Unlock the magic of words. Explore, learn, and celebrate World Dictionary Day. Click on each point to read more about it.
A compiler of words
Did you know that we have a special day to celebrate the dictionary? Read on to know more…
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On your plate
Healthy or not? Sort out the food items in this drag-and-drop task. Get started now.
October 16 is World Food Day. This year’s theme is Right to foods for a better life and a better future. So, we have a food-based activity for you. Can you distinguish between the healthy and unhealthy foods in the list below? Drag and drop them into the correct boxes.
Sudoku: October 18, 2024
How much time do you need to solve this simple Sudoku? Find out now.
This number game is just for you. Can you fill the grid up correctly?
A Sudoku is a grid consisting of columns, rows and blocks. This is a 6*6 grid.
How to play
The objective of the game is to fill the missing digits into the grid. Use digits 1 to 6 to fill this 6×6-grid. In each column, row and block you can use a digit only once.
Rules
1. Each row will, upon completion, contain all of the digits from 1 to 6.
2. Each column will, upon completion, contain all of the digits from 1 to 6.
3. Each block will, upon completion, contain all of the digits from 1 to 6.
Building on water
The city of Venice is known for its canals but did you know that its buildings constitute an architectural marvel?
In Venice, people say, every view is a painting. In a city built on water, you can cruise along beautiful canals rather than bumpy roads and admire splendid historical buildings at every corner. But besides the architectural marvels, did you know it was also a feat of engineering? Built on a swampy lagoon that could once barely support human weight, it has had buildings that have stood for over a thousand years.
According to tradition, a group of Italians fled to escape invaders and camped in this lagoon. Eventually, it became their permanent settlement. And they built not just ordinary buildings, but many architectural masterpieces.
But it was not easy territory to build on. So how did the buildings stand?
Below the cathedrals and palaces and houses of the city, there are thousands of closely placed wooden poles, that go underwater, past softer soil, and finally driven into the harder ground. In modern times, this is called a ‘pile foundation’ and is used in places with unstable soil. Above the vertical supports, wooden planks were placed, above which was a stone base, and then came the buildings. The buildings were built of brick to keep them light, and they were built to allow for some swaying. It was expected that since the piles are underwater, their exposure to salt water and minerals would make them last longer than if they were exposed to air. Some piles that are over 1000 years still exist, even if the buildings above them are from a later time.
Solve this jigsaw to get a glimpse of Venice
Welling up
Venice is surrounded by water, but when people started living here, they couldn’t drink the saltwater. So they engineered a rainwater harvesting system, with hundreds of tanks and underground cisterns built in the public squares. All the rainwater would be directed to the squares, get filtered, and then enter the wells from which people could draw water. The water was separated from the salt water of the Adriatic Sea. Eventually, newer plumbing systems were developed. But the decorative well heads of the old system still dot the city. Just like the buildings, they represent a fine, systematic engineering system hundreds of years old.
Try solving this jigsaw to see what a well head looks like
Track your progress
How long do you work out? The duration is as important as the exercise itself. Now here’s an activity based on this word. Can you solve it?
Duration plays a crucial role in fitness because it determines the length of time you engage in physical activities, impacting the effectiveness and outcomes of your exercise routine and the effect on cardiovascular health, muscle building and strength ands mental endurance.
Now here is an activity based on this word. This is a Wordoku; it’s just like a Sudoku. Instead of numbers from 1-9 you have the letters D-U-R-A-T-I-O-N-S. Fit these letters in the grid so that each letter appears only once in each row, column and 3*3 grid.
They’re not pests
Did you know that there are some rats that also form part of India’s wildlife population and are not vermin?
More often than not, our first reaction when we see a rat is to kill it because we think it is a pest and carrier of disease. But, says Sanjay Molur, conservation biologist and Executive Director of Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO), that applies to only one or two species like the house rat. The other species are mostly found in the wild and are canopy rats and mice and “around 95% actually play a positive role in the ecosystem”. So here’s highlighting a few rodents that are not pests and vermin.
Sahyadris Forest Rat
The Rattus satarae was initially thought to be a subspecies of the Black rat but later discovered to be a different species. With a long tail and a soft coat that is golden brown on top and white on the underside, it is found in the Western Ghats; specifically in Satara (Maharashtra), the Nilgiri Hills (Tamil Nadu) and Kodagu (Karnataka). With its habitat under threat from plantations, logging, pesticide use and invasive and exotic species, it is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red list. It lives in nests or burrows in the middle or high canopies of the forests and rarely comes to the ground and lives on fruits and insects.
Malabar Spiny Tree Mouse
Also endemic to the Western Ghats, the Platacanthomys lasiurus is similar to the dormouse in looks but is not related. It is an arboreal species that lives in tree holes inside dense forests. The fur on its back stand up like spines and its tail ends in a bushy tuft. These rats come out at night and feed largely on fruits. Listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, it was considered to be a pest in the pepper and cardamom plantations of Coorg. But studies using camera traps have shown that it lives primarily in undisturbed dense forest habitats.
Indian Desert Jird
Also known as the Indian Desert Gerbil, Meriones hurrianae is brown on top with a creamy-yellow tummy and orange incisors. Though closely related to the gerbil, the jird doesn’t have long hind legs or the erect posture of the former and is also diurnal (can be seen during day and night). They are found in deserts and barren areas where the soil is firm. They live in burrows that have more than one entrance and feed on seeds, roots, nuts, grasses and insects.
Nilgiri long-tailed tree mouse
Listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List, the Vandeleuria nilagirica is found in the Western Ghats in the Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu), Coorg (Karnataka), and Alibaug (Maharashtra). It lives in holes high up on trees and builds a nest of grass and leaves in the forks of branches when rearing a family. Its habitat is under threat from agricultural activities, logging, pollution and introduction of exotic species. It is nocturnal and arboreal and mostly found in undisturbed forest patches with native species.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
The soul of jazz
Play this word building game and see how many words you can build from the given set of letters.
The saxophone is a versatile woodwind instrument, invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. It’s prominent in jazz, classical, and contemporary music. The saxophone comes in various sizes, from soprano to baritone, each offering unique tonal qualities. Its ability to convey emotion, from smooth and sultry to bold and brassy, makes it a favourite for solos and ensemble performances.
Now, play this word-building game with the word SAXOPHONE. How many words with four letters or more can you make from this word?
In the Hundred Acre Wood
If you have enjoyed reading Winnie the Pooh, then you are sure to enjoy this for-fun-only personality quiz.
Winnie the Pooh is an all-time favourite. This loveable bear is the creation of A.A. Milne. The story revolves around Winnie and his friends and their daily goings on in the Hundred Acre Wood.
Take this fun quiz to find out which of the characters you resemble the most.
Quiz Whizz – October 15, 2024
Here are six quick questions to get you thinking. Try your hand at this quiz now.
Time for a quick quiz. Can you answer all these questions correctly?
Roots and shoots
Plants are all around us. Did you know that each part of a plant, from roots to petals, plays a vital role in Nature’s grand design?
