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Down By the River Trivia Quiz

When I was in elementary school, we had a "hand game" we would play. We would stand in a circle and sing the rhyme, "Down By the River". Let's see if you can remember the lyrics! (This is the version I learned; there may be some regional differences!)

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

Author
Mountainmage

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
256,744

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1266

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The rhyme started off with the line, "Down by the river _____". What came next? Hint

in the hanky-panky

near the ol' mill

where the flies buzz

in the smelly marsh

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In the second line, what jumped from bank to bank? Hint

Toads

Tadpoles

Grasshoppers

Bullfrogs

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. In the third line, "I said _____", what comes next? Hint

E, I, O, U

A, S, A, P

R, S, V, P

Here you go! An I.O.U.

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. After the third line, what do the kids say in a jeering manner? Hint

Your mother stinks, and so do you!

Took a boat to Timbuktu!

Flip of the wrist, and howdy-do!

That party was a hullabaloo!

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. In the fifth line, "Ping pong, ding dong ______", what comes next? Hint

Your daddy smells like King Kong!

Let's get ready to have some fun!

Ring the doorbell, and then let's run!

You got every answer wrong!

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Question 6 of 10

6. In the sixth line, "Went to school ______", what comes next? Hint

with nothing on

with my best friend, John

with no shoes on

at the crack of dawn

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Question 7 of 10

7. In the seventh line, "Asked ______ what to wear", what goes in the blank space? Hint

the janitor

your class

the lunch lady

the teacher

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Question 8 of 10

8. In the eighth line, what were you told you to wear? Hint

The fur of a bear

Polka-dotted underwear

A shirt made of hair

Long underwear

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Question 9 of 10

9. In the ninth line you begin to describe in detail what you were told to wear. How did you explain it? Hint

Not too tight, not too loose

Not too wet, not too dry

Not too clean, not too dirty

Not too big, not too small

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. In the last line, your garment should be the size of ______. Hint

A basketball

A baby doll's

City Hall

A Tootsie Roll

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The rhyme started off with the line, "Down by the river _____". What came next?

Answer: in the hanky-panky

Your version may have been "Down by the banks of the hanky panky". There is also a variation of the title; "By the banks of the Hankity-Pankity".

2. In the second line, what jumped from bank to bank?

Answer: Bullfrogs

This line seems to be the same in all versions. After this line, the major variations begin.

3. In the third line, "I said _____", what comes next?

Answer: E, I, O, U

Other versions include: "Fee, fie, foe, fum" or "Heaps, hops, soda pops". These versions usually end the rhyme with the next line.

4. After the third line, what do the kids say in a jeering manner?

Answer: Your mother stinks, and so do you!

If in your version the previous line ended in -op, then this line would have been, "landed in the water with a big ker-plop!" That version sticks to the topic of the Hanky-panky river/swamp, unlike this incarnation.

5. In the fifth line, "Ping pong, ding dong ______", what comes next?

Answer: Your daddy smells like King Kong!

This rhyme is supposed to make you laugh, and it does so through childish jokes. Watching others play it, it seems to work quite well.

6. In the sixth line, "Went to school ______", what comes next?

Answer: with nothing on

Again, another thing children would find funny. Even though going to school naked is usually the stuff of nightmares, it is made out to be funny in this rhyme.

7. In the seventh line, "Asked ______ what to wear", what goes in the blank space?

Answer: the teacher

Your teacher knows the most, so naturally this is what the creators of the rhyme put as the person you would ask. As it is usually sung during recess, kids would be within earshot of the teacher, causing additional laughs.

8. In the eighth line, what were you told you to wear?

Answer: Polka-dotted underwear

Naturally, underwear rhymes with wear, well...at least to kids it does. Tighty-whiteys just didn't fit the bill for this line, so they kicked it up a notch.

9. In the ninth line you begin to describe in detail what you were told to wear. How did you explain it?

Answer: Not too big, not too small

I think you'll realize that this is no ordinary underwear. It truly is the punchline of this joke in song form.

10. In the last line, your garment should be the size of ______.

Answer: City Hall

That's one huge pair of underwear! In the south Florida version it was changed to "the Broward Mall", because it's about fifteen minutes away by car. I didn't include that variation though, because it was much too specific to the region I learned it in. For this question, I used the Louisiana version, because it seemed to be the original phrase used to rhyme with small.

Source: Author Mountainmage

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