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Quiz about Pen Pals
Quiz about Pen Pals

'Pen' Pals Trivia Quiz


Match each word starting with the word 'pen' to its definition.
This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author ravenskye

A matching quiz by looney_tunes. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
looney_tunes
Time
3 mins
Type
Match Quiz
Quiz #
29,982
Updated
Apr 18 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Very Easy
Avg Score
10 / 10
Plays
664
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 108 (10/10), Guest 46 (10/10), Guest 81 (10/10).
(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.
QuestionsChoices
1. a type of verse rhythm  
  pensive
2. a punishment for breaking a rule  
  penguin
3. a hanging object  
  penny-pinching
4. a strong liking or inclination  
  penmanship
5. a type of flightless bird  
  penchant
6. a five-pointed figure  
  penalty
7. handwriting  
  pentameter
8. thrifty (even miserly)  
  pendant
9. deeply thoughtful  
  pentangle
10. a five-part athletic contest  
  pentathlon





Select each answer

1. a type of verse rhythm
2. a punishment for breaking a rule
3. a hanging object
4. a strong liking or inclination
5. a type of flightless bird
6. a five-pointed figure
7. handwriting
8. thrifty (even miserly)
9. deeply thoughtful
10. a five-part athletic contest

Most Recent Scores
Mar 26 2024 : Guest 108: 10/10
Mar 23 2024 : Guest 46: 10/10
Mar 22 2024 : Guest 81: 10/10
Mar 21 2024 : violinsoldier: 10/10
Mar 19 2024 : Guest 98: 10/10
Mar 19 2024 : Guest 191: 9/10
Mar 13 2024 : Guest 107: 10/10
Mar 09 2024 : Reamar42: 10/10
Mar 06 2024 : Kat1982: 7/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. a type of verse rhythm

Answer: pentameter

This word comes directly from the Greek (not surprisingly, as it is a term coined by scholars who would have been familiar with Greek) 'pentametros'. This adjective combines 'pente' (five) with 'metron' (measure) to mean something with five metrical feet.

This means that the line (of a play or poem) can be divided up into five groups by rhythm. For example, Shakespeare often wrote in iambic pentameter, so each line consists of five pairs of syllables that are a light one followed by a stressed one: "When I do count the clock that tells the time" is the opening line of Sonnet 12.

The rhythmic stress pattern is da DA, da DA, da DA, da DA, da DA - but a good reader avoids making it sound too sing-song.
2. a punishment for breaking a rule

Answer: penalty

The word penalty comes from a Latin word meaning punishment. In the 16th century is entered English as a legal term, and specifically related to breaking the law. Over time, it has come to be applied to breeches of contract, such as a penalty clause if work on a construction project is not completed on time. Sometimes people who work overtime (longer hours than specified in their contract) or on a public holiday are said to be paid penalty rates.

In sports, an action which contravenes the rules of the game may be awarded a penalty, a sanction which provides the offender with some sort of disadvantage in the competition.
3. a hanging object

Answer: pendant

The word pendaunt entered English in the 14th century, and referred to any part of something that was loose, or hung so as to swing freely. The 'u' disappeared over time, and the use became restricted to refer to decorative items which dangle. This includes both a style of light that hangs from the ceiling and a piece of jewelry worn around the neck on a chain.

The word can also be used as an adjective, but the adjective is more commonly spelled pendent.
4. a strong liking or inclination

Answer: penchant

Like a number of the words in this quiz, penchant has its roots in a Proto-Indo-European (PIE) morpheme *pen, which seems to relate to stretching and spinning. PIE is a reconstructed proto-language thought to be the origin of the Indo-European language family which includes almost all of Europe, and an area covering the Iranian Plateau and northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. Penchant, like pendant, then evolved through the Latin verb 'pendere' meaning to hang or cause to hang. From hanging to the Old French 'penchere' (to lean or incline) we then proceed to an inclination or penchant.
5. a type of flightless bird

Answer: penguin

While we now use the word penguin to refer to one of a number of species of flightless birds found in the Antarctic and nearby areas, it was originally applied to the great auk, a northern hemisphere bird of similar appearance which is now extinct. That might explain the pen- part of its name, which is clearly not from the same PIE origin as many of the words in this quiz.

It has been suggested that it could come from the Welsh words 'pen' (head) and 'gwyn' (white) as a description of the auk, which had a white face.

Then again, it may have come from the Latin 'pinguis' (fat and juicy) as a derogatory reference to their heavy body shape.
6. a five-pointed figure

Answer: pentangle

The Greek 'pent-' for five is used here to describe a shape with five angles or points. While it may simply be a five-pointed star, it could also be applied to a pentagon, which has five sides joining at five vertices. The pentangle has become associated with the pentacle, a shape used in magical rituals as a defense against demons which is also called a pentagram (meaning five lines).
7. handwriting

Answer: penmanship

This composite word is clearly constructed. A pen is an implement used for writing; a penman is one who uses a pen with skill; -ship is a suffix indicating a skill (among other usages). So why is a pen called a pen? It comes from the Latin word 'penna', meaning a feather, which came to be used in Late Latin for a writing quill, which was dipped in ink to use as a writing tool. Later writing implements using ink hence took on the name of pen. Pencil, now, has a totally unrelated origin, coming from the name of a type of artist's brush (pencel) which was transferred in the middle of the 15th century to apply to the newly-developed practice of enclosing a block of graphite in a wooden case to use as a marking implement.
8. thrifty (even miserly)

Answer: penny-pinching

The word penny describes a coin of relatively small value in comparison to the standard currency of a country. The English word comes from a proto-Germanic word '*panninga', the source for a term used for low-value coins in a number of other European languages: German 'pfennig', Dutch 'penning', Danish 'penge', Swedish 'pänning' among others. Since it is a coin of little value, one who pinches a penny so as to retain control of it and not allow someone else to have it is clearly very careful with they way they handle money.
9. deeply thoughtful

Answer: pensive

Here is another word from the PIE '*pen', but this time by way of the Latin form 'pensare', meaning to weigh or consider. The French developed that into 'penser' (to think), then 'pensif' (thoughtful, musing). After the English adopted the word, the spelling changed to pensive.

The word is sometimes used simply to describe someone who is contemplative, but it more often carries an implication of sadness.
10. a five-part athletic contest

Answer: pentathlon

And we finish with the Greek 'penta-' indicating five. The Greek 'athlon' indicates a prize or contest, so in this case there are five of them. Biathlons have two events, triathlons three, heptathlons six, and decathlons have ten. The Greek competition involved running, jumping, wrestling, discus, and spear throwing.

In 1912 the modern pentathlon was instituted as an Olympic sport involving cross-country running, fencing, shooting, swimming and horseback riding. Details of each event have changed over the years, but their general nature remains fixed.
Source: Author looney_tunes

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
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