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Quiz about A Brief History of the Napkin

A Brief History of the Napkin Trivia Quiz

Yes, it's a quiz about the history of napkins and napkin folding. All information was taken from the books "Fancy Folds" by Linda Hetzer and "Beautiful Napkins" by Margaret Caselton.

A multiple-choice quiz by Caseena. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Caseena

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
331,769

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
339

Last 3 plays: Guest 136 (4/10), Guest 75 (3/10), Guest 5 (9/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which society is most commonly believed to have invented the napkin? Hint

Aztecs

Ancient Romans

Anglo-Saxons

Vikings

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Question 2 of 10

2. In the Middle Ages, before the napkin became commonplace on tables, what did diners often use to clean their hands at meals? Hint

The wall hangings

Another diner's clothes

Their hair

The tablecloth

3. In the 16th century, Flanders was a center of the linen business. They made napkins the size of an ell and a half. What is the length of ell? (And I've got to hand it to you, most napkins aren't this size anymore.) Hint

Tip of the pinky to the tip of the thumb of the outstretched hand

Right hip to left shoulder

Elbow to the end of the middle finger

Top of the head to the nape of the neck

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Question 4 of 10

4. Napkins used to become quite dirty during meals from people wiping their hands. The invention of the ______ rendered the napkin almost obsolete.

Answer: (One Word, utensil)

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Question 5 of 10

5. Some French monarchs gave guests two napkins at meals. Why? Hint

The monarchy wanted to flaunt its wealth by giving guests more napkins and utensils than they needed.

One napkin was to use and the other was to be kept folded in its shape, as the shapes were so intricate.

The monarchs thought that their guests were so messy that one napkin wasn't enough to keep themselves clean.

The napkins made at the time were of such poor quality that they tore easily, necessitating two or more.

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Question 6 of 10

6. What other use, which may have saved lives, did napkins have at the court of Versailles? Hint

They were draped over the backs of hard chairs to provide comfortable padding for the diners

They covered food as it passed from the kitchen to the dining hall to thwart poisoning attempts

Diners wrote messages on them to pass to other diners down the table

Diners tied them around their heads to prevent their hair from getting in the food and choking them

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Question 7 of 10

7. Folding napkins into elaborate shapes, sometimes to resemble flowers and animals, took off in the 17th century. Which author of a famous diary wanted to pay someone forty shillings to teach his wife to fold napkins? Hint

Mark Twain

Allan Ramsay

John Milton

Samuel Pepys

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Question 8 of 10

8. Before it became practical to wash napkins after every meal, family members reused napkins until they were dirty. However, who was always to have a clean napkin? Hint

The father

A guest

The mother

Newlyweds

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Question 9 of 10

9. Many napkin folders, like 19th century's Isabella Mary Beeton, said and say that napkins need ironing in order to fold them into elaborate shapes. What else did they need? Hint

A spritz with salt water

Bleaching

Starching

Napkin rings

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Question 10 of 10

10. These days, the rules of napkin etiquette are much more relaxed than they used to be, and people can put any napkin fold on a dinner table. What was the most common shape of a folded dinner napkin of yore? Hint

Rectangle

Rose

Circle

Fan

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 17 2024 : Guest 136: 4/10
Apr 07 2024 : Guest 75: 3/10
Mar 21 2024 : Guest 5: 9/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which society is most commonly believed to have invented the napkin?

Answer: Ancient Romans

When they were used, one napkin was tied around the neck; slaves used another to clean the eaters' hands. Cloths were spread on the couches where Romans reclined to eat. Spartans and Romans would also use dough or bread to wipe their hands. (Taken from "Beautiful Napkins")

2. In the Middle Ages, before the napkin became commonplace on tables, what did diners often use to clean their hands at meals?

Answer: The tablecloth

They might also have used their clothes and the backs of their hands. Tablecloths were changed several times during the meal, which could last for hours. This change of cloth is the origin of the cover charge in restaurants. ("Beautiful Napkins" and "Fancy Folds")

Answer: Elbow to the end of the middle finger

That's quite a large napkin. Napkins became smaller over time, with dinner napkins always being the largest. Flanders became a central linen trade site after the Hundred Years' War. ("Fancy Folds")

4. Napkins used to become quite dirty during meals from people wiping their hands. The invention of the ______ rendered the napkin almost obsolete.

Answer: fork

Before the introduction of the fork, people ate most of their food with their hands. At first, the fork didn't catch on; it had two straight prongs, which made people associate it with the devil - just about the last thing that people wanted to put in their mouths. However, it eventually became popular and kept eaters' hands so clean that diners hardly needed napkins. ("Fancy Folds")

5. Some French monarchs gave guests two napkins at meals. Why?

Answer: One napkin was to use and the other was to be kept folded in its shape, as the shapes were so intricate.

Louis XIV gave his napkin folder a special uniform and the title of Officer of the Household. It was considered poor manners to unfold one of his elaborate shapes. ("Fancy Folds")

6. What other use, which may have saved lives, did napkins have at the court of Versailles?

Answer: They covered food as it passed from the kitchen to the dining hall to thwart poisoning attempts

The walk from kitchen to table could be a long one. Anyone along the way could slip poison into a dish, so napkins covered the food on the journey to lessen the likelihood of someone tampering with the food. ("Beautiful Napkins")

Answer: Samuel Pepys

Pepys' famous "Diary" gives us a record of the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London and is an important 17th century text. Pepys also writes of buying a set of silver spoons and plates for a baby who was to be named after him. When the parents decided to call the child John, Pepys kept the silver for himself. ("Fancy Folds")

8. Before it became practical to wash napkins after every meal, family members reused napkins until they were dirty. However, who was always to have a clean napkin?

Answer: A guest

Guests always had to be given a fresh napkin. Partially dirty napkins were to be folded in such a way as to present a clean portion on the table. Catherine Beecher, author of "A Treatise on Domestic Economy," suggested using numbered or monogramed napkin rings to keep track of whose napkin was whose, as family members often had their own personal napkins. ("Fancy Folds")

9. Many napkin folders, like 19th century's Isabella Mary Beeton, said and say that napkins need ironing in order to fold them into elaborate shapes. What else did they need?

Answer: Starching

Simple folds do not require starch, but more complex, upright folds will collapse if not lightly starched. ("Fancy Folds")

Answer: Rectangle

A rectangle or square was the accepted shape for dinners. Triangles were the rule for breakfast, tea, and luncheons. These days you can put out any fold or any combination of folds without breaching etiquette: fans with candles, sapphires with butterflies, poinsettias with palm fronds, etc. ("Fancy Folds")

Source: Author Caseena

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