Nature Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
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- Is lily of the valley toxic?
- A. Yes, it can cause cardiac disorders
- B. It paralyses the respiratory tract
- C. You just need to prepare it properly
- D. No, it brings good luck
- What is the lifespan of a baobab tree?
- A. 500 to 800 years
- B. 1,000 to 3,000 years
- C. Over 5,000 years
- D. 100 to 200 years
- What proportion of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans?
- A. Around 60%
- B. Around 80%
- C. Around 70%
- D. Around 50%
- Which plant is nicknamed 'the traveller's tree' for the drinkable water stored in its leaves?
- A. Date palm
- B. Ravenala
- C. Baobab
- D. Bamboo
- What is the name of the topmost layer of the Earth where plants grow?
- A. Core
- B. Pedosphere
- C. Mantle
- D. Earth's crust
- What is the phenomenon called where plants turn towards the light?
- A. Geotropism
- B. Hydrotropism
- C. Phototropism
- D. Thigmotropism
- Which substance protects trees against wounds and insects?
- A. Pollen
- B. Chlorophyll
- C. Nectar
- D. Resin
- What is the name of soil composed of decomposed plant debris?
- A. Silt
- B. Clay
- C. Humus
- D. Sand
- What is the largest mammal in the world?
- A. African elephant
- B. Blue whale
- C. Hippopotamus
- D. Sperm whale
- Which tree produces the winged seeds known as 'helicopters'?
- A. Ash
- B. Elm
- C. Maple
- D. Lime
- Which migratory bird holds the record for the longest annual migration, connecting both poles?
- A. The snow goose
- B. The sooty shearwater
- C. The wandering albatross
- D. The Arctic tern
- Why are volcanic soils often very fertile?
- A. They naturally contain fresh water
- B. They're rich in minerals released by ash and lava
- C. They retain heat from magma
- D. They lack harmful microorganisms
- What is a 'keystone species' in an ecosystem?
- A. A species whose disappearance would disrupt the whole ecosystem
- B. A species endemic to a single region
- C. A species protected by law
- D. The first species to appear on Earth
- Why do farmers sow clover or alfalfa to enrich tired soil?
- A. Their roots host bacteria that fix nitrogen from the air
- B. Their flowers attract earthworms
- C. Their shade stops the soil drying out
- D. They release phosphorus as they rot
- Why does a Venus flytrap only snap shut if two trigger hairs are touched within a few seconds?
- A. Because it needs time to charge up with solar electricity
- B. To let two insects in at once
- C. To avoid closing for a raindrop or a bit of debris
- D. Because each hair closes one half of the trap
- How does a seed 'know' which way to send its root, even when planted upside down?
- A. It seeks the soil's warmth
- B. Starch grains settle at the bottom of certain cells and show it which way is down
- C. It follows light through the soil
- D. It uses the Earth's magnetic field
- Why do deciduous trees drop their leaves in autumn?
- A. The wind eventually tears them off
- B. The cold kills them and they fall by themselves
- C. Insects gnaw through their stalks
- D. The tree itself forms a layer of cells that detaches them, saving water and energy for winter
- Why do poinsettias, or Christmas stars, turn red in winter?
- A. The cold makes their leaves blush
- B. Their bracts change colour when the nights get long
- C. Growers dye them
- D. They react to fairy-light glow
- Which strange parasitic plant from southern Africa lives almost entirely underground, showing only a flower that looks like an open mouth?
- A. Welwitschia
- B. Venus flytrap
- C. Hydnora
- D. Rafflesia
- Is a coral that has turned completely white necessarily dead?
- A. Yes, white is the colour of its dead skeleton
- B. No, it simply hibernates every winter
- C. No: it has expelled its algae and can recover if the stress ends quickly enough
- D. Yes, because it has been coated in salt
Answer key — Nature Quiz
- A. Yes, it can cause cardiac disordersIngestion immediately causes mouth irritation, nausea and abdominal pain, followed by cardiac disorders.
- B. 1,000 to 3,000 yearsThe baobab can live between 1,000 and 3,000 years. Some African specimens are over 2,000 years old.
- C. Around 70%Oceans cover about 71% of the Earth's surface, hence the nickname 'the blue planet'.
- B. RavenalaNative to Madagascar, the ravenala (Ravenala madagascariensis) stores water in the base of its fan-shaped leaves, used by travellers when thirsty.
- B. PedosphereThe pedosphere is the outermost layer of the Earth, composed of soil and subsoil, where plant life develops.
- C. PhototropismPhototropism is the directional growth of an organism in response to a light source.
- D. ResinResin flows when the bark is wounded, creating a sticky, antiseptic barrier against external threats.
- C. HumusHumus is the upper layer of soil, rich in organic matter from the decomposition of leaves and other plant remains.
- B. Blue whaleThe blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived.
- C. MapleMaple fruits spin as they fall.
- D. The Arctic ternThe Arctic tern travels up to 70,000 km per year between the Arctic and Antarctic, roughly 1.5 times around the Earth.
- B. They're rich in minerals released by ash and lavaVolcanic ash breaks down into essential minerals like potassium and phosphorus, making land near volcanoes especially suited to agriculture.
- A. A species whose disappearance would disrupt the whole ecosystemA keystone species, like the sea otter or the wolf, has a disproportionate impact on its ecosystem relative to its abundance; its loss can trigger a cascade of imbalances.
- A. Their roots host bacteria that fix nitrogen from the airLegumes live in symbiosis with Rhizobium bacteria, which can turn nitrogen from the air into natural fertiliser.
- C. To avoid closing for a raindrop or a bit of debrisClosing the trap costs a lot of energy. So the flytrap 'counts' touches: two close together trigger closure, and only after about five does it start secreting digestive juices.
- B. Starch grains settle at the bottom of certain cells and show it which way is downIn the root cap, cells contain starch grains heavier than the rest, which settle on the ground side like sand in an hourglass.
- D. The tree itself forms a layer of cells that detaches them, saving water and energy for winterBefore letting them go, the tree recovers some of the leaves' nutrients, hence their autumn colours.
- B. Their bracts change colour when the nights get longThe poinsettia is sensitive to night length: it needs several weeks of nights longer than 12 hours for its bracts, modified leaves, to turn red.
- C. HydnoraHydnora africana has no leaves or chlorophyll: it attaches itself to the roots of euphorbias.
- C. No: it has expelled its algae and can recover if the stress ends quickly enoughWhen stressed, especially by water that is too warm, coral expels the algae that colour and feed it: it bleaches and weakens.