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Basic Crossword Creation Trivia Quiz

So, you think you're ready to make a crossword puzzle? Here are some of the more common mistakes made by new crossword authors.

A multiple-choice quiz by SilverMoonsong. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
SilverMoonsong

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
262,407

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
2935

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Symmetrical crosswords are more common in the US, therefore we do not allow asymmetrical puzzles to be submitted.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In a crossword, what is an island? Hint

Where Gilligan lives with the other castaways

A small bit of land surrounded by water

A piece of crossword that does not connect to anything else

A very tasty fruit

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. All good crossword submissions have at least one island.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Punctuation is required for every clue. In fact, the more! Punctuation? you use, the better... the clue; will be!

True

False

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Hey, I've got the same answer across and down. That should make it easier for me to fill the grid!

True

False

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. You should write a complete and grammatically correct sentence as a clue, and the longer and more detailed it is, the better it will be.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. I can fit more answers in the grid if I don't put spaces between them. As long as they are numbered right, it'll still be okay to play that way.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Longer words should have approximately 50 percent of the letters crossed.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Cool! I've got three clues about Harry Potter. Can I call it my Harry Potter Crossword?

Yes

10. I've got to fill this grid to 60 percent? Oh man, that's a LOT of words. I've already got all the big words in there, so I guess I'll just fill the rest of it with two-letter words, because that's all that will fit. Is that okay?

Yes

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Symmetrical crosswords are more common in the US, therefore we do not allow asymmetrical puzzles to be submitted.

Answer: False

Symmetrical puzzles are more common than asymmetrical but since we are an international site and we accept themed crosswords, we allow asymmetrical puzzles to be submitted.

2. In a crossword, what is an island?

Answer: A piece of crossword that does not connect to anything else

Having an island in your crossword is basically like having two separate crosswords in the same grid. You must always make sure every part of your crossword can be connected.

3. All good crossword submissions have at least one island.

Answer: False

Islands are not allowed in your crosswords. A good way to make sure you don't have islands is to take a pencil and see if you can touch every answer without lifting your pencil.

4. Punctuation is required for every clue. In fact, the more! Punctuation? you use, the better... the clue; will be!

Answer: False

You want your clues to be as concise as possible, so in most cases you will not be writing a complete sentence. Punctuation should only be used rarely, and most often would be a question mark or exclamation point.

5. Hey, I've got the same answer across and down. That should make it easier for me to fill the grid!

Answer: False

You should never use the same word more than once as an answer. It makes the crossword repetitious, which then becomes less interesting. As in quiz writing, your goal is to make a fun crossword that people will enjoy.

6. You should write a complete and grammatically correct sentence as a clue, and the longer and more detailed it is, the better it will be.

Answer: False

Remember, you are not writing a quiz, you are writing a crossword. Except in rare circumstances, your clues should be as few words as possible.

7. I can fit more answers in the grid if I don't put spaces between them. As long as they are numbered right, it'll still be okay to play that way.

Answer: False

All answers should have a space (black square) between them. This will make finishing the crossword easier for the players. The more they enjoy your crosswords, the more they will look forward to completing others you have authored.

8. Longer words should have approximately 50 percent of the letters crossed.

Answer: True

The more words you have crossing your longer answers, the easier it will be for others to finish your crossword.

9. Cool! I've got three clues about Harry Potter. Can I call it my Harry Potter Crossword?

Answer: No

Ideally, a themed crossword would have all the clues as part of the theme. While we do want you to use as many themed words as possible, we understand that sometimes you must use a few non-themed words to fill your grid. Use them sparingly, however.

Answer: No

Most professional crosswords use few or no two-letter words. We do understand that we are not professionals here, and allow some two-letter word usage to fill the grid, but just like non-themed words, you should use them sparingly.

Now that we've got these basics completed, I expect we'll see some fantastic crosswords being submitted! Make sure you read the guidelines - there is more information there than what is covered here. See you in the queue!

Source: Author SilverMoonsong

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