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Quiz about Australian Words  Aboriginal or Not
Quiz about Australian Words  Aboriginal or Not

Australian Words - Aboriginal or Not? Quiz


Not surprisingly, many Australian words originate in Aboriginal languages. But beware - some common ones are from other languages instead. Can you work out which ones are which?
This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author biscuit_girl

A collection quiz by stedman. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
stedman
Time
3 mins
Type
Quiz #
90,540
Updated
Nov 01 23
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
7 / 15
Plays
298
Awards
Editor's Choice
Last 3 plays: Guest 1 (6/15), 1995Tarpon (13/15), Lascaux (8/15).
From the list of twenty-one words, can you pick the fifteen Aboriginal ones, while ignoring six others? A couple may surprise you!
There are 15 correct entries. Get 3 incorrect and the game ends.
Perentie Jarrah Nullarbor Goanna Wallaby Taipan Bandicoot Numbat Brolga Didgeridoo Wombat NullaNulla Boomerang Lallee Jacaranda Emu Waddy Budgerigar Coolabah Luderick Kookaburra

Left click to select the correct answers.
Right click if using a keyboard to cross out things you know are incorrect to help you narrow things down.

Most Recent Scores
Oct 15 2024 : Guest 1: 6/15
Oct 13 2024 : 1995Tarpon: 13/15
Oct 09 2024 : Lascaux: 8/15
Oct 02 2024 : Rudd13: 7/15
Sep 26 2024 : piet: 15/15
Sep 26 2024 : Guest 49: 3/15
Sep 24 2024 : ozzz2002: 6/15
Sep 14 2024 : Guest 86: 6/15
Sep 10 2024 : linkan: 5/15

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
Answer:

Four of the options are marsupials. "Numbat" comes from the Nyungar language of the Perth-Albany area; "wallaby" and "wombat" both come from the Dharuk language of the Sydney area. "Bandicoot", however, comes from Telugu, a Dravidian language of southern India.

Four others are trees. "Coolibah" (a species of eucalypt) is from the Yuwaaliyaay language of northern New South Wales, "jarrah" (a large tree with dark red timber) is from the Nyungar language from the Perth-Albany area, and "lallee" (a shrubby eucalypt) is probably from the Wemba-Wemba language of Western Victoria. However, "jacaranda" (a tree with bluish-purple flowers) comes from the Tupi-Gaurani language of South America.

Another four are birds. "Kookaburra" (a species of kingfisher) is from the Wiradhuri language of south-western New South Wales; "budgerigar" (a small parakeet) and "brolga" (a large silver-grey crane) are from the Kamilaroi language of eastern New South Wales. On the other hand, the word "emu" (a large flightless bird) is Portuguese in origin.

Next, we have five objects, only three of which are Aboriginal words. The origin of the word "didgeridoo" (a long musical instrument) is obscure, but it is not from an Aboriginal language - it may come from the Gaelic phrase "dúdaire dúth", meaning "native piper". "Nullarbor", (as in Nullarbor Plain, a large arid semi-desert area in southern Australia) is from the Latin for "no trees". "Boomerang" (a curved throwing weapon), "NullaNulla" (a club) and "Waddy" (a heavy stick or club) are all from the Dharuk language of the Sydney area.

Finally, four other animals. "Taipan" (a snake) is from the Wik-Mungkan language of western Cape York in Queensland, "Perentie" (another lizard) is from the Diyari language of the Lake Eyre region in South Australia, and "luderick" (a fish) is from the Kurnai language of the Gippsland area in Victoria. However, the word "goanna" (a lizard) is related to "iguana", which came into English from Spanish and ultimately from Arawak, a language of South America.
Source: Author stedman

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