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CrossAtlantic Differences Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
CrossAtlantic Differences Quizzes, Trivia

Cross-Atlantic Differences Trivia

Cross-Atlantic Differences Trivia Quizzes

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American English v. British English (and sometimes Australian English): two (or three!) countries divided by a common language.
15 Cross-Atlantic Differences quizzes and 215 Cross-Atlantic Differences trivia questions.
1.
  What Am I Eating?   best quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Names for Foods across the Atlantic
It has been said that the British and Americans are peoples separated by a common language, though it isn't always quite that simple. We won't make this complicated, however, as all you must do is match the food names that describe the same thing.
Very Easy, 10 Qns, spanishliz, Feb 28 23
Very Easy
spanishliz editor
Feb 28 23
674 plays
2.
You say Tomato
  You say Tomato . . .   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
Are you bilingual? Each answer in this quiz is two-fold - you must chose the pair of words which answer the definition (the correct pair mean exactly the same thing) - one from each side of the Atlantic!
Average, 25 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Jun 15 23
Average
ArleneRimmer
Jun 15 23
16102 plays
3.
  The Foggiest Notion   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
This is a quiz about some reasonably common British terms that sometimes leave other English speakers in the fog. They are taken from newspapers, broadcasts and contemporary books. I'll give the North American equivalent. Good luck!
Average, 15 Qns, Bruyere, Feb 13 17
Average
Bruyere editor
9364 plays
4.
  Speaking British   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
The concept is simple: I give you a word used by the British, and you give me the American equivalent. While most A-Z quizzes start at A, I, being somewhat contrary, am starting with Z.
Easier, 25 Qns, deputygary, Apr 22 24
Easier
deputygary
Apr 22 24
4491 plays
5.
  Return of the Foggiest Notion   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Here are some more British English expressions used in everyday life, the press, television and novels that sometimes mystify the rest of us. I'll give the North American equivalent. Good luck!
Average, 15 Qns, Bruyere, Mar 12 21
Average
Bruyere editor
Mar 12 21
4746 plays
6.
  British English And American English    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
For students of English who are neither British nor American it's often confusing to be told: this is British ('BE' in this quiz)..this is American ('AE' in this quiz). This quiz is an attempt to tell the two apart. Always use the most British option.
Average, 10 Qns, flem-ish, Nov 23 12
Average
flem-ish
8991 plays
7.
  English Varieties: Britain and US    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Terms for everyday items are often different, depending on whether one is in England or the United States. Following is a quiz covering such words or phrases.
Average, 10 Qns, ravenskye, Feb 13 04
Average
ravenskye
5938 plays
8.
  American English vs. British English    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
It's hard to draw a precise line between AE and BE, but there are definitely cases where the vocabulary of the two languages diverges. For reasons of fair play the quiz tries to strike a balance between AE- and BE-centred questions .
Average, 10 Qns, flem-ish, Feb 19 17
Average
flem-ish
6051 plays
9.
  British Terms    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is a mixture of straight forward British v American words and British phrases that probably sound weird to Americans! This will be easy if you are British.
Average, 10 Qns, MrHippo, Oct 28 17
Average
MrHippo
6174 plays
10.
  Divided by Language   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
England and America are two countries separated by the same language. I will give you the English word, you choose the American description.
Easier, 20 Qns, cjbjrb11, Sep 12 21
Easier
cjbjrb11
Sep 12 21
7445 plays
trivia question Quick Question
British schoolchildren go by years. What does an American schoolchild go by?

From Quiz "Speaking British"




11.
  Britspeak    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
Shaw called England and America two countries separated by the same language. This quiz will show it's really different idioms to blame!
Average, 20 Qns, tjoebigham, May 21 23
Average
tjoebigham
May 21 23
5970 plays
12.
  Divided by a Common Language    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Someone (Oscar Wilde? George Bernard Shaw? Dylan Thomas?) once said that England and America were two nations divided by a common language. Take the quiz and test this truism for yourself.
Average, 15 Qns, Cymruambyth, Mar 21 24
Average
Cymruambyth gold member
Mar 21 24
1839 plays
13.
  What is the name of that car part?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
We are going for a road trip in your Dad's car in America; along the way I am going to ask what some of the car parts are called in Britain.
Easier, 10 Qns, glenjue, Apr 26 19
Easier
glenjue
Apr 26 19
779 plays
14.
  British vs. American Usage    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
It is commonly said that England and the United States are two countries divided by a common language. This quiz compares American (i.e. U.S.) and British grammatical usage.
Tough, 10 Qns, skylarb, Oct 30 16
Tough
skylarb
2149 plays
15.
  Transatlantic Mutations    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Many British words do not cross over to USA or vice versa at least not in same meaning. Just see how 'bilingual' you really are. Hints should keep you on track.
Average, 10 Qns, flem-ish, Sep 15 13
Average
flem-ish
1990 plays

Cross-Atlantic Differences Trivia Questions
1. The Brits enjoy biscuits. The Americans love ...?

