BIGGER Than Life
Around the House
Money Matters
The Greek Alphabet
Hello, April
100
The biggest living land mammal on Earth
African elephant, the blue whale is even larger than the elephant
100
If you don’t clean your dryer vent, you risk this.
A fire! In addition to cleaning your lint filter after each use, professionals recommend annual dryer maintenance, which includes cleaning the dryer vent.
100
The money you pay for insurance is called a...
A premium. It’s derived from a Latin word meaning “reward” or “prize.” When you cash in on homeowners’ or auto insurance, it can feel like a prize rather than paying out of pocket.
100
In a multi-dog or multi-cat household, this Greek letter indicates the leader of the pack.
Alpha. The term is also applied to a dominant, confident, or aggressive person.
100
April showers are necessary for these.
May flowers. April is traditionally a rainy month, followed by a bloom of flowers in May.
200
The biggest (heaviest and longest) wall in the world
The Great Wall of China, what’s even more mind-boggling than its length, at 13,000-plus miles, is its age. Some phases of the Wall were built as early as the seventh century BC.
200
These come in café, ruffled, and shower versions
Curtains, the English word curtain comes from the Old French word cortine, meaning “tapestry” or “drape.”
200
Payment to support an ex-spouse
Alimony. Unlike child support, which is typically granted, alimony is not always granted, even if the ex-spouse makes little or no money.
200
We learned in high school geometry that this letter represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.
Pi. That ratio is constant: 3.14159, or more commonly, 3.14.
200
We turn the clocks this way during spring daylight saving time.
Forward. The easiest way to remember the daylight saving time shifts is to think “spring forward” in the spring and “fall back” in the fall.
300
The biggest commercial aircraft
The Airbus A380, it carries a maximum of 853 passengers
300
Electrical panels used these before they had circuit breakers.
Fuses! Fuses had to be replaced; you only have to flip the circuit breaker
300
The only one of the seven deadly sins dealing with money
Greed. Greed is defined as the immoderate love or desire for riches and earthly possessions.
300
This is the term for the final test before the release of a product or software program, and also a type of brainwave.
Beta. Beta tests allow users to find bugs that developers have overlooked. Beta brainwaves are associated with a conscious, thinking state.
300
April is peak season for these blooming trees, famously celebrated during festivals in places like Vancouver and Toronto.
Cherry blossom trees
400
Which is bigger: a solar system OR a galaxy
Galaxy, our solar system consists of the sun and the planets, moons, and smaller bodies that surround it. Our galaxy is the Milky Way, which consists of 200 to 400 billion stars. Billions of galaxies comprise the universe.
400
This is the three-letter word for a Grecian jar, often shaped like a vase.
An urn
400
This Canadian institution, founded in 1935, is responsible for issuing the country’s currency and managing monetary policy.
The Bank of Canada.
400
These essential fatty acids are found in polyunsaturated fats and are commonly found in the 6 and 3 forms of this letter.
Omegas. Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are known as essential fatty acids because the body cannot produce them. Sources include organic eggs, pastured beef, wild-caught salmon, walnuts, and dark, leafy greens.
400
They begin to migrate back home from Florida in mid-April to May.
Snowbirds which are people who migrate to escape the winter. Snowbird season runs from October through April in Florida.
500
In 1885, this massive transcontinental railway was completed, uniting Canada from coast to coast.
The Canadian Pacific Railway
500
This bathtub is named for its appendages.
A clawfoot. This Victorian-era tub design dates to 1700 Dutch furniture design. The tub became popular in the 1850s and is still in use today, more for its design features rather than for its functionality.
500
Canada’s two-dollar coin, first issued in 1996, features this Arctic animal.
Polar bear
500
Sediment that flows downstream in a river can build up and move from its mouth into this other body of water, creating a wetland.
A delta. An example is the Mississippi Delta. As the sediment builds up, it can cause flooding.
500
This is celebrated on April 1.
April Fool's Day, the annual day of pranks