Articles - Page 51 of 558 - Young World Club

Nurture your health

The trick to good health is to keep tabs on it. Now try your hand at this jigsaw with a health-based theme.

Regular monitoring and check-ups are essential to maintain one’s health and prevent potential issues from escalating. By staying proactive, you can identify any health concerns early and allow timely interventions and treatments. These check-ups provide valuable insights into your body’s functioning, helping you make informed decisions about lifestyle choices and healthcare management.

Now that you know the importance of a health check-up, try your hand at this activity that will also give you a brain workout. Click on start and put the pieces back together to get the full picture.

Follow the trail: Part 2

Even the more sneaky and stealthy animals leave tracks behind, after all. Can you identify the footprints in this quiz?

We’re back with more animal footprints for you! In Part 1, we had you matching the print with the animal. In case you missed it, click here to take a look.

This time around, we have you guessing the animal based on its footprint. Take a shot at it.

Look again!

Two pictures, yet 10 differences set them apart. Spot them all! Get started now.

Here are two pictures; they are not the same. Try seeing again and you will find 10 reasons why they are different.

Needle pulling thread

Needlework or sewing is a great hobby. It is not only calming but also increases your power of concentration.

How well versed are you with sewing? Yes, you are aware of a needle and thread, of a sewing machine, knitting needles…What else? Here’s a fun game to test your knowledge. Give it a go and find out how familiar you are with needlework.

Cut, pierce and eat!

You would have often used a fork to pick up food from your plate but do know how it became part of our table settings?

The world’s population can be approximately divided into three equal parts based on what they eat their food with: hands, chopsticks, or the fork. In India, despite a long history of colonisation, only the spoon has become a regular table feature. The fork is still used mostly to pick cut fruit!

Though emblematic of European culture, the fork originated in West Asia, as archaeological digs from this region and Egypt show. Today, the fork is used to pierce and carry food to the mouth. But, in the beginning, it was used to serve and to hold cut food.

It is believed that the fork was first used around 1000 CE to eat pasta in Venice, Italy. According to a rather funny legend, the English monarch Henry III discovered the fork while on a trip to Venice. He found it practical to use given the fashionable ruffled collars he wore.

Despite encounters with pasta and impractical collars, the fork was a straight, sharp and lowly two-pronged serving utensil and cutting assistant until the 17-18th centuries when the eating fork evolved. The number of prongs increased to three and then four and the ends were softened to avoid injuries to the tongue. The overall form was also curved to make it easier to pick up foods like meat and to place morsels in the bend like a spoon. The fork, thus, became a stylish and efficient substitute for the spoon and the fingers for non-liquid foods.

As the fork became popular, royalty from European countries began to carry this implement as part of their cutlery when they travelled or even when they went out for dinner. The implements would be engraved with their coat of arms. As time passed, it became the host’s responsibility to provide the cutlery, which would be engraved with his exclusive mark.

Slowly, highly specialised forks also came into being such as to eat fish, snails, oysters, crabs and other foods. This also led to the development of elaborate table protocols to serve and to eat. Table settings too differed. The French would place the fork with the prongs facing down, while the English had it facing up.

The Industrial revolution and European colonisation of other countries also led to changes not just in the shape but also the materials used in manufacturing forks. Beginning with iron teeth, forks progressed to precious metals such as gold and silver (especially for royalty), before being silver coated and finally being made of stainless steel. Today, plastic forks have found their way onto our tables in large numbers, thereby adding their bit to the pollution of land and water resources. May be it is time we began to carry our own engraved cutlery again.

Now that you know how the fork landed on our tables, try this activity below. Can you match the fork type to the image? Drag and drop the names into the boxes.

Images: Getty Images/iStockPhoto, Picryl, Freepik and Satheesh Vellinezhi

Stony silence

In 1772, Jacob Roggveen, a Dutch navigator, landed on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. What did he find there?

A little more than 250 years ago, a Dutch navigator Admiral Jacob Roggeveen became the first European to set foot on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, at the southernmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. Since April 5, 1772, was Easter Sunday, he named the island Paasch Eyland (Easter Island in Dutch). Located around 3,800 km off the coast of Chile, the island was formed by three volcanoes (now extinct) rising from the sea floor.

The island is known for the massive statues or moai that were created by the indigenous Rapa Nui people. They are believed to have reached the island around 1200 CE from other Polynesian islands. According to oral tradition, Chief Hotu Matu’a led his people from Cook Islands over to this island to settle. Over time, crops like banana, sweet potato, gourds, sugarcane, taro and yams were cultivated. After the arrival of the Europeans, animals such as sheep, horses, cattle and pigs were introduced.

The most famous feature of the island are the gigantic statues, which stand on stone platforms known as ahu. While some statues are finished, others end at the top of the thighs. A few are shown kneeling with their hands on the stomach. While a few face the sea, a majority are situated facing inwards, as if to protect the inhabitants. Each moai is carved from a single block of stone. The faces have long noses and ears. Some statues have a cylinder-like object on the head, which is carved from volcanic rock. These seem to have been carved elsewhere and add to the statue after it was erected. The largest moai was around 32 ft tall. Most of the others are between 10 to 20ft tall.

Fun facts

The moai are popularly referred to as Easter Island Heads because, when discovered, many were buried up to the shoulders.

The majority of the statues are carved from tuff, a form of volcanic ash. Other materials include red scoria, trachyte, and basalt.

Easter Island is also called Te Pito O Te Henua which means the world’s navel.

It is one of the world’s remotest and least inhabited islands.

Every year, in February, the island celebrates the Tapati Rapa Nui festival with activities such as wood carving and music. The islanders play on eight-string flat ukuleles, which are unique.

Building blocks

‘Re’do, ‘mis’fit, ‘non’violence, eat’able’, truth’ful’… do you know what this list of words is all about? Read on.

Get, set, play

How much do you know about various kinds of sports? Find out with this crossword.

This crossword is all about sports and sportspeople. Can you use the images and text to fill the grid?

Statescan: March 30, 2024

Be up to date on the latest news from around the country.

The most important news is that the country is gearing up to face a fresh election. However, besides the humdrum of party politics, there is so much more happening. Go ahead, read about it and get a head start on what’s happening in India. Click on the plus signs on the map to read.