From Quiz Divided by a Common Language

Answer: cookies

The Oxford Dictionary of Etymology defines 'biscuit' as 'crisp dry bread in a thin flat cake'. It derives from the French for 'twice baked'. The American 'cookie', on the other hand, derives from the Dutch 'koekje', meaning small cake. Obviously it was those first settlers in Nieuw Amsterdam (now New York) who introduced cookies into America. Dagwood, by the way, is an American comic strip who has a wife named Blondie, a son named Alexander and a daughter named Cookie. I just hope that's a nickname, rather than her legal name!

2. In which usage is the following sentence correct? He said that he had just read Frost's "The Road Not Taken".

From Quiz British vs. American Usage

Answer: British

In the United States, commas and periods go inside of double quotation marks regardless of whether or not the punctuation is part of the quotation.

3. What is a "boffin" in British usage?

From Quiz The Foggiest Notion

Answer: A scientist, brainiac or researcher (sometimes with nerdish tendencies)

This term is still used widely for a person and has been extended to software in some instances. It is often used like egghead or nerd however. "Some boffin's come up with this idea".

4. In AE a British communication cord becomes an __________ -cord.

From Quiz Transatlantic Mutations

Answer: emergency

Communication cord is the chain in a train carriage which a passenger can pull to stop the train if he or she is in trouble. It's obvious that to a BE speaker emergency cord would also be perfectly understandable and the clarity of the word emergency cord may cause the AE word soon to prevail in UK too. www/logos.it/owa-wt/wordtheque gives quotes from Agatha Christie, Max Beerbohm, Henry B. Irving, Saki using the word communication cord in a train context. The term is also mentioned at www.askoxford.com/dictionary/communication

5. Where does a true-blue BE-speaker find the engine of his car (assuming it is a standard model and not, for example, a Volkswagen)?

From Quiz British English And American English

Answer: under the bonnet

The boot would be the trunk for an AE speaker. Dutch would be motorkap, which is not too remote from the non-existent engine 'cap'.

6. Chemist = I have given you the English word, you choose the American description.

From Quiz Divided by Language

Answer: pharmacist

Actually, the proper term is dispensing chemist, but this is, understandably, universally shortened to chemist.

7. What do Britons use in place of 'hood', as in car hood?

From Quiz Britspeak

Answer: bonnet

Yep, believe it or not!

8. British schoolchildren go by years. What does an American schoolchild go by?

From Quiz Speaking British

Answer: Grades

In America, children start in Kindergarten, then progress from 1st grade through 12th grade. Elementary school encompasses Kindergarten through either 5th or 6th grade. Then comes either Middle School for 6th through 8th grades or Junior High School for 7th through 9th grades. After that is High School. In Great Britain, Year 1 equates to Kindergarten in terms of the child's age, and Year 13 equates to 12th grade.

9. In the U.S. it's a waterproof jacket. However, in the U.K. it's an ....?

From Quiz Divided by a Common Language

Answer: anorak

The original anoraks were worn by the Inuit (no, they're not Eskimoes, which is a rude Cree word meaning 'raw fish eaters'!) Inuit anoraks were - and are - made of sealskin. They come to just below the waist, unlike the larger parkas, also made from sealskin, which reach below the knees.

10. Have you read Frost's "The Road Not Taken"? In which usage is this correct?

From Quiz British vs. American Usage

Answer: Both

Although in American usage periods and commas go inside of double quotation marks, this is not true in the case of question marks or exclamation points after quoted titles. Illogically enough, however, in American usage, a period would go inside the quotation marks: I have read "The Road Not Taken."

11. Whilst in a pub in the north of England, you hear someone saying "Thanks me old mucker". What is meant by this?

From Quiz British Terms

Answer: Thank you, my friend

"Mucker" derives from British slang. I know people who use it, although it does not sound nice!

12. What does "snog" mean in British English?

From Quiz The Foggiest Notion

Answer: To kiss or to pet (as in to make out)

This term is used widely though you must admit it doesn't sound too appealing from an onomatopoeic standpoint. When you read "then we snogged and it was so nice" in a teen romance novel it does tend to make you uncomfortable until you find out what it means.

13. Whereas the American alphabet goes from A to Zee, the English goes from A to what?

From Quiz American English vs. British English

Answer: Zed

A zit would be a temporary small raised spot on the skin.

14. This is an invention which helps people move from floor to floor in a tall building. What word is used in the USA / in the UK?

