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Quiz about Eponyms The People Behind the Words
Quiz about Eponyms The People Behind the Words

Eponyms: The People Behind the Words Quiz


A quiz on certain words derived from notable individuals who gave their names to the English language. Good Luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by jouen58. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
jouen58
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
148,647
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
4445
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 212 (8/10), Maggiebella (8/10), Guest 93 (5/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. This word has a few different meanings. It is the name given to the Law of the Old Testament and bears the name of person to whom the Law was given, who is said to have written the books of Genesis and Exodus. This word is also the name of a type of art technique which was especially popular in the Byzantine empire. Lastly, it is the name of a type of virus which affects plants. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. St. Etheldreda was an English noblewoman who, in 672, retired from her aristocratic life and founded a double monastery (that is a monastery adjoining a convent) on the Island of Ely, of which she remained abbess until her death. After her death, Etheldreda, better known as Audrey, was commemorated by an annual fair on the island of Ely called "St. Audrey's Fair". Unfortunately, this event became rather notorious for the garishness and poor quality of its wares, particularly the beads, laces, ribbons, and scarves. Consequently, poor St. Audrey is now best known for having given us this word, derived from her name, which denotes anything of shoddy quality and/or in poor taste. Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Etienne de Silhouette gave his name to a type of shadow-portrait which was popular during his career (c. 1760). It is now used to describe any shadowy form (i.e. "He stood silhouetted against the window"). What was Silhouette's profession? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Which of these words related to electricity is NOT derived from someone's name? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. This English sovereign was the eldest son of Queen Victoria; he succeeded to the throne upon her death in 1901. He was, apparently, the last English monarch to have had an era named after him. The period of his brief reign (he died in 1910) was noted for economic prosperity, a relaxing of the strict mores of the Victorian era, and widespread enjoyment of "the good life." On the minus side, its tone towards women was rather patronizing and distinctly patriarchal. Which of these British rulers is he? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which of these flowering plants was NOT named for the botanist or explorer who first discovered them? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The slang term "doozy" was probably derived from the name of which of these famous individuals? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which of these famous painters gave his name to the type of plump, voluptuous, fleshy women he specialized in depicting? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which of these musical instruments bears the name of its inventor? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Bastiaen Jansen Krol was a "comforter of the sick" for the Dutch Reformed church in 17th century New Amsterdam. "Comforters" were lay persons who were authorized to minister to people in the absence of a minister. Krol was authorized to perform weddings and baptisms as well, since the church was as yet considered too small to warrant the appointment of a minister. Eventually, he was appointed commissary of Fort Orange. Which of the following items is Krol believed to have invented and consequently bears his name? Hint



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Feb 15 2024 : Guest 212: 8/10
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This word has a few different meanings. It is the name given to the Law of the Old Testament and bears the name of person to whom the Law was given, who is said to have written the books of Genesis and Exodus. This word is also the name of a type of art technique which was especially popular in the Byzantine empire. Lastly, it is the name of a type of virus which affects plants.

Answer: Mosaic

The "Mosaic law" (named for Moses, of course) encompasses the Ten Commandments as well as the laws set forth in the Talmud (the first five books of the Torah, or the Old Testament). Although the name of the ancient art of creating pictures from colored tile is spelled and pronounced the same way, it ironically has nothing to do with Moses; rather, it is a name derived from the Muses of Greek mythology.

The "mosaic virus", so named because of the mottled "mosaic" appearance of affected leaves and fruits, is a plant virus which affects vegetables, tobacco, and red clover, among others.
2. St. Etheldreda was an English noblewoman who, in 672, retired from her aristocratic life and founded a double monastery (that is a monastery adjoining a convent) on the Island of Ely, of which she remained abbess until her death. After her death, Etheldreda, better known as Audrey, was commemorated by an annual fair on the island of Ely called "St. Audrey's Fair". Unfortunately, this event became rather notorious for the garishness and poor quality of its wares, particularly the beads, laces, ribbons, and scarves. Consequently, poor St. Audrey is now best known for having given us this word, derived from her name, which denotes anything of shoddy quality and/or in poor taste.

Answer: Tawdry

The word "tawdry" was in vogue by Shakespeare's time and appears in "The Winter's Tale" ("You promised me a tawdry lace and a pair of sweet gloves"). One ridiculous legend even claims that the throat tumor which eventually ended Audrey's life was caused by the many necklaces she was wont to wear during her aristocratic days. St. Audrey's fair is still observed at Ely and in other parts of the world and is celebrated on her feast day on Midsummer's eve, June 23. (Incidentally, Audrey had an equally pious sister named Sexburga who is also venerated as a saint; pity no one came up with a word derived from her name!)
3. Etienne de Silhouette gave his name to a type of shadow-portrait which was popular during his career (c. 1760). It is now used to describe any shadowy form (i.e. "He stood silhouetted against the window"). What was Silhouette's profession?

Answer: Finance minister

Silhouette's tax policies had crippled the French and had made him one of the most hated men in France. Cutting out shadow-profiles was a hobby of his (and shadow portraits were a favorite pastime of the aristocracy). As a protest against his policies, the French wore black and chanted "We are dressing a la Silhouette; we are too poor to wear color." Eventually the deteriorating economy forced his resignation.
4. Which of these words related to electricity is NOT derived from someone's name?

