Ten Compound Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: Fanfare

Something that keeps you cool = fan.
The money you pay to ride a bus = fare.
A fancy musical announcement = fanfare.

The picture shows an electric fan.

Horns, trumpets and other loud brass instruments can play a fanfare. It tells people to pay attention when an important person has arrived. It can also be used to announce that a special event has just started.

Answer: Pumpkin

What you use to inflate a flat tire = pump.
A person's relatives = kin.
A bumpy Halloween fruit with a silly or spooky face = pumpkin.

The picture shows a pumpkin.

Most pumpkins are orange, but some come in other colors. When you put a candle inside an empty pumpkin, it's called a jack-o'-lantern.

A squash is also a fruit, and it is related to a pumpkin, but a squash is usually smaller and are usually green or yellow (and "squash" isn't a compound word!).

Answer: Crabapple

What kind of animal SpongeBob's boss is = crab.
A crunchy red snack = apple.
A type of tree that grows sour little fruits = crabapple.

The picture shows a clock shaped like a crab.

A crabapple is a kind of tree and its fruits. Crabapple fruit is like a regular apple, but smaller and more bitter-tasting. Most apples are medium-sized and sweet.

A cranberry is also a bitter fruit, but it doesn't grow on a tree. It grows on a bush or a vine.

Answer: Workbench

Where a person goes when he has a job = work.
Where basketball players sit down together = bench.
A long table where people use tools to fix or build things = workbench.

The picture shows a wooden bench. A bench is a long seat or chair where many people can sit together. For example, members of a basketball team sit together on a bench when it's not their turn to play. Churches also have benches, called pews.

A workbench is a big table where people use tools (like hammers and saws) to use tools to fix or build things. Some people use an automatic machine, which means that it can do the work by itself.

Answer: Hourglass

Sixty minutes = hour.
A fragile cup for drinking = glass.
A device that uses falling sand to measure time = hourglass.

The picture shows an hourglass.

An hourglass is also called a sand timer or sandglass. These old-fashioned devices have a wood or metal frame that protects the glass. The two glass containers in the middle are called "bulbs."

It's called an hourglass because it takes one hour for all the sand to pour down into the bottom bulb. But not all hourglasses measure one hour. A small hourglass can measure just a few minutes. A big one can have enough sand to measure a whole day!

Answer: Banknote

A place that keeps your money safe = bank.
A written message or reminder = note.
A word for any kind of paper money = banknote.

The picture shows a hand-written note.

A "banknote" used to mean a written promise that the bank gave you if you deposited money. The banknote was a promise that you could withdraw (take back) your money at any time.

Now, "banknote" just means any type of money that is printed on paper. It can be any amount (like a $5 bill or a $10 bill). It can be paper money from any country. Another word, "greenback," means the paper money used in the United States, because it's printed with a special green ink.

Answer: Horseradish

A beautiful animal you might ride = horse.
A bright-red little vegetable = radish.
A vegetable that's used to make a very spicy sauce = horseradish.

The picture shows a radish. It looks like a little red ball. A radish can be mild or spicy.

A horseradish is a vegetable. It's not very colorful. It's made into horseradish sauce, which is very spicy. Sometimes your parents might serve it with dinner.

A long time ago, the word "horse" was used as an adjective (a describing word) that meant "strong." This is where the word "horseradish" comes from -- because the flavor is spicy and "strong."

Answer: Cowbird

A milk-giving animal = cow.
A winged creature = bird.
A small black bird with a brown head = cowbird.

The picture shows a cow. Moo!

Cowbirds like to get together in big groups. They're related to blackbirds, but only cowbirds have a shiny brown head.

These birds like to make trouble. They can be very noisy, they chase away other birds from the birdfeeders, and they lay their own eggs in other birds' nests.

They're called cowbirds because they like to be near cows. The cows attract insects (like flies), and the cowbirds eat the insects.

Answer: Blueprint

The color of the ocean = blue.
What you do when you write your name clearly = print.
A colored piece of paper that shows the design of a new house = blueprint.

The picture shows a bright blue light.

If you "print" your name, it means you write it carefully and clearly. If you sign your name with fancy cursive letters, that's called your signature.

When you make a blueprint, you draw detailed pictures of something that is going to be built. It shows how something will look when it's finished. Usually a blueprint is for a house, but a blueprint can also be used for the design of other things.

The word "blueprint" is named for the special blue paper that the design is printed on. Sometimes a blueprint is actually put on white-colored paper and drawn with blue ink.

Answer: Piebald

A baked dessert with a crust = pie.
Hairless = bald.
Anything with patches or spots of two different colors, especially black and white = piebald.

The picture shows a pie. "Piebald" sounds like a pie that needs a wig, doesn't it?

"Piebald" comes from "pie" and "bald," but with different meanings than we usually think of. A "pie" is a tasty dessert, but it's also a word for a black-and-white bird called a magpie. And "bald" does mean "hairless," but it can also mean "having white spots."

When someone says "piebald," they're usually talking about an animal, like a horse or a cow. The next time you see a picture of a cow with its black and white spots, you can say it's a "piebald cow."

Source: Merriam-Webster.com for some of the info about where the words came from.