Ask Marilyn

What do these words have in common, other than having eight letters: captions, clasping, dystopia, jackpots, panelist, plainest, plaudits, pleasing?

—Daniel Feller, Knoxville, Tenn.

This puzzle has an especially elegant answer, readers. You’ll

find it below Numbrix.

You wrote that staying indoors constantly during the pandemic may cause a vitamin D deficiency due to the lack of sunlight. So could wearing sunblock do the same?

—Linda Mootsey, Lyons, Colo.

In theory, yes. But in real life, studies suggest that few people apply enough sunblock to make a significant difference.

Send questions to marilyn @ parade.com