Light intellectual questions. Animal studies and advances in brain imaging show that sleep plays a role in memory, learning and emotion

Will we ever be able to understand the nature of the universe, what makes us human, and why we dream? There are many questions to which we still do not know the answers, but hope to find them soon. Here are some of the most difficult and fascinating scientific questions that the best minds of mankind are thinking about.

The most difficult questions

1. What is the Universe made of?

We know about 5 percent of the composition of the universe. That 5 percent is made up of atoms from the periodic table, which form everything we see around us. The remaining 95 percent remain a mystery. Over the past 80 years, it has become clear that the rest is made up of two dark entities: dark matter (about 25 percent) and dark energy (70 percent). Dark matter is found around galaxies and clusters of galaxies and acts as an invisible glue that binds them together. We know it exists because it has mass, hence gravity. Dark energy is something more mysterious, a kind of ethereal medium that fills space, expanding it, and causing galaxies to accelerate away from each other. We don't know what dark energy or dark matter is, and astronomers are only getting closer to understanding these invisible "aliens".

2. How did life on Earth begin?

About 4 billion years ago, something was born in the "primordial soup". It consisted of simple chemicals that met and created the first molecules capable of reproducing by cell division.
All of us humans are connected to these early biological molecules. But how did the basic chemicals present on Earth spontaneously combine to create life.
How did we get DNA? What did the first cells look like? Scientists still do not know how this happened. Some argue that life originated in hot pools near volcanoes, others that life began with meteorites that fell into the sea.

3. Are we alone in the universe?

Astronomers carefully search the universe for worlds where water could give rise to life, ranging from moon Europa and the planet Mars in our solar system to planets that are many light-years away.
In 1977, radio telescopes picked up a signal that looked like a possible alien message.
Now astronomers can study the atmosphere of distant worlds in more detail for the presence of oxygen and water. Recently, about 60 billion potentially habitable planets have been found in the Milky Way region alone.

4. What makes us human?

The human genome is 99 percent identical to the chimpanzee genome. Our brains are indeed larger than those of most animals, but not the largest. In addition, we have three times more neurons than a gorilla.
Many of the things we thought made us different from animals, including language, the use of tools, and the ability to recognize ourselves in a mirror, are seen in other animals as well.
Perhaps culture and its impact on our genes plays a decisive role. Scientists believe that the ability to cook and mastery of fire helped a person develop a large brain. Or maybe the ability to cooperate and the skills of trade made us a planet of people, not monkeys?

5. What is consciousness?

So far, it is known that this is due to the work of several areas of the brain, interconnected, and not one part of the brain. If we understand exactly which parts of the brain are involved and how our nervous system works, we will understand how consciousness arises, and perhaps this will help us in creating artificial intelligence.
However, an even more difficult philosophical question is why we should be aware.
One suggestion is that by integrating and processing a wealth of information and responding to sensory cues, we can discern what is actually real and what is not, and think through future scenarios that help us adapt and survive.

6. Why do we dream?

We spend a third of our lives sleeping. Given the amount of time it takes us to sleep, it might seem like we all know about it. However, scientists still cannot find an explanation for why we sleep and dream.
Followers of Sigmund Freud believe that dreams are unfulfilled desires, often sexual ones. Others argue that dreams are nothing more than random impulses from the sleeping brain.
Animal studies and advances in brain imaging have shown that sleep plays a role in memory, learning, and emotion.

7. Why does matter exist?

According to the laws of physics, matter should not exist by itself. Every particle of matter, every electron, proton, neutron must have a "twin" - antimatter. There should be a large number of positrons or antielectrons, antiprotons and antineutrons, but this is not so.
If matter and antimatter meet, they both disappear due to the huge amount of energy being generated. According to the theory, the Big Bang created an equal amount of both, but something happened that left only matter in the universe.
Of course, nature had its own reasons for creating matter, otherwise we would not exist.
Researchers are analyzing data from experiments at the Large Hadron Collider to understand why there is such an asymmetry of matter and antimatter in our Universe.

