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Sometimes, children’s innocent humour can turn an ordinary moment into an internet sensation. That’s exactly what happened when a lower-grade student’s exam answer went viral online.

The science question seemed simple enough, “What is carbon dioxide?” While most students would write something like “a gas released during respiration” or “absorbed by plants”, one child gave an answer no one saw coming.

The student wrote, “When someone is born in a car and dies outside, it’s called carbon dioxide.”

The unexpected response was a brilliant pun on “car-born-die-oxide”. It quickly spread across social media, with users calling it both hilarious and clever. Teachers, parents and netizens couldn’t stop laughing at the child’s creative logic.

 

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A post shared by English with Smita (@sgk_logic_english)

The viral image of the exam sheet was shared widely across platforms like Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook, where users hailed it as “proof that humour and intelligence can coexist.”

One popular reel summarised the joke with the caption, “If someone is born in a car and dies outside, can we call it carbon dioxide?”

Interestingly, variations of this joke have existed online since at least 2021 in meme form. However, its reappearance in 2025, gave it a new audience.

While some users joked that the teacher must have fainted upon reading the answer, others praised the child’s creative thinking. One X (formerly Twitter) user commented, “Born in a car, died outside — carbon dioxide! What logic, brother!”

Whether or not the answer came from a real exam or a viral repost, it reminded everyone how children’s imagination often sees the world through its own unique, funny lens.