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Quiz about Department of Redundancy Department
Quiz about Department of Redundancy Department

Department of Redundancy Department Quiz


One of the quests of some writers and English scholars is to stamp out the many redundant words and phrases which litter the literary landscape. See if you can identify them and help weed them out.

A multiple-choice quiz by Nealzineatser. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
373,773
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
893
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Question 1 of 10
1. Which one of the following statements contains the redundancy? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which intrepid traveler experienced the redundancy? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which of these items is technically described in a redundant way? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Select the river name which does NOT unnecessarily repeat the word "river." Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which important person is named in a redundant fashion? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. "At twelve midnight, the armed gunman burst into the convenience store with no advance warning. 'Fill this sack to capacity with all your cash,' he shouted loudly at the terrified clerk. The clerk willingly complied, and the gunman grabbed the cash and made his escape. Unfortunately for him, the police were in close proximity, and he was quickly surrounded on all sides. The newspaper account roughly estimated the amount taken at $500 dollars." HOW MANY REDUNDANCIES are there in this story? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. These following sentences describe a man's written story. Which sentence is free from redundancy? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Why is the phrase "the hoi polloi" considererd by linguists to be a redundancy? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Again, here are four sentences, three of which are riddled with redundancies. Which one is NOT? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which of the following is a classic redundancy? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which one of the following statements contains the redundancy?

Answer: Joseph withdrew his last $50 from the ATM machine

The redundancy is "ATM machine". ATM stands for "automated teller machine", so adding the word "machine" to the acronym is redundant. Again I say, it's unnecessarily redundant and repetitive. Now, do you get the idea?
2. Which intrepid traveler experienced the redundancy?

Answer: Jill traveled to Japan, where she climbed Mt. Fujiyama

Jill was the redundant, repeat winner, as she really climbed Fujiyama (Japanese name) or Mt. Fuji (English). The suffix "yama" means "mountain" in Japanese.
3. Which of these items is technically described in a redundant way?

Answer: handwritten manuscript

Dictionary.com defines "manuscript" as "the original text of an author's work, handwritten or now usually typed, that is submitted to a publisher," but "manuscript" originally referred to only a handwritten document, and it's from the Latin "manu" (by hand) and "scriptus" (written). Like many of these redundancies, the term has worked itself into regular usage.
4. Select the river name which does NOT unnecessarily repeat the word "river."

Answer: The Nile River

The Nile River, the longest in the world at 4,258 miles, derives from the Greek "neilos" meaning "valley." Rio Grande of course translates to "big river" in Spanish. The Algonquin/Ojibwe Indian name "Misi-Ziibi" meaning "great river" gave us Mississippi. Paraguay River qualifies as a doubly redundant because both "para" and "guay" come from terms meaning "river," thus we have the "river river river."
5. Which important person is named in a redundant fashion?

Answer: the head chef

The word "chef" comes from the French "chef de cuisine" meaning "chief (or head) of cooking (or kitchen)", so we already know the chef is the head person in the kitchen. In de facto usage, many refer to head chefs, but never insult a chef by calling him or her a "cook".
6. "At twelve midnight, the armed gunman burst into the convenience store with no advance warning. 'Fill this sack to capacity with all your cash,' he shouted loudly at the terrified clerk. The clerk willingly complied, and the gunman grabbed the cash and made his escape. Unfortunately for him, the police were in close proximity, and he was quickly surrounded on all sides. The newspaper account roughly estimated the amount taken at $500 dollars." HOW MANY REDUNDANCIES are there in this story?

Answer: ten

Redundancies in the passage are: twelve midnight (midnight, by definition, means "twelve o'clock at night"; armed gunman; advance warning; fill to capacity; shouted loudly; willingly complied; close proximity; surrounded on all sides; roughly estimated; $500 dollars (dollar sign).
7. These following sentences describe a man's written story. Which sentence is free from redundancy?

Answer: Drawing on personal experience, he told the story from his own perspective,

The "personal experience" clause modifies and explains "his own perspective" in the main clause, so that sentence not unnecessarily repetitive. The first definition when one googles "moment" or looks in a dictionary is "a very brief period of time." Also, since "best" is a superlative, adding "ever" is redundant. Fundamentals are the basics of a subject, discipline, or endeavour. An autobiography is by definition a story of one's own life. Thus, the other three sentences contain redundancies.
8. Why is the phrase "the hoi polloi" considererd by linguists to be a redundancy?

Answer: because "hoi polloi" means "THE many" in Greek

"Hoi polloi" is an expression derived from the Greek meaning "the many." Its English usage came about in the 19th century as a way for the educated to refer to the uneducated masses. It had, and still has, a negative or derogatory connotation, although it has become more commonly used in a humorous or tongue-in-cheek fashion, as it was by The Three Stooges when they poked fun at themselves and "high society" in their eponymous 1935 film short.

Some synonyms of the term are: "the rabble", "the great unwashed", "riff raff", and "peons".

The whole idea is "we" (society people) are better than "they" (the rest, the "hoi polloi").
9. Again, here are four sentences, three of which are riddled with redundancies. Which one is NOT?

Answer: The massive beech tree had numerous branches overhanging the patio, providing shade in the summer.

Redundancies in the incorrect answers are: new discovery; end result; usual custom; tuna fish; diametrically opposed; vacillated back and forth: sharp point; specific examples.
10. Which of the following is a classic redundancy?

Answer: cameo appearance

A "cameo" is a brief or uncredited appearance usually of a well known actor/actress in a film or play. The word "appearance" is therefore totally unnecessary in the phrase. "Military intelligence" and "jumbo shrimp" are examples of oxymorons, words that when put together create a jarring or incongruous effect for the reader, as they can seem to be contradictory. "Flying squirrel" is a misnomer, a commonly-accepted word or phrase which is technically incorrect, as in this case squirrels don't actually fly, they glide through the air after jumping from a tree, but cannot gain altitude.
Source: Author Nealzineatser

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