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Literary Signs and Symbols Trivia Quiz

Have you ever wondered what some of those little symbols and signs you often see in literature (and on your keyboard) are called? Signs like -, or &, or * are used frequently...but how have we designated them? Let's find out...

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

Author
thejazzkickazz

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
83,694

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
11447

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Allons-y (7/10), Taltarzac (5/10), rahonavis (9/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. We shall begin with an easy one. This punctuation mark is used to divide and/or join words and numbers, i.e. Moholy-Nagy and Catch-22. We sometimes get away with calling it a dash (especially if we're using Morse Code) or the minus (subtraction) sign, but what is the more 'official' name for this little fellow? Hint

Hypnote

Hyphen

Hyperbole

Hysteron

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Question 2 of 10

2. If one has just employed a sign symbolizing 'ecphonesis' or 'epiphonema'...which of the following has one utilized? Hint

...

( )

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Question 3 of 10

3. The * sign is an oft-used one, employed as a reference mark, for example. We use the term 'asterisk' to describe this extremely useful little symbol...but what does the word mean in its original Greek? Hint

Little star

Flower

Puckered lips

Town center

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Question 4 of 10

4. Here's a very simple one...what does a long string of literary symbols used side by side i.e., *&@#!#%, usually signify in literature? Hint

Gibberish

Computer language

A broken keyboard or typewriter

Curse or swear words

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Question 5 of 10

5. Back to questions of a more serious nature...often we use symbols like the one above the e in 'Andr�' for accent or stress. What is this (�) rising accent marker called? Hint

Acute

Breve

Grave

Tilde

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Question 6 of 10

6. What is the term we use to describe these [ ]? Hint

Brackets

Dividers

Parenthesis

Braces

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which of these signs/symbols has the same name as a body part? Hint

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Question 8 of 10

8. A bar (�) is often used above vowels to indicate the long vowel sound. What is this bar called? Hint

Cedilla

Macron

Circumflex

Overscore

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which of these symbols had its origins in the Latin word "et"? Hint

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which symbol is utilized in an English interrogative sentence? Hint

...

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 05 2024 : Allons-y: 7/10
Dec 01 2024 : Taltarzac: 5/10
Nov 16 2024 : rahonavis: 9/10
Oct 31 2024 : Guest 69: 5/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Hyphen

The word 'hyphen' comes originally to us from the Greek hypo-, which means 'under', and -hen, a neuter form of 'heis' which means 'one'. So...hyphen means 'under one'. Any guesses as to why the etymology of hyphen is derived thusly?

2. If one has just employed a sign symbolizing 'ecphonesis' or 'epiphonema'...which of the following has one utilized?

Answer: !

Ecphonesis (An outcry, a powerful display of passion) and Epiphonema (An epical reflection concluding discourse) are two very fancy words for our 'exclamation point'. Try using one of those words in a party crowd sometime in the future, you are guaranteed to dazzle!

Answer: Little star

When in doubt...go for the obvious one*...the similarity between the words astronomy and asterisk cannot be ignored! Asteriskos is the original Greek term, which means 'little star'.

*Unless one was not paying attention! You knew I had to exploit the opportunity here to use an asterisk...

4. Here's a very simple one...what does a long string of literary symbols used side by side i.e., *&@#!#%, usually signify in literature?

Answer: Curse or swear words

If you have ever read ^%?@# Mad Magazine, you will certainly have been made *%&*$ familiar with such %#@&* symbols. There does seem to be an art to it...that is, don't repeat the same symbol twice in a row and avoid symmetry!

5. Back to questions of a more serious nature...often we use symbols like the one above the e in 'Andr�' for accent or stress. What is this (�) rising accent marker called?

Answer: Acute

The acute marker is used regularly in languages like French (i.e. pens�e) but rarely used in standard English writing. The word 'acute' originally derives from the Latin for 'to sharpen'...hence the other meanings for the word (ending in a sharp point, sharpness or severity, etc.).

6. What is the term we use to describe these [ ]?

Answer: Brackets

This was a bit of a tricky one I think. Parenthesis (or pl. parentheses) refer to these markers ( ), while these { } are called braces. Brackets and braces are usually used for enclosure while parentheses are used for insertion. The two bracket styles are called square (shown in the question) and angle - the quiz template guard against use of html precludes my displaying angle brackets here.

7. Which of these signs/symbols has the same name as a body part?

Answer: :

The : is known as a colon, the same name as the lower part of your large intestine that connects the cecum and the rectum. Although they have the same name, they are mutually identifiable...wouldn't you say?

8. A bar (�) is often used above vowels to indicate the long vowel sound. What is this bar called?

Answer: Macron

The word 'macron' really makes sense when you realize it comes from the Greek (makros) for 'long'!

9. Which of these symbols had its origins in the Latin word "et"?

Answer: &

The ampersand, used to indicate the word and, is a ligature (running together) of the letters e and t used in the Latin word "et", meaning and. It gets its name from the fact that it used to be listed at the end of the alphabet, as a 27th symbol, and would be the last one recited when saying the alphabet aloud.

At that time, it was also common practice to insert the phrase "per se" (meaning by itself, used to indicate that it is the symbol being described, not a word with the same sound). The recitation of the alphabet therefore ended with the phrase 'Z and per se and', which became slurred to ampersand.

10. Which symbol is utilized in an English interrogative sentence?

Answer: ?

No one is sure about the origin of the ? symbol...but some believe it is the Greek semicolon (;) ...upside down!

Source: Author thejazzkickazz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor profchallenger1 before going online.
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