20 school trivia questions and answers Independent Are You Smarter-style practice resource. Not official TV-show material. Host notes: choose questions for your group; read the question before revealing the answer. To build a game, sign in at https://www.areyousmartergame.com/create and enter selected questions manually. This text file is a planning sheet, not an automatic game import. 1. [Math] A class has 24 students. Three eighths walk to school. How many walk? Answer: 9 students Why: Divide 24 by 8 to get 3, then multiply by 3. 2. [Math] A rectangle is 9 cm long and 4 cm wide. What is its perimeter? Answer: 26 cm Why: Add all four sides: 9 + 4 + 9 + 4. Area would be a different calculation. 3. [Math] Which is larger: 0.6 or 0.56? Answer: 0.6 Why: Write 0.6 as 0.60. Sixty hundredths is greater than fifty-six hundredths. 4. [Math] A recipe needs 3/4 cup of milk. You double it. How much milk is needed? Answer: 1 1/2 cups Why: Two lots of 3/4 make 6/4, which is one and a half. 5. [Science] Water droplets form on the outside of a cold glass. What process makes them? Answer: Condensation Why: Water vapor in the surrounding air cools into liquid water on the glass. 6. [Science] A plant bends toward a window. Which resource is it growing toward? Answer: Light Why: Plants use light as an energy source for photosynthesis. 7. [Science] In a food chain, grass feeds a rabbit and the rabbit feeds a fox. Which is the producer? Answer: Grass Why: A producer makes its own food. Grass uses sunlight; the rabbit and fox are consumers. 8. [Science] A metal spoon and a wooden spoon sit in warm soup. Which usually transfers heat to your hand faster? Answer: The metal spoon Why: Metal conducts heat more readily than wood. Use care around hot liquids. 9. [Geography] On a map with north at the top, which direction is to the left? Answer: West Why: The four main compass directions run north, east, south, west clockwise. 10. [Geography] Which imaginary line divides Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres? Answer: The equator Why: The equator is at zero degrees latitude. The prime meridian measures longitude. 11. [Geography] A map scale says 1 cm represents 5 km. Two towns are 3 cm apart on the map. How far apart are they? Answer: 15 km Why: Multiply the map distance, 3 cm, by 5 km for each centimeter. 12. [Geography] What do we call land surrounded by water on all sides? Answer: An island Why: A peninsula has water around most of it but remains connected to a larger land area. 13. [Language] In the sentence 'The curious puppy sniffed the bag,' which word is the verb? Answer: Sniffed Why: The verb describes what the puppy did. Curious describes the puppy. 14. [Language] What does the prefix 're-' mean in 'reread'? Answer: Again Why: To reread is to read again. A prefix appears at the beginning of a word. 15. [Language] Maya packed an umbrella after seeing dark clouds. What can you infer she expected? Answer: Rain Why: The clouds and umbrella are clues. An inference connects evidence with what you already know. 16. [Language] Which sentence uses a simile: 'The lake was a mirror' or 'The lake shone like a mirror'? Answer: The lake shone like a mirror Why: A simile makes a comparison using words such as like or as. The first sentence is a metaphor. 17. [U.S. history and civics] Which came first: the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution? Answer: The Declaration of Independence Why: The Declaration was adopted in 1776. The Constitution was signed in 1787. 18. [U.S. history and civics] Which branch of the U.S. federal government includes Congress? Answer: The legislative branch Why: Congress consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate and makes federal laws. 19. [U.S. history and civics] What are the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution called? Answer: The Bill of Rights Why: These ten amendments were ratified in 1791 and protect rights and limit government power. 20. [U.S. history and civics] A historian reads a diary written during an event. Is the diary a primary or secondary source? Answer: A primary source Why: It is a firsthand record from the time. A later textbook interpreting the event is a secondary source.