8. Are there other universes?

Is our universe the only one? Modern theories and cosmology are increasingly turning to the idea of the existence of other universes, possibly with other properties that differ from ours.
If there are an infinite number of them in the Multiverse, then any combination of parameters can be reproduced somewhere else, and you can exist in another Universe. But is it? And how do we know that this is so? If we cannot confirm this hypothesis, is it part of science?

9. Can we live forever?

We live in an amazing time as we begin to think of aging as not a fact of life, but a disease that can be cured and possibly prevented, at least for a long time.
Our knowledge of what causes aging and why some animals live longer than others is constantly expanding. Data on DNA damage, metabolism, reproductive health helps us get a better picture and possibly create drugs.
But the more important question is not how long we will live, but how long we will live well. And since many diseases, including diabetes and cancer, are more often diseases of aging, treating aging can be key.

10. Is time travel possible?

Traveling through space is doable, but is it possible to travel through time?
When it comes to traveling to the past, the laws of physics prevent it, and it will forever remain in our memory.
However, the road to the future is more open for us. According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, time passes more slowly for astronauts on the International Space Station. At the speed of rotation of the ISS, this effect is almost invisible, but if you increase the speed to the speed of light, people can fly thousands of years ahead.
However, we will not be able to go back in time and tell others about what we have seen.

Intellectual questions offered to schoolchildren after school hours allow developing the logical thinking of the younger generation. We offer different questions that can be used in the work of the class teacher.

The Importance of Creative Play

Questions for an intellectual quiz with answers offered to high school students contribute to their self-development and self-improvement. Each educational institution in our country has its own special teams of schoolchildren and teachers who take part in various intellectual games.

During joint tournaments, the guys and their mentors not only develop logical thinking, gain new knowledge, but also learn to work in a team.

Intellectual games for high school students

Various intellectual questions for the class team are designed for full-fledged extracurricular activities in grades 9-11. They are aimed not only at specific knowledge, but also at the ingenuity and general erudition of schoolchildren.

The game is an important activity that allows you to develop social communication skills, the emotional environment of the child. Educational games containing intellectual questions give children the opportunity to increase their level of development.

Tournament scenario

The purpose of the event is to develop the cognitive interest of senior students. The teacher creates conditions for the manifestation of children's creative abilities, develops communication skills.

Here are questions for an intellectual game that can be offered to schoolchildren.

Questions for ninth graders

First question. According to folk legends, beings close to humans influenced the formation of writing in Japan and modern hieroglyphs. Who are these beings? (Chickens that have individual paw prints).

Second question. How should Europeans view Arabic miniatures in order to see in them what the Arabs see? (It is customary for Arabs to write from right to left, so you need to use a mirror to appreciate the miniature).

Questions for the intellectual game can be associated with historical facts, art, culture.

Third question. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the cocked hat was a fashionable headdress, it was decorated with feathers and galloon. But they didn’t put it on, but placed it in the left hand, why? (There was a wig on the man's head, so the cocked hat was used only for bows).

Fourth question. What detail of the appearance is missing from the woman depicted by Leonardo da Vinci on his canvas "Mona Lisa"? (She has no eyebrows).

Fifth question. The British and French tried to get the hand of an amazing lady. The conflict turned into a clash between fans, because of which the lady herself suffered. Who is she? (We are talking about the Venus de Milo, whose statue lost its arm as a result of an armed clash between the French and the British).

Six question. What was the name of the lesson in Russia when chocks for wooden spoons were being prepared? (To beat the buckets).

Intellectual questions offered to schoolchildren can be compiled on the basis of the regional component.

Seventh question. What did the Pomors give to newborn babies at birth? (The boy was given a hatchet, and the girl was given a spinning wheel).

Eighth question. What is the relationship between traditional Japanese netsuke miniature art and Japanese kimono? (Kimonos do not have pockets; objects are attached to the belt with the help of counterbalance trinkets, which are netsuke).

Ninth question. In the 14th-16th centuries, such an outfit was used by men. Since the seventeenth century, it has been made a female element of clothing. Kumashnik, curtain, fur coat, motley - all these are his names. What is this outfit? (Sundress).

