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Turkey In A China Shop Trivia Quiz

A quiz on country names which became legitimate words in various languages (with a slight bias towards Hebrew).

A multiple-choice quiz by gentlegiant17. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
gentlegiant17

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
291,025

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1854

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The French word for which country gave its name to leather or fabric with a napped finish? Hint

Sudan

Chad

South Africa

Sweden

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which African countries gave their names to words in modern spoken Hebrew? Hint

Gambia and Guinea Bissau

Eritrea and Burkina Faso

Congo and Djibouti

Angola and Burundi

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which of the following is NOT a chemical element named after a country? Hint

Polonium

Francium

Croatium

Germanium

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Question 4 of 10

4. In Arabic and in Greek, which country gave its name to the orange (the citrus fruit)? Hint

Portugal

Tunisia

Spain

Morocco

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Question 5 of 10

5. Nowadays "italic" is mainly used to refer to a computer font with a slight slant, but what is the origin of this term? Hint

It was created and named by the Italian company Olivetti

It is based on the handwriting of Italian humanist G.F.P. Bracciolini

It is named after German typist Ita Lichtenschtein

It was created in Japan, and "itarico" means "slanting" in Japanese

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Question 6 of 10

6. "Aspamia", the Aramaic word for Spain, was granted which additional meaning in Aramaic? Hint

Hard-boiled egg

Unsolicited mail artifacts

A faraway place, the end of the world

Olive tree

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which island group located in the North Atlantic Ocean gave its name to a type of short trousers?

Answer: (one word, either single or plural accepted)

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Question 8 of 10

8. Brazil has a striking similarity to the Hebrew word "Barzel", which means "iron". Which colour connects both these words? Hint

Black

Blue

Green

Red

9. A technique originating in China led many languages to adopt the word "china" for domestic porcelain utensils. In modern Hebrew, it is called "kharsina". Which two words are amalgamated to create this word? Hint

"heres" (ruin) and "sin" (China)

"kheres" (clay) and "sin" (China)

"khor" (hole) and "sin" (China)

"har" (mountain) and "sinai" (Sinai)

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Question 10 of 10

10. This would have been a lesser quiz if it didn't mention the turkey. Which of the following is a WRONG translation of its name? Hint

"Indian rooster" in Hebrew

"Turkish rooster" in Turkish

"Peru" in Portuguese

"Ethiopian rooster" in Arabic (Lebanese dialect)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The French word for which country gave its name to leather or fabric with a napped finish?

Answer: Sweden

Suede is the material in question. The French "gants de Su�de" meaning "Swedish gloves" was generalized over time to name the leather or fabric with this peculiar texture.

2. Which African countries gave their names to words in modern spoken Hebrew?

Answer: Congo and Djibouti

A "congo" is the electric hammer drill used by road workers, and "djibouti sandals" is common speak for flip-flop sandals. It seems to me these are unique to Hebrew, but please correct me if I am wrong. The exact reasons for this particular usage are disputed.

Thanks to ledostef for providing the information that a popular brand of electric hammer drills is Kango, which may be where "congo" comes from. Workmen in the UK often say "Where's the Kango?" rather than "Where's the drill?" while on the job.

3. Which of the following is NOT a chemical element named after a country?

Answer: Croatium

Although it has a nice ring to it, Croatium is made up. Francium, Germanium and Polonium are named after France, Germany and Poland respectively.

4. In Arabic and in Greek, which country gave its name to the orange (the citrus fruit)?

Answer: Portugal

Ancient commerce routes influenced the etymology of imported goods, sometimes to the extreme. The Arabic word for orange is "burtukal" and the Greek is "portokali".

5. Nowadays "italic" is mainly used to refer to a computer font with a slight slant, but what is the origin of this term?

Answer: It is based on the handwriting of Italian humanist G.F.P. Bracciolini

Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (1380-1459) devoted his life to the search and transcription of classic texts from Greek to Latin. His notable calligraphic style was first adopted publicly by the Venetian Aldine Press in an edition of writings by Virgil (1501).

6. "Aspamia", the Aramaic word for Spain, was granted which additional meaning in Aramaic?

Answer: A faraway place, the end of the world

Aramaic was used by several Mediterranean cultures, so the perception of Spain as the end of the world certainly makes sense. Modern Hebrew retained the Aramaic idiom "khalomot be'Aspamia" (which translates to "dreams in Spain") to describe one's highly unrealistic view on the state of affairs. Player dizzley adds that the French idiom "batir des ch�teaux en Espagne" ("to build castles in Spain") carries a similar meaning.

7. Which island group located in the North Atlantic Ocean gave its name to a type of short trousers?

Answer: Bermuda

The Bermuda shorts, or Bermudas, are recognized by this name and widely used in moderate to hot climate areas. Yours truly, a somewhat poetic preppy himself, occasionally wears them to work at the risk of the occasional grunt from the occasional solemn preppy.

8. Brazil has a striking similarity to the Hebrew word "Barzel", which means "iron". Which colour connects both these words?

Answer: Red

In Portuguese, "brasa" means "ember" and the reddish colour of the Brazilwood tree (Pau Brazil) was adopted to name the land itself.
Iron has a reddish colour, especially when oxidized. With slight changes, the word "barzel" is common to many Semitic languages. An interesting article on its etymology can be found at http://www.balashon.com/2006/08/barzel.html

Answer: "kheres" (clay) and "sin" (China)

The shared "s" enabled the smooth welding which created the word "kharsina" literally meaning "clay of China". The Mount Sinai option would have accounted nicely for the fragility of the Tables of the Covenant, but I swear I made it up.

10. This would have been a lesser quiz if it didn't mention the turkey. Which of the following is a WRONG translation of its name?

Answer: "Turkish rooster" in Turkish

Turkish also uses India in its word for the turkey ("hindi"). The etymological saga of the turkey is truly fascinating - apart from Turkey, India, Ethiopia and Peru other involved countries are Greece, France and Egypt. Please refer to http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/7/7-174.html - an extremely thorough source on the subject. Thanks(giving) for taking this quiz!

Source: Author gentlegiant17

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