Artificial Intelligence or Natural Stupidity Quiz

Answer: natural

One of the meanings of natural is "in the state something is found in nature" - that is, not processed or refined. If somebody is a natural blond, their hair is not bleached or dyed; natural elements or minerals have not been refined of impurities, and may not be ready for use. The words crude (especially referring to oil) or raw may also be used to mean unprocessed.

Unprocessed is the antonym of processed, formed with the negative prefix "un-". The verb "to process" comes from the Latin "procedere" (to go forward).

Answer: stupidity

If an intelligent person is described as sharp, someone lacking in smarts can consequently be described as dull - just like a blade that has lost its edge. Dullness is one of the many synonyms of stupidity in its primary meaning of "the state of lacking intelligence". Very similar in meaning are thickness and slowness, which imply a lack of subtlety or quickness of mind.

The adjective dull comes from Old English "dol", meaning foolish.

Answer: artificial

One of the meanings of synthetic is "produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis" - thus artificial rather than natural. Items that are usually referred to as synthetic are fabrics (such as nylon and polyester) or drugs (such as LSD and most opioids). This adjective can also be used as a synonym of "faux" - as in synthetic fur or synthetic leather.

Synthetic and synthesis come from the Greek verb "syntithenai", meaning "to put together".

Answer: natural

One of the many meanings of spontaneous is "proceeding from natural feeling or impulse", thus not planned or contrived - as in a spontaneous smile or a spontaneous round of applause. A plant that grows spontaneously does so naturally, without human manipulation, while spontaneous combustion occurs without the application of an external source of heat.

Spontaneous comes from the Latin adverbial "(sua) sponte", meaning "of one's own accord".

Answer: stupidity

While stupidity could be explained as plain lack of wits, folly denotes something potentially more dangerous than mere foolishness. Besides its meaning of a lack of good sense, folly can also refer to foolish or imprudent actions leading to serious consequences - financial or otherwise. Folly also denotes a fanciful (and likely useless) building erected on a whim and at great expense.

The Old French "folie" (madness or stupidity) from which folly is derived has its root in the Latin "follis" (bellows or leather bag). A foolish person was thus originally described as a windbag.

Answer: artificial

Something (or someone) contrived will have an artificial quality or appearance that is generally viewed negatively. An insincere person's behaviour may be referred to as contrived, as may the plot of a book or film. Another synonym that emphasizes lack of spontaneity and naturalness is labored - often describing the result of trying too hard to achieve a certain outcome.

Contrived is the past participle of the verb "to contrive", which comes from Old French "controuver" (imagine or invent).

Answer: intelligence

Although intelligence may not sound as unsavoury as espionage, the two terms are synonymous - as any dictionary worth its salt will explain. The definition of intelligence as "information given or received about an enemy or competitor" implies that such information may be obtained through the use of undercover personnel.

Though directly derived from the French, espionage comes from an old Germanic root, related to Latin "specere" (to look at).

Answer: natural

Innate means existing from the time of birth, and as such is also synonymous with native or inborn. The stupidity mentioned in the title of this quiz is implied to be part of someone's essential nature, not acquired after birth.

Innate comes from "in-" and "natus", the past participle of the Latin verb "nascere" (to be born). Interestingly, it is not only synonymous with natural, but also related to it, as nature is also derived from "nascere", and originally meant birth.

Answer: intelligence

Though often used to mean sense of humour - that is, the ability to connect ideas and present them in an amusing way - wit also denotes keenness of perception and reasoning power. In a number of common idioms, the noun is used in its plural form to mean mental faculties - as in "to be at one's wits' end" or "to pit one's wits against someone" - or also sanity, as in "to be scared out of one's wits".

Derived from Old English "witan" (to know), wit is also related to Latin "videre" (to see). The adjective wise has the same origin.

Answer: stupidity

Simplicity denotes the state of being simple - a euphemism of sorts for lack of intelligence, or (to be somewhat more charitable) lack of guile and sophistication. A person lacking such characteristics may well be unable to deal with situations that involve subtlety and mental effort, and thus end up being called a simpleton.

The Latin word "simplex", from which simplicity is derived, originally meant "having a single component" or "one-fold". A simple person was thus one that had nothing to hide.

Answer: artificial

Though usually a noun, imitation can also be employed as an adjective in the meaning of "resembling something else that is genuine and of better quality". Though not as blunt as fake or counterfeit, it is very similar in meaning to both these adjectives. Examples of this use are phrases such as imitation leather, imitation vanilla flavour, or imitation crab. All of these items may superficially look (or smell, or taste) like the real thing, but definitely owe nothing to nature.

Imitation is the noun from the verb "to imitate", which comes from the Latin "imitari" (to copy).

Answer: intelligence

If someone remarks on your acumen, they are praising a particular aspect of your intelligence - that is, your unusual keenness and depth of perception. While in the past this word referred mainly to sharpness of wit, in modern English it denotes the ability to quickly grasp a situation - even when it is not immediately evident - and act upon it.

Acumen retains the spelling and the figurative meaning of its Latin counterpart, which is related to the noun "acus" (needle). The adjective for somebody who displays acumen is acute, which is also frequently used in a medical context, as well as in geometry.