Q 01/05

What is the scientific name of the corn variety that pops?

A) Zea mays indentata

B) Zea mays saccharata

C) Zea mays amylacea

D) Zea mays everta

Answer · why

D) Zea mays everta

The other names belong to dent corn, sweet corn and flour corn; popcorn is technically a special kind of flint corn.

Q 02/05

Popcorn is one of how many major types of corn?

A) Six

B) Three

C) Four

D) Nine

Answer · why

A) Six

Dent corn is what fills American silos; sweet corn is what you eat off the cob.

Q 03/05

What moisture level, by weight, makes kernels expand the most?

A) About 4 to 5 percent

B) About 14 to 15 percent

C) About 25 to 30 percent

D) About 40 to 45 percent

Answer · why

B) About 14 to 15 percent

Freshly harvested corn is too wet and pops chewy; over-dried kernels simply refuse to burst.

Q 04/05

Roughly what internal pressure does a kernel reach just before its hull ruptures?

A) 300 psi

B) 500 psi

C) 135 psi

D) 1,000 psi

Answer · why

C) 135 psi

That is more than four times the pressure in a car tire, all held by a shell a fraction of a millimeter thick.

Q 05/05

At roughly what temperature does a kernel pop?

A) 450°F (232°C)

B) 600°F (316°C)

C) 750°F (399°C)

D) 356°F (180°C)

Answer · why

D) 356°F (180°C)

Cretors' original butter-and-lard mix was chosen because it could handle the higher oil temperatures needed to get there without smoking.