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Quiz about Please Pass the Sugar
Quiz about Please Pass the Sugar

Please Pass the Sugar Trivia Quiz


Except for water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world. There are innumerable regional variations in what teas are consumed and how, but this quiz focuses on tea as it is consumed in Anglophone countries. Sit down and enjoy a cuppa!

A multiple-choice quiz by SatchelPooch. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
SatchelPooch
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
395,608
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
569
Last 3 plays: BudHoney (9/10), Guest 161 (6/10), Guest 79 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Tea made its way from Asia to Europe via the Dutch East India Company in the early 17th century. First it was a novelty, then a luxury item, and it finally became widely available and affordable during which British monarch's reign? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. To drink tea, one must first brew tea, and there are long-standing disputes about the best way to do so. Traditionally tea is brewed in a teapot from loose tea leaves, but an invention in the early 20th century revolutionized the brewing of tea forever. What was this invention? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Tea is an essential part of many morning routines, but afternoon tea is an important social custom that can be highly ritualized. What food would not typically be seen at a traditional afternoon tea? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Another important ritual of afternoon tea concerns how the tea is served. At a formal tea, one person is responsible for pouring the tea into cups and adding whatever each drinker likes in their tea (such as cream or sugar). This is typically the privilege of the host or hostess. What affectionate nickname is sometimes applied to the person who pours out the tea? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. When famous physicist Richard Feynman first arrived at Princeton University as a graduate student, he had little experience with formal events. At an introductory tea with the Dean, the Dean's wife asked whether he would like cream or lemon in his tea, to which the nervous Feynman replied that he would have both. According to Feynman, the Dean's wife responded "Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh. Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman."

Why did the Dean's wife find Feynman's response so amusing?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Speaking of what we add to tea, what occupational nickname is associated with a very strong cup of tea with lashings of milk and sugar? (Construction is thirsty work!) Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Still on the topic of what we add to tea, there is a longstanding debate about whether you put milk in the cup first and then pour in the tea, or add the milk after the tea is poured into the cup. What English author, famous for the dystopian novel "1984," expressed a strong preference for tea first, milk second? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Teapots can be made from many different materials including porcelain, glass, stoneware, stainless steel, and silver. Some are rough and ready and some are precious heirlooms.

A teapot that was a favorite of Victorians (and is still made today) was made from a particular red clay, cast in a characteristic round shape, and glazed with Rockingham glaze. This teapot's name is also the name of a baked fruit dessert. What is it called?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. One unusual component of a old-fashioned tea set is a slop bowl. What was this item used for? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Now that teatime is over, we have to dispose of the spent tea leaves or teabags. What should we do with them? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Tea made its way from Asia to Europe via the Dutch East India Company in the early 17th century. First it was a novelty, then a luxury item, and it finally became widely available and affordable during which British monarch's reign?

Answer: Victoria

It makes sense that a beverage so steeped in tradition should become popular during an era preoccupied with manners and etiquette. Once everyone discovered tea's refreshing benefits, it quickly became so ingrained in everyday life that a "cuppa" is considered a solution to any personal problem. It's not a bad start!
2. To drink tea, one must first brew tea, and there are long-standing disputes about the best way to do so. Traditionally tea is brewed in a teapot from loose tea leaves, but an invention in the early 20th century revolutionized the brewing of tea forever. What was this invention?

Answer: Tea bags

Tea bags were an accidental invention by Thomas Sullivan, an American tea merchant. He sent out tea samples in small silk bags, which the recipients used to brew the beverage directly rather than removing the leaves and brewing them in a teapot.

Tea bags certainly do make some things about brewing easier, and are popular for that reason. But those who favor tea brewed from loose leaves in a pot say that allowing the leaves to unfurl naturally in the boiling water produces a superior result.

There used to be a saying that something useless was "as much good as a chocolate teapot." And then some smart alec actually figured out a way to make a teapot out of chocolate!
3. Tea is an essential part of many morning routines, but afternoon tea is an important social custom that can be highly ritualized. What food would not typically be seen at a traditional afternoon tea?

Answer: Sausage rolls

Afternoon tea foods are formally served in order: sandwiches, then scones, then sweets. If a cake stand is used, the sandwiches are on the bottom tier, the scones in the middle, and the sweets on the top.

