Lisa Renski, age 12, of Peoria, Ill., for her question:

WHAT ARE GOOSEBUMPS?

They can be called goose pimples, goose skin, goosebumps or goose flesh. We've all had the sensation at one time or another: it's a rough condition of the skin that can be caused by either cold weather or fear or a special feeling of excitement.

It is easy to guess where the name came from if you've ever lived on a farm where a goose was occasionally selected for a holiday menu. If you've ever seen the skin of a plucked goose ready for the kitchen, you know that it isn't too different from the way your skin looks when you're hit by a cold draft and you aren't wearing a sweater.

If we told you the scientific name for the condition, would you remember it? Hardly anybody does. The word is horripilation.