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Quiz about The Littlest Room
Quiz about The Littlest Room

The Littlest Room Trivia Quiz


We all have at least one in our house, but how much do we know about them?

A multiple-choice quiz by ArleneRimmer. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
ArleneRimmer
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
168,143
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
2466
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Who is often (but wrongly) credited with inventing the first flushable toilet? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Although not used in the context of using the toilet any more, the phrase 'Getting the wrong end of the stick' did come from there. From whom did it originate? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which ancient civilisation is thought to have had the first 'raised' toilets (that is, as the modern toilet rather than a hole in the ground)? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Sir John Harington, Queen Elizabeth I's godson, produced two toilets during his lifetime, one for himself, and one for the Queen. What did she call them? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. After half a million dollars was spent refurbishing the White House, the report mentioned that toilet facilities, which were previously noted for their absence, had been installed. In which year was this? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. What was the reason for the old-fashioned practice of men walking on the outside of a woman while on a pavement (sidewalk)? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What does the word 'sewer' mean? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. When cholera broke out in London in 1854 only one man believed it had anything to do with the fact that the River Thames had become a huge sewer from which the population was drawing their drinking water. What reason was given for the outbreak? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In 1858 London was in the grip of the 'Big Stink' because sewage was so polluting the River Thames that it was becoming unbearable. It was not until the MPs sitting in the Houses of Parliament were personally affected by it that a Bill was passed (very quickly!) to improve matters. Alongside 82 miles of 'sewage superhighway', how many miles of bricked sewers were built under the incredibly detailed plan formed by Joseph Bazalgette? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which of the following is not a word used for the 'littlest room'? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Who is often (but wrongly) credited with inventing the first flushable toilet?

Answer: Thomas Crapper

Thomas held three patents for water closets, so although there has been some debate about whether he was a made-up figure (possibly because of the surname) there is no doubt that he made significant improvements to the device which originally dates back all the way to the 16th century.
2. Although not used in the context of using the toilet any more, the phrase 'Getting the wrong end of the stick' did come from there. From whom did it originate?

Answer: the Romans

The Romans, like many of the ancient civilizations, used communal latrines, and would use a cloth-ended stick to clean themselves, and the phrase 'Getting the wrong end of the stick' came from this practice. I will leave it to your imagination to figure it out!
3. Which ancient civilisation is thought to have had the first 'raised' toilets (that is, as the modern toilet rather than a hole in the ground)?

Answer: Babylonia

The palace of Sargon the Great (721-705BC) had an elaborate arrangement of six toilets - like the Romans they enjoyed company while on the throne. Those toilets were at chair height as in modern times, and connections to drains which discharged into a main sewer have been found.
4. Sir John Harington, Queen Elizabeth I's godson, produced two toilets during his lifetime, one for himself, and one for the Queen. What did she call them?

Answer: a necessary

Poor John was ridiculed for his invention by his peers - who termed it an 'absurd device', but both toilets were used by their owners. It would be another two hundred years before another was made!
5. After half a million dollars was spent refurbishing the White House, the report mentioned that toilet facilities, which were previously noted for their absence, had been installed. In which year was this?

Answer: 1902, when the west wing was built

Because the White House belongs to the United States rather than a private person, its condition was deteriorating steadily as the years went on, because Congress was reluctant to spend money on the fabric. It was not until the renovation in 1948 that its position was secure, as it was in danger of being razed and there was talk of a new 'Executive Mansion' being built on the site.
6. What was the reason for the old-fashioned practice of men walking on the outside of a woman while on a pavement (sidewalk)?

Answer: because people threw out the contents of chamberpots from upper windows

The angle at which the content of the chamber pots would have been thrown would put the person further from the building at risk from a very unpleasant deluge. It was therefore up to the man to be prepared to dodge the flush of the householder's toilet.
7. What does the word 'sewer' mean?

Answer: seaward

This comes from Old English, and literally comes from the old practice of open ditches in London leading towards the River Thames, and thence to sea. As London grew larger the tidal river was less and less able to cope with the amount of sewage being dumped there.
8. When cholera broke out in London in 1854 only one man believed it had anything to do with the fact that the River Thames had become a huge sewer from which the population was drawing their drinking water. What reason was given for the outbreak?

Answer: it was airborne

Dr John Snow did an in-depth study of the area most affected, because he noticed that neighbouring streets did not suffer as badly. Finding that one area drank more ale than water, and that the badly affected area drew their water from one pump in particular, he proved his theory by immobilising that pump.

Unfortunately, because he was unable to name the cause of the outbreak precisely, it was some years before he was believed by the rest of the medical fraternity and anything was done about cleaning up the city's water supplies.
9. In 1858 London was in the grip of the 'Big Stink' because sewage was so polluting the River Thames that it was becoming unbearable. It was not until the MPs sitting in the Houses of Parliament were personally affected by it that a Bill was passed (very quickly!) to improve matters. Alongside 82 miles of 'sewage superhighway', how many miles of bricked sewers were built under the incredibly detailed plan formed by Joseph Bazalgette?

Answer: over 1,000 miles

Using the fact that London slopes towards the river, Bazalgette devised a system which used gravity to take the sewage away from homes and public toilets; the majority of sewers were built on a 'cut and shut' system, where roads were dug up, sewers built, and the road put back again. Alongside this work, the London Underground was also being built in the same way.

His work survives to this day. Like the London Underground, it was the first of its kind and set the pattern for cities all over the world.
10. Which of the following is not a word used for the 'littlest room'?

Answer: swamp

'Head' is the term used in by a ship's crew, while 'john' is a popular term used in the United States, and 'bog' is short for 'bottom of the garden', which was where the toilet was placed in times past. There are scores of names for the 'littlest room', and each one has its own history. These include: dunny, head, WC, toilet, bathroom, bog, john, outhouse, closet, and 'littlest room'.
Source: Author ArleneRimmer

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ozzz2002 before going online.
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