Intellectual questions with answers can be created based on historical facts considered by schoolchildren when studying a history course.

Eleventh question. The Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich made an inscription, which later became a Russian proverb. What is this inscription? ("Cause - time, fun - hour").

Twelfth question. The national flag of France has three stripes: blue, white and red. Why is the stripe width used in the ratio 30-33-37? (This proportion gives the effect of visual equality of the flag stripes).

Assignments for high school students

We offer various intellectual questions with answers that can be used when conducting horizontal bars among high school students.

First question. Why do workers in Athens scatter pieces of marble around the Parthenon at night? (To save the temple from destruction by tourists, the authorities go to such a trick).

Second question. How are women's wide skirts and mass extermination of whales connected? (In the eighteenth century, skirts retained their volume only with the help of frames, which were created from whalebone).

Intellectual questions for schoolchildren can be chosen with a comic meaning, so that in order to find an answer, the guys show their ingenuity, non-standard thinking.

Third question. Why did the Frenchman Guy de Maupassant dine only at a restaurant located on the Eiffel Tower? (The writer believed that the tower disfigures Paris, did not want to see it).

Fourth question. Why, in the sixteenth century, did ladies wear animal skins on a chain, hanging them from their belts? (Fleas gathered on the skin, which wound up in the folds of a magnificent dress).

Themed Tournaments

Questions for an intellectual quiz the teacher can take in special books, as well as compose them on their own. For example, you can propose several tasks that relate to the calendar.

There is astronomical time, and there is its biological counterpart. What are its units of measurement? (Generations).

What was the significance for our country of the record that appeared in the twelfth century: “January 30, Friday. Before lunch, the day is windy and cold ... ”(This is a fragment of the first weather report, we are talking about the creation of a weather service in Moscow).

The father asked his first-grader son to name the largest last number. The child's answer surprised him greatly. What did the boy say? (31 because that's the largest number of days in a month).

In ancient China, this substance associated with the sea was used as a monetary unit. In ancient Greece, it was an integral part of the warrior's armor, what substance are we talking about? (This is salt).

educational football

Intellectual questions for children help to develop the creative abilities of the younger generation, therefore they are actively used by school teachers in pedagogical activities. Intellectual football can be carried out outside the lessons to develop the general erudition of schoolchildren, team building.

The class is divided into two teams, in which midfielders, attackers, goalkeeper, defenders are chosen. The number of participants is not limited, it depends on how many children you need to include and intellectual activity.

Team attacks are carried out in turn, using three combinations.

The corner option involves the full participation of the team. The judge, in the role of a school teacher, reads the question, and his assistant monitors which team has the fastest answer.

The guys give answers to intellectual questions only after they receive the permission of the judge. The correct answer counts as a goal against the opponent. If the answer is incorrect, the right to attack is transferred to the players of the second team.

A free kick involves the participation of two attackers in the game: midfielders and forwards, as well as three defenders (goalkeeper and defenders). The team independently chooses those guys who will participate in the draw. If in thirty seconds they do not give the correct answer to the referee's question, the right to answer is transferred to the opponent.

Penalty involves the participation of only one player of the team - the goalkeeper. He must give the correct answer to the teacher's question in order to "kick the ball" off the goal.

Questions for intellectual games with answers can be compiled together with the children, parents, and other teachers.

Game "Octopus"

This game will require interesting intellectual questions that involve the development of logical thinking. The teacher can come up with his own rules for the tournament, opportunities for getting extra points, considering how strong teams come into play. For example, in addition to the main questions, players may be offered additional tasks, with correct answers to which, the team will be awarded "protective" points. If necessary, participants can always use them so as not to lose the course in the game.

What does Gleb have in the back, and what does Boris have in front? (Letter "b").

Grandmother carried a hundred eggs to the market, one (and the bottom) fell. How many eggs did she carry in the basket? (Not a single one, since the bottom fell along with the eggs.)

When will a person be headless in an apartment? (If he sticks his head out the window).

How does night and day always end? (Soft sign).

What clock shows the correct time twice a day? (Those that are broken).

Which is lighter: a kilogram of copper or cotton wool? (They have the same mass).

