Strictly Speaking Trivia Quiz

Answer: Appraised

The addition of an "a" converts "apprise", a word meaning "notify" to "appraise", a word meaning "evaluate". "Liable" is fine and need not be changed to "libel". Removing the "s" from the end of "besides" would transform its meaning from "in addition to" to "alongside".

The word "appraise" derives from the Latin word "pretium", which refers to "price" rather than "praise". The Latin word "apprehendere" meaning "know" is the root from which "apprise" developed.

Answer: All three words

I find affect/effect to be a particularly vexing pair of words. "Affect" is used as a noun only when describing a person's apparent mood. As a verb, "affect" means "to influence". "Effect" as a noun refers to the results of an action; and used as a verb, "effect" means "to accomplish".

Strictly speaking, "continuous" means the action is unceasing whereas continual allows for breaks in the action being performed. A stream of water can be continuous; a drip may be described as continual, with breaks between successive, seemingly interminable, drops. My search is presumably conducted in fits and starts, not a constant state of mind!

"Founder" means "to sink" whereas "floundering" refers to the ineffectual thrashing about in the water of a person who may or may not, ultimately, sink. "Floundering" is the appropriate metaphor for a desperate and generally unproductive struggle to achieve some goal. I may struggle in my search, but it is not likely to send me literally underwater.

Answer: Unique

"Regard" is not in need of an "s" at the end. "Bartleby.com" explains that whereas "as regards" is standard usage, "with regards" is not. "All right" is certainly all right, although alright has become another accepted usage. "Eludes" is appropriately used.

However, there cannot be, strictly speaking, degrees of uniqueness - there being only one of that which is literally unique. Not surprisingly, "unique" derives from the Latin "unicus" meaning "sole, single".

Answer: Both

"Fulsome" is one of a number of words having what "Yourdictionary.com" terms a "usage problem". Other examples include "enormity" and "decimate". Purists would limit "enormity" to its traditional literary meaning of "monstrously wicked". "Decimate" literally means "reduction by a tenth", but is commonly used to mean "extremely large reduction" or "extensive killing".

In the case of "fulsome", the medieval word from which it derived carried both of the meanings the word still carries today. With time, the actual usage of words tends to become "standard" and that's "alright" with me.

Answer: I'm an amicable sort of fellow.

"Malapropism" is a term originally used to describe the utterances of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 18th century fictional character, Mrs. Malaprop. The three examples of suitably ludicrous malapropisms given above were those of Mrs. Malaprop from Brinsley's works. Properly speaking, a malapropism should be humorous. "Amicable" should be "amiable", by the way.

Answer: Farther

Farther is always appropriate when referring to physical distance as it was in this case. However, there are situations where "further" is preferred over "farther". Sixty-four percent of an American Heritage Dictionary panel preferred the use of "further" over "farther" when referring to "nonphysical, metaphorical advancement".

It should be "discreet" rather than "discrete" and "counselor" rather than "councilor". A correction notice from "Braunda" made me aware that "confidante" was considered to be a female confidant and always proper when applied to females but not when applied to males.

This correction notice ultimately inspired this quiz.

Answer: Mary and Lois are alumnae.

"Al" is an Indo-European root meaning "to nourish". Therefore, an alumnus is a "nourished" male and alumna "a nourished" female. The Latin endings have been retained and thus the plurals are "alumni" and "alumnae", respectively. And of course, we all matriculated from our "alma-mater", our "nourishing mother". Eat your hearts out, dads!

"Dictionary.com" points out that not even colleges uniformly adopt the strictly correct Latin endings, preferring instead to apply "alumni" to both genders.

Answer: None was misused.

These three words are often used interchangeably. But if one is inclined to be fussy, one would likely maintain that "liable" should be reserved for adverse outcomes (like misuse of the word "liable"), that "apt" should imply that some intrinsic property of the subject is responsible for the outcome (and that outcome may be either favorable or unfavorable), and that "likely" is generally appropriate in all situations. That is why they were allocated their positions in the question.

Answer: It's reek.

To "wreak" is to avenge oneself or inflict punishment. The use of "rack" as a word for pain or brain stretching does seem to have derived from use of the rack as a torture device in the Middle Ages. "Wrack" is wreckage or destruction. I should be able to keep these words straight for at least thirty seconds after finishing this question.

Answer: All of these

One could say that in the phrase "literally died laughing" that "literally" is used "figuratively" for "literally". But I would not want to speak so strictly. And strictly speaking, the author hopes you do not take this quiz too seriously.