Your Number's Up Trivia Quiz

Answer: FOUR

It is not just among the single digit numbers, but across all numbers, four is the only one in the English language that has the same number of letters as its value - F + O + U + R = four letters.

Four is considered to be a number that represents stability and a natural order. In many cases it completes a cycle. For example, there are four seasons in one year, the are four cardinal wind directions (north, south, east and west) and there are (roughly) four weeks to a lunar month. That said, in some Asian countries, the number four is considered to be bad luck because its pronunciation is very similar to the pronunciation of the word "death" in their language.

Answer: SOUR

Things wouldn't have turned sour for you if you didn't swap the F at the start of FOUR with the letter S.

Sour, or sourness, is one of your five basic tastes, along with salty, sweet, bitter, sour and savory. The last one, savory, is usually referred to by its Japanese name, umami.

Like the lemon, mentioned above, there are many foods that can produce this sour (or acid like) taste. Among them are items such as limes, tamarinds, sour creams, vinegars and yoghurts.

Remarkably, children have a better tolerance for sour foods than adults. That is probably why my grandson enjoys those sour bomb lollies/candies and I don't.

Answer: SOUL

To get a little bit of soul, you had to swap the R at the end of SOUR with the letter L.

Soul music, in its basic form, is another form of rhythm and blues. It was created in the United States during the 1950s and was a force during the 1960s and 1970s. Some of the pioneers of the sound include the likes of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles. Some examples of the great soul songs that have been recorded include "Respect" (1967) by Aretha Franklin, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (1967) by Otis Redding, "What's Going On" (1971) by Marvin Gaye, and "A Change Is Gonna Come" (1964) by Sam Cooke.

Answer: SOIL

This time we changed the U in SOUL to an I.

Apart from being dirt or the ground beneath our feet, soil has alternate meanings. As a verb it can mean to dirty something. For example, you may soil your shirt while playing outside. Also, if you say improper things about other people or spread nasty rumours about them, then you will "soil" their name.

Answer: SAIL

You would have breezed through this one if you had changed the O in SOIL to an A.

And, breeze was an appropriate word to use in that last sentence because that is the secret of the sail on a boat... it catches the breeze (or wind) and that propels sail boats forward. Sails are usually three or four sided and are made from a combination of woven materials and bonded filaments. Woven materials include such things as canvas or polyester cloth and a good example of a bonded filament is reinforced plastic. But don't think that sails are simply found on boats, they can also be found on sail-powered land vehicles and windsurfers.

Answer: FAIL

You certainly would have failed if you didn't change the S in SAIL to an F.

To fail means that you have been unsuccessful or that you have neglected to do something. However, you should not be deterred by failing... it is not the end of the world. As one of the world's greatest inventors, Thomas Edison, once said "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work", or you could take a leaf out of Sir Winston Churchill's book: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Answer: FALL

If you didn't change the I in FAIL to an L, your were destined to fall on this one.

Autumn is the season that follows summer and comes before winter. In the southern hemisphere, this means the months from March to May, while in the northern hemisphere you would experience the season between September and November. The significant things about these months is that you will notice that the daylight hours will become, progressively, shorter and the temperature will be a little cooler. Autumn is also well known for its dazzling display of colour changes in the leaves of deciduous trees that are about to shed their leaves.

Answer: FILL

You would have gotten your "fill" if you had changed the A in FALL to an I.

In the question above, that version of fill is a verb. For example, it asks to fill up something (let's say a bucket) with something (let's say water) to its capacity. It doesn't need to be a something that is solid or liquid, it could be an aroma... the air was filled with the smell of garlic.

Fill can also be used as a noun. You may have heard someone say "I've had my fill". In this case the fill could be food or drink and the person is saying that "what I have had is sufficient."

Answer: FILE

File this one in your memory bank and, to do that, you would have needed to have changed the second L in FILL to an E.

The question described file as a folder, but it could also be called a binder, a dossier or a portfolio. Even a filing cabinet can be a file. There are also computer files for storing information.

However, files are not just about storing data. It could be a line, for example, soldiers marching in a single file. A column on a chess board is also called a file. Then again, a file can be a tool, such as a rasp, that you use for removing fine materials. These are commonly used in woodwork and metalwork. A manicurist or a pedicurist would use a nail file to clean and shape fingernails and toenails.

Answer: FIVE

Finally, as the title of this quiz has suggested, "your number is up". In this case, you started with the number four and you have moved up one number to number five. You would have gotten to five by changing the L in FILE to a V.

Five is a prime number. That means it is only divisible by the number one and by itself (the number five). In numerology, five is seen as a number that signifies freedom and adventure. In mythology it is associated with the Babylonian goddess Ishtar and the Roman goddess, Venus. Not surprisingly, the symbol for both of them is the five-pointed star.

The number five is prevalent in so many areas and the things we feel/sense around us. For example, humans have five fingers and toes on each limb, and we also have five senses. In religion we have the Five Pillars of Islam and, in Judaism, there are the Five Books of the Torah. Chinese philosophy puts forward five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) that underpin many of their concepts. And how can we forget that the great children's book author, Enid Blyton, gave us "The Famous Five" in 1942.