NZISF 2020 by NZISF

ExQUIZite Science

To get your neurons all fired up, we’ve put together a quiz covering different branches of science, from biology to botany.

The New Zealand International Science Festival brings an exciting new Nano Edition Festival to Dunedin this year during the first week of the school holidays. Be prepared to discover humpback whales, take home jet packs, build the tallest marshmallow tower, and watch a live stage production of the big bang theory! Dunedin is turning up its dial to explode this July with over 50 thrilling events from the 4-12 July, 2020. 

Meanwhile, why not test your science knowledge with our ExQuizite Science quiz? There are 6 categories, with 5 questions in each, and each answer is worth 1 point. How many can you get? 

It’s elementary

Image by: Pixabay

1. What element allows matches to ignite?

2. On the periodic table, what’s the symbol for gold?

3. Helium is named after the Greek god of what?

4. How many tonnes of helium does our sun consume each second?

5. NaCl, also known as sodium chloride, is the chemical name for what?

Space, above and beyond

Image by: Pixabay

1. Uranus has been reclassified as what kind of planet?

2. How many drawf planets have been identified in our solar system, so far?

3. What are the names of the two moons of Mars?

4. What year was the Hubble Space Telescope launched?

5. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy – what are the other two types of galaxy?

Feed me, Seymour

Image by: Pixabay

1. At 3m across, what is the world’s largest undivided leaf?

2. What’s the main molecule that makes up plants?

3. Atropa belladonna is the scientific name for which poisonous plant?

4. What chemical makes chillies so hot?

5. What plant covers around 30% of the Earth’s surface?

Bits and bytes

Image by: Pixabay

1. When was the first hybrid car built?

2. What was the name of the first plastic, invented in 1856?

3. What does LED stand for?

4. How tall was the first microwave oven – a) 50cm, b) 99cm, or c) 1.7m

5. What was the name of the computer that beat chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997?

Soylent green

Image by: Pixabay

1. What does DNA stand for?

2. What are the four basic types of tissue in your body?

3. How many red blood cells are found in a drop of blood?

4. What is the largest muscle in the body?

5. If modern humans are also know as Homo sapiens, what early humans known as?

All creatures great and small

Image by: Pixabay

1. What is the name of this amphibian?

2. How many times a second a second do hummingbirds beat their wings?

3. How fast can a Thomson’s gazelle run – a) 45 km/h, b) 80 km/h, or c) 120 km/h?

4. What are the Māori names for the following endangered or at risk NZ birds – black stilt, fairy tern, and rifleman?

5. What insect can leap up to 200 times its own length?


You'll find the answers and a list of the books referenced to put this quiz together later in this issue. All of these books are available for you to borrow from Dunedin Public Libraries.