Colourful Alternatives Trivia Quiz

Answer: White

Alabaster is a soft mineral or rock that is often used for carving, and is also processed for use in plaster powder.

As a colour, alabaster is an off-white with subtle undertones of greige. (greige is grey/beige)

Answer: Brown

Coffee, of course, is a drink brewed from roasted coffee beans.

As a colour, coffee is a brownish representation of the colour of a roasted coffee bean. But since coffee beans come in varying shades of brown, the colour 'coffee' represents an average.

Answer: Red

Crimson was the name originally associated with the colour of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, used by the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

In modern usage, Crimson is described as a strong, red colour, inclining to purple.

Answer: Yellow

Dandelions are a common wildflower of yellow hue, with the name originating from the French 'dent-de-léon', meaning 'lion's tooth'.

As a colour, dandelion is simply described as bright yellow.

Answer: Pink

A flamingo is a large wading bird whose name is derived from the Spanish word 'flamengo', meaning 'flame-coloured'.

That said, the colour flamingo is described as very soft pink.

Answer: Green

Limes are, of course, a green citrus fruit.

And not surprisingly, the use of the word lime as a colour is described as a shade of yellow-green, a representation of the colour of the citrus fruit known as the lime.

Answer: Blue

The 'navy' in navy blue refers to the dark blue uniforms worn by (originally) British Royal Navy officers.

Originally called 'marine blue', navy blue is described as a very dark shade of the colour blue.

Answer: Black

Pitch is a substance, typically made from petroleum or coal tar, but also sometimes from plants. Commonly used as a waterproofing agent (caulking shipboard planks) or as a flammable substance for torches.

As a colour, pitch black is a direct reference to the material described above. It is 'as pure a black as you can get' and also gave birth to the phrase 'pitch dark' which refers to the complete absence of light.

Answer: Orange

A tangerine is another citrus fruit, so named because of its origins in Tangier, Morocco. It is a variant of the mandarin orange.

As a colour, tangerine is a saturated, bold orange hue.

Answer: Purple

Violet is a common flower in the genus viola, the most common of which are the common blue violet and common purple violet.

Named after the flower in question, the colour can be described as a soft magenta, but violet is a colour in its own right, and not a blend of other colours. Violet is one of the colours of the rainbow, found at the short wavelength end of the visible spectrum, where purple is a combination of red, blue, and violet light.