Why do you go to the sofa when you plan to sleep? (By gender).

What needs to be done to leave four guys in one boot? (Each of them must remove one boot).

When is the easiest time for a black cat to get into a house? (If the door is open.)

In what month does the talkative Masha speak the least? (February as it is the shortest month of the year).

Two aspens grew. Each of them had six cones. How many cones are on the trees? (Not a single cone, because aspens do not grow cones).

What happens to a blue scarf if it is immersed in water for ten minutes. (It will get wet).

How can you write the word "mousetrap" using five letters? (Cat).

What is a horse like when it is bought? (Wet).

A bear has none, a crow has two, and a man has one. What it is? (Letter "o").

A flock of birds flew into the grove. They sat on a tree by two, and one remained free. When there was one bird for each village, not a single one remained. How many birds are in the flock, how many trees grew in the grove? (Four birds, three trees).

A grandmother with cabbage was heading to the capital. Two old men met her, each carrying a sack of potatoes. How many people were heading to the capital? (One grandmother went to Moscow).

Such intellectual questions with answers for adults can be used when conducting joint activities with children, for example, during the decade of the family.

Adults approach the search for answers to questions too responsibly, so they often lose to schoolchildren. Unusual intellectual questions for adults is a great option for a break from everyday problems and fuss.

Examples of joke questions

There were three hollows on the birch trees. Each of them has four branches. Each branch has six apples. How many apples are on the tree? (Not a single apple, since apples do not grow on a birch).

Fifty wolves ran, how many tails do they have on their necks? (Tails do not grow on the neck).

From what fabric are sundresses not sewn? (Clothes cannot be made from railroad tracks.)

When are hands used as pronouns? (When they are you-we-you).

What forests do not have big game? (In construction).

Which of the wheels of the car does not rotate while driving? (Spare).

What do drummers and mathematicians use? (Fractions).

What belongs to a person, but is used much more often by other people? (Name).

When is the vehicle moving at the same speed as the train? (When the car is on the platform of this train).

If one egg takes four minutes to boil, how long does it take to boil six eggs? (Same amount of time).

Which flower has a feminine and a masculine gender? (Ivan da Marya).

Indicate five days, without naming numbers and the days themselves. (The day before yesterday, today, yesterday, the day after tomorrow, tomorrow).

Which bird, having lost a letter, becomes the name of the largest European river? (Oriole).

Which city was named after a large bird of prey? (Eagle).

Which woman mastered the aircraft first in the world? (Baba Yaga).

What year is the most food consumed? (In a leap year).

The name of which city is suitable as a filling for delicious buns? (Raisin).

Which month is shorter than the others? (May, it contains only three letters).

What bird does every physicist know? (Pheasant, since it is she who helps to remember the main colors of the spectrum).

Any intellectual tournament held for schoolchildren or adults is aimed at the development of erudition, the formation of team interaction.

Depending on the age characteristics of the participants in the game, the presenter, in the role of which the class teacher can act, selects questions of a certain level of complexity. Each team chooses a captain who maintains discipline, chooses the correct answer from the versions offered by the players.

One move involves answering one question. If the team gives the correct answer, they get a point. If the answer is incorrect, the opponents get the right to answer.

Among those rules that are strictly observed during intellectual tournaments, we note:

correctness of the presenter;
keeping silence.

Conclusion

Recently, there has been an increase in interest in holding various intellectual games and tournaments not only among adults, but also among schoolchildren. What is the reason for this interest? Serious changes are observed in Russian education. The traditional form of education, aimed at acquiring theoretical knowledge by schoolchildren, was replaced by the second generation of the Federal State Educational Standards.

According to the new educational standards, the main emphasis is placed on the formation of a harmoniously developed personality capable of self-education and self-development.

Logical thinking, which develops when searching for answers to non-standard questions offered at intellectual games and tournaments, has a positive effect on the development of a creative person.

Society sets the task for educational institutions - the formation of the younger generation, able to make independent decisions, be responsible for their actions and deeds.

