'BLOOD' Test Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bloodbath

An informal phrase, the term 'bloodbath' doesn't refer to a literal tub of blood. Instead, it's a word use to reflect on a literal or figurative massacre. On one hand, a vicious battle in the midst of a war can be a bloodbath because of the amount of people killed during the event; on the other, a team that fails spectacularly during a competitive event could also be the victim of a bloodbath. Summing it up, the word is used for a sense of catastrophic loss, even in a field like economics, where losing a massive amount of money in the stock market, for example, could be a bloodbath.

Answer: Bloodline

Although 'bloodline' is an evocative word used across most media in some way or another, it's generally used to refer to genealogical inheritance as it tracks back through one's ancestry. Your bloodline is everyone that came before you to give you the biological traits that you possess today. These types of genetics can be studied to determine your risk of inherited diseases, for instance.

Throughout history, bloodlines have been important for a number of sociopolitical reasons. Notably, monarchies and ruling lineages have been passed down through bloodlines, often to detriment. It has, historically, been notable to come from noble bloodlines.

Answer: Bloodlust

To be fair, someone or something with a bloodlust may not always be eager to kill-- after all, a mosquito may have a bloodlust because it thrives on blood in order to survive. In most regards, however, a bloodlust refers to the idea of wanting to kill some living thing either to intentionally murder them or to kill them as a byproduct of another urge. Vampires, for instance, straddle this line as they sustain their powers through the sucking of blood (not unlike a mosquito).

This said, a serial killer may be considered to have an insatiable bloodlust as well.

Answer: Bloodshed

Bloodshed is, simply put, the implication of violence as it refers to the dispensing of blood under injurious circumstances. Like other blood words, this can be taken both literally and figuratively. In the former case, a bloody battle in which harm is caused can demonstrate actual bloodshed while an implied bout of non-physical damage can also refer to the idea that someone has shed blood-- said person may not be able to emerge unscathed, in other words.

Answer: Bloodshot

Bloodshot almost always refers to eyes in a literal sense because someone with bloodshot eyes, while they may not be 'seeing red', will have red eyes. In a biological sense, someone could have red and watery eyes if they're having an allergic reaction or if they are ill with an eye infection (think something like conjunctivitis, which is also known as 'pink eye').

In a less physiological way, someone can have bloodshot eyes when photographed. The red-eye effect, as it's known, occurs when a flash is used in dark light and causes that light to reflect off the back of the eye.

Answer: Bloodhound

Originating as a breed in Europe in the Middle Ages, the bloodhound is so named because of its ability to hunt out its prey with its strong sense of smell. While originally bred for hunting, its abilities have long been associated with the search and rescue of people-- they can take the scent of a missing person and quite effectively locate them.

Despite the background, they're actually considered to be amongst the gentler of breeds, making them great pets for a modern family.

Answer: Bloodstream

The bloodstream of any animal body allows the circulatory system to spread essential nutrients and energy. Powered by the heart, which pumps blood through the body to keep it functioning, the bloodstream's unimpeded activity is key in ensuring any creature remains alive.

In medicine, items injected or fed directly into the bloodstream are more capable of disseminating at faster speeds. In addition to spreading items through the body, the bloodstream is also needed to transport waste to the organs that manage it.

Answer: Bloodsucker

Bloodsucking, or hematophagy, refers to some animals' tendencies to imbibe the blood of other animals, generally for nourishment. Though this is a typical method of eating for some creatures, most would generally consider this to be the most common with parasites-- mosquitos and leeches would be good examples of bloodsucking beings.

The word is also used as an insult by some, simply because the term can be used to describe people who would be willing to spill blood (or at least eager to see it) for their own gain.

Answer: Bloodletting

An old method by which the doctors of yesteryear used to treat patients suffering from a number of maladies, bloodletting refers to the intentional draining of blood from the afflicted, sometimes through actual phlebotomy, and sometimes through the use of leeches.

While most applications of this, at least in the ways that they were originally employed, are considered by most modern practitioners to be complete pseudoscience, bloodletting originated as a healing method in the ancient era and persisted, even finding more popularity, well into the 19th century, at which point modern science led to actual advancements in the field to reduce its use to a small handful of treatments for rarer conditions.

Answer: Bloodcurdling

A word invented in the 19th century, especially in regards to a growing prevalence of horror in literary works, the term 'bloodcurdling' is an evocative one, especially since blood can't literally curdle like milk. One might liken the word to 'bloodchilling'; the word is meant to give the impression that something is so terrifying that the blood solidifies and the victim is paralyzed in fear.

A bloodcurdling scream would be a cause for alarm, but indicate a spreading terror.