Fruit Flies Like a Banana Trivia Quiz

Answer: Groucho Marx

In its original context, the expression reads, "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." The wordplay arises because the two sentences appear identical in their construction but are actually very different. "Flies" operates as both a verb and noun; "like" as an adverb and verb.

Other famous Groucho quotes include, "I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception" and "I'm not a vegetarian, but I eat animals who are".

I. Anne Tentoo, Lee Ferreiva or Dieter Ryan? They, collectively, provide another memorable Groucho offering (If you can't see it, try repeating it to yourself slowly).

Answer: No! It was her choice

Most of the wordplays in this quiz are years old and this is no exception. It is based upon the fact that, when spoken in a certain way, "Jamaica" sounds like "Did you make her?" This relies, of course, on the "Did you" being corrupted to "D'yer" and is enshrined in the Led Zeppelin song, "D'yer Mak'er". There really is a Jamaican Oriole, alternatively known as the banana bird.

Answer: Tim and Sophie are shown to his quarters

According to Dictionary.com, the word quarter has over forty different definitions in English. Here the meaning is that of a lodging or temporary accommodation. The etymology isn't precisely clear but is thought to derive from the four compass points rather than from a one-fourth part.

The word quarter then began to be attached to a part of a town, as in "Spanish quarter" or "Latin quarter", and subsequently to an individual's lodgings, particularly through military usage.

Answer: Currently, about 350 Euros per week

A Grecian urn is a Greek-made piece of pottery, an example of which provided the inspiration for Keats' "Ode to a Grecian Urn" which ends thus:
"When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,"-that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

The ambiguity stems from the fact that "urn" and "earn" are homophones for each other. It also relies on "Grecian" being both an adjective and a noun. Thus, "What's a Grecian urn?" becomes "How much does a Grecian (a citizen of Greece) earn?"

Answer: Poke both his eyes out

The Venetian blind is a window covering believed to have been introduced to France by slaves from Venice but whose first patent was lodged in London, England in 1769.

This is another wordplay that works because Venetian can be both an adjective describing things that originate from Venice or a noun signifying its inhabitants.

Answer: Lay eggs and cluck

Another old and corny gag that matches "Hindu" with "hen do". It was used in the short-lived political satire, "That's My Bush", which aired briefly on Comedy Central during 2001.

Answer: Nothing much, how's it with you?

This is another wordplay that works best in spoken rather than written form.

An example of its use even made it into the TV series, "The Office", except that Michael Scott's excitement led to his omitting the punch line:
Michael: "Hey is it me? Or does this place smell like updog?"
Dwight: "What's updog?"
Michael: "Gotcha!

Answer: Cardinal Sin

Cardinal means "of utmost significance" but is also the title given to a high-ranking position within the Catholic Church. Ironically, there was a real-life Cardinal Sin who was a Cardinal in the Philippines from 1976 to 2005.

Answer: About a pound or two

This is a variation on an old gag, often rendered as "What's a henway?" The obvious conclusion is that Tim has seen a musical instrument, as Steinway is a famous maker of pianos. However, a stein is a drinking tankard used in Germany, Switzerland and other countries. The question thus becomes, "How much does a stein weigh?"

Answer: Kermit the Frog

The lily pad pointed towards Kermit as did the signature, "Ferret Goth Kim", which is an anagram of his name. I couldn't let a Dan Brown parody go without at least one anagram!

The primary intention of this quiz was to have a bit of fun but several of the examples do illustrate a significant issue in the realm of artificial intelligence, known as Natural Language Understanding. To correctly comprehend a sentence such as "Fruit flies like a banana" requires an understanding of context and language. The goal of computer programmers, such as Sophie, is to develop these skills in a computer.