Kids Questions & Answers

In contrast to the acrobatic antics of the monkeys and apes, sloths move about the tree tops in very slow motion. They hang underneath the branches from hooked claws of both the fingers and toes, and spend most of their lives in this upside down position. They eat, sleep, mate and even give birth to their young upside down. There …

Some readers may think that this the easiest question in the book. Surely everyone knows that the answer is Mount Everest, which rises 8,848 m (29,028 ft) above sea level! But what about mountains that rise from the sea floor? If you take them into account, then Mauna Kea, Hawaii, is 1,355 m (4,446 ft) higher than Everest. Mauna Kea, …

The baobab tree is to be found in tropical Africa. It is a most strange-looking tree. Its barrel-like trunk can reach 30 feet or more in diameter, although its height is not proportionately great. It is a large gourd-like, woody, fruit containing a pleasant, cool tasting juice. A strong fibre obtained from the bark is used in Africa to make …

Pearls come from mollusks-a group of animals, which includes squids, clams, and oysters. Under its shell the mollusk has a mantle, or outer-skin. When a particle of dirt, or tiny marine creature gets stuck in this mantle, a hard substance forms around it. This makes the pearl. It is formed of the same material as the mollusk shell-nacre or mother-of-pearl. …

The breadfruit tree is found in the South Pacific islands and, to a lesser degree, in other parts of the tropics. It is an extremely handsome tree, growing up to 60 feet high. The oval leaves are a pleasant, glossy green and quite large. There are two distinct forms of breadfruit, one seedless and the other containing many seeds which, …

Water will boil anywhere, but it boils at different temperatures in different places. For example, it will boil at a lower temperatures up a mountain that at sea level. The boiling point of water is the temperature at which its vapour pressure becomes equal to the outside atmospheric pressure. As the atmospheric pressure is always changing so the boiling point …

In the beginning our universe was a mass of white-hot vapours and molten materials whirling about in space. Our world was formed from this. Astronomers believe it took millions of years for the cloud to cool, contract and begin to turn into molten rock. Modern astronomers think that many millions of years ago there was a huge explosion in space. …

The center of gravity of an object is a point at which all its weight can be considered to be located. This point is usually inside the object. However, your center of gravity may be inside or outside your body, depending on whether you’re standing, sitting, bending or falling over. If your center of gravity is over your feet, then …

We listen to weather forecasts to find out how warm and sunny, wet or windy the weather is likely to be. People in eastern Sahara, in North Africa, don’t have this problem. This is the world’s sunniest place, with an average of over 4,300 hours of sunshine a year-nearly 12 hours a day!

Deltas are plains near the mouths of some rivers, made of sediment dumped there by the rivers. The world’s largest delta is the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, which lies partly in Bangladesh and partly in India. This low-lying fertile plain is one of the world’s most densely populated areas. It has also been the scene of many disasters when storms in the …