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Quiz about All Things Tabby
Quiz about All Things Tabby

All Things Tabby Trivia Quiz


As the title says, this is a quiz about all things tabby - there's more to tabby than just cats, so see how much you know.

A multiple-choice quiz by Mink. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
Mink
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
239,159
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
538
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Question 1 of 10
1. Most people are familiar with the tabby cat but there is a particular coat pattern which is named after a fish. Which of these is it? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The tabby cat is thought to derive its name from a type of fabric - can you say what this fabric is? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. One meaning of the word tabby is one which has fallen out of use now but which, during the 18th and 19th century, would have been very familiar as a description of a type of person. Which of the following is a definition of tabby? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. This type of tabby is another creature, known as the Large Tabby. Which of these is the animal referred to? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. A tabby from the international news archives caught my eye. This tabby was a cat called Jack and he managed to chase an animal larger than himself up a tree in June 2006. What was this animal? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Tabby can also be a very useful building material and is the name for a type of concrete used to build houses in the Southern Atlantic coastal areas of Colonial North America. The mix contained sand, ash and water but what other essential ingredient was added to make this? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. I'm not going to say whether the tabby in this question is a cat or not but which of these famous people made a mention of tabby in his writings? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Tabby is sometimes used as a diminutive for the name Tabitha. Tabitha was once a popular female name and is taken from the Bible. She was a disciple from Joppa and was raised from the dead by Peter. In Greek, however, she is known by another name. What is this name? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Have you ever heard of Tabby Aykroyd? She was a real person and was the servant of a famous English literary family - but which of these did she cook and clean for? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The classic tabby cat is described as having a letter formed by the pattern of stripes on its forehead. What is this letter? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Most people are familiar with the tabby cat but there is a particular coat pattern which is named after a fish. Which of these is it?

Answer: Mackerel

One of the most common tabby cat coat patterns is known as a mackerel tabby because the characteristic vertically striped coat resembles the skin of a mackerel. It is thought that this pattern is possibly the original one from which tabby cat patterns developed.

Interestingly, if you look at some plain coated cats, eg black, in certain lights you can often see the tabby markings as a very faint pattern in their coats.
2. The tabby cat is thought to derive its name from a type of fabric - can you say what this fabric is?

Answer: Silk

It is thought that the name of the tabby cat derives from a type of taffeta striped silk fabric which was popular in England in the 17th Century. Around this time the first tabby cats were seen in England and they were probably named after the fabric. It is even mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary as he describes himself as wearing "my false tabby waistcoat with gold lace" on Sunday 13th October 1661.

The name of the fabric is said to come from the Arabic word attabi for a fabric from the al Attabiya area of ancient Baghdad. This area was famous for its rich, watered silks and if you look at the coat of a tabby cat you can see why it got its name. The word came to English from the Arabic via Latin and French.
3. One meaning of the word tabby is one which has fallen out of use now but which, during the 18th and 19th century, would have been very familiar as a description of a type of person. Which of the following is a definition of tabby?

Answer: Spinster, old maid or gossip

A tabby was a word for a spinster or old maid and may have come from the habit of single ladies to keep cats as companions - or from the comparison being made between old maids and cats! Some think it may also derive from the old-fashioned (now) name of Tabitha. Whichever it is, I think it sounds nicer than old maid but is still not exactly a compliment.
4. This type of tabby is another creature, known as the Large Tabby. Which of these is the animal referred to?

Answer: Moth

The Large Tabby is a type of moth, Aglossa pinguinalis. It is found in barns and warehouses and its larvae feed on straw, chaff and sheep droppings. Its name presumably comes from the brindled appearance of the adult moth.
5. A tabby from the international news archives caught my eye. This tabby was a cat called Jack and he managed to chase an animal larger than himself up a tree in June 2006. What was this animal?

Answer: Black Bear

This was in the news in June 2006 when Jack had his 15 minutes of fame. He lived with his owner in New Jersey in the USA and he chased a black bear up a tree! Apparently the bear managed to get down once but was promptly chased back up another tree. The bear only escaped when Jack's owner called him indoors, giving the bear time to climb down and run away before Jack could get to it again.
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5067912.stm for the full story.
6. Tabby can also be a very useful building material and is the name for a type of concrete used to build houses in the Southern Atlantic coastal areas of Colonial North America. The mix contained sand, ash and water but what other essential ingredient was added to make this?

Answer: Oyster shells

Tabby is a type of building material made from a mixture of limestone, sand, oyster shells and ash and was probably brought to the US by Spanish settlers in the 16th century. It is thought to come from the Spanish word tapia, which means mud wall and this word in turn may have come from the African/Arabic word tabbi for a mix of lime and mortar. The North African Moors may have taken the technique to Spain and then the Spanish took it on to the New World when they set off on their explorations.

The oyster shells contain calcium carbonate and when this is heated and mixed with sand and water it reacts to from a type of concrete which is very strong. It was used to build houses and walls and some buildings still exist today. This website has some very interesting information if you would like to know more: http://www.bcgov.net/bftlib/tabby.htm
7. I'm not going to say whether the tabby in this question is a cat or not but which of these famous people made a mention of tabby in his writings?

Answer: Samuel Pepys

As mentioned in the information for question 2 above, Samuel Pepys wore a waistcoat of tabby trimmed with gold lace. He was undoubtedly dressed at the very height of fashion as he seems to have been very much the man about town. To the best of my knowledge, none of the other writers has mentioned tabby in their printed works.
8. Tabby is sometimes used as a diminutive for the name Tabitha. Tabitha was once a popular female name and is taken from the Bible. She was a disciple from Joppa and was raised from the dead by Peter. In Greek, however, she is known by another name. What is this name?

Answer: Dorcas

Dorcas means gazelle and is the Greek equivalent of Tabitha, which also means gazelle but in Aramaic. In the bible she was known for her alms-deeds and good works. Peter, who was sent for from Lydda when she died, prayed over her dead body, and said, "Tabitha, arise." and she opened her eyes and sat up. (Acts 9:36-43).
9. Have you ever heard of Tabby Aykroyd? She was a real person and was the servant of a famous English literary family - but which of these did she cook and clean for?

Answer: The Brontes

Tabitha (Tabby) Aykroyd came to work for the Brontes at Haworth in 1824 when she was 53. She stayed there for 31 years and was firstly cook and housekeeper and then, latterly, took on lighter duties after she fell and broke her leg, which refused to heal.

The Bronte children seem to have been very fond of her as they refused to have her moved to her sister's house to be cared for and nursed her themselves.
10. The classic tabby cat is described as having a letter formed by the pattern of stripes on its forehead. What is this letter?

Answer: M

Nearly all tabby cats have a pattern of stripes between the eyes which forms the letter M. Sometimes it is broken up but it can be a very strong, clear marking. There are a number of legends about the origin of this mark, among which are that the Virgin Mary gave it after a tabby cat helped keep the baby Jesus warm.

Another version is that the prophet Mohammed bestowed it after a tabby cat warned him of danger. Delightful though these legends are, in reality, the alphabets from which each of these people's initials would have been taken would not have contained the letter M. I suppose it's all down to genetics then after all, but, in my book, the tabby cat is certainly a very attractive creature.
Source: Author Mink

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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