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Sort and Solve Trivia Quiz
Jumbled together are 16 items which need to be sorted neatly into four groups. Each of the four groups has an independent "theme" or common "thread". Can you sort and solve?
Cooler and shorter days combined with a decrease in the production of auxin (a hormone which regulates plant growth) weaken the bond between leaves and stems. The natural process of falling leaves is called abscission.
2. Empires
Answer: Fall/Falling
Empires have fallen resulting from various factors, such as, economical, sociocultural, political and environmental issues. After the death of Theodosius I a divided empire was challenged and so began the fall of the Roman Empire. World War I contributed to the fall of the Ottoman, Romanov, German and Austro-Hungarian empires.
3. Arches
Answer: Fall/Falling
Fallen arches, known medically as pes planus (from the Latin "pes" foot and "planus" plain) is a condition where the entire foot touches the ground when standing, also known as flat feet. All babies are born with flat feet and normally the arch develops in early childhood.
Some of the causes of fallen arches can be injuries to the Achilles tendon, broken bones, Cerebral Palsy, Diabetes, Down Syndrome, high blood pressure, obesity, pregnancy and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
4. Temperature
Answer: Fall/Falling
When skies are clear heat from the earth's atmosphere escapes more rapidly, however cloud cover can block the sun's rays and temperatures could fall then too. Other factors are cold ocean currents, altitude, air-mass circulation and proximity from the sea. On 22 January 1943, in Spearfish in South Dakota, USA, the temperature fell from 54°F (12°C) to 4°F (-15°C) in just 27 minutes!
5. Knight
Answer: L-shaped
The knight is a tricky chess piece. It's the only piece in chess that can hop or jump over another piece. Every time it moves it alternates from a light-square to a dark-square, or vice-versa. The knight moves in an L-shape, up or down one square vertically and over two squares horizontally or up or down two squares vertically and over one square horizontally.
6. Right Angle
Answer: L-shaped
A right angle measures exactly 90 degrees, as in the corner intersections of two perpendicular straight lines. Each section created by the intersection is L-shaped, inversely L-shapes are right angles.
7. Hex Key
Answer: L-shaped
A hex key, also known as an Allen key, is a small handheld L-shaped tool with a hexagonal head at each end. Hex keys are used to turn screws or bolts with hexagonal sockets. They come in various sizes all having a hexagonal tip.
8. Palatine Bones
Answer: L-shaped
Palatine bones are a pair of L-shaped bones composed of two plates, one horizontal and one perpendicular. They are facial bones which form a portion of the hard palate, beside the nasal cavity and orbits.
9. Feathers
Answer: Currency
Feathers were used as currency as far back as Mayan, Incan and Aztec cultures. In some cases the color made the feather more valuable. Feathers from macaws and quetzals were used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica often as marriage payment. "Tevau" were red feathers tied to fiber and coiled used by ethnic groups in Papua New Guinea.
10. Shells
Answer: Currency
Cowrie shells were used as currency in Asia, Africa, Oceania and certain parts of Europe. Wampum (beads made from parts of ground bivalve shells) were used by the Indigenous people of North America's East coast.
11. Black Peppercorns
Answer: Currency
Black pepper was sometimes called "black gold" because of its rarity and high value. During the Civil War of Stephen and Matilda coins were scarce and black peppercorns were often used to pay rent. It continued to be used as payment for goods and services even used to pay taxes.
12. Grain
Answer: Currency
Barley is believed to be one of the first official currencies in the world. The Sumerian barley money was the first official currency in history (3,000 BC). Ancient Egyptians used wheat as a basis of their complex banking and financial system. Wheat, a staple food, was in highly regarded for its immediate natural value.
As agriculture developed grain became a form of barter for other cultures.
13. Book
Answer: Spine
The spine of a book is the vertical edge, where the pages are connected, visible when the book is in the shelved position. The spine connects the front and back covers, whether it's hard or soft covered.
14. Cactus
Answer: Spine
Cacti are covered in clusters of spines which are believed to be modified leaves or bud "scales". They help the plants survive in hot, dry environments by collecting "drips" and water vapor at night and radiate heat from the stem during the day and of course, they protect against herbivores.
15. Hedgehog
Answer: Spine
The spines are actually hollow hairs containing keratin for stiffness. An adult hedgehog will have between 5000 and 7,000 spines. They don't shoot or release the spines when threatened. Rather they simply run away or roll into a ball of spikes instead.
16. Pineapple
Answer: Spine
As in the case of cactus spines, scientists believe pineapple spines are also modified leaves, developed to help protect the flesh inside the fruit from predators. The needle shaped "crystals", composed of calcium oxalate or calcium carbonate are called "raphides".
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Fifiona81 before going online.
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