Easy Science Quiz for Kids
Insects, planets, magnets and butterflies: 15 fun science questions that kids aged 8 to 12 can ace.
How many legs does an insect have?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Six
All adult insects have six legs attached to the middle part of their body, the thorax. Spiders have eight legs, which is one reason they are not insects.
Scientists have named more than a million insect species, more than every other kind of animal put together.
At what temperature does water freeze into ice on the Celsius scale?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
0 degrees
Pure water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, which is the same as 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Below that temperature the water molecules slow down and lock together into solid ice crystals.
Ice floats because water expands as it freezes, which is unusual, and it is why ponds freeze from the top down.
What is it called when liquid water turns into water vapour?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Evaporation
Evaporation happens when water warms up and its molecules escape into the air as invisible vapour, which is why puddles disappear on a sunny day.
Water can evaporate even when it is cold, which is how wet clothes slowly dry on a winter washing line.
How many planets are there in our solar system?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Eight
Our solar system has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto was counted as the ninth until 2006, when it was reclassified as a dwarf planet.
A handy way to remember the order is My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles.
What is the name of the force that pulls a dropped ball down towards the ground?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Gravity
Gravity is the pull that every object with mass has on every other object. Earth is so massive that its gravity pulls everything, including a dropped ball, towards its centre.
On the Moon gravity is only about one sixth as strong as on Earth, which is why astronauts could bounce along the surface.
What does a caterpillar turn into?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
A butterfly
A caterpillar wraps itself in a chrysalis and goes through metamorphosis, breaking down its body and rebuilding it as a butterfly with wings, long legs and a curled tongue.
Moths also start life as caterpillars, but they usually spin a silk cocoon instead of forming a chrysalis.
What do we call animals that eat only plants?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Herbivores
Herbivores such as cows, rabbits, deer and elephants eat only plants like grass, leaves and fruit. Carnivores eat meat, and omnivores like humans and bears eat both plants and meat.
An elephant can spend up to 16 hours a day eating and gets through around 150 kg (330 lb) of plants.
What do bees collect from flowers to make honey?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Nectar
Bees suck sweet nectar from flowers and carry it back to the hive, where they pass it from bee to bee and fan it with their wings until it thickens into honey.
A single honeybee makes only about one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its whole life.
What are the three main states of matter?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Solid, liquid and gas
Everything around you is a solid, a liquid or a gas. Water shows all three: ice is a solid, the water you drink is a liquid, and steam is a gas.
Scientists also talk about a fourth state called plasma, which is what the Sun and lightning are made of.
Which gas do plants take in from the air to make their food?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Carbon dioxide
Plants absorb carbon dioxide through tiny holes in their leaves and combine it with water and sunlight to make sugar, in a process called photosynthesis.
In return, plants give off the oxygen that people and animals need to breathe.
Which of these animals is a mammal?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Dolphin
Dolphins are mammals: they breathe air through a blowhole, are warm-blooded, give birth to live young and feed them milk, even though they live in the sea like fish.
Dolphins sleep with one half of their brain at a time so they can keep swimming and remember to surface for air.
Which organ pumps blood all around your body?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Heart
The heart is a muscle about the size of your fist that squeezes about 70 times a minute, pushing blood through tubes called arteries and veins to every part of your body.
Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day, and the blood vessels in your body would stretch around the world twice if laid end to end.
A seesaw is an example of which simple machine?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lever
A seesaw is a lever: a stiff bar that tips on a fixed point called the fulcrum. Levers let a small push on one side lift a heavier load on the other.
The ancient Greek scientist Archimedes said that with a long enough lever and a place to stand, he could move the Earth.
What is it called when water vapour in the air cools and turns back into tiny liquid droplets to form a cloud?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Condensation
Condensation happens when warm, moist air rises and cools, so the invisible water vapour turns into tiny droplets that gather into clouds. Evaporation is the opposite process.
The same thing happens on a cold drink on a hot day: the droplets on the glass come from water vapour in the air, not from inside the glass.
What do we call a scientist who studies dinosaurs and other fossils?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Paleontologist
A paleontologist studies fossils, the preserved remains of ancient plants and animals, including dinosaurs. Archaeologists, by contrast, study the things humans made and left behind.
The word dinosaur was invented in 1842 by scientist Richard Owen and means terrible lizard, although dinosaurs were not actually lizards.
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All Science quizzes →About the Easy Science Quiz for Kids
Did you know an insect has six legs, that water turns into invisible vapour on a sunny day, and that a dolphin is a mammal rather than a fish? Science is full of facts that make you say wow, and this quiz is packed with the ones kids love to share at the dinner table.
