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Quiz about Word Links
Quiz about Word Links

Word Links Trivia Quiz


We often are blind to the historic links there are between words. This quiz points out some such 'unexpected' relations between words.

A multiple-choice quiz by flem-ish. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
flem-ish
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
71,603
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
1703
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. What is the link between the word drawing-room and 'drawing'? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What linguistic link is there between 'a fundamentalist', 'a fund-raiser' and 'a foundering ship'? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. True or false? The term 'tonnage' comes from the number of casks or barrels(tuns) a ship could store ?


Question 4 of 10
4. Which Italian word means small and can either be a small flute or a 'small waiter' (lift-boy) ? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What sort of protection would an umbrella give you if the word were still used in its original historical sense? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. A dumpling is a pudding , more or less globular and generally enclosing fruit. Which character from a nursery-rhyme - quoted by Alice - is also 'short and thick' and traditionally represented as an egg?

Answer: (Two rhyming bisyllabic words. No hyphen.)
Question 7 of 10
7. Which of these herbs has a link with the sea in its name itself? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What kind of berry may have derived the first part of its name from an alternative form of the French groseille: 'gozel' to which -berry was added?

Answer: (One Word)
Question 9 of 10
9. What (apart from the similarity of the consonant-pattern) is the similarity in meaning between 'to grin' and 'to groan'? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What is the link between a penguin and the Yorkshire Peak Pen-y-Ghent? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What is the link between the word drawing-room and 'drawing'?

Answer: The link is not with drawing but with withdrawing

A drawing room was the large and comfortable room where you 'withdrew' with your guests.
2. What linguistic link is there between 'a fundamentalist', 'a fund-raiser' and 'a foundering ship'?

Answer: They all in one way or other are bottom-seekers

A fundamentalist's faith is the strict bottom of all he or she does. Etymologically 'funds' are the bottom of an enterprise. A foundering ship goes to the bottom (e.g. of the sea).
3. True or false? The term 'tonnage' comes from the number of casks or barrels(tuns) a ship could store ?

Answer: True

Tun or ton is an archaic word for barrel or cask.
4. Which Italian word means small and can either be a small flute or a 'small waiter' (lift-boy) ?

Answer: piccolo

Meschino is 'small' in mental attitude. Pusillanimous. Compare French mesquin.
5. What sort of protection would an umbrella give you if the word were still used in its original historical sense?

Answer: Protection from strong sunlight

A sun-umbrella is slightly pleonastic. Umbrella already means: giving shadow (umbra).In a British climate this sunshade or 'parasol' soon became a 'protector from rain'.
6. A dumpling is a pudding , more or less globular and generally enclosing fruit. Which character from a nursery-rhyme - quoted by Alice - is also 'short and thick' and traditionally represented as an egg?

Answer: Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King's horses and all the King's men, Could not put Humpty together again.
7. Which of these herbs has a link with the sea in its name itself?

Answer: rosemary (ros marinus)

Literally rosemary means dew (ros) of the sea (marinus).Marjoram (also known as oregano) derives from majorana(medieval Latin). Parsley literally means rockplant.From petro-selinon. Compare with petr-oleum (=rock-oil or petrol).
8. What kind of berry may have derived the first part of its name from an alternative form of the French groseille: 'gozel' to which -berry was added?

Answer: gooseberry

Other berries such as cranberry,elderberry,strawberries have purely English names. Cranberry literally means crane-berry , probably because the berry was popular with cranebirds. Middle Low German had eller, alder and alhorn for the elderberry. How the Latin Fragaria, French 'fraise' or German 'Erdbeere' (literally earth-berry ) became an English 'straw-berry' remains a mystery to linguists.
9. What (apart from the similarity of the consonant-pattern) is the similarity in meaning between 'to grin' and 'to groan'?

Answer: In both cases you kind of distort your face

Dutch has a related word: grienen for the whining 'crying-style' typical of babies.
10. What is the link between a penguin and the Yorkshire Peak Pen-y-Ghent?

Answer: Pen means head in both cases

No link between Welsh Pen and Hebrew or Arabic Ben, Bin ,'son of', as in Ben Gurion, Benjamin , Bin Laden. Pen-Gwynne means White-Head. Noun precedes adjective in Welsh. In Ireland the Pen becomes a Ben: Ben Bulben.
Source: Author flem-ish

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