The addition of heartier foods such as sausage rolls transforms afternoon tea into high tea, which is a less formal occasion.
4. Another important ritual of afternoon tea concerns how the tea is served. At a formal tea, one person is responsible for pouring the tea into cups and adding whatever each drinker likes in their tea (such as cream or sugar). This is typically the privilege of the host or hostess. What affectionate nickname is sometimes applied to the person who pours out the tea?

Answer: Mother

The person who pours the tea is a very important one. They control the pace of the event and also act as arbiter of etiquette.

At my first afternoon tea with the grandmother of my college boyfriend, I committed the faux pas of extending my teacup for a refill by the handle. I was informed later that one should extend the cup by the saucer. I'm sure that was only one of the shocks this American supplied to that very proper native Scot!
5. When famous physicist Richard Feynman first arrived at Princeton University as a graduate student, he had little experience with formal events. At an introductory tea with the Dean, the Dean's wife asked whether he would like cream or lemon in his tea, to which the nervous Feynman replied that he would have both. According to Feynman, the Dean's wife responded "Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh. Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman." Why did the Dean's wife find Feynman's response so amusing?

Answer: Because lemon would curdle the cream in the tea

Feynman later used the phrase "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!" as the title of a memoir. I think he rather enjoyed his reputation as an iconoclast and social terror.

The point of the story as I understand it, however, is that Feynman had to learn to apply his analytic ability to understanding social etiquette. A year later, at another tea with the Dean's wife, he had an insight: "I knew the 'heh-heh-heh' meant 'error,' and I'd better get it straightened out." Spoken like a true scientist!
6. Speaking of what we add to tea, what occupational nickname is associated with a very strong cup of tea with lashings of milk and sugar? (Construction is thirsty work!)

Answer: Builder's tea

Builders (construction workers) need a good strong cup of tea to make it through the work day. A cup of builder's is made in a mug with a teabag that is left to brew (or "stew") longer than usual, so the resulting tea is robust enough to take a hearty amount of milk and sugar.

A UK brand of teabags called "Make Mine a Builders" claims that their tea is approved by the Federation of Master Builders, Britain's largest building trade association.
7. Still on the topic of what we add to tea, there is a longstanding debate about whether you put milk in the cup first and then pour in the tea, or add the milk after the tea is poured into the cup. What English author, famous for the dystopian novel "1984," expressed a strong preference for tea first, milk second?

Answer: George Orwell

Orwell's "A Nice Cup of Tea" is a delightful and opinionated essay about how to make and drink proper tea. While acknowledging that people can disagree with his 11 rules, Orwell says that nevertheless he regards every single one as "golden".
8. Teapots can be made from many different materials including porcelain, glass, stoneware, stainless steel, and silver. Some are rough and ready and some are precious heirlooms. A teapot that was a favorite of Victorians (and is still made today) was made from a particular red clay, cast in a characteristic round shape, and glazed with Rockingham glaze. This teapot's name is also the name of a baked fruit dessert. What is it called?

Answer: Brown Betty

The Brown Betty makes excellent tea. I don't know if it's the clay (which is said to hold heat better than other clays), the shape (which enthusiasts swear allows optimal circulation of the tea leaves), or the glaze, but it's a wonderful teapot and I wouldn't trade mine for the fanciest bone china teapot you could offer.

The dessert named Brown Betty is typically made with apples. It's similar to a cobbler except that the sweetened crumbs are layered in with the apples rather than sprinkled on top. Buckles, slumps, and grunts are also real baked fruit desserts!
9. One unusual component of a old-fashioned tea set is a slop bowl. What was this item used for?

Answer: To empty your cold tea dregs before accepting a fresh cup

Most modern tea sets do not include a slop bowl. The use of tea bags or tea strainers means that tea leaves no longer make their way into the cups, and so the dregs need not be discarded when a fresh cup is wanted.

This of course means that no tea leaves are left in the cup to tell fortunes with!
10. Now that teatime is over, we have to dispose of the spent tea leaves or teabags. What should we do with them?

Answer: Compost them

Let's tidy up! We'll wash the cups and plates, put away the cakes and pastries we didn't finish, and put the milk jug in the refrigerator. Can you hand me the sugar tongs?

We will definitely rinse out the teapot before we put it away! Composting is the best thing to do with spent tea leaves and teabags.
Source: Author SatchelPooch

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