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A Lesson in Retronyms Trivia Quiz

A retronym is a word or phrase used to describe the original form of something typically replaced by newer technology. See if you can answer these questions about retronyms.

A multiple-choice quiz by evil44. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
evil44

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
326,338

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
766

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. A classic example of a retronym deals with the Great War that lasted from 1914-1918. After the massive war from 1939-1945, what retronym has been used to describe the Great War? Hint

Franco-Prussian War

Plank's War

World War I

Revolutionary War

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Question 2 of 10

2. Rockers of the world unite! What retronym played a significant role in Eric Clapton's 1992 album "Unplugged"? Hint

xylophone

acoustic guitar

microphone

guitar pick

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Question 3 of 10

3. Motion pictures have made some tremendous technological advances throughout the 20th century. Which of the following is *NOT* a retronym in the movie industry? Hint

live action film

silent film

animation

black-and-white film

4. Traditional or hand-drawn animation is a retronym. In 1995, the movie "Toy Story" revolutionized the animation industry using what type on animation, thereby creating the aforementioned retronym? Hint

computer animation

live action animation

lead paint animation

Schwarz animation

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which of the following is *NOT* a TV-related retronym? Hint

broadcast television

satellite cable

analog cable

standard definition

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Question 6 of 10

6. Let's move on to music. What retronym is present in the title of a Brooks and Dunn song (and album title) reminiscing about their childhood? Hint

dirt road

nuclear submarine

supersonic jet

Greyhound bus

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Question 7 of 10

7. The election of which U.S. president sparked the creation of multiple retronyms for a previous president? Hint

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

John Quincy Adams

George W. Bush

Benjamin Harrison

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Question 8 of 10

8. A failed marketing ploy from 1985 created a newer version of a popular beverage. When the company returned to its original version, what retronym was penned to identify this change? Hint

Crystal Pepsi

Coca-Cola Classic

Pepsi Ice Cucumber

RC Cola

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Question 9 of 10

9. The television series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" spawned two spin-offs: "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: New York". Because of these two additional shows, what retronym has most commonly been used to reference the original series? Hint

CSI: Legacy

CSI: Las Vegas

CSI: The Beginning

The CSI with Jorja Fox

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Question 10 of 10

10. Now that you have learned about retronyms, let's see if you can pick one out from the choices below without any clues. Which one is a retronym? Hint

hard copy

compact disc

jet engine

compound bow

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. A classic example of a retronym deals with the Great War that lasted from 1914-1918. After the massive war from 1939-1945, what retronym has been used to describe the Great War?

Answer: World War I

It would seem rather silly to call the Great War by its retronym without having a second world war to compare it to. If someone had done so during the 1920s, they would have implied a second world war long before it ever happened.

2. Rockers of the world unite! What retronym played a significant role in Eric Clapton's 1992 album "Unplugged"?

Answer: acoustic guitar

Prior to the invention of the electric guitar, acoustic guitars were simply called guitars. Electric guitars hit the commercial market in 1932, with widespread distribution in 1950. That was almost 400 years after the creation of the Renaissance guitar, the precursor to the modern acoustic guitar.

3. Motion pictures have made some tremendous technological advances throughout the 20th century. Which of the following is *NOT* a retronym in the movie industry?

Answer: animation

Since the first movies were silent and black-and-white, once color films and "talkies" came out, those terms were used to distinguish the old from the new. Also, with the rise of animation films in the 1930s, the term "live action" had to be applied to distinguish the films from the cartoons.

Answer: computer animation

The first computer animated short films were released in 1976, but it wasn't until the major theatrical release of "Toy Story" 19 years later that the phrase "computer animation" worked its way into common household discussion. Some other popular computer animated movies were "Antz" (2008), "Ice Age" (2002), and "Shrek Forever After" (2010).

5. Which of the following is *NOT* a TV-related retronym?

Answer: satellite cable

Broadcast television was used to differentiate it from the newer cable television, introduced in the US in 1948. Analog cable was coined to show the difference between it and the newer digital cable. Of course, high definition technology created a need for the term standard definition. Satellite cable is not a retronym since it was created to supersede terrestrial cable, which is a retronym.

6. Let's move on to music. What retronym is present in the title of a Brooks and Dunn song (and album title) reminiscing about their childhood?

Answer: dirt road

"Red Dirt Road" was Brooks and Dunn's eighth album and was released in 2003. The song "Red Dirt Road" went to number one on the country music charts. Of course, prior to paved roads, dirt roads used to be simply called roads. Therefore the term "dirt road" qualifies as a retronym.

7. The election of which U.S. president sparked the creation of multiple retronyms for a previous president?

Answer: George W. Bush

Since both the 43rd and 41st Presidents were named George Bush, people had to be able to differentiate between the father and son. Some retronyms for the 41st POTUS were George H. W. Bush, Bush 41, Bush Senior, and Bush the Elder.

8. A failed marketing ploy from 1985 created a newer version of a popular beverage. When the company returned to its original version, what retronym was penned to identify this change?

Answer: Coca-Cola Classic

The New Coke fiasco of the late 1980s became the standard by which most beverage advertising flops are compared to. With computer-generated spokesman Max Headroom, of MTV fame, Coca-Cola tried to appeal to the younger generations that preferred Pepsi. As for the "Pepsi Ice Cucumber" choice, believe it or not, that was an actual flavor sold in Japan in 2007.

Answer: CSI: Las Vegas

While some people may refer to the original CSI as "Legacy", "The Beginning" or "the one with Jorja", the common title used by bloggers and media networks is "CSI: Las Vegas". "CSI" has been a network television staple since 2000.

10. Now that you have learned about retronyms, let's see if you can pick one out from the choices below without any clues. Which one is a retronym?

Answer: hard copy

Hard copy is a retronym created because of the invention of e-mail and sending "soft" copies of documents. Many companies have instituted "Go Green" initiatives and strictly limit the number of hard copies an employee can make, preferring the electronic soft copies.

Source: Author evil44

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