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Jumbo the Elephant Trivia Quiz

This is a quiz about Jumbo the elephant, the "biggest" star of Barnum and Bailey's, "Greatest Show On Earth".

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

Author
wordwalker

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
323,919

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
446

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Jumbo was only 40 inches tall, at the shoulders, when he was discovered in French Sudan Africa in 1861. So why was he named Jumbo? Hint

It rhymed with Mumbo and Dumbo

It was expected he would grow to be very large

It was just his stage name

It was a derivative of a Swahili word

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Question 2 of 15

2. In 1863 Jumbo was bought by a collector and was later sold to the menagerie at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. In 1865 he was sold to the Regent Park Zoo. The Regent Park Zoo is located in which United Kingdom city? Hint

London

Birmingham

Glascow

Belfast

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Question 3 of 15

3. Jumbo had a jumbo appetite, consuming in one day about "200 pounds of hay, 1 barrel of potatoes, 2 bushels of oats, 15 loaves of bread, a slew of onions and several pails of water". What beverage was Jumbo sometimes allowed to drink one to two gallons of for health concerns?
Tuft's Online Magazine, "An Elephant Tale", by Susan Wilson Hint

Soda water

Orange juice

Whiskey

Milk

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Question 4 of 15

4. Jumbo's life had taken a turn for the better in London. He ambled through the gardens of Regent Park collecting coins and peanuts from his adoring public and giving rides to many children. At one point during Jumbo's time in London Queen Victoria received thousands of letters concerning Jumbo. What was the reason for so many letters? Hint

Asking her to change Jumbo's name

Asking her to knight Jumbo

Asking her to intervene in a decision to sell Jumbo

Asking her to stop the children from riding Jumbo

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Question 5 of 15

5. In 1882 the London Zoo sold Jumbo to the Barnum and Bailey Circus. How much did Barnum pay for Jumbo? Hint

$50,000

$1.00

$10,000

$1.000,000

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Question 6 of 15

6. At the time Jumbo was sold to the Barnum and Bailey Circus he was nearly 12 feet tall and weighed about seven tons. He was transported to the US on the HMS Assyrian Monarch. It cost $20,000 and took two weeks to transport Jumbo across the Atlantic. How much money did the circus make the first year from Jumbo's appearances? Hint

$100,000

$50,000

$1.5 million

He lost money

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Question 7 of 15

7. What was the name of the dwarf clown elephant who often appeared with Jumbo? Hint

Tom Thumb

Little Packy

Dumbo

Baby

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Question 8 of 15

8. Jumbo traveled with the Barnum and Bailey Circus throughout the US and Canada for four seasons and was then sold to a zoo.

True

False

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Question 9 of 15

9. The average life span of an elephant is 60 - 70 years but Jumbo died at age 24. What was the cause of his death? Hint

Someone shot him

Died of alcoholism

He was killed by a train

Natural causes

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Question 10 of 15

10. Matthew "Scotty" Scott, Jumbo's long time companion and caretaker, was present when Jumbo died. It is said he stayed beside Jumbo sobbing uncontrollably. What did he do after Jumbo's death? Hint

He disappeared

He committed suicide

He went into a rage

He slept beside him

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Question 11 of 15

11. The day after his death Jumbo's hide was removed and it was shipped to a taxidermist in Rochester, New York. How long did it take to process and mount Jumbo's remains? Hint

Two weeks

Five months

One year

Twenty four days

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Question 12 of 15

12. Jumbo's skeleton was donated to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. What part of Jumbo's remains did Cornell university purchase? Hint

Eyes

Trunk

Brain

Heart

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Question 13 of 15

13. After Jumbo's hide was mounted it toured with the Barnum and Bailey Circus for several years. In 1889 it was donated to and became the mascot of what New England university? Hint

University of New England ( United States)

Yale University

Boston University

Tufts University

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Question 14 of 15

14. In April of 1975 a fire destroyed the building where Jumbo was exhibited. Hoping to save something of their beloved mascot ashes were collected from the destroyed building. Where are these ashes now? Hint

Sprinkled over the campus

In an urn in the new Museum of Natural History

In a memorial garden on the campus

Peanut butter jar

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Question 15 of 15

15. There is yet another remnant of the great elephant Jumbo at Tufts University. What original piece of Jumbo's mounted torso is kept stored in their archives? Hint

One of Jumbo's tusks

One of Jumbo's toes

A Piece of Jumbo's ear

A piece of Jumbo's tail

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Jumbo was only 40 inches tall, at the shoulders, when he was discovered in French Sudan Africa in 1861. So why was he named Jumbo?

Answer: It was a derivative of a Swahili word

Jumbo's name is a derivative of the Swahili word jumbe which means "chief".
It was because of P. T. Barnum's promotion of Jumbo's name that the word came to be used in the English language to indicate something was very large.

Answer: London

Jumbo had grown to four feet tall and came to London's Regent Park Zoo in poor health. Under the care of zookeeper Matthew "Scotty" Scott he soon began to flourish and became the darling of London's public.

