Q 01/05

Which colour is on the outer edge of a rainbow?

A) Violet

B) Blue

C) Green

D) Red

Answer · why

D) Red

Red: but when a second, fainter rainbow appears outside the first, its colours run the other way, with red on the inside edge.

Q 02/05

Where must the Sun be for you to see a rainbow?

A) Behind you

B) Directly overhead

C) In front of you

D) Below the horizon

Answer · why

A) Behind you

Behind you: a rainbow always forms in the part of the sky opposite the Sun, and from an aeroplane or a mountain top you can sometimes see it as a full...

Q 03/05

What are clouds mostly made of?

A) Smoke from fires

B) Fibres like cotton wool

C) Steam from hot volcanoes

D) Tiny water droplets and ice

Answer · why

D) Tiny water droplets and ice

Tiny water droplets and ice crystals: each one needs a speck of dust or sea salt to form around, so there is a bit of grit at the heart of every dropl...

Q 04/05

What do we call a cloud that forms right at ground level?

A) Fog

B) Frost

C) Haze

D) Smog

Answer · why

A) Fog

Fog: it often forms on clear, calm nights, when the ground cools quickly and chills the damp air lying just above it.

Q 05/05

Which cloud type is the tall, anvil-topped one that brings thunderstorms?

A) Cirrus

B) Cumulonimbus

C) Stratus

D) Altocumulus

Answer · why

B) Cumulonimbus

Cumulonimbus: it towers up like a mountain until it can climb no higher, so its top stops and spreads out flat, and high winds often draw it out into ...