That is why such attention began to be paid in educational institutions to the organization of intellectual clubs, holding creative games. Those high school students who answer non-standard questions, in addition to acquiring new knowledge and skills, gain experience in working in a team. Those guys who have been trying to find answers to intellectual questions since school life are much more successful than their peers.

For the first time in our country, a quiz (from the Latin victoria - victory) appeared on the pages of the magazine Ogonyok on the initiative of Mikhail Koltsov on January 8, 1928. It was a truly intellectual quiz, the answers to which the readers were looking forward to. Suffice it to say that it was held throughout the year and consisted of 49 episodes with 2270 questions!

Since then, it has gained enormous popularity. Suffice it to name the TV programs "What? Where? When?", "Field of Miracles", "Brain Ring", which are based on a quiz. Such entertainment can also decorate a festive entertainment program, especially if the questions are well matched to the composition of the company and the occasion. Suggested below Quiz "One Hundred Questions for Smarties and Smarties" can be held at a school or corporate party. The organizers have the right to determine the number and level of questions themselves.

Quiz "One Hundred Questions for Smarties and Smarties"

1. Sonnet - a poetic genre in which the number of lines is regulated. How many should there be?

(Fourteen)

2. What are the three European capitals located on the same river?

(Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade - on the Danube)

2. In which country are about two dozen kings with the same names ruled?

(In France - eighteen Louis)

3. How to boil an egg without fire?

(Pour quicklime with water; when the mixture boils, put the egg).

4. How many eyes does a bee have?

(Five)

5. What kind of invention does the Russian people use only themselves?

(Samovar)

6. Who has an ear on his leg?

(At the grasshopper)

7. How many times is the Moon smaller than the Earth?

(Approximately 50 times)

8. Approximately how many liters of air does a person pass through the lungs per day?

(Ten thousand liters)

9. Where are the "mitral valves" located?

(In the heart)

10. How are doctors paid in China?

(According to the number of healthy days of the patient)

11. In what liquid does iron not sink?

(in mercury)

12. Which two Russian writers, having quarreled, did not speak to each other for 16 years?

(L.N. Tolstoy and I.S. Turgenev)

13. What absolutely whole tub cannot be used for economic purposes?

(kidney)

14. What is the hump of a camel made of?

(from fat)

15. What pleasant concept is defined in everyday life by the number 24?

("All 24 Pleasures")

16. What are the names of the heroes of Gogol's story "About how Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich"?

(Pererepenko and Dovgochkhun)

17. What did Manilov call from Dead Souls of His Children?

(Themistoclus and Alkid)

18. What were the names of ancient priests who predicted the future?

(Oracles)

19. In what state did the plebeians and patricians live?

(In Ancient Rome)

20. In which country has the Leaning Tower of Pisa been unable to fall for more than 600 years?

(In Italy)

21. Who is Immanuel Kant?

(German philosopher)

22. Is it true that Admiral Nelson was one-eyed?

(No. This is a legend. Nelson's right eye was damaged by sand, he began to see worse. And only.)

23. What is the name of the English scientist naturalist who told the world about the "Origin of Species"

(Charles Robert Darwin)

24. What works of Tsereteli do you know?

(To be honest, it would be very difficult to list all the works of a prolific author in a small (and not thematic) quiz. The host can offer a mini auction where the winner is the one who gives the last answer. Or name the most popular one, for example, the monument to PeterIin Moscow. You can accept all correct answers.

25. What was the name of the puppet theater in the old days in Ukraine?

(Nativity Scene)

26. What is the name of hot wine boiled with nuts and spices?

(Mulled wine)

27. What is the name of the edge of a minted coin?

(Gurt)

28. What is the name of the mesh fabric used as a stencil for embroidery?

(Canvas)

29. What is emphasized confident performance called in dances?

(Aplomb)

30. Transverse division on the fretboard of stringed instruments?

(lad)

31. Museum of wax figures and rarities?

(Panopticon)

32. Museum, where rare, outlandish exhibits are collected?

(Kunstkamera)

33. The largest English news agency (London) bearing the name of its founder?

(Reuters)

34. What is the name of the jump in ballet dances?

(Antrasha)

35. A person who wholeheartedly loves, honors and reads books?

(Bibliophile)

