Birds of a Feather, Whatever the Weather Quiz

Answer: Plumage

A bird's feathers are collectively known as plumage from the Old French plume in the late 14th century. But plumage can also refer to the pattern or arrangement of the feathers, both in color and type. Usually the male of a species is more ornately colored so as to attract a mate and some birds have specific plumage for mating season and another for the rest of the year.

Answer: Ampule

The traditional spelling is ampoule but it can also be spelled ampule, ampul, or ampulla. In modern times ampoules used mainly for pharmaceuticals or chemicals and are hermetically sealed to protect the contents from contamination by either air or impurities.

Historically, ampoules have been used to preserve a person's blood after death, most notably saints. The Cathedral at Naples houses the ampoule of San Gennaro which dates to around 305 AD.

Answer: Maple

The maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada and a red, stylized 11 point leaf can be found in the middle of the white section of the Canadian flag. The maple leaf's use as a national symbol can be traced back to the 18th century and its use by French Canadians in New France. There are ten different species of maple trees found throughout Canada.

Answer: Plea

Plea can have many different meanings, but here the focus is on a defendant's initial answer to the charges brought against him. Basically at this point in the proceedings there are only two choices, guilty or not guilty. Plea bargaining as a concept dates back to the 1960s and may be entered into by the defendant and the prosecutor in order to avoid trial and get a better deal for the defendant than if he is convicted. Plea deals must be approved by the judge and usually require the defendant to admit his crime by giving a detailed explanation.

Answer: Ape

The definition of ape meaning to mimic dates back to possibly as early as the 13th century but is not clearly delineated until the 1630s. Originally the idea probably grew out of an ape's mimicking of human behavior and thus any human imitating another was going ape or aping.

Answer: Pea

Snow peas (Pisum sativum var. saccharatum) are an edible variety while sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) are not. Snow peas are eaten pod and all while still unripe. Snow peas can be found in many stir fry dishes including Chinese and Mediterranean recipes.

The sweet pea on the other hand, is grown for its flowers. They are native to Sicily, southern Italy, and the Aegean Islands. Henry Eckford was one of the foremost cultivators of the sweet pea and its many varieties.

Answer: Pear

A pear is a pomaceous fruit just like apples. It is a very ancient fruit that has been cultivated in China for over 3000 years and was cultivated by the Romans over 2000 years ago. There are over 3000 varieties worldwide according to the Pear Bureau Northwest. The most common North American varieties are the Anjou, Bartlett, Comice, and Bosc.

Answer: Peart

Peart is a variant spelling of pert found chiefly in the US South and Midland. It is a Middle English alternative spelling. Pert started out with a meaning of evident or unconcealed circa 1300. This developed into a more pejorative meaning of 'saucy, bold' by the late 1300s.

By the 1500s it has taken on its more modern meaning of lively or brisk and dropped the more irreverent connotation.

Answer: Parent

A parent can be biological or non-biological. The term is used more in determining responsibility in the care for a child. The term traditionally refers to the biological parents, aka the mother and the father, but may refer to anyone who carries the responsibility of raising the child.

In business a parent company is a company that owns a majority of the voting stock of another company and therefore can control that company. If the parent company owns all of the stock then that company is known as a "wholly owned subsidiary".

Answer: Pattern

Weather patterns are controlled by the jet stream and the flow of troughs and ridges known as high pressure and low pressure fronts. High pressure fronts tend to lead to drier hotter conditions whereas low pressure fronts lead to wetter colder conditions. Two pressure systems meeting can cause very volatile weather.

And so our quiz has come full circle from the patterns in a bird's feathers known as plumage to the weather patterns that control atmospheric conditions on a daily basis.