Q 01/05

Which metal has the chemical symbol Au?

A) Gold

B) Silver

C) Copper

D) Aluminium

Answer · why

A) Gold

Au comes from aurum, the Latin word for gold, which is why the symbol looks nothing like the English name.

Q 02/05

Which planet is the largest in our solar system?

A) Saturn

B) Jupiter

C) Neptune

D) Uranus

Answer · why

B) Jupiter

Jupiter is so big that about 1,300 Earths could fit inside it.

Q 03/05

What is the hardest naturally occurring material known?

A) Quartz

B) Titanium

C) Diamond

D) Graphite

Answer · why

C) Diamond

Diamond and pencil graphite are both pure carbon; the difference is entirely in how the atoms are bonded.

Q 04/05

Which part of a cell is nicknamed the 'powerhouse of the cell'?

A) Nucleus

B) Ribosome

C) Golgi apparatus

D) Mitochondrion

Answer · why

D) Mitochondrion

The nickname was popularised by a 1957 Scientific American article with exactly that title.

Q 05/05

Roughly what percentage of dry air is nitrogen?

A) 78%

B) 85%

C) 91%

D) 98%

Answer · why

A) 78%

Oxygen makes up only about 21 percent; the rest is nitrogen, argon and traces of other gases.