PRELIMINARY STAGE 2024
Accra Girls SHS: 39 points
Notre Dame Girls SHS: 34 Points
Aburi Girls SHS: 27 points
T.I. AMASS, Kumasi vs Amenfiman SHS vs Tuobodom SHTS
ROUND 5 - RIDDLE
RIDDLE
I am a pigment that gives human skin, hair, and eyes their color.
I protect the body by absorbing ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
My production increases after sun exposure, which often results in a tan.
My absence can lead to a condition known as albinism.
My name sounds like a sweet, juicy fruit sometimes spelled slightly differently.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Melanin
EXPLANATION:
Melanin is the natural pigment found in the body that offers photoprotection against UV damage.
The name is a homophone for “melon.”
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PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. RIDDLE:
I am a cell.
I am found in the skin.
I sit at the base of the epidermis, in the stratum basale.
I have long branches that reach between other skin cells.
I pass pigment granules to the cells around me.
I make melanin.
Who am I?
ANSWER: MELANOCYTE
EXPLANATION:
Melanocytes make melanin and pass it to surrounding skin cells.
2. RIDDLE:
I am a layer.
I am part of the skin.
I am the outermost layer.
I have no blood vessels.
My cells are constantly shed and replaced from below.
Melanocytes are found at my base.
Who am I?
ANSWER: EPIDERMIS
EXPLANATION:
Melanocytes lie in the basal layer of the epidermis.
3. RIDDLE:
I am a condition.
I am inherited.
I am usually caused by a recessive allele.
People with me have very pale skin and hair.
People with me burn easily in the sun and often have poor eyesight.
I am caused by a lack of melanin.
Who am I?
ANSWER: ALBINISM
EXPLANATION:
Albinism is the inherited absence of melanin.
4. RIDDLE:
I am a type of pigment.
I am one of the two main forms of melanin.
I am brown to black.
Dark skin and dark hair contain a lot of me.
I protect well against ultraviolet rays.
My name begins with the Greek prefix for "good" or "true".
Who am I?
ANSWER: EUMELANIN
EXPLANATION:
Eumelanin is the brown-black form of melanin.
5. RIDDLE:
I am a type of pigment.
I am one of the two main forms of melanin.
I contain sulfur.
I am red to yellow.
I give red hair and freckles their colour.
I protect poorly against ultraviolet rays.
Who am I?
ANSWER: PHEOMELANIN
EXPLANATION:
Pheomelanin is the red-yellow form of melanin.
6. RIDDLE:
I am a disease.
I am a cancer.
I affect the skin.
Too much exposure to ultraviolet rays raises the risk of me.
I often appear as a mole that changes shape or colour.
I arise from melanocytes.
Who am I?
ANSWER: MELANOMA
EXPLANATION:
Melanoma is a skin cancer arising from melanocytes.
7. RIDDLE:
I am an organelle.
I am found in melanocytes.
I am bounded by a membrane.
Pigment is made and stored inside me.
Dark skin has more and larger ones of me, not more melanocytes.
I carry melanin into neighbouring skin cells.
Who am I?
ANSWER: MELANOSOME
EXPLANATION:
Melanosomes are the organelles that make and store melanin.
8. RIDDLE:
I am a nutrient.
I am fat-soluble.
I am made in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight.
I help the body absorb calcium.
Lack of me causes rickets in children.
I am known as the sunshine nutrient.
Who am I?
ANSWER: VITAMIN D
EXPLANATION:
Ultraviolet light on the skin makes vitamin D.
9. RIDDLE:
I am a form of energy.
I am invisible to the human eye.
My wavelength is shorter than that of violet light.
I come from the sun.
I cause sunburn and can damage DNA.
Melanin absorbs me to protect the skin.
Who am I?
ANSWER: ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
EXPLANATION:
Melanin absorbs ultraviolet (UV) radiation.