Green, Yellow, Red or Blue Trivia Quiz

Answer: Green

Greenbacks took their name from the paper currency introduced during the American Civil War.

Greenhorn is a term derived from the immature horns of young cattle.

When Erik the Red discovered Greenland in 982, he gave it a name designed to encourage settlers. In fact, it is mostly covered by ice and not very green at all.

Answer: Red

The first mention of a red carpet is thought to be in Aeschylus' play about Agamemnon returning from the Trojan wars. Carpets or floor coverings of any colour would be laid down for important people in medieval and renaissance times to protect their clothing; the colour could signify their rank, and red or purple were seen as royal colours. In the twentieth century the New York Central Railroad used a red carpet at the stations to indicate the route to and from its express train service between New York and Chicago. Since then, red carpets have been used for visiting royalty, politicians and other dignitaries as well as for celebrities on occasions such as the Oscar ceremony.

A soldier would be called a redcoat simply because of the colour of his uniform. For most purposes the red was replaced by the more practical khaki by the beginning of the twentieth century. In the UK, a redcoat can also refer to one of the people involved with the entertainment at Butlin's holiday camps.

Henry Dunant conceived the idea of the Red Cross after seeing the wounded lying untended after the Battle of Solferino in 1859; he enlisted the help of local women to care for the injured soldiers. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was formed in in 1919, after the first world war, as an umbrella organisation to co-ordinate the work of the various national societies. It has its headquarters in Geneva.

Answer: Blue

Bluebell is the name given in England to Hyacinthoides non-scripta - a spring flower. In Scotland the name is used for Campanula rotundifolia - a smaller flower which is known as a harebell in other parts of the UK. In North America Mertensia virginica is called a bluebell.

Bluegrass music developed in the Appalachian region of North America from Anglo-Celtic origins.

There are various explanations as to why Nova Scotians have been called Bluenoses. One is that the inhabitants were able to withstand the cold; another is that they are called after the Irish Bluenose potatoes; a third suggests that the term comes from marks left on their noses by blue mitts worn by fishermen.

Answer: Green

Somebody who is very good at growing things is often said to have green fingers. In the US apparently only their thumbs are green.

The green room in a theatre is a place where actors can relax between scenes and before and after a performance. There are many theories about the origin of the term; some people think it refers to a room where performers waited before appearing on the green - the name given to the performance area in medieval round theatres; others think it refers to a room at Blackfriars Theatre in London in the sixteenth century which was painted green.

By analogy with traffic lights where red is the colour to stop and green is the colour to go, a green light is generally regarded as a signal to go ahead with something.

Answer: Yellow

Ken Aston, a British referee, conceived the idea of coloured cards to show to players in soccer matches after some confusion during a match in the 1966 World Cup. They were first used four years later during the competition in Mexico; a yellow card indicates that a player has been cautioned and a red card shows that the player is being sent off.

Yellowhammer is the common name for Emberiza citrinella - a bird which is found in Europe and Asia. The male has a bright yellow belly and head, while the female is a duller shade of yellow.

Yellow fever is a viral disease spread by mosquitoes in the tropics. Its symptoms can be similar to those of flu, but it can also lead to hepatitis and jaundice, which is where it gets its name.

Answer: Blue

Blue John is the name given to fluorite mined near Castleton, Derrbyshire in the UK. One theory is that it gets its name from bleu-jaune - French for blue-yellow, referring to the colour of the mineral.

The Blue Peter is the maritime signal flag consisting of a white square in the middle of a blue background. It is used to signify the letter 'P' or to indicate that all crew should report on board since the boat is due to leave the harbour. 'Blue Peter' is also the name given to a long-running children's magazine-style television programme produced by the BBC.

Bluetongue is a viral disease of sheep and other ruminants; it is carried by insects. It causes lameness, fever and swelling of the mouth and tongue.

Answer: Red

In much of Europe, North America and Asia Vanessa atalanta is known as the red admiral butterfly. Vanessa gonerilla is known as the New Zealand red admiral. Both have red markings on a black background. Vanessa indica (Indian red admiral or Asian admiral), which is found in some higher parts of India, is orange and black.

A red herring is a dried smoked herring. The use of the phrase to mean a misleading clue comes from using the dried fish to lay a trail for training hounds.

Red Setter is another name for the Irish Setter, a gundog with a long dark red coat.

Answer: Yellow

Yellow Pages is a business telephone directory arranged by business type. It started in America in the nineteenth century, and subsequently spread to many countries throughout the world.

Thunnus albacares is called yellowfin tuna because of its bright yellow dorsal and anal fins. It is found in sub-tropical and tropical oceans throughout the world.

The use of the expression 'yellow-bellied' for cowards appears to have started in movies about the Wild West in the 1920s.

Answer: Green

A greenhouse is a building made mainly from glass, or plastic, used for cultivating young or vulnerable plants.

A greengage is a small green dessert plum, a variety of Prunus domestica.

Greenfinch is the name given to Carduelis chloris, a small bird found throughout Europe, South-west Asia and North Africa.

Answer: Red

Redwood is the name given to trees of the sequoia family, which are found in the west of North America.

The description 'redbrick' was first used by Edgar Allison Peers in 1943 to refer to the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, because of the construction of some of their original buildings.

Because red dwarf stars have less than half the mass of the sun, they burn at a lower temperature, so appear red rather than yellow.