Can You Answer These Elementary School Questions Without Consulting a Child?

By: Torrance Grey
Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Can You Answer These Elementary School Questions Without Consulting a Child?
Image: PeopleImages / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Remember the 2000s? Challenging quiz shows were the rage back then! The international sensation "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" kicked things off, followed by "The Weakest Link" and "1 vs. 100." All these shows had one thing in common: They were difficult. Only brainiacs needed apply. 

Then, something funny happened. An unassuming show called "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?" debuted on Fox with a deceptively simple premise: It would ask contestants with high IQs--and sometimes, advanced degrees--questions from grade-school textbooks. And oh, how the mighty fell! It turned out that architects, M.D.s, schoolteachers and the like couldn't remember what they'd learned when their age was in single digits. 

If you're a competent adult with a grade-school kid, this probably wasn't news to you. You probably struggle in the same way when you try to help your son or daughter with their homework. What was Teapot Dome about, again? How do you write 2/3 as a decimal? Even if you don't have a school-age child, maybe you're eager to find out how much how remember from your grammar school days. If so, we've got a quiz to help you out. Don't worry... Even if you do badly, we'll still sit with you at lunch!

Which of the below option is an odd number?
1
4
12
22
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Want to be confused and possibly even disturbed? Consider this: An even number plus an even number is always another even number. An odd number plus an odd number is also always an even number. Only an odd number plus an even number is an odd number. Yet there's a 50-50 balance of odd and even numbers in math, not a 2-to-1 ratio. We'll let you chew on that for a while.

What is New Mexico?
A country
A city
A state
An island
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Disturbingly, a number of Americans don't realize that New Mexico is a state just east of Arizona. Walter Lopez, the editor of New Mexico Magazine, collects stories from New Mexicans about the times they had to explain to someone from one of the other 49 states that, really, they weren't from a foreign country.

3/4 is an example of which of these?
A decimal
A fraction
An odd number
A rational number
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If 3/4 was written as .75, it'd be a decimal. This can also be written as "75 percent." The other two choices, odd number and rational number, don't really apply here.

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The top number of a fraction is called the numerator. What is the bottom number called?
The denominator
The numerated
The sine
There is no name for it
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You've probably heard the expression "the lowest common denominator." That means that the denominator is as small a number as it can be while still being a whole number. Since the numerator is reduced in proportion to the denominator, reducing to the lowest common denominator is a way of making a fraction small and easy to deal with.

The planet closest to the sun is ... ?
Earth
Mercury
Jupiter
Mars
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mercury is a small planet, and the one closest to our star. This planet was named for the god Mercury, (Hermes in Greek mythology), the messenger of the Olympians.

Which of the world's oceans is the largest?
Atlantic
Pacific
Indian
Southern
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Pacific Ocean is the champ in terms of size. Following it, in order, are the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern and the Arctic Oceans.

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Which of these refers to a young deer?
Babe
Fawn
Pup
Trout
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Young deer are called fawns. This name has lent itself to a color--a pale brown--and is also sometimes used as a female name.

How many continents are there?
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Most of the world's continents are a land mass all on their own--both of the Americas, for example. Europe is the exception; there is little in the way of a natural division from Asia. However, the Greeks considered Europe its own continent, so the designation stuck.

The state that is home to the Grand Canyon is called ... ?
Alabama
Arizona
Alaska
Arkansas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Grand Canyon is an eternally popular tourist destination in the desert state of Arizona. It was carved by the great Colorado River.

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Something that is "portable" is easily _____.
Carried
Fixed
Defeated
Understood
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word part "port" often refers to motion or travel. Consider also the words "transport" and "transportation," as well as "porter"--someone who carried luggage at railway stations or hotels of old.

What does a "legislator" make?
Airplanes
Guns
Laws
Newspapers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Congress, made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, is America's legislative body. In many other countries, this body is called a Parliament.

The earth has a crust, a mantle, and what else?
A core
A basin
A range
A sink
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This is a basic question from geology--the three parts of the earth's composition. The core is the innermost part, and is molten and very hot.

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Which of these words means "to set up"?
Correct
Establish
Dissemble
Articulate
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Establish" means "to set up, to found." It's also used in argumentation--if you've introduced and properly supported an idea, you've established it.

The substance in the center of your bones is called what?
Cerebellum
Cerebrospinal fluid
Marrow
Plasma
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kids learn in health class that bone marrow has several functions. It has a role in immune function, and also produces new blood cells--in humans, about 500 billion a day! That's employee-of-the-month stuff right there!

Can you find the closest synonym of "amuse"?
Distribute
Entertain
Agree with
Disagree with
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Amuse" and "entertain" are close in meaning. "Entertain" is usually the more active verb, suggesting real effort made by actors, comedians, et cetera. "Amusement" can be more low-key; a simple anecdote can be amusing.

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When written as a percent, 4/5 is which of these?
5 percent
45 percent
80 percent
55 percent
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Here's how it works: 4/5 is also 8/10. Or 80/100. That simple ratio equates to 80 percent, because "per cent" means that 100 is the denominator if the percent is written as a fraction.

