For Seniors: Useful Trivia Questions! Introducing Fun Facts Quizzes You'll Want to Share

Type B

Including animal topics in conversations with older adults is highly recommended. Talking about animals and blood types can be a real hit. Did you know that all wild western lowland gorillas share the same blood type? It’s said that they are almost all type B. Males are reported to weigh between 140 kg and 180 kg, and females around 100 kg. Although they look like powerful animals, they are gentle and love vegetables and fruits. Depending on the location, you might be able to see them at a zoo.

miso

People who work with cooking or are interested in it might know this! Here’s a fun fact: What common household food doesn’t freeze even when you put it in a freezer? When we think of freezers, we think of appliances that freeze food or store frozen items and ice. However, there are things that won’t freeze even in a cold freezer. The answer is miso. This is because miso contains a lot of components other than water, such as salt and sugars. It’s also said that storing miso in the freezer can help prevent changes in its flavor and color.

up; above; on; over; top

One of autumn’s seasonal flavors is grapes. Many people love them, right? Here’s a quiz: “Which part of a bunch of grapes is the sweetest?” If you picture how grapes grow, you might guess it. The correct answer is “the upper part near the stem.” Grapes start to ripen from the part closest to the stem, so the upper area becomes sweeter. So when you eat them, if you start from the less sweet lower grapes and work your way up, you’ll likely enjoy them to the very last bite. It could be a fun question to ask before serving grapes, too.

about a teaspoonful

Fascinating trivia that makes you want to know the answer! Here’s a trivia quiz: How much nectar does a single honeybee collect over its lifetime? We know that honeybees gather nectar, but many of us have probably never thought about how much they actually collect. The answer is said to be about one teaspoon. Given that a honeybee’s lifespan is about one month, it’s believed they spend roughly two weeks of that time foraging outside. When you think about how carefully each bee brings back its nectar, it really renews your sense of gratitude for the food we eat.

about 200 to 300

When we think of fruits that symbolize spring, strawberries are one of them. Take a bite of a strawberry and you’ll notice its juicy flesh and sweet-tart flavor. Do you also feel the little bumps in your mouth? Many people might think, “Are those seeds?” but it turns out they’re not. In fact, those bumps are the actual fruits, and the seeds are inside them. It’s said that a single strawberry has about 200 to 300 of these bumps. That means the sweet-and-tart part we usually eat is what’s called an aggregate fruit, made up of 200 to 300 tiny fruits. Strawberries may also be used for spring snack-time activities with seniors. Sharing these fun strawberry facts could make those snack sessions even more enjoyable.

egg white

Because fish with red flesh are called akami (red meat) and those with white flesh are shiromi (white meat), many people will of course answer “red meat!” for salmon based on its appearance—making it a bit of a trick question. Salmon’s lateral muscles are actually composed of white muscle, and when they are fry their flesh is white, but it becomes redder as they grow. They contain astaxanthin—the same pigment found in shrimp and crabs—which makes them look red.