36. What was the name of the French general, whose name is given to a certain style of trousers?

(breeches)

37. What is the name of the saddle for acrobatic numbers in the circus?

(Panel)

38. An ancient Greek scientist who considered music to be the main "purifying factor" of the soul?

(Aristotle)

39. What is the name of the set of real and fake items for theatrical productions?

(Props)

40. In which ballet is the Saber Dance performed?

(Bulat Okudzhava)

42. What is the name of the strength of sound in music, the opposite of "forte" (emphasis on "O")?

(Piano)

43. What is the name of a small compliment poem?

(Madrigal)

44. What is the name of the old Polish solemn dance procession?

(Polonaise)

45. What is the name of a special type of ancient Greek choral lyrics - a wedding song?

(Hymen)

46. What is the name of a non-periodical literary collection with works by various authors?

(Almanac)

47. What is the name of the theater lamp?

(Soffit)

48. Honorary address to outstanding musicians?

(Maestro)

49. What is the name of the novel by A. Dumas (son), on the plot of which Verdi's opera "La Traviata" was written?

(Lady of the Camellias)

50. Which American singer is called "the first lady of jazz"?

(E. Fitzgerald)

51. What is the art of reading poetry or prose called?

(Recitation)

52. What is the name of the stage role - the role of simple-minded, naive girls?

(Ingenue)

53. What is the name of a hunting dog with a long body and short legs?

(Dachshund)

54. What is the name of the fruit or sweet food served at the end of the meal?

(Dessert)

55. What is the name of a hand-woven carpet-picture?

(Tapestry)

56. What is the name of the barbecue grill?

(Barbecue)

57. What is the name of a small pouch for tobacco, tightened with a drawstring?

(Pouch)

58. What are the names of paints diluted on water?

(Watercolor)

59. What is the name of the written greeting to commemorate the anniversary?

(The address)

60. What is the name of the special room from where the television broadcast is conducted?

(Studio)

61. Jazz plucked musical instrument of African origin?

(Banjo)

62. What is a woodcut called?

(Woodcut)

63. What is the name of the style of clothing, cut so that the sleeves are one with the shoulder?

(Raglan)

(Degayter)

65. What was the real name of Mark Twain?

(Samuel Clemens)

66. Name the Russian dancer, whose name was immortalized by A.S. Pushkin in "Eugene Onegin?

(Istomina)

67. On what ship did Kisa Vorobyaninov and Ostap Bender travel with the Columbus Theater?

(Scriabin)

68. What is the name of a very popular book published in a large circulation?

(Best-seller)

69. What is the name of the opening of the exhibition?

(Vernissage)

70. What is the name of gymnastic exercises on a horse moving in a circle?

(Vaulting)

71. Name six days in a row so that the letter "I" never meets.

(Third day, the day before yesterday, yesterday, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow)

72. What is the name of a theatrical review - a performance from individual numbers, scenes, episodes?

(Revue)

73. A treat given as a reward for something?

(Magarych)

74. What is the name of a male partner in dancing?

(Cavalier)

75. What is the name of the main plot of a literary work?

(plot)

76. In what year did regular Soviet TV broadcasts begin?

(In 1936)

77. Unwritten law, rules of conduct in life?

(Etiquette)

78. What is the name of the art of beautiful handwriting?

(Calligraphy)

79. What was Tatyana Larina's middle name? Justify.

(Dmitrievna

"... And where his ashes lie,

The headstone reads:

Humble sinner Dmitry Larin...")

80. What is the lowest tier of boxes at the stalls level in a theatre?

(Benoir)

81. A hired audience to support a play, an actor, an important commercial screening?

(Cluckers)

82. In what academic discipline can you divide and multiply surnames?

(In physics. For example, Ampere is equal to Volt divided by Ohm)

83. What famous prison was its builder a prisoner of?

(Bastille, architect Hugo Aubrio)

84. What is the population of the country protected by the Great Wall of China?

(For 2015 - 1 billion 368 million people)

85. Which composers completed Borodin's unfinished opera "Prince Igor"?

(Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov)

86. Where did Khoma Brut study?

(in Kyiv bursa)

87. What does the "oblique" cross of the St. Andrew's flag mean?

(The answer is in the name of the flag: the oblique cross recalls the Apostle Andrew, who was crucified on such a cross)

88. Where in Russia was the first museum dedicated to a literary hero opened?

(In the Leningrad region, "Museum of the stationmaster" in October 1972)

89. Peter the Great knew adition, subtraction, animation and division well. In his time, not everyone knew these four actions, and Peter persistently forced his companions to study this. Now all this is well known to any student. And what does he call it?

(Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)

90. This public vehicle appeared in St. Petersburg in the century before last and immediately received the nickname "40 martyrs" and "embrace". Name it.

(Omnibus - multi-seat horse-drawn carriage)

91. The mouth of which Russian river that flows into the sea is below the level of the world ocean?

(Volga, which flows into the Caspian Lake-Sea, which lies 27.9 m below sea level)

92. "Violet hands on the enamel wall..." What kind of hands are we talking about in this poem by Valery Bryusov?

(About the shadow of a palm tree. Once Bryusov spent the night at the mother's house, in a room with a palm tree. The light from a street lamp illuminated the tiled wall. The shadows from the palm leaves surprisingly resembled hands ...)

93. How does the name of our country sound in Esperanto?

(Ruslando - Russia)

94. Which republic within Russia is called the "country of a thousand lakes"?

(Karelia)

95. What is "pendeltur"?

(Door on swinging hinges, opening in both directions)

96. Who is "Walterperzhenka"?

(Valterperzhenka is a female name formed according to the principle of abbreviation. It stands for VALENTINA TEReshkova FIRST WOMAN Cosmonaut)

97. What is the name of the largest freshwater lake in Europe?

(Ladoga)

98. Was Kolchak or Denikin a sailor and polar explorer?

(Kolchak A.V.)

99. Old Russian catering company

(Shinok)

100. What is better: to be bald or to be stupid?

(Stupid, not immediately obvious)

The last question, as you understand, is a joke. There had to be some way to ease the tension.

What is the universe made of?

How did life on earth begin?

About 4 billion years ago, something was born in the "primordial soup". It consisted of simple chemicals that met and created the first molecules capable of reproducing by cell division. All of us humans are connected to these early biological molecules. But how did the basic chemicals present on Earth spontaneously combine to create life. How did we get DNA? What did the first cells look like? Scientists still do not know how this happened. Some argue that life originated in hot pools near volcanoes, others that life began with meteorites that fell into the sea.

Are we alone in the universe?

Astronomers carefully search the universe for worlds where water could give rise to life, ranging from moon Europa and the planet Mars in our solar system to planets that are many light-years away. In 1977, radio telescopes picked up a signal that looked like a possible alien message. Now astronomers can study the atmosphere of distant worlds in more detail for the presence of oxygen and water. Recently, about 60 billion potentially habitable planets have been found in the Milky Way region alone.

What makes us human?

The human genome is 99 percent identical to the chimpanzee genome. Our brains are indeed larger than those of most animals, but not the largest. In addition, we have three times more neurons than a gorilla. Many of the things we thought made us different from animals, including language, the use of tools, and the ability to recognize ourselves in a mirror, are seen in other animals as well. Perhaps culture and its impact on our genes plays a decisive role. Scientists believe that the ability to cook and mastery of fire helped a person develop a large brain. Or maybe the ability to cooperate and the skills of trade made us a planet of people, not monkeys?

What is consciousness?

So far, it is known that this is due to the work of several areas of the brain, interconnected, and not one part of the brain. If we understand exactly which parts of the brain are involved and how our nervous system works, we will understand how consciousness arises, and perhaps this will help us in creating artificial intelligence. However, an even more difficult philosophical question is why we should be aware. One suggestion is that by integrating and processing a wealth of information and responding to sensory cues, we can discern what is actually real and what is not, and think through future scenarios that help us adapt and survive.

Why do we dream?

