Up the Down Staircase Trivia Quiz

Answer: escalator

The first working escalator was installed alongside the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island in 1896. A few months later one was also installed on the Brooklyn Bridge. Jesse W. Reno, the patent holder, eventually sold his patents to the Otis Elevator Company and retired.

Answer: locaters

Locaters are usually responsible for determining boundaries, such as the boundaries of a mining claim, on a map. They are similar to surveyors but are usually more limited in the scope of their work.

Answer: scarlet

Scarlet originally was not related to red but more broadly to 'rich cloth' or embroidered cloth/clothes. Eventually it came to be associated with red in that those who wore it should be ashamed of the life they led as in 'The Scarlet Lady'.

Answer: traces

The word 'trace' first existed in its noun form as far back as the 13th century and meant the track left by a person or thing. By the 14th century it had gained its verb form but this came from a slightly different root word, trasser vs. trace. Now it can mean both the clues or residue left behind, as well as the act of tracing or outlining.

Answer: tears

'Tears' is known as a homograph, which means it is spelled the same but can have two totally different meaning depending on how it is pronounced. Tears pronounced [teers] is a shortened form of teardrops. Tears pronounced [tairs] means pulls apart.

Answer: tsar

Tsar can also be spelt tzar or czar. The last Russian tsar was Nicholas II who was killed after the Russian Revolution in 1917. The term was also used in the Bulgarian Empire and the Serbian Empire.

Answer: stair

A stair is on step in a flight of stairs or on a staircase. Interestingly, there is now exercise equipment designed to mimic going up a flight of stairs because it is such good exercise. It is called a stair climber.

Answer: Satire

Satire can either describe such works that employ it, or can be the genre of literature that employs it. Satire as a genre can be traced all the way back to the first century BC in the Roman Empire. One of the most noted satirists from this time was Horace.

Answer: retains

The word retain actually traces its origins back to the late 14th century and was linked to the employ of lawyers specifically even back then. Today, many times you pay a lawyer a retainer so they will work for you. From there it broadened out to merely mean to keep or maintain in one's possession.

Answer: minarets

Minarets are towers whose specific purpose is to serve as a focal point and a means to call the faithful to prayer. The oldest minaret in the Muslim world is found in Tunisia and dates back to the 7th century AD. Staircases are the means of climbing to the top of minarets and actually help provide structural support to the towers.