Vertically-tilted metamorphic rocks near Carn Eighe, Scotland (Title Photo)

Dear Readers, I am currently revising for my final exam in my Open University degree, which takes place on Monday 13th June. Gosh, we’ve covered a lot of ground this year! We’ve spent time on everything from quantum theory to genetics, from chemical bonding to frictional forces, and my head is in a right old spin. However, this weekend I have been revising my earth sciences, and in particular rocks, something that I knew little about until this year. Look at these splendid Scottish rocks, for example! They were created many miles under the surface of the earth by a combination of intense heat and pressure, and have eventually come to be visible as the rocks around them have been eroded. Not only that, but they’ve been swivelled through 90 degrees from the horizontal to the vertical. The earth is such a dynamic system, but the changes are so gradual that it takes millions of years to see them.

It might not surprise you to hear that many, many plants and animals have the word ‘rock’ in their names, so for this week’s quiz, all you have to do is name the plant or animal pictured below, which has the word ‘rock’ in their common name. To make it just a bit easier, I will put asterisks where the words that aren’t ‘rock’ should be – after all we haven’t had a quiz for a while so I will try to restrain my sadistic urges. Pop your answers in the comments, and I will disappear you as soon as I see you.

I’m going to publish the answers next Sunday (May 29th), so please submit your answers by 5 p.m. on Saturday May 28th if you would like to be marked.

Onwards!

1) ****-**-***-rock

2) Rock *****

3) Rock *********

4) Rock****** *******

5) Rock *****

6) Rock ****

7) ****** rock****

8) ****’* rock**

9) ***** rock-*****

10) ****** rock-******