Answer: Current

The word "current" simply refers to the flow of electricity. Amps, or amperes, are named for the French physicist Andre-Marie Ampere, famous for his contributions to the study of electrodynamics; the word designates a unit of electrical flow. Voltage is named for Italian scientist Alessandro Volta, who invented the first electric battery, and designates a unit of electrical potential difference. Watts, and wattage, are named for Scottish inventor James Watt and designates a unit of power. Watts' improvement of the steam engine is credited with having really initiated the Industrial Revolution. All of these men lived at the turn of the 18th-19th century.
5. This English sovereign was the eldest son of Queen Victoria; he succeeded to the throne upon her death in 1901. He was, apparently, the last English monarch to have had an era named after him. The period of his brief reign (he died in 1910) was noted for economic prosperity, a relaxing of the strict mores of the Victorian era, and widespread enjoyment of "the good life." On the minus side, its tone towards women was rather patronizing and distinctly patriarchal. Which of these British rulers is he?

Answer: Edward VII

The Edwardian era began around 1901 and continued, actually for nearly a decade after Edward's death in 1910. Edward himself fully enjoyed the best things in life; married to the beautiful Danish-born princess Alexandra, he carried on numerous affairs before "settling down" with the notorious Mrs. Keppel (a forerunner and, indeed, ancestor of Camilla Parker Bowles), who is said to have borne him a child.

He also enjoyed good food, music (he was a fan of Italian opera and a great early admirer of Caruso), and cigar smoking (a habit of which his mother had greatly disapproved, but which flourished during his reign)). One of the few British royals to have taken an interest in finance (he was quite friendly with the Rothschilds and other prominent banking families), his era is aptly remembered as "The Gilded Age".

The 1996 movie "Titanic" sparked a renewed interest in the Edwardian era.
6. Which of these flowering plants was NOT named for the botanist or explorer who first discovered them?

Answer: Gladiolus

Gladiolas, popular with florists for its large colorful blooms, are also known for their sword-shaped leaves; hence the name "gladiolus" from the Latin "gladius" meaning sword. Zinnias were native to Mexico and were known to the Aztecs; they were brought to Europe and cultivated by the 18th century German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn. Saintpaulias (African violets) are not named for the apostle, but for the German-born explorer Baron von Saint Paul-Illaire, who discovered them in 1892 in the Usambara region of South Africa, of which he was Regional Commissioner. Dahlias are named for Andreas Dahl, an 18th century Swedish botanist and student of Carl Linneaus. Like Zinnias, they were native to Mexico.
7. The slang term "doozy" was probably derived from the name of which of these famous individuals?

Answer: Eleanora Duse

Duse (1859-1924), a contemporary of the equally legendary Sarah Bernhardt, was generally regarded as the greatest actress of her time, possibly of all time. She was known simply as "The Duse", and her repertoire encompassed Shakespeare, Ibsen, Zola, and her fellow countryman and onetime lover Gabriel D'Annunzio.

The word "doozy", meaning something extraordinary, a real knockout, originated around the late 19th century and is generally believed to have been derived from her name. The term became even more widely used in the early 1930's with the invention of the Duesenberg automobile (touted as the American Rolls Royce); any grand-looking automobile would be referred to as "a real doozy".
8. Which of these famous painters gave his name to the type of plump, voluptuous, fleshy women he specialized in depicting?

Answer: Peter Paul Rubens

"Rubensesque" (as well as "Junoesque" derived from the Roman goddess and wife of Jupiter) describes the type of well-cushioned women whom the Dutch artist particularly delighted in painting; he even married one, Helena Fourment, who frequently modeled for him.

Many a contemporary woman, struggling with weight loss and dismayed by the current mania for near-anorexic litheness, has longed for a return to the days of the "Rubens woman".
9. Which of these musical instruments bears the name of its inventor?

Answer: Saxophone

The saxophone was created by Belgian inventor Antoine Joseph Sax, whose father operated a music studio, and was introduced in Paris in 1842. Sax had created other instruments while apprenticed in his father's studio, but the most original was this instrument, which combines the properties of a brass and a woodwind instrument.
10. Bastiaen Jansen Krol was a "comforter of the sick" for the Dutch Reformed church in 17th century New Amsterdam. "Comforters" were lay persons who were authorized to minister to people in the absence of a minister. Krol was authorized to perform weddings and baptisms as well, since the church was as yet considered too small to warrant the appointment of a minister. Eventually, he was appointed commissary of Fort Orange. Which of the following items is Krol believed to have invented and consequently bears his name?

Answer: A doughnut

Krol is said to have concocted a simple fried pastry sweetened with honey during one particularly harsh winter when provisions were scarce. These came to be called "krulles", from which was derived the word "cruller". Next time you happen to be in NYC enjoying a doughnut and coffee, you may wish to raise your cardboard cup in a toast to Krol's memorial monument on the edifice of the Reformed Church on Second Avenue.
Source: Author jouen58

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