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Quiz about Do You Know Your Nursery Rhymes
Quiz about Do You Know Your Nursery Rhymes

Do You Know Your Nursery Rhymes? Quiz


Whether you are young or old, nursery rhymes can be a lot of fun to recite and remember. How well can you do at this quiz? Questions have a UK slant.

A multiple-choice quiz by Luckycharm60. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
Luckycharm60
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
370,343
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Very Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
1260
Last 3 plays: Guest 85 (10/10), Guest 118 (0/10), moonraker2 (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The nursery rhyme, 'One, Two, Buckle my Shoe', is a great way to learn to count to ten. What rhyme is used for the number 10? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Animals feature a lot in nursery rhymes. In the rhyme 'Baa, baa, black sheep', how many bags of wool did the sheep have?

Answer: (One Word (or a Number) Rhymes with glee)
Question 3 of 10
3. One of my favourite nursery rhymes is 'Humpty Dumpty'. Often portrayed as an egg, the story tells that Humpty fell off a great wall, and so was broken. Was he able to be put back together again?


Question 4 of 10
4. Everyone knows the story of Jack and Jill. They went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. "Jack fell down and broke his crown". What method did he use to mend his broken crown (head)? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Another nursery rhyme featuring a Jack is 'Jack Sprat'. Jack Sprat could eat no fat, but what could his wife not eat? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Another popular counting nursery rhyme is 'Hickory, Dickory, Dock'. Who or what ran up the clock? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Nursery rhymes are often used as lullabies, to help put babies to sleep. One of the most popular is 'Rock-a-bye Baby'. In this nursery rhyme, what is the baby being rocked in? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. A lot of nursery rhymes are put to music, and one recognisable one is 'Bobby Shafto's gone to sea'. What did Bobby Shafto wear on his knees? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Often nursery rhymes have a moral lesson. 'Ding, Dong, Bell' is a tale of a poor pussy cat in a well. Little Johnny Flynn put the cat in the well, but who pulled her out? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. For the final question we turn to another Jack. This time the rhyme is 'Jack be Nimble'. What item did Jack jump over? Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The nursery rhyme, 'One, Two, Buckle my Shoe', is a great way to learn to count to ten. What rhyme is used for the number 10?

Answer: A big fat hen

This is a popular counting out rhyme, which was first published in London in 1805. The full rhyme counts up to 20, but people mostly quote up to 10.

Agatha Christie used the title 'One, Two, Buckle my Shoe' for one of her Hercule Poirot stories which was published in 1940.

"One, two, buckle my shoe.
Three, four, open the door.
Five, six, pick up sticks.
Seven, eight, lay them straight.
Nine, ten, a big fat hen!
Eleven, twelve, dig and delve.
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting.
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen.
Seventeen, eighteen, maids a-waiting
Nineteen, twenty, my plate's empty."
2. Animals feature a lot in nursery rhymes. In the rhyme 'Baa, baa, black sheep', how many bags of wool did the sheep have?

Answer: 3

The earliest surviving version of this rhyme dates back to 1744. While there is a bit of speculation as to the origins of the rhyme, the most common seems to be that it is a protest against the taxes on wool which were in place around this time.

The phrase 'Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full sir', is also in common usage in modern times, normally used sarcastically when someone feels he is being ordered around unfairly.

"Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full;
One for the master,
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane."
3. One of my favourite nursery rhymes is 'Humpty Dumpty'. Often portrayed as an egg, the story tells that Humpty fell off a great wall, and so was broken. Was he able to be put back together again?

Answer: No

This is a sad story of Humpty Dumpty. Humpty also appears in a host of other literary works, including Lewis Carroll's 'Through the Looking Glass', the sequel to 'Alice in Wonderland'.

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again."
4. Everyone knows the story of Jack and Jill. They went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. "Jack fell down and broke his crown". What method did he use to mend his broken crown (head)?

Answer: Vinegar and brown paper

In the 19th century, vinegar and brown paper was used as a home cure for bruises on the body.

There are numerous verses in this rhyme - here are the first two.

"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.

Up Jack got and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
And went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper"

Jack is the most common name in used in old English nursery rhymes.
5. Another nursery rhyme featuring a Jack is 'Jack Sprat'. Jack Sprat could eat no fat, but what could his wife not eat?

Answer: Lean

The Jack in this rhyme is reputed to be King Charles I (1625-1649). The story goes that when King Charles declared war on Spain, Parliament refused to finance him (leaving him lean!) so the queen, Henrietta Maria, imposed an illegal war tax (to get some fat!) after the King dissolved Parliament.

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

Jack Sprat was a also nickname used for small people in the 16th Century.
6. Another popular counting nursery rhyme is 'Hickory, Dickory, Dock'. Who or what ran up the clock?

Answer: Mouse

The earliest version of this nursery rhyme can be found in 1744. The words hickory, dickory and dock come from an ancient Celtic language which were used in some cases until the 19th century. They mean the numbers 8, 9 and 10. Shepherds used to count their sheep using these words even when they already spoke English.

Most people only know the first verse - here are some more:-

"Hickory, dickory, dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one, the mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck two, the mouse said "BOO!"
Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck three, the mouse said "WHEE!"
Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck four, the mouse said "No more!"
Hickory dickory dock."
7. Nursery rhymes are often used as lullabies, to help put babies to sleep. One of the most popular is 'Rock-a-bye Baby'. In this nursery rhyme, what is the baby being rocked in?

Answer: Cradle

There are lots of theories on the origin of this rhyme, which seems to have first appeared in print in 1756. Most stories relate to mothers using carved out trees as a cradle and in some cases hanging the cradle from the trees so that the wind rocked the baby.

"Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all."
8. A lot of nursery rhymes are put to music, and one recognisable one is 'Bobby Shafto's gone to sea'. What did Bobby Shafto wear on his knees?

Answer: Silver buckles

The original Bobby Shafto is thought to be an Irishman who died in 1737. However, the song came into common usage through the supporters of Robert Shaftoe (different spelling), who was a British Member of Parliament in the 1760s.

"Bobby Shafto's gone to sea,
Silver buckles at his knee;
He'll come back and marry me,
Bonny Bobby Shafto!

Bobby Shafto's bright and fair,
Panning out his yellow hair;
He's my love for evermore,
Bonny Bobby Shafto!"
9. Often nursery rhymes have a moral lesson. 'Ding, Dong, Bell' is a tale of a poor pussy cat in a well. Little Johnny Flynn put the cat in the well, but who pulled her out?

Answer: Little Tommy Stout

This rhyme has been about in many different versions since around 1580, but the most commonly used modern version was first published around 1765. In the original version, unfortunately, the poor cat was left to drown, but this was changed to encourage children to understand that it was unacceptable and cruel to harm any animal.

The phrase 'Ding, dong, bell' also appears in several Shakespeare plays.

"Ding, dong, bell,
Pussy's in the well.
Who put her in?
Little Johnny Flynn.
Who pulled her out?
Little Tommy Stout.
What a naughty boy was that,
To try to drown poor pussy cat,
Who ne'er did him any harm,
But killed all the mice in the farmer's barn."
10. For the final question we turn to another Jack. This time the rhyme is 'Jack be Nimble'. What item did Jack jump over?

Answer: Candlestick

The first known version of this rhyme appeared in around 1815. Jumping over candlesticks was a little known way of telling fortunes. It was said to be good luck if you could jump clearly over a candle without extinguishing the flame.

"Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick,
Jack jump over
The candlestick."
Source: Author Luckycharm60

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