3. Jumbo had a jumbo appetite, consuming in one day about "200 pounds of hay, 1 barrel of potatoes, 2 bushels of oats, 15 loaves of bread, a slew of onions and several pails of water". What beverage was Jumbo sometimes allowed to drink one to two gallons of for health concerns? Tuft's Online Magazine, "An Elephant Tale", by Susan Wilson

Answer: Whiskey

Although Jumbo's caretaker wasn't a drinker he believed it was beneficial for Jumbo's health if he was allowed to drink one to two gallons of whiskey occasionally.

Answer: Asking her to intervene in a decision to sell Jumbo

It is thought the decision was made to sell Jumbo because he had become irritable and was a danger to the public. Even so his sale caused a great public outrage and thousands of letters were sent to Queen Victoria begging her to intervene and stop the sale of their beloved Jumbo. In spite of legal attempts to stop the sale Barnum prevailed and Jumbo's circus career began.

5. In 1882 the London Zoo sold Jumbo to the Barnum and Bailey Circus. How much did Barnum pay for Jumbo?

Answer: $10,000

Barnum had paid $10,000 for Jumbo and also secured the services Matthew "Scotty" Scott, the London zookeeper who had cared for Jumbo during his time in the London Zoo.

Answer: $1.5 million

On Easter Sunday, 1882 Jumbo arrived in New York to large crowds and with great fanfare. Jumbo's circus career began in New York City's Madison Square Garden. It had cost Barnum $10,000 to purchase Jumbo and another $20,000 to transport him across the Atlantic.

It is reported Jumbo earned $30,000 in just the first ten days after his arrival and he went on to earn $1.5 million in the first year for his new owners.

7. What was the name of the dwarf clown elephant who often appeared with Jumbo?

Answer: Tom Thumb

Jumbo was indeed large but he did no tricks, his greatest asset was his size. In his performances he was often paired with a dwarf elephant, Tom Thumb. They were billed as the largest and the tiniest elephant on earth.

8. Jumbo traveled with the Barnum and Bailey Circus throughout the US and Canada for four seasons and was then sold to a zoo.

Answer: False

Jumbo did tour with the Barnum and Bailey circus for four seasons but he was not sold to a zoo. His budding career was cut short by an untimely death.

9. The average life span of an elephant is 60 - 70 years but Jumbo died at age 24. What was the cause of his death?

Answer: He was killed by a train

Jumbo and dwarf elephant Tom Thumb were being loaded on a circus train in St. Thomas, Ontario when an unscheduled switch engine plowed into them, killing Jumbo and injuring the little elephant. Barnum published a story saying that Jumbo died heroically trying to save the little elephant, Tom Thumb.

More credible accounts say Jumbo tried to outrun the train and in a panic he turned toward the train and his skull was crushed by the impact.

10. Matthew "Scotty" Scott, Jumbo's long time companion and caretaker, was present when Jumbo died. It is said he stayed beside Jumbo sobbing uncontrollably. What did he do after Jumbo's death?

Answer: He slept beside him

Eyewitness accounts say as Scotty lay sobbing beside the great elephant, Jumbo wrapped his trunk around him and pulled him closer to his side. After he died Scotty stayed curled up beside him and slept with him through the night.

11. The day after his death Jumbo's hide was removed and it was shipped to a taxidermist in Rochester, New York. How long did it take to process and mount Jumbo's remains?

Answer: Five months

Jumbo's health had been declining for sometime and even before his death museums and similar institutions were inquiring about Jumbo's remains should he die. It was Henry Ward's Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, NY that was chosen to perform the five month process of mounting this enormous elephant.

12. Jumbo's skeleton was donated to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. What part of Jumbo's remains did Cornell university purchase?

Answer: Heart

Cornell University paid forty dollars for Jumbo's heart.

13. After Jumbo's hide was mounted it toured with the Barnum and Bailey Circus for several years. In 1889 it was donated to and became the mascot of what New England university?

Answer: Tufts University

Tufts University was established by the Universalist Church in 1840. Barnum was a patron and was at one time on Tufts Board of Trustees. Barnum had donated money to build and maintain a museum of natural history and had also donated many of its exhibits.

In 1889 he donated the mounted Jumbo to Tufts and it was placed in the Barnum Museum of Natural History. Jumbo has the distinction of being the only university mascot who is named in Webster's dictionary.

Answer: Peanut butter jar

Ashes were collected from the destroyed building where Jumbo had been exhibited and they were put into a 14-ounce, Peter Pan Crunchy Peanut Butter jar and kept in the athletic director's office. Tufts' athletes and students still come to rub the jar for good luck before a game or an important exam.

15. There is yet another remnant of the great elephant Jumbo at Tufts University. What original piece of Jumbo's mounted torso is kept stored in their archives?

Answer: A piece of Jumbo's tail

Before a big game or an important test Tufts' students would often go and pull Jumbo's tail for luck. Needless to say eventually a piece of the tail broke off and it was stored in their archives. Today Jumbo is still Tufts' mascot. While not a true model of Jumbo A large statue stands on Tufts' campus in his honor. The statue is an Asian elephant but Jumbo was an African elephant.

Jumbo's short life is recorded in the history of five nations, because of him a new word was added to the English language. Movies, books, songs and stories abound of this greatly beloved elephant.

Source: Author wordwalker

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