As you are very nearly certain to have read, physicists at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research in Geneva, made a brain-bending announcement yesterday: the Higgs boson, or at least a “Higgslike” subatomic particle, is very nearly certain to exist.

What on (or beyond) Earth does that mean?

The Internet is awash with explanations, so many of us are probably nearly certain to have a pretty good idea. But in the grand tradition of high school science class, let's double-check with a pop quiz: