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Quiz about I Wrote This Quiz for a Commission
Quiz about I Wrote This Quiz for a Commission

I Wrote This Quiz for a Commission


When the European Commission commits to appointing a commissioner to commission a photo of commissioned officers in the commissary, we should really find out what this one word can all be about!

A multiple-choice quiz by WesleyCrusher. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
322,436
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
408
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
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Question 1 of 10
1. Let's start with the word itself - "commission" is derived from "cum missione". What language is this and what does it mean? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. A commission in the strict sense of the word is given to certain personnel in the armed forces. Which of the following ranks would NOT be the holder of a commission (UK, Canadian or US armed forces)? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The European Commission is the executive government branch of the European Union and its president is the formal head of the European Union. In 2009, it had 27 members, but why were there exactly 27? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Salespersons and agents often receive a commission for successful sales. What is the most common way of calculating the commission payment? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Commissioning is also a name for a project phase in the course of the implementation of a major installation or building contract. At the very end of such a project, just before the customer declares acceptance, this phase involves a thorough check of all functionalities and ends with the formal handover of the newly built structure to its future user. Which of the following is typically NOT commissioned in this way? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. A commission can also refer to a complete contract for the creation of a specific item to a customer's specification. This particular usage of the word is especially common in art, where artists are commissioned to create works just as a buyer wants them. Which of the following art forms nearly always results from a commission? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Composed of five powerful executives and serving a quasi-judicial role in the financial sector, the body overseeing and regulating the stock market in the United States is also called a Commission. What is its name? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Just like the word "commission" itself either means a task and the associate authority or a body of persons, a commissioner can either be a member of a commission or a person holding a commission. In the latter sense, Canada has three important offices bearing the title of "commissioner". What other office are these equal to? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In the English language of the middle ages, the holder of a commission was titled a "commissary" (from "commissarius", a Latin noun form of the original adjective "commissus" designating a person working under commission). In this sense, the word was used in the military up to the 19th century. However, today's (U.S.) soldiers will think of something different when they hear the word "commissary". What is it? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Finally, no quiz about commissions would be complete without mentioning The Commission. With The Commission, there is no ambiguity and there can be only one. It is a ruling body. What does it preside over? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Let's start with the word itself - "commission" is derived from "cum missione". What language is this and what does it mean?

Answer: Latin - "with sending"

Initially, the meaning of a commission was a sending - an order combined with a grant of authority. A sovereign or other person of authority chose someone to act in their name and provided them with an official document or just a verbal order in which the purpose of their sending was declared along with the definition of which powers normally reserved for the ruler the recipient of the commission was allowed to use in fulfilling the task.
2. A commission in the strict sense of the word is given to certain personnel in the armed forces. Which of the following ranks would NOT be the holder of a commission (UK, Canadian or US armed forces)?

Answer: Sergeant

Armed forces generally distinguish between commissioned officers and non-commissioned personnel. Non-commissioned personnel, in turn, are separated into warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and common soldiers. The difference is that all fully commissioned officers directly derive their authority from the commander-in-chief or sovereign and a certificate of commission will typically bear the (usually facsimile) signature of the head of state. Warrant and non-commissioned officers typically have duties and responsibilities similar to those of low to middle echelon commissioned staff, but their authority derives from a sub-delegation issued by a high-ranking commissioned officer.
3. The European Commission is the executive government branch of the European Union and its president is the formal head of the European Union. In 2009, it had 27 members, but why were there exactly 27?

Answer: Each member state sends one commission member.

The European Commission is unique among governments in that it wields not only executive power but is also the only institution who can prepare legislative proposals to be decided upon in the European Parliament. In this function, it serves as a pre-parliamentary stage of legislation.

The commission consists of currently 27 members, one appointed by each of the member states. Its president can serve for a maximum of 10 years (two terms of five years each).
4. Salespersons and agents often receive a commission for successful sales. What is the most common way of calculating the commission payment?

Answer: As a percentage of the sales volume

The classic commission on sales is a percentage of the sale price, often to the order of one percent of each sale made, for the successful salesperson, thus each payment reflects the total sales volume in the period it is given for. Commissions are particularly often employed in industries where a salesperson makes comparatively few sales (100 or fewer per month) but each sale represents a significant amount. Car and insurance sellers often operate on a contract that is purely based on commissions or has a very low base salary supplemented by commissions.
5. Commissioning is also a name for a project phase in the course of the implementation of a major installation or building contract. At the very end of such a project, just before the customer declares acceptance, this phase involves a thorough check of all functionalities and ends with the formal handover of the newly built structure to its future user. Which of the following is typically NOT commissioned in this way?

