Is Less More? Trivia Quiz

Answer: From whom did you get that letter?

Here is a sentence using both: "Who told you that, and from whom did they get the information?" The subject of the sentence should always be indicated by "who", whereas "whom" denotes the objective person. While this is not often adhered to in everyday speech, it is still recognised as correct.

Answer: This brand contains less fat than most

This is THE one that inspired me to submit a quiz! "Less" should be applied to subjects that can be measured (by quantity, length, size, or volume, like milk for example). This would usually be a singular noun. "Fewer", on the other hand, should be used where the subject can be counted (people, and chemicals, for example, in the answer options). These would normally be plural nouns.

Answer: The proof is in the pudding

Unless a leftover trifle is present at a crime scene, and secreting vital evidence, this is meaningless! The correct saying is "The proof of the pudding is in the eating", meaning that appearances can be deceptive...you have to experience, or fully test something to prove how good it is! This is a very old saying.

It dates as far back as the 1600s, when puddings were savoury dishes, similar to haggis, and potentially lethal! However tasty the dish looked, only eating it would prove, or test its safety.

Although proverbs are subject to evolution over time, it is the original version which conveys the true meaning of this one.

Answer: Money is the root of all evil

The actual words are "The LOVE OF money is the root of all evil. This is a quote from the Bible, 1 Timothy ch6v10, and has been misrepresented so commonly that the true meaning has been all but lost. Money itself is not evil. Indeed, much good can be done with sufficient funds.

The Biblical quote is a comment on one's attitude to money, and wealth. The apostle Paul is condemning greed and selfishness, highlighting the wickedness and misery it brings about. As true today as ever, greed seems to be the motive for much of the crime, and injustice, in our world.

Answer: I used to feel used, but I got used to it.

We certainly have a rich, and sometimes confusing language! These are examples of HOMONYMS. There are two types of homonym. The incorrect answers contain homoPHONES, words that sound the same, but have different spellings and meanings. The correct answer contains the word "used", which is a homoGRAPH. It is spelled the same for all three meanings.

Answer: Colourful, or happy and carefree

There are many words in common use which have been adopted to mean something other than their original intended definition. Was the beginning of the end for this delightful word that well known catchphrase, "What a gay day"? I wonder! Another, more recent example would be the use of the words "wicked", or "sick" to denote something really "cool" (oops, I've just done it myself!).

Answer: Remember to be on your best behaviour

This is commonly used nowadays to instruct someone to remember to be polite and respectful. However, there are several theories concerning the origin of this saying. Here are three of the options. #1:- "Mind your quarts and pints". A reminder to publicans to make a clear distinction between the two when running up a customer slate. #2:- "Mind your p's and q's". An instruction to printer's apprentices to take care when setting print, as individual letters were placed in the press backwards, and these two look so similar. Paper and ink were expensive commodities at the time of the birth of the printing press. #3:- "Mind your Pleases and than-Qs" (forgive the phonetic approach used to clarify). This is closest to the way we use the phrase nowadays, but may be a case of inventing an origin for a saying that was in place before the words please and thank-you were in usage in that form.

There is one more theory I should mention, as it seems to make one of the wrong answers correct. That is that is was used to help children with their handwriting. However, the question asked was about the phrase's MODERN usage.

Answer: Looking at a male goose

Gander, the word for a male goose, came to be also the slang for "look". The reason for this, many believe, is due to the way a gander stretches his neck upwards and forwards as if straining to get a closer look at something. This may also be the root of the American phrase "to rubberneck", or "rubbernecking", on account of the gander's neck appearing to stretch, like rubber.

Answer: As strong as an axe

The correct simile is "As strong as an ox". Similes was a popular parlour game in Victorian times, and there is a charming depiction of this in the 1984 version of "A Christmas Carol", starring George C Scott.

Answer: None, they are all the same

I suppose this is as much a maths, or science question as an English one....but you had to read it carefully, which is a requirement for literacy skills! While a kilogram of feathers would take up much more space than a kilogram of lead, the weight of each would be the same.

Although lead is heavier per measure of volume than feathers, or silk, each of these examples weighs 98 N (the weight of a one-kilogram or thousand-gram mass on the surface of the earth), so they all weigh the same.