People Who Became Words - 9 Trivia Quiz

Answer: None of these

'The Islets of Langerhans' are named after a biologist named Paul Langerhans. These islets are not a piece of land, rather a part of the pancreas. The endocrine cells are located in the islets of Langerhans.

Answer: Caesar salad

The month of July is said to have been named after Julius Caesar. Similarly the title Kaiser, Czar and Tsar are derived from the name of the great leader Caesar. The Caesar cipher is an encryption technique and is named after Caesar who devised this system to communicate with his generals. Caesar salad however is not named after the Roman dictator; it is named after Caesar Cardini, a Mexican restaurant owner, who is believed to be the first to create this dish.

The word Caesarean section is also believed to be named after Julius, who was born by this method.

However, this etymology is disputed.

Answer: A French drillmaster

Jean Martinet was a French drillmaster who lived in the 17th century and served under Louis XIV. He was known for his excessive insistence of discipline which made him unpopular among the soldiers. The word martinet, which means a disciplinarian or despot, is derived from his name. Martinet was reportedly killed in a battle by friendly fire from his own troops!

Answer: Tarmac

Tarmac is a type of road surface that contains a substance called tar. The word is derived from John McAdam's name ('tar' + 'mac'adam). The process involved is called macadamisation, again named after John McAdam, who was a Scottish engineer of the 19th century.

Answer: Painter

The Morse code is a code used in telegraph systems and consists of dots and dashes. The code was invented by an American named Samuel Morse, who was a painter. Morse painted for his education and for a living. In 1832 he met Charles Jackson and after observing his works related to electromagnetism, Morse developed the telegraph and the code system.

Answer: Bermuda

The Bermuda islands were discovered by the Spanish navigator Juan de Bermudez in the 16th century. The word Bermuda is thus derived from his name.

Answer: True

Antoine-Joseph 'Adolphe' Sax was a musician who lived in Belgium in the 19th century. He began designing musical instruments at the age of fifteen. He has lent his name to the saxophone, a musical instrument he developed and patented in 1846.

Answer: Assassin

The word assassin means a killer. The word is derived from 'hashishiyyin' - a fanatical sect whose members used to kill their victims by first intoxicating them with the narcotic 'hashish'. Hassan-ibu-al-Sabbah was a Persian missionary who was the leader of this sect. Though there are conflicts about the origin of the word, it is generally accepted that Hassan-sabah was the person from whose name the word assassin originated.

Answer: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13

The series 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 is known as the Fibonacci series. The series is formed by adding the previous two numbers. The Italian mathematician of the 12th century Leonardo Fibonacci is credited with the discovery of this sequence. Though this sequence was not actually discovered by Fibonacci, he popularised it in his book 'Liber Abaci'.

Answer: A former home secretary

Sir Robert Peel was a Home Secretary of the United Kingdom in the 19th century. He introduced the Metropolitan Police Act, which was responsible for setting up the London police force. The policemen of London are called as 'bobbies' after Sir Robert (Bob).