Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The smallest planet with the biggest temperature swings

Mercury is not just the closest planet to the Sun; it is also the smallest of the eight. Because it has almost no atmosphere to trap heat, its surface swings from scorching daytime temperatures to bitterly cold nights. A single Mercury day lasts about 59 Earth days, yet the planet races around the Sun in just 88 days.

Rice: the grain that feeds more than half the world

Rice is a staple for more than half the global population, and China has long been the world's largest producer, with India close behind. It is a thirsty crop, traditionally grown in flooded paddies, though some varieties thrive in drier soil. In many Asian languages, the same word can mean both "rice" and "meal".

A river that crosses borders

The Limpopo forms part of the border between South Africa and Botswana, then continues between South Africa and Zimbabwe before flowing through Mozambique into the Indian Ocean. It is home to crocodiles and hippos, and its name is often said to mean "great river" in local languages.

Bohemia: a region with its own story

Bohemia is a historical region of the Czech Republic, and its language is Czech. The name survives in the word "bohemian", originally used in France for Romani people thought to have arrived from Bohemia, and later applied to artists living unconventionally. Prague, the Czech capital, sits at its heart.

The explorer who never made it home

Captain James Cook was killed in Hawaii in 1779 during his third Pacific voyage. He had already mapped New Zealand and Australia's east coast. His journeys reshaped European knowledge of the Pacific, though they also opened the door to colonial consequences for the peoples he encountered.