FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 6 Quiz

Answer: ancestors

Any person from whom one descended is that person's forebear. The etymology of this word is a little complex and very interesting. In Middle English, "fore-" meant previous, antecedent, coming before. The "-bear" part has nothing to do with large hairy hungry ursine creatures but is rather a compound of two parts: "be" in the sense of the verb to be, and "-ar" in the sense of one who does or is something. Thus, a forebear is a person who existed previous to the person in question.

It is sometimes spelt "forbear." The term can be important in law touching upon matters of succession and inheritance.

Question by player FatherSteve

Answer: The eruption of Krakatau

Art born from the volcano. Krakatau's violent eruption in 1883 hurled millions of tons of sediment and debris miles into the sky. These particulates were quickly spread around the world by high-altitude winds where they caused the brilliant but unique panoramas at day's end that so inspired artists. Krakatau (also sometimes transliterated as Krakatoa) had other worldwide effects and helped usher in the idea of global connectedness between all peoples and all places.

Question by player H0lyAerith

Answer: mispelled

Mispelled should be spelled misspelled. Mis- is a prefix meaning not. This is one of the most common spelling errors there is.

Question by player Ilona_Ritter

Answer: Albatross

The idiom, 'an albatross around one's neck', is derived from a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Reputedly, albatrosses are a sign of good fortune to sailors, so killing one causes problems to the culprit. In 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', this is what happens to the sailor who is destined to carry the albatross around his neck as punishment for his misdemeanour.

The idiom now refers to anything which is an inescapable burden.

Question by player rossian

Answer: a concealed hole to trap animals

The modern English usage of "pitfall" to mean any concealed danger derives from its original usage to describe an animal trap. Mrs. R. Lee wrote, in her book "Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals" (1852), "These traps are generally pitfalls, baited, too often, with a live [young goat], whose cries entice the beast of prey." Since 1300, the noun "pitfall" described a hole dug in the ground, slightly covered, into which a wild animal would fall unawares. Some, especially in Africa and India, were made with sharpened stakes at the bottom on which to impale the unfortunate beast.

Question by player FatherSteve

Answer: Clowns

Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns. The word coulrophobia stems from the Greek word Kolobathristes which means one on stilts and phobos which means fear. Some celebrities who have coulrophobia include Johnny Depp and Carol Burnett.

Question by player funnytrivianna

Answer: Vowels

The Phoenician alphabet was developed from North Semitic and contained 22 letters which were all consonants. Vowel sounds were implied. The Greek alphabet was developed from the Phoenician and contained 17 consonants and seven vowels. In turn, the Old Latin alphabet, with 21 letters including four vowels, was derived from Greek.

Question by player gme24

Answer: Marshland

There are many different types of writing implements known as pens, for example, ballpoint pens, fountain pens, and highlighter pens. Farm animals are often kept in enclosures called pens to ensure that they don't escape. A female swan is called a pen, a male swan is called a cob, and a baby swan is called a cygnet.

Marshland can otherwise be called a fen, and fens are a common feature of eastern England.

Question by player ClarkyB

Answer: mandrake

Common to historical as well as contemporary pagan religions such as Wicca, mandrake has a special place in alchemy as it resembles a human in shape. There is no truth to the superstition that it screams when pulled from the ground. This plant is popular in fiction, especially with those stories featuring potion-making.

Question by player trident

Answer: pantophagous

"Carnivorous" refers to a creature that eats only meat. A "ruminant" is a cud-chewing mammal. "Vituperate" means to berate someone viciously.

Question by player daBomb619