These 15 questions are written for children aged 8 to 12 and cover animals, plants, the solar system, forces, simple machines, the water cycle and the human body. Every answer comes with a short explanation and a bonus fact, so it works as a learning game as well as a test. Parents and teachers can play along too.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Easy. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
What age is this science quiz for?
It is written for children aged roughly 8 to 12, matching the science taught in upper primary and elementary school, but younger kids can play with a little help.
Can teachers use this quiz in class?
Yes. The 15 questions cover animals, plants, space, forces and the body, and each explanation gives a quick teaching point you can read aloud.
How many planets are in the solar system?
There are eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- How many legs does an insect have?
Six All adult insects have six legs attached to the middle part of their body, the thorax. Spiders have eight legs, which is one reason they are not insects. Scientists have named more than a million insect species, more than every other kind of animal put together. - At what temperature does water freeze into ice on the Celsius scale?
0 degrees Pure water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, which is the same as 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Below that temperature the water molecules slow down and lock together into solid ice crystals. Ice floats because water expands as it freezes, which is unusual, and it is why ponds freeze from the top down. - What is it called when liquid water turns into water vapour?
Evaporation Evaporation happens when water warms up and its molecules escape into the air as invisible vapour, which is why puddles disappear on a sunny day. Water can evaporate even when it is cold, which is how wet clothes slowly dry on a winter washing line. - How many planets are there in our solar system?
Eight Our solar system has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto was counted as the ninth until 2006, when it was reclassified as a dwarf planet. A handy way to remember the order is My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles. - What is the name of the force that pulls a dropped ball down towards the ground?
Gravity Gravity is the pull that every object with mass has on every other object. Earth is so massive that its gravity pulls everything, including a dropped ball, towards its centre. On the Moon gravity is only about one sixth as strong as on Earth, which is why astronauts could bounce along the surface. - What does a caterpillar turn into?
A butterfly A caterpillar wraps itself in a chrysalis and goes through metamorphosis, breaking down its body and rebuilding it as a butterfly with wings, long legs and a curled tongue. Moths also start life as caterpillars, but they usually spin a silk cocoon instead of forming a chrysalis. - What do we call animals that eat only plants?
Herbivores Herbivores such as cows, rabbits, deer and elephants eat only plants like grass, leaves and fruit. Carnivores eat meat, and omnivores like humans and bears eat both plants and meat. An elephant can spend up to 16 hours a day eating and gets through around 150 kg (330 lb) of plants. - What do bees collect from flowers to make honey?
Nectar Bees suck sweet nectar from flowers and carry it back to the hive, where they pass it from bee to bee and fan it with their wings until it thickens into honey. A single honeybee makes only about one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its whole life. - What are the three main states of matter?
Solid, liquid and gas Everything around you is a solid, a liquid or a gas. Water shows all three: ice is a solid, the water you drink is a liquid, and steam is a gas. Scientists also talk about a fourth state called plasma, which is what the Sun and lightning are made of. - Which gas do plants take in from the air to make their food?
Carbon dioxide Plants absorb carbon dioxide through tiny holes in their leaves and combine it with water and sunlight to make sugar, in a process called photosynthesis. In return, plants give off the oxygen that people and animals need to breathe. - Which of these animals is a mammal?
Dolphin Dolphins are mammals: they breathe air through a blowhole, are warm-blooded, give birth to live young and feed them milk, even though they live in the sea like fish. Dolphins sleep with one half of their brain at a time so they can keep swimming and remember to surface for air. - Which organ pumps blood all around your body?
Heart The heart is a muscle about the size of your fist that squeezes about 70 times a minute, pushing blood through tubes called arteries and veins to every part of your body. Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day, and the blood vessels in your body would stretch around the world twice if laid end to end. - A seesaw is an example of which simple machine?
Lever A seesaw is a lever: a stiff bar that tips on a fixed point called the fulcrum. Levers let a small push on one side lift a heavier load on the other. The ancient Greek scientist Archimedes said that with a long enough lever and a place to stand, he could move the Earth. - What is it called when water vapour in the air cools and turns back into tiny liquid droplets to form a cloud?
Condensation Condensation happens when warm, moist air rises and cools, so the invisible water vapour turns into tiny droplets that gather into clouds. Evaporation is the opposite process. The same thing happens on a cold drink on a hot day: the droplets on the glass come from water vapour in the air, not from inside the glass. - What do we call a scientist who studies dinosaurs and other fossils?
Paleontologist A paleontologist studies fossils, the preserved remains of ancient plants and animals, including dinosaurs. Archaeologists, by contrast, study the things humans made and left behind. The word dinosaur was invented in 1842 by scientist Richard Owen and means terrible lizard, although dinosaurs were not actually lizards.
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