How Much Do You Know About the Ocean?

Low-angle seascape showing kelp-covered rocks and glistening tide pools in sharp focus, with textured seafoam and shallow reflections in the foreground. Warm golden-hour light breaks through low clouds, casting honeyed highlights on the water as a silhouetted gull arcs across the teal ocean.

Introduction

Yes — you probably know more about the ocean than you think, but there are delicious little facts hiding beneath the waves. This quick, friendly quiz tests your knowledge of ocean basics: tides, zones, currents, and the creatures and processes that make the sea feel like a living world. I wrote this quiz because the ocean is one of those giant everyday mysteries that rewards curiosity.

About the Quiz

This 10-question multiple-choice quiz mixes easy confidence-builders with a few tricky items to stretch your ocean-smarts. Questions move from surface facts to deeper processes like thermohaline circulation and upwelling. Each question has a short explanation so you learn something new whether you get it right or wrong.

Instructions

  1. Read each question and pick the best answer.
  2. Immediate explanations appear after each question so you can learn as you go.
  3. Aim for 70% or higher to pass — and share your score if you discover a fun fact!

Quick fact to tide you over: the ocean covers about 71% of Earth’s surface and contains nearly all of the planet’s liquid water. Keep that in mind as you dive into the quiz — and remember, curiosity is a kind of compass when you explore the sea.