Answer: An electric high-speed locomotive

Commissioning in this sense of the word takes place only when the product in question is a custom-built one, designed and configured as a one (or few) of a kind item to meet a very specific purpose. Broadcasting systems and robotic construction units need to be integrated into an enterprise workflow and cruise ships are built and equipped to the exact specifications of their operator and often optimized for a specific route and audience. Locomotives, on the other hand, are built in series of near-identical vehicles to make them exchangeable between individual trains. Thus, a single locomotive will be just like all others in the series and commissioning will not be required.
6. A commission can also refer to a complete contract for the creation of a specific item to a customer's specification. This particular usage of the word is especially common in art, where artists are commissioned to create works just as a buyer wants them. Which of the following art forms nearly always results from a commission?

Answer: A portrait painting

Portraits, whether photographed or painted, depict people in an identifiable way and can thus only be created and sold with the permission of the person so depicted (there are certain exceptions for persons of public interest). Also, because most portraits are of interest only to the person depicted and their direct friends and relatives, artists do rarely invest the time and material needed to create one unless they know beforehand that their work will sell.
7. Composed of five powerful executives and serving a quasi-judicial role in the financial sector, the body overseeing and regulating the stock market in the United States is also called a Commission. What is its name?

Answer: Securities and Exchange Commission

Established in 1934 under the full title of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the SEC (as it is usually abbreviated) is the ultimate regulating agency for the stock market in the United States. Its primary goal is to prevent corporate abuses and create an open and transparent market for securities of all kinds as well as to prevent the undermining of the market with fraudulent investments.

The authority of the SEC is based on seven major federal laws, the two most important ones of which are the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Its current chairperson as of 2010 is Mary L. Schapiro who assumed office on January 22, 2009.
8. Just like the word "commission" itself either means a task and the associate authority or a body of persons, a commissioner can either be a member of a commission or a person holding a commission. In the latter sense, Canada has three important offices bearing the title of "commissioner". What other office are these equal to?

Answer: Lieutenant-Governors

The Canadian commissioners are the formal heads and chief executives of the three territories - Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. As such, they serve the same purpose as and hold rank equivalent to a lieutenant-governor of one of the twelve provinces.

The main difference between the two types of office is that a lieutenant-governor is considered a viceroy, a direct and personal representative of her Majesty the Queen of Canada, while a commissioner is appointed by the Federal government without this special status.
9. In the English language of the middle ages, the holder of a commission was titled a "commissary" (from "commissarius", a Latin noun form of the original adjective "commissus" designating a person working under commission). In this sense, the word was used in the military up to the 19th century. However, today's (U.S.) soldiers will think of something different when they hear the word "commissary". What is it?

Answer: An on-base or on-ship general/grocery store

The development of this word from the original meaning of an office-holder to today's use as the term for a store was a slow and gradual one. It came about through the fact that, throughout the Renaissance and following periods, the title "commissary" was gradually narrowed down to such officers entrusted with provisioning - the supply officers of the time. With the most important provision to the soldier being food, it has from there taken on the meaning of the person or place from where a soldier would get food - good food, not the standard fare provided in the general mess hall.

In the film industry, "commissary" is used to mean the dining place where the crew goes for a quick bite during breaks in filming.
10. Finally, no quiz about commissions would be complete without mentioning The Commission. With The Commission, there is no ambiguity and there can be only one. It is a ruling body. What does it preside over?

Answer: The (U.S.) Mafia

The Commission was the Mafia's answer to the mob wars that devastated its various American families in the 1920s and early 1930s. Instead of openly attacking each other, losing valuable members both to the fights as well as to the ensuing police raids, they formed The Commission to resolve conflicts of interest and overlaps in influence spheres in a more peaceful way.

The Commission consisted of initially seven, later nine bosses from the most influential American Mafia families. It still exists as of today even though its role has declined and its operations have become much more clandestine.

The last known chairman of The Commission was Vincent Gigante, who held the position up to his natural death in 2005.
Source: Author WesleyCrusher

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
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Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Commission #7:

Authors wrote two quizzes for this seventh Quiz Commission-- one of their own titles and one of another person's-- back in February 2010. It's double or nothing!

  1. Down Under Average
  2. Up Over Easier
  3. Pink Is for Girls Tough
  4. Blue Is for Boys Tough
  5. Red, Red Wine Average
  6. Say Cheese! Tough
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  9. I'll Take the High Road Average
  10. You'll Take the Low Road Average
  11. Look What I Can "B" Very Easy
  12. Look What I Can C Very Easy

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