We spend a third of our lives sleeping. Given the amount of time it takes us to sleep, it might seem like we all know about it. However, scientists still cannot find an explanation for why we sleep and dream. Followers of Sigmund Freud believe that dreams are unfulfilled desires, often sexual ones. Others argue that dreams are nothing more than random impulses from the sleeping brain. Animal studies and advances in brain imaging have shown that sleep plays a role in memory, learning, and emotion.

Why does matter exist?

According to the laws of physics, matter should not exist by itself. Every particle of matter, every electron, proton, neutron must have a "twin" - antimatter. There should be a large number of positrons or antielectrons, antiprotons and antineutrons, but this is not so. If matter and antimatter meet, they both disappear due to the huge amount of energy being generated. According to the theory, the Big Bang created an equal amount of both, but something happened that left only matter in the universe. Of course, nature had its own reasons for creating matter, otherwise we would not exist. Researchers are analyzing data from experiments at the Large Hadron Collider to understand why there is such an asymmetry of matter and antimatter in our Universe.

Are there other universes?

Is our universe the only one? Modern theories and cosmology are increasingly turning to the idea of the existence of other universes, possibly with other properties that differ from ours. If there are an infinite number of them in the Multiverse, then any combination of parameters can be reproduced somewhere else, and you can exist in another Universe. But is it? And how do we know that this is so? If we cannot confirm this hypothesis, is it part of science?

Can we live forever?

We live in an amazing time as we begin to think of aging as not a fact of life, but a disease that can be cured and possibly prevented, at least for a long time. Our knowledge of what causes aging and why some animals live longer than others is constantly expanding. Data on DNA damage, metabolism, reproductive health helps us get a better picture and possibly create drugs. But the more important question is not how long we will live, but how long we will live well. And since many diseases, including diabetes and cancer, are more often diseases of aging, treating aging can be key.

Is time travel possible?

Traveling through space is doable, but is it possible to travel through time? When it comes to traveling to the past, the laws of physics prevent it, and it will forever remain in our memory. However, the road to the future is more open for us. According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, time passes more slowly for astronauts on the International Space Station. At the speed of rotation of the ISS, this effect is almost invisible, but if you increase the speed to the speed of light, people can fly thousands of years ahead. However, we will not be able to go back in time and tell others about what we have seen.

Entertaining and informative quiz for schoolchildren (Grade 4)

Target:
- development of skills to work in groups;
- solving non-standard tasks.

Intellectual questions for schoolchildren (with answers)

1. Winning a chess game. (Mat)
2. Metal or plastic finger cap for sewing. (Thimble)

3. You can't hide an awl in it. In what? (In a bag)

4. Plant science. (Botany)

5. The largest ocean? (Quiet)

6. Danish writer - storyteller. (Andersen)

7. Which is less: 40 centners or 4 tons? (Same)

8. Flowers collected in a bunch. (Bouquet)

9. Hazel fruit. (Hazelnut)

10. Is Venus or Mercury closer to Earth? (Venus)

11. What did Prometheus steal from the gods? (Fire)

12. What is the name of the fertile layer of the earth? (The soil)

13. Continue the proverb: “Repetition is ... (mother of learning)

14. How many sounds are in the word "sparrow"? (eleven)

15. What is measured by a speedometer? (Speed)

16. What was the name of the eye in the old days? (Eye)

17. In what case are there prepositions to, by? (D. p.)

18. The name of the city in which the leaning tower is located. (Pisa)

19. Flock, what kind of migratory birds does the snow promise? (Goose)

20. What are raisins made of? (from grapes)

21. Duremar's profession? (Pharmacist)

22. The perimeter of an equilateral rectangle is 36 cm. Calculate its area? (81 cm)

23. Which country has the largest population in the world? (China)

24. At what time of the year is the day shorter? (The same)

25. Useful "hairy" fruit. (Kiwi)

26. Words: ice cream and frosty are the same root? (Yes)

27. What phone call the gas service? (04)

28. From the seeds of which tree is chocolate made? (Cocoa)

29. Which device is not electrical: toaster, scanner, microscope? (Microscope)

30. Riddle: That house is made of glass, not wood. Its residents are virtuoso swimmers. (Aquarium)