From Quiz You say Tomato . . .

Answer: elevator / lift

Well - 'lift' and 'elevate' do mean the same thing! While it could be an escalator, that word refers to the same thing in both countries, so is not a difference between the two.

15. What is the British-English word for AE suspenders in the meaning of straps of elastic, leather etc. that are used to support trousers?

From Quiz Transatlantic Mutations

Answer: braces

Suspenders may also be garters: fasteners which are fixed by a short elastic strap to a type of belt which women wear round their waists under their clothes, and which are used for holding up stockings by their tops. Or just more generally: a piece of elastic used for holding up a stocking or sock. "Braces" are fastened to the waistband and pass over the shoulders.

16. What would a Brit use to remove his erratic pencil scribblings?

From Quiz British English And American English

Answer: a rubber

No erazors either in British or in American usage. Eraser is now common British usage just as well as rubber. A wiper can be found on a windscreen or in the US, the windshield. No 'gummers', though in Holland a gum might be an eraser. When Americans mention rubbers, well, it tends to be an altogether different type of erasing they have in mind.

17. Bonnet (of a car) = I have given you the English word, you choose the American description.

From Quiz Divided by Language

Answer: hood

18. And what is the British English term for car trunk?

From Quiz Britspeak

Answer: boot

Named for footwear, to boot!

19. What would a British person do with winklepickers?

From Quiz Speaking British

Answer: Wear them

A winklepicker is a pointed shoe from the 1950's. They were called winklepickers because the pointed toe was reminiscent of the pin that was used to get the body out of periwinkle snail shells.

20. American cars have hoods, trunks and fenders. What corresponding parts do British cars have?

From Quiz Divided by a Common Language

Answer: Bonnets, boots and wings

American hood = British bonnet (covers engine, usually at front) American trunk = British boot (storage area, usually at the back) American fender = British wing (covers the wheel) American bumper = British fender (on the front to absorb collision impact) I have absolutely no idea why British cars have bonnets, boots, and wings, they just do. Hoods are a bit of a mystery, too, although trunks surely derive from the fact that in the stagecoach days in the U.S., passengers' trunks were strapped on to the back of the vehicle. In fact, some models of early cars had an actual trunk attached on a rack at the rear of the car. The fender of an American car is the part that covers the wheel (which the British would call a wing), although many confuse it with the bumper, sometimes called the bumper bar, which is on the front and/or rear, and is designed to absorb the impact in a minor collision.

21. It was raining very hard, so Dick put his rubbers in his locker. He did not want his feet to get wet later.

From Quiz British vs. American Usage

Answer: American

In British usage, a rubber is an eraser. In American usage, it can be a condom or the kind of rubber boots that slip over shoes to keep the feet dry. The phrase, "Dick put his rubbers in his locker," was actually found in an 8th grade American grammar text book, predictably sending the students into titters.

22. What does "to slag off" someone mean in British usage?

From Quiz Return of the Foggiest Notion

Answer: To speak badly about someone or rag them playfully

Once again, I hadn't ever heard this term in the States growing up, but it doesn't mean it's never used. I just tested it out on a few Americans of different ages first. Sounds rather geological when you think about it.

23. In British English the term "pudding", besides referring to the Christmas pudding or plum pudding we've all heard about, also is used in a more general way for something else. What does it mean?

From Quiz The Foggiest Notion

Answer: Dessert in general

"What's for pudding tonight?" means what's for dessert no matter what it is. It's the familiar term rather than the term used on a menu though. The proof may be in the pudding (is in the eating), but you aren't asked to provide pudding instead of evidence.

24. Whereas Uncle Sam washes his face with a wash-cloth or rag, John Bull does the same with a face-cloth or a what?

From Quiz American English vs. British English

Answer: flannel

A flannel is a small cotton cloth used to wash the body, especially the face and hands. In Australian: face washer.

25. This is an area to the side of a road upon which people walk. What word is used in the USA / in the UK?

From Quiz You say Tomato . . .

Answer: sidewalk / pavement

Basically a paved area at the side of the street for people to walk on - it is usually slightly higher than the road itself.

26. In case there is a fire BE-speakers warn the fire-brigade, the AE-speakers expect help from the fire-___________

From Quiz Transatlantic Mutations

Answer: department

Fire fighters are people who work at putting out forest fires. The firestation is the headquarters of a fire department.

27. What part of the street do pedestrians walk on from the BE perspective?

From Quiz British English And American English

Answer: the pavement

Kerb walking is not what the average pedestrian will do. Kerb crawlers are NOT pedestrians.

28. Boot (of a car) = I have given you the English word, you choose the American description.

From Quiz Divided by Language

Answer: trunk

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