Quiz Me: The Brain Olympics!

Just as top athletes train and perfect their skills through tests of strength, speed and agility, you can develop your own mental prowess through tests of knowledge. Scientists have discovered that the brain actually needs exercise (both mental and physical) to stay healthy. So exercise some neurons and have fun finding out what you know through these interactive quizzes and puzzles via The Times’ Launch Point Website: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint.

Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.

Level 1

Education Place: Kids Place! Do you know enough geography to help save the world from aliens? Give your mind a good workout through this site that features brain-teasers, wacky Web tales, vocabulary mysteries and such science adventures as investigating why rain forests should be saved.

https://eduplace.com/kids/index.html

Zoom School: Curious about sharks? Africa? Dinosaurs? This online school provides interactive learning experiences in which you explore topics in geography and science and then test your knowledge through interesting, illustrated quizzes.

https://www.zoomschool.com

The BRAINQUEST Clubhouse: It’s OK to be Smart! You’ll need to know some history, math, geography and English to be up for the Brainquest Challenge. Try a variety of brain teasers, art projects, weekly academic challenges, and even delicious recipes for “Brain Food.”

https://www.brainquest.com/

Level 2

The Internet Learning Network Home: Try out the Mastery Science Theatre (chemistry, environmental and earth science, life science and physics) or Celebrity Math Quizzes (algebra, geometry, fractions, proportions and data analysis), which feature colorful animations and helpful explanations. Compare your results with those of other students from around the world.

https://www.getsmarter.org/index.cfm

Ole Miss Problem of the Week Contests: Put your problem-solving abilities to the test (and maybe win a free calculator!) by participating in the following online competitions: algebra in action, middle school madness, geometry gambits, elementary brain-teasers, and the problem of the week.

https://www.olemiss.edu/mathed/contest/contests.htm

Syvum Online Education and Interactive Learning: This site offers an assortment of interactive quizzes and activities in history, science, mathematics, language arts, geography and foreign language translation, as well as trivia games ranging from the Internet and the Olympics to U.S. elections and scientific discoveries.

https://www.syvum.com/

Level 3

United States History Web Site: Knowing U.S. history can provide a useful perspective on today’s current events. This site not only offers many historical resources but also a lively trivia section with quizzes ranging from inventions and economics to inventions, fine arts and Native American history.

https://www.usahistory.com/frames.htm

First Lines: What novel begins, “The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended”? Test your literary knowledge (and maybe discover an interesting new book or two) through this site in which you identify books by their opening lines. (By the way, it’s Arthur C. Clarke’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.”)

https://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jad22/

The Internet Geographer: Expand your knowledge of U.S. and world geography. This site offers numerous geography resources as well as such games as “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?” for one or two players, and Where in the World in Twenty Questions.

https://www.internetgeographer.co.uk/

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Sara McCarthy, Erin Ross, Andrea Semas and Anna Manring.

EXPLORER’S QUEST

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

How are sharks different from other fish?

CLUE: See Zoom School

Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point covers more than 150 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.

Answer to last week’s Quest: Spiders can weave webs, traps, shelters, life-lines and cocoons.