Photosynthesis refers to plants' ability to do what?
Phosphoresce in dark conditions
Extract nitrogen from soil
Generate energy from sunlight
Follow the sun with their movements
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Plants use sunlight to create sugars which they store and use as fuel. The word is a combination of two Greek words, "photo" for "light" and "synthesis" for "making."

Which option below is correctly spelled?
Porsion
Porshun
Porrsion
Portion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Portion" is a slightly fancier word for "part." There's really no need to use "portion," we think--unless you're designing a spelling bee for grammar schoolers.

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Choose the closest synonym to the word "shake."
Bombast
Derive
Flee
Quiver
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Quiver" means "to shake," as does the rhyming word "shiver." Fun fact: As a noun, a "quiver" is a wearable container that holds arrows. (We suspect "Game of Thrones" fans already knew that.)

How many major Olympian gods were there?
Five
Seven
Ten
Twelve
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The main gods numbered twelve, from mighty Zeus to the virgin goddess Hestia. Not included in this number are the many demi-gods of Greek mythology, like the Three Fates or the Titans, who were forerunners to the Olympian gods.

"Halley's" and "Hale-Bopp" are names of what?
Areas of the brain
Comets
Stars
Varieties of wheat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Comets are icy astronomical bodies that orbit the sun in wide, elliptical paths. When they pass the earth, they make for once-in-a-lifetime viewing. The two named above are among the most famous.

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Which of these is a conjunction?
A
But
Hardly
With
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Conjunctions are linking words, but in linking phrases or clauses, they sometimes change the direction of the sentence. "But" works this way: "I wanted a job, but not to work 60 hours a week."

What part of speech is "she"?
An adverb
A noun
A pronoun
A verb
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pronouns are shortened and broadly-applicable nouns; they take the place of either common or proper nouns. In other words, either "the woman" or "Isabel" could be replaced with "she."

This part of speech often ends with "-ly." Which one is it?
Adverbs
Nouns
Conjuctions
Prepositions
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An adverb is a part of speech that modifies (describes, adapts or changes) a verb. Or, other times, an adjective or another adverb. They're known for ending in "-ly" (e.g., "angrily"), but watch out: A good deal of adverbs do not actually have this suffix.

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One of these is not a "part of speech" in grammar. Which is it?
Adjectives
Cosines
Nouns
Verbs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Cosines" is a term from mathematics (and a bit beyond elementary school math). The other three are parts of speech, of which there are commonly accepted to be eight: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, articles, prepositions and conjunctions.

Pick the interjection from the four quotes below.
"Absolutely."
"Hey!"
"However,"
"I disagree."
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A word that gets someone's attention, or expresses sudden attention or emotion, is an interjection. They're not always one word, as in, "My God!"

Only one of these words is correctly spelled. Which is it?
Angelic
Angellic
Anjelic
Anjellic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Angelic" is the correct spelling. If you struggled with spelling in school, or do even to this day, don't be too hard on yourself. Spelling is actually a very poor indicator of intelligence.

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"Stamen" and "pistil" are parts of a what?
Animal reproductive system
Comet
Flower
Motor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

We could have said "plant reproductive system" as well, because that is fundamentally what a flower is. The stamen produces pollen, the fertilizing agent, and the pistil receives it.

Which word is correctly spelled?
Ecsess
Excess
Eksess
Ecksess
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Excess" is a word that refers to "overage," or unnecessary, extra things. Or behavior, for that matter. A common usage is "drinking to excess."

The genius Isaac Newton studied which of these fields?
Cardiology
Gravity
Optics
Both gravity and optics
Both cardiology and gravity
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Newton was a polymath with a number of mathematical and scientific interests. His researches included math, gravity (and physics overall), astronomy, optics and the nature of light ... Really, this just scratches the surface. He wasn't a medical expert, though.

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How many chambers does the human heart have?
Two
Three
Four
Six
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The human heart has two atria and two ventricles, separated by valves. This is something students learn in health class in about second or third grade.

In geology, rocks are either metamorphic, igneous, or what?
Granular
Sebaceous
Sedimentary
Trilobitic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sedimentary rocks are formed from compressed layers of sediment over a long period of time. Igneous rocks are made from cooled magma, while metamorphic rocks change composition as the result of heat and pressure--the name "metamorphic" suggests this very change.

A fertilized egg cell becomes what?
A nebula
A seed
A yolk
A zygote
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Okay, we're getting toward the upper end of elementary-school knowledge here. But sixth-graders do study the reproductive system as part of health science, and they learn about the egg and sperm coming together to create a zygote, which then becomes an embryo.

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On which continent would you find the Nile River?
Africa
North America
South America
The Nile is a fictional river
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Nile is the world's longest river, flowing from Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi (it has several points of origin) to Egypt, where it empties into the Mediterranean. If you said the Nile is fictional ... Stay in school, sweetie!

Is Pluto a planet?
Yes!
Nope!
Oh geez, not this again! I'm so confused!
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pluto is considered a "dwarf" planet. Discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, it was considered the ninth planet until the late 1990s. The attempt to downgrade it sparked a lot of debate and a "Save Pluto!" drive, and to this day, if you poll 100 people, you'll probably get about a 50-50 on whether Pluto has planet status or not.

You Got:
/35
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