta Samhita describes many surgeries and tools. Sushruta is often called the “father of surgery”.

4. Which part of your body do you use to smell?Ages 5–7

   Choose from: Eyes, Nose, Ears, Hands

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   Nose. We smell with our nose. It tells us when flowers smell sweet or food is ready!

5. How many bones are there in an adult human body?Ages 8–10

   Choose from: 206, 106, 300, 52

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   206. An adult has 206 bones. Babies are born with about 300, and some join together as they grow.

6. Which gas makes up most of the air we breathe?Ages 11–14

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   Nitrogen. About 78% of air is nitrogen. Only about 21% is oxygen.

7. What do plants need from the sky to grow?Ages 5–7

   Choose from: Snow, Sunlight, Moonlight, Stars

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   Sunlight. Plants use sunlight to make their food.

8. What is the hardest natural material?Ages 8–10

   Choose from: Iron, Glass, Granite, Diamond

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   Diamond. Diamond is the hardest natural material. It can scratch almost anything.

9. About how fast does light travel?Ages 11–14

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   300,000 km per second. Light travels about 300,000 km every second. It takes about 8 minutes to reach us from the Sun.

10. What do we call water falling from the clouds?Ages 5–7

    Choose from: Wind, Fog, Sand, Rain

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    Rain. When drops in clouds get heavy, they fall as rain.

11. Which organ pumps blood around your body?Ages 8–10

    Choose from: Heart, Lungs, Brain, Stomach

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    Heart. Your heart is a strong muscle that pumps blood all around your body, day and night.

12. Which Indian-born scientist won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his work on stars?Ages 11–14

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    Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The Chandrasekhar limit describes how big a white-dwarf star can be.

13. What colour do you get when you mix red and white paint?Ages 5–7

    Choose from: Pink, Orange, Brown, Purple

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    Pink. Red and white make pink.

14. Who is called the “Birdman of India”?Ages 8–10

    Choose from: Jim Corbett, Salim Ali, Vikram Sarabhai, M. S. Swaminathan

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    Salim Ali. Salim Ali studied and wrote about the birds of India for over 60 years.

15. Which Indian botanist developed sweeter sugarcane varieties and has a magnolia named after her?Ages 11–14

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    E. K. Janaki Ammal. Janaki Ammal was one of India’s first women botanists.

16. Which force pulls things down to the ground when you drop them?Ages 5–7

    Choose from: Wind, Gravity, Electricity, Magnetism

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    Gravity. Gravity pulls everything towards the Earth.

17. Who is called the “Father of the White Revolution”, which made India a top milk producer?Ages 8–10

    Choose from: Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, M. S. Swaminathan, Verghese Kurien

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    Verghese Kurien. Verghese Kurien led Operation Flood and built India’s milk co-operatives.

18. What is the chemical symbol for sodium?Ages 11–14

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    Na. Sodium’s symbol Na comes from its Latin name, natrium.

19. Which part of your body do you use to see?Ages 5–7

    Choose from: Nose, Hands, Eyes, Ears

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    Eyes. We see with our eyes.

20. What do we call the process by which plants make food using sunlight?Ages 8–10

    Choose from: Evaporation, Photosynthesis, Digestion, Respiration

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    Photosynthesis. “Photo” means light and “synthesis” means making.