The Pencil

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Pencils as such did not exist in Roman times, but the word "pencil" is derived from the Latin word for which other writing implement? Pen Chalk Stylus Small Brush

2. There was a time when pencil "lead" was, indeed, made from lead. The lead left a light mark and was mainly used for what function? Poisoning students Writing important documents Drawing artwork Drawing rule lines

3. The pencil as we know it began in the 1500's near the town of Keswick in Cumbria, England. As the story goes, a tree was uprooted in a storm, revealing some black rocks, which the local shepherds found to be useful for marking sheep. What was this black rock? Coal Graphite Jet Shale

4. Modern pencil leads are made by the Conté process. Ground-up graphite is mixed with which other substance, which acts as a binder? Clay Wax Sawdust Plaster of Paris

5. Surprisingly, one of the major figures in the early history of American pencil making is also a well-known literary figure. What was his name? Answer: (Did he take a pencil to Walden Pond?)

6. Most pencils today are yellow, but in the early days of pencils, most were not. What caused the change? The highest-quality pencil at the time was yellow Taxis and school buses began to be painted yellow Yellow paint became less expensive The Queen of England used only yellow pencils

7. If you have ever taken a standardized test, you may have heard of the "#2" pencil. What does this rating system refer to? The quality of the pencil The hardness or blackness of the lead The size of the eraser The thickness of the point

8. Consider the end of an unsharpened pencil. The lead is centered almost perfectly in the wood. What invention or innovation necessitated this level of precision in pencil manufacturing? The mechanical pencil sharpener Painting pencils yellow Including erasers on the ends of pencils The invention of the mechanical pencil

9. Erasers have always been included on the ends of pencils. True False

10. Consider a pencil's versatility. Which of these could you do with a pencil? Eat one every day with no health problems Write in outer space Write a line 35 miles long, or approximately 45,000 words All of these