Seats for All and All for Seats Quiz

Answer: Armchair

An armchair, as the name suggests, has armrests. Most upholstered chairs are armchairs, so you can rest your elbows on the armrest as you relax in comfort.

Answer: Tuffet

Remember Little Miss Muffet, who was sitting on one of these? A tuffet is a very low stool, completely covered in cloth so that no legs or feet are visible. It may be used as a footrest, or sat on (more comfortably by children than adults).

Answer: Bean bag

Bean bags were all the rage at one point, despite the fact that they inevitably changed shape and left you sitting on the floor, so that you had to get up and shake it around. Large bags made of fabric or leather filled with polystyrene beads make quite a mess when the dog eats off one corner!

Answer: Pew

A pew is a long bench, usually with a back and sometimes with a footrest attached for the use of those sitting directly behind, is most commonly found in a church or a courtroom. They were not common in Christian churches before the Protestant Reformation - the introduction of lengthy sermons as a part of the religious ceremony made it preferable to have the congregation sitting, rather than standing, as had previously been the practice.

Answer: Zaisu

A zaisu is a legless chair - like a cushion with a chair back attached. They are commonly used when seated at low-set tables, and may include an armrest called a kyousoku. Traditionalists kneel, sitting on their heels, but it takes a lot of practice to do that comfortably, especially for long periods of time, so the zaisu is an alternative.

Answer: Deckchair

The deckchair consists of a folding wooden frame with material (such as canvas) stretched across it to form a sagging support for the body when you sit in it. Deckchairs were originally designed for use on ocean-going ships, so that they didn't clutter up the deck when not in use, but could be readily brought out of storage and set up when passengers wanted to lounge around in the sun.

Answer: Chesterfield

In some places, the term chesterfield is used to describe a padded chair, often covered in leather, with a low back and high armrests (often as high as the back). In other places it is applied to a sofa (seating more than one person) with a similar description.

Answer: Rocking chair

A rocking chair, or rocker, has curved pieces of wood called rockers attached to the bottom of its legs. This allows you to rock back and forth, changing betwen an upright position and a semi-recumbant one - how far it rocks varies with the chair's design. Rocking chairs are very comfortable if you are sitting for a long period of time, because your weight shifts its distribution as you rock, reducing the development of pressure points from staying in one position.

Answer: Recliner

A recliner, or reclining chair, has a mechanism that allows you to change the backrest so that it is angled rather than upright. Some even allow you to drop it to a horizontal position, although that is less common than an angle of around 45 degrees, which allows you to fall asleep while watching the television even more readily than is the case in an upright chair.

Many also have a footrest that can be elevated, either along with the action of reclining the back or independently, to allow an even more comfortable semi-reclining position.

Answer: Wheelchair

A wheelchair is generally used to allow someone who has difficulty with their mobility to get around freely. In its simplest form, it is just a chair with wheels, which may be pushed by an attendant, or propelled by manually rotating the wheels, which are usually large enough to make this relatively easy (at least, over short distances) for the occupant to accomplish. Disabled athletes use specialized wheelchairs adapted for the demands of their sport, and elderly people often prefer to use an electric-powered wheelchair, which is less strenuous to use than a manual one.