Test Yourself
Whether youʼre in our live audience or online, competition for the title of National Science Quiz 2023 champion will be fierce. To help test yourself and get used to the speed of the quiz we’ve prepared two mini quiz videos below. Teachers…these are also perfect as a classroom activity!
Remember, itʼs the FASTEST team or individual to submit the most correct answers who will walk away with the cash prizes, trophies and the title of National Science Quiz Champion.

Mini quiz:
Physics and maths
Mini quiz:
Biology and chemistry
Teaser quiz
Champagne bubbles rise faster than beer bubbles of the same size. Why is this?
- Beer is more viscous
- Proteins attach to the beer bubbles as they rise, and hence there is more resistance
- Champagne bubbles have a higher gas pressure, so they are more buoyant
Answer: C
Champagne bubbles have a higher gas pressure, so they are more buoyant
How would your voice sound on the planet Venus?
- Like a short person with a loud and high voice
- Like a short person with a soft and low voice
- Like a tall person with a loud and low voice
Answer: B
Like a short person with a soft and low voice
An aurora is the phenomenon known on Earth as the northern or southern lights. On what planets can aurorae occur?
- On any planet with an atmosphere
- On any planet with a magnetic field
- On planets with oxygen or nitrogen in their atmosphere
Answer: A
On any planet with an atmosphere
What type of fire must you not try to extinguish with a carbon dioxide extinguisher?
- Burning gas
- Burning metal
- Burning fat
Answer: B
Burning metal
If you hang a towel outside on a sunny day after washing it, why does it go stiff?
- UV light changes the chemical composition of the detergent
- Dust particles blow into the fibres
- Salt crusts are formed due to lack of movement
Answer: C
Salt crusts are formed due to lack of movement
If you let cornflakes float on milk they attract each other. What causes this?
- The iron in the cornflakes is a little bit magnetic
- One cornflake pulls milk up and the others want to float on top of that milk
- There are currents because the temperature changes locally because of the cornflakes
Answer: B
One cornflake pulls milk up and the others want to float on top of that milk
If you wet a tea towel it darkens in colour and when it dries it becomes lighter again. What causes this change in colour?
- The water acts a sort of optical fiber through which the light penetrates deeply into the material
- The refraction index of fabric is closer to that of water than it is to that of air
- Water absorbs more red and green light than fabric does
Answer: B
The refraction index of fabric is closer to that of water than it is to that of air
Why do some bruises look blue?
- Because blue light does not penetrate through the skin as much as red light
- Because of haemoglobin degradation in that area
- Because of lack of oxygen in that area
Answer: A
Because blue light does not penetrate through the skin as much as red light