Let's Make Use of "FUNTRIVIA" Trivia Quiz

Answer: fruit

The meaning of "fruit" is different in botany and in cooking. In botany, a fruit is the way that flowering plants spread their seeds. For example, peas and pumpkins are fruits in botany. In culinary (related to foods and their preparation) definitions, a "fruit" can be any sweet tasting plant that has seeds. Usually when we think of "fruits" we mean the culinary definition.

Answer: van

Vans can be larger commercial vans used to transport goods or large numbers of people. Some full-sized vans are used by families, but starting in the 1980s it became more common for families to have "minivans" that were smaller than traditional vans. Chrysler and Toyota were among the chief pioneers of that new trend.

Answer: fir

Firs are evergreen trees that can be found primarily in mountainous regions on many continents, from North America and North Africa to Europe and Asia. They have needle-like leaves and cylindrical cones. The wood from fir trees is usually not good enough for timber, so they're often used for making plywood. And several types of firs are commonly used for Christmas trees.

Answer: fur

In one sense, "fur" is just another word for an animal's "hair." It's especially used as a term for the hair of mammals, although you rarely hear it used to refer to the hair of humans. The fur of an animal provides many benefits to it, from warmth to protection.

Answer: nut

This is another word that means different things to a botanist and to a cook. A "nut" in botany is a fruit with a hard shell of some types of seeded plants. The term "nut" to cooks or to ordinary people is used for a larger number of dried seeds and fruits. For example, peanuts and cashews are not true nuts in a biological sense. By either definition, nuts are an important source of food for animals and for people.

Answer: run

"Run" is a word with a large number of meanings. It means to move quickly on foot of course. Did you know that for movement to be called "running" both of your feet have to be off the ground between steps? But the word also can mean to flow, or be operating or working (as when a machine is running). If someone is wearing stockings or pantyhose and the fabric is ripped or damaged in a vertical line, it's called a "run" too.

The dictionary lists 150 definitions for "run," each slightly or very different from the others!

Answer: turn

Of course, "turn" is a word that can mean many things. You can turn a screw, or turn on your computer. Here we mean it to refer to a change from an original direction, as in "turn left at the light" or "when you get to the drugstore, be sure to make a righthand turn."

Answer: fin

Airplanes or rockets or arrows can also have fins that are used for steering. But the original use of the word was to refer to the limbs of fish, which stick up or out or down and can be used by the fish to steer or propel it in certain directions.

Answer: rut

Grooves called ruts can be worn in roads used by vehicles or in paths that people or animals use. If you've ever seen a dirt road used by trucks or cars, you've probably seen a pair of ruts along the road. Because ruts can make it difficult for a vehicle to steer out of them, you might hear someone say that a particular person is "stuck in a rut." That means that the person has been doing the same thing over and over and can't easily change the situation he or she is in.

Answer: runt

In animals who give birth to litters of multiple offspring, the runt is the smallest one of the litter and sometimes has the lowest chance of doing well. Runts are popular in literature. The main pig in "Babe," Wilbur of "Charlotte's Web," and "Clifford the Big Red Dog" all were born the runt of their litters. The word "runt" is also used to refer to smaller people, animals, or objects in general.