Weird Science
People
Do the Math
Big World
Whatever
100
Velcro (p. 103)
Do you know about inventions? Well, then you shouldn't get stuck on this question. In 1955, George de Mestral invented a fastener that is often used in place of shoelaces. What is it called?
100
1732 (p. 265)
Long before there was the World Almanac for kids, Benjamin Franklin published "Poor Richard's Almanack". The Almanack introduced many now-famous sayings, such as "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." In what year did Franklin first publish "Poor Richard's Almanack"?
100
144 degrees Fahrenheit [212-68] (p. 315)
Now you're in hot water: The boiling point of water is how many degrees Fahrenheit hotten than normal room temperature?
100
Mount McKinley (p. 255)
There's no denying that Denali National Park in Alaska is huge. The part is almost as big as the state of Massachusetts. It is also home to the tallest mountain in North America. What is the name of that park?
100
John Roberts (p. 263)
Quiet down! Court is now in session. The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. The Chief Justice presides over the meetings with the eight other justices on the Court. In the Court's 2009-2010 term, who was the Chief Justice?
200
A plutoid (p. 213)
Poor Pluto. In 2006, it lost its status as a planet and was classified as a dwarf planet. Like the three other dwarf planets with orbits beyond Neptune's - Eris, Haumea, and Makemake - Pluto is also classified as what?
200
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The United States entered World War II after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941. Who was the U.S. president at the time?
200
11 years [1800 - 1789] (pp. 282, 309)
We cannot tell a lie: George Washington was the first president (of course). How many years after he became president in 1789 did Washington, D.C., become the U.S. capital?
200
1609-1610 (p. 94)
Henry Hudson, the English explorer, certainly left his mark on North America. He sailed from Holland and explored what are now known as the Hudson River, Hudson Bay, and Hudson Strait. When did he do his exploring?
200
Freshwater fish (p. 28)
Dogs are said to be loyal companions, many people fancy cats, and other favor fish. Which type of animal is the most popular pet in the United States?
300
The emergent layer (p. 78)
A tropical rain forest has four main layers. The forest floor is at the bottom, of course. But what's the name of the top layer, which is made up of the tops of the very tallest trees?
300
Stella McCartney (p. 88)
This fashion designer was once a Beatle baby. She never uses fur or leather in her stallar designs, whether they're high-end gowns for celebrities or more-affordable fashions for retail chains. Who is she?
300
15 [The pentathlon has 5 events, and the decathlon has 10.] (p. 182)
Knowing what certain number prefixes stand for can help you understand the meaning of words. So if you know that Jim Thorpe won gold medals in the pentathlon and the decathlon at the 1912 Olympics, you should also know that he competed in how many total events?
300
The lithosphere (pp. 68, 98)
You may find a lot of faults in the answer to this question about Earth's structure. What is the name of our planet's rocky outer layer, which is kind of like a cracked eggshell?
300
The Secretary of the Treasury (p. 126)
Sure, we all love to get dollar bills, but did you ever stop to really study one? Every dollar bill has two signatures on it. One belongs to the Treasurer of the United States. What other person's signature is on every dollar bill?
400
Oxygen (p. 202)
Take a deep breath before answering this question: What element makes up 47 percent of Earth's crust and 21 percent of it atmosphere?
400
1936 (p. 35)
Who says photography isn't art? During the Great Depression, photographer Dorothea Lange traveled to poor areas across the United States. Her famous photograph "Migrant Mother" captures the worry and pain on a poor mother's face. In what year did Lange take that photo?
400
15 [4 clarinets, 4 bassoons, 3 oboes, 3 flutes, and 1 piccolo] (p. 134)
How many woodwinds would an orchestra wield if woodwinds were all there were? That is, if you counted all the woodwind instruments in the orchestra shown in the Music section of the "World Almanac for Kids" - the bassoons - how many instruments would you have?
400
Annaba (p.150)
Algeria is a huge country in North Africa. Algiers, the nation's capital, is located on the Mediterranean Sea. Use a map to find another major Algerian city on the Mediterranean that begins with the letter A.
400
Grover Cleveland (p. 273)
Benjamin Harrison might have wondered whether he was coming or going. He is the only U.S. president to replace and be replaced in office by the same person. Who was president both before and after Harrison?
500
74 miles per hour (p. 66)
There are five categories used to measure the strength of a hurricane. A category 5 hurricane has wind speeds of over 155 miles per hour. But what is the wind speed a strom must reach before it is called a hurricane?
500
Nate Holland (p. 241)
Repeat, three-peat, four-peat...five-peat? What athlete won his fifth straight gold medal in snowboard X at the 2010 Winter X Games?
500
7/13 [14 gold medals divided by 26 total medals = 14/26 = 7/13] (p. 223)
Canadian althletes had the golden touch at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Canada set a Winter Olympic record for the most gold medals won by a single country. Divide the number of Canada's gold medals by the total number of medals it won at the 2010 Olympics. Express the answer as a fraction reduced to its lowest terms.
500
The Hague, Netherlands (p. 139)
Order in the court! The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court of the United Nations, settles disputes between countries. Each of its 15 judges is selected from a different country. But where exactly does the World Court meet?
500
The Dome of the Rock (p. 53)
This builiding in Jerusalem stands on a rock that is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. It is the oldest Islamic monument in the world. What is this building called?
M
e
n
u