What causes volcanoes? Volcanoes occur along fault lines. Molten rock and gases are pushed out with great force through an opening in the earth’s crust to release pressure. After many years, cooled rocks build up around the opening in the ground to form a conical...
Where did the Romans relax? The Romans relaxed by going to the public baths. They were actually like recreation centres. Here they could play games, read, talk to friends and exercise in the gym or walk around in the gardens. They could even get haircuts...
Why were sauropods so huge? The greater part of the sauropod’s body was filled with its guts. Sauropods could eat up to 200 kg of plants in a day. For this, they required a big stomach and long intestines for digestion. This was what made...
Who was Confucius? Confucius was also known as K’ung Fu-tzu. He was born in China in 551 BC. He was a great thinker who was of the opinion that an emperor was like a father to his people and that the people should love and...
When did man first build houses? Early man lived in houses of wood or grass houses depending on the climate. Then, people learnt to make mud plaster thousands of years ago by plastering a sticky mixture of clay or mud over walls made of loosely...
Why did Egyptians have funeral barges? The Egyptians believed in life after death. When the pharaohs died, their mummies were placed on highly decorated boats because it was believed that they would be travelling on them to the next world. The boat was dragged to...
How do snails get their shells? Snails have a shell that is cap-shaped but twisted into a spiral. Its shell is made of a form of limestone and is built by the snail. Some glands of the snail take limestone from the water and deposit...
How does a fax machine work? In a fax machine, a document is scanned, tiny sections at a time. Signals are sent to another fax machine telling it whether the section is light or dark. These signals are converted back into light and dark sections...
What are the fine arts? Fine arts include painting, sculpture, literature, dance, music and architecture. Generally fine arts are not functional in purpose. They are enjoyed or pursued for the sake of beauty. But architecture does come of use in the construction of buildings which...
What are lichens? Lichens are plants but they do not have roots, leaves or flowers. There are around 16,000 species of lichens. They are found in almost all places. Lichen is actually two plants growing together. One is a fungus and the other is an...
