Social Science Questions & Answers

Most plants have developed some way of avoiding being eaten. You only have to think of stinging nettles, roses or brambles to be painfully reminded that any creatures interfering with them can be stung or scratched quite severely. Many species of plants produce natural insecticides which keep unwanted insects at bay, but some tropical palms and acacias have enlisted the …

Humans have invented new and advanced ways of communicating with each other. Television, radio, telephones and of course email. You will be surprised to know that animals who seem to have very simple methods of communication – using their bodies and voices – are also capable of long distance communication. Foot stomping and low frequency rumbling created by elephants can …

While no one’s sure of the origin of ‘ok’, there are a handful of popular explanations. One view is that it derives from the Scot expression ‘och aye’, the Greek ‘ola kala’ (it is good), Choctaw Indian ‘oke’ or ‘okeh’ (it is so), French ‘aux Cayes’ (from Cayes, a port in Haiti with a reputation for good rum) or ‘au …

The earliest print appearance of the modern signs seem to come from a book on Mercantile Arithmetic by Johannes Widmann in 1489, used to indicate surpluses and deficits. The + is a simplification of the Latin “et” (comparable to the ampersand – &). Widmann referred to the symbols – and + as minus and mer. According to the ‘Earliest Uses …

The first explorer to venture deep into the barren heart of Australia was an Englishman, Charles Sturt. He was an army captain when, in 1826, he was sent to new South Wales with a shipload of convicts. He became military secretary to the governor, but his real interest lay in leading expeditions into the interior, during which he discovered and …

Zoologists believe that the polar bear evolved from a species of brown bears in Siberia, making polar bears the eighth species of bears. With the shifting of polar ice caps and glaciers, the brown bear species native to that area was forced to adapt to the new environment, undergoing physical body changes to keep warm in the brutally cold weather. …

In 1929, the first awards for best performances is films were made. These awards were shaped like a man, and a secretary at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, on seeing one for the first time, remarked that it looked just like her uncle Oscar. The name stuck, and the awards have been called Oscars ever since.

Southwest America is famous for its remarkable columns of rock. These tall extraordinary shapes of sandstone have been formed by wind-borne sand they look like monuments. And since they look like monument they get their name, Monument Valley.

In primitive life the hand was probably a symbol of power and strength.So when the hand was extended to someone, it could have represented good will, since it showed that the person was not armed or ready to fight. The hand was an important symbol in early religions, probably as a mark of power. The Greeks prayed to their gods …

The teddy bear is named after U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was Teddy. In 1902, on a hunting trip, Roosevelt refused to kill a bear cub. Later, a shopkeeper began selling toy bears, calling them Teddy Bear.