Are You Smarter Than Your Kid?
Homework is meant to be challenging for students. As we all remember, though, there’s relief in being able to take the really tough questions to parents for help and support. But what if your kid brings you some curly questions that you can’t answer?
Here are 25 questions that just might stump you, but hopefully, your fifth grader can help you figure them out.
Dude, Where’s My Car?
What number is this car space? This question showed up on a Hong Kong school entrance exam for 6-year-olds. Fortunately, the answer isn't to be found in an advanced mathematical formula, but rather, through turning the image upside down.
This makes it evident the number is 87.
People on a Train
A British mother shared this puzzler via social media, saying her student (in second grade) was asked to answer it. There are some people on a train; 19 people get off the train at the first stop, and 17 get on the train. Now, there are 63 people on the train. How many people were there to begin with?
Correct answer: 65. Here's the explanation: -19 + 17 = -2, so ultimately, two people got off the train, and originally, the train had two more people.
Third-Grade English
This elementary school English language question is designed for students in third grade.
Correct answer: To be free from another country
What About Fourth Grade?
This is an elementary school English language question for fourth graders. A green snake will often camouflage itself in the grass and leaves to hide from its predators. What does camouflage mean?
Correct answer: To blend in with the environment. Some animals can naturally camouflage themselves in their habitat, while military personnel use clothing and strategic blends of paint to protect themselves.
Sudoku Masters Will Love This
Sudoku puzzles are considered an excellent tool for building students’ critical thinking skills, but how many parents are going to want to see this land on their desk after a long day at work? To be fair, this one is relatively easy by Sudoku standards.
Correct answer: 6. Each of the numbers in every row and column add up to 15. Plus, six is the only number not represented between one and nine.
Small Dogs Pose Big Challenges
This second-grade math question will have you hoping your dog ate your kid's homework before they have a chance to ask for help. There are 49 dogs signed up to compete in the dog show. There are 36 more small dogs than large dogs signed up. How many small dogs are signed up to compete?
Correct answer: 42. You can get this answer by subtracting 36 from 49 to get 13. Divide that answer by 2, to get 6.5 dogs to work out how many big dogs there are. Add 6.5 to 36 to get the number of small dogs competing, which is 42.5 (or 42 dogs).
American History
Correct answer: 1778. While the U.S. officially declared its independence on July 4, 1776, Congress didn’t adopt the Articles of Confederation, which served as the country’s first constitution, until Nov. 15, 1777. Then, it wasn’t until Feb. 6, 1778, that France recognized the U.S. as an independent state.
More U.S. History
Correct answer: Thomas Jefferson. The third President of The United States, Jefferson served from 1801 to 1809. Jefferson also served as United States Minister to France in May 1785 and the nation's first secretary of state from 1790 to 1793 under President George Washington.
Animal Love
Correct answer: a whale. These Cetacean mammals are closely related to land-based hippopotamuses. There are varying types of whales, ranging in all sorts of sizes, but the characteristics of mammals that they share are that they have a backbone and four limbs.
Name the Country
What country is represented by this flag?
Correct answer: Ireland. After regaining its independence in 1922, the Republic of Ireland adopted this tricolor green, white and orange flag.
The green represents Irish Catholics, while white represents the truce with Irish Protestants, who represent orange.
A Little Religion
Correct answer: 27. The New Testament consists of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of Paul, seven Catholic Epistles and the Book of Revelation.
A River Runs Through It
Correct answer: the Nile in Africa, which is 4,130 miles long. The river that carries the most water in the world, however, is the Amazon in South America.
Environmental Studies
Any of the following responses are entirely legitimate. The growing awareness of issues affecting the planet means kids are learning about animals, climate change, fair trade and weather much earlier than their parents.
- Climate change: conditions alter the habitats of animals or erode them entirely
- Deforestation: cutting down trees and forests, which provide natural habitat
- Over-hunting: animals are hunted to the point that they can't reproduce to populate at the speed and level to maintain their population
- Loss of habitat: humans building on land that once belonged to animals
A Fraction of Your Time
Correct answer: The numerator, which is a whole number that indicates how many parts of the whole are represented.
A Whole Lot of Ocean
Correct answer: the Pacific Ocean, which covers approximately 63 million square miles.
That’s Grammar for You
Correct answer: Adverbs, which qualify an adjective, verb or other adverb. Examples include "quickly” or “silently."
A Little Word Play
Correct answer: 3. The nouns are “tiger,” “tree” and “leaf.”
One of Science’s Greats
Correct answer: Gravity. He was particularly famous for his theory on the law of gravitation.
A Look at Time
Correct answer: 24 hours. The Earth rotates eastward, turning anticlockwise on its own axis. Over time, the rotation of the Earth is slowing so that our days are actually shorter than they have been in the past (1.7 milliseconds less than a century ago). This is because of the tidal effects, dictated by the moon orbiting the Earth, which affects the speed of Earth's rotation.
Changing Seasons
Correct answer: The tilt of the Earth on its axis. The tilt of the Earth on its axis means that, throughout the year, different parts of the globe are more exposed to direct sun, which affects weather and the environment as a whole. During summer, the Earth's axis tilts the Northern Hemisphere towards direct sunlight.
Geometry at Its Best
Correct answer: The circumference of a circle is the distance around the circle, and it is found multiplying Pi (3.14) by the diameter.
Foreign Language
Correct answer: Singapore has four official languages, including Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English.
How the Body Works
Correct answer: The kidneys, which are the major organs of the urinary system. They filter waste products, releasing them from the body via urination.
Safety First
Correct answer: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation at a rate of 100 to 120 chest compressions per minute with two rescue breaths after each cycle of 30 compressions.
Twinkle or Sparkle?
This second-grade vocabulary question really tested us — mostly our patience. Sparkle or twinkle? The teacher seemed quite certain that students ought to know the difference.
The difference is that, as verbs, twinkle means “to shine with a flickering light,” while sparkle is “to emit sparks.” As nouns, twinkle is a “glimmer of light,” while sparkle is “a little spark.”