It's a Jack Attack! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jack

"Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean.
And so between them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean."

Originally written in the 1630s, this old English nursery rhyme might have been about the English king of the time. The point of the rhyme was that sometimes it is better not to be greedy; instead, you don't need to eat everything all at once only to need more later on.

Answer: Jack

"Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after."

So famous is this nursery rhyme that 'Jack and Jill' is a common pair. Originally written in the 1760s, it's not completely certain what was meant to be the moral of this rhyme. People have linked the lines to kings and chores of the day, but perhaps it's just a musing on safety.

One thing to know, however, is that the phrase 'Jack and Jill' was around much longer than the rhyme-- even Shakespeare referred to the pairing!

Answer: Jack

"Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating his Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, 'What a good boy am I!'"

Being written in the late 18th century, "Little Jack Horner" is associated with the Mother Goose nursery rhymes of the day, but it's based on an earlier rhyme about a boy named Jackey Horner (who still eats the pie).

Originally, the poem was about a greedy boy, but it was rewritten, later, to include lines about giving away his pie and getting a fresh pie in return, the lesson there being that good deeds beget good things in return.

Answer: Jack

"This is the house that Jack built.
This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the rat, that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cat, that killed the rat, that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built."

While not a true rhyme per se, this tale is still considered a nursery rhyme. Instead, it tells a story that builds on itself, all of things encountered in the house that Jack built.

Written in the mid-18th century, it's not a story that has any moral. Instead, it takes what seems like a small tale about a simple house and continues to zoom out, telling a bigger and bigger story with each verse.

Answer: Jack

"Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick,
Jack jump over the candlestick."

"Jack Be Nimble" really is as simple as that. A rhyme recorded to page in the early 19th century, it's not too deep a story. Compiled as part of Mother Goose's nursery rhymes, it's said that if someone was able to jump over a candlestick without it going out, they'd have good luck. It's not recommended to jump over fire.

Answer: Not Jack

"Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry,
When the boys came out to play,
Georgie Porgie ran away."

So there's no Jack here, but there is a Georgie. "Georgie Porgie" was created in the 1840s and while some believe it may have been made to make fun of a British king, this is unknown. Although it is a rhyme, some read it more as a taunt, making fun of overweight children. Not really the nicest rhyme, eh?

Answer: Not Jack

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch a tiger by the toe.
If he hollers, let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe."

Though not necessarily one of Mother Goose's, this rhyme is a popular one simply because it can be a nonsense rhyme. Moe isn't even necessarily a name in this one-- it's there to make the rhyme work on each line.

Rudyard Kipling, who wrote "The Jungle Book", used this rhyme as a counting tool for readers about a hundred years after it was first written, making it more popular in the 20th century.

Answer: Not Jack

"Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
Stole a pig, and away did run;
The pig was eat
And Tom was beat,
And Tom went crying
Down the street."

Another case where it's not Jack; this time it's Tom! This rhyme, created at the end of the 18th century, is meant to teach a lesson. In the original tale, Tom stole a pie (called a pig, here). After eating it, his father punished him, leading him to cry down the street. The easy takeaway-- don't steal!

Rhymes like these came around during a time when most children's stories were didactic (or taught lessons). It originated in England.

Answer: Not Jack

"Do you know the muffin man?
The muffin man, the muffin man.
Do you know the muffin man
Who lives in Drury Lane?"

Coming from London in the 19th century, this sing-song rhyme speaks of a man who delivers baked goods to houses in the city. Though one can hear the quaint tune and assume little of it, years and years of telling the rhyme have led people to wonder if it's about anyone in particular and whether or not they were a good person. Some of us just like muffins.

In any case, the Muffin Man never had a name in the rhyme, so no Jack here.

Answer: Not Jack

"Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife but couldn't keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well."

Though versions of this rhyme come from both sides of the Atlantic, the version here was written in the 1820s. It's another of those nursery rhymes that might have a bit of a darker side to it, and many believe it to be about a controlling husband.

But that husband is not Jack. It's Peter.