Misunderstood Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: barbiturates

One of my pet peeves is the mispronunciation of the word 'barbiturates' (for some reason the second 'r' sound is often omitted). Although in different forms, all of the choices above are drugs which act to calm or decrease brain activity. Alcohol, found in whiskey and other drinks, is the most widely abused.

The word narcotic comes from the Greek word "narkotikon" for 'stupor'. Substances included in this category are used to dull the senses, e.g., opium and morphine. Benzodiazepines, including tranquilizers like Valium and Xanax, have now basically replaced barbiturates in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia.

Answer: nuclear

Constantly mispronounced, the answer is (noo'-klee-er) as in nucleus, i.e., the center, the core. The nucleus of an atom contains positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons which are used to power the energy released through fission (the nucleus splitting) or fusion (the nuclei joining together).

In either case, great amounts of energy are released. This can be a tremendously destructive force (as we have seen with the hydrogen bomb) or a power which can generate heat and electricity to light the world.

Answer: transparent

The English language can be so confusing; why should one word mean the opposite of itself, yet sound and look exactly the same? These words are called contranyms or Janus words. Transparent is both invisible and, at the same time, obvious - there or not there? The other choices are also contranyms: cleave - to adhere or to split; oversight - watchful care or a mistake; sanction - to approve or to penalize. Talk about your possible misunderstandings...

Answer: the masses

People are so sure about this one (wrongly) that I have won bets on the meaning of the expression. The term hoi polloi is from the Greek and means the majority or the masses, the common people. Yet, somehow people hear it and, perhaps, it sounds to them like "hoity toity" and they are absolutely sure it means the upper class when, in fact, it means just the opposite. Or maybe people just don't like to admit the fact that they are, in reality, the hoi polloi.

Answer: to weaken

Did you get it right? Most people hear the word enervate and they think of energy and, incorrectly, associate the word with its opposite meaning. Enervate means lacking in energy, enfeebled or weakened, not to be confused with energized...it is the "energizer bunny" who sells batteries, not the enervated bunny (who would actually be too tired to go on!).

Answer: recklessness

This is yet another word that is often misused. Temerity is from the Latin "temere", meaning (amongst other uses) rashly, i.e., foolhardy disregard of danger or audaciousness. It may sound like timidity (fearful and hesitant) but means exactly the opposite. So, if one has the temerity to stand up for what he believes in, he should not be associated with someone with the timidity of a mouse or a rabbit.

Answer: site

A site is a place, like a website or a construction site and refers to location or geography. A sight is something you see, like "I spy with my little eye something beginning with..." and refers to that which you do with your eyes. Cite is a verb which means to quote or list as a source, as in a term paper. Sighed means having taken a long, audible breath to indicate either sadness or relief.

Answer: defecate

Of the choices, three involve 'making less of' in some way, i.e., depreciate is to lower in value; denigrate means to belittle or downplay; deprecate (also defined as "belittle") is to express disapproval of, and is often used as a synonym for the word 'denigrate'.

The correct choice, defecate, is defined as the act by which organisms eliminate waste, and would seem to involve making more, not less, of something.

Answer: barber

If you chose the doctor because you thought it related to tonsils, you were incorrect; nor does it have to do with torts or tarts. Tonsorial is from the Latin "tonsor" meaning barber, and "tondere" meaning to shear. It simply means relating to barbering or a barber.

It would seem much more elegant to go to a 'tonsorial parlor' than to be shaved at a barbershop. And are you old enough to remember the tonsorial pole outside the shop, i.e., that red and white (and sometimes blue) barber's pole?

Answer: a model of the human body

Straight out of an SAT Test, a homunculus is Latin for "little man" and refers to a miniature, fully formed human body or a scale model as used in scientific studies. When I was a kid they had a toy/model called "The Visible Man" which was anatomically accurate and about sixteen inches tall, i.e., a homunculus. (I hope they still sell them today; it was a wonderful learning tool!) If you got this one right, either you're ready for the big time quizzes or you watched a particular episode of "The Big Bang Theory", either way, good for you!