Night Becomes Them Quiz | English

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. I woke up feeling thirsty and was about to RISE when I saw that Mum had left some water on my BEDSIDE TABLE.

Answer: stand

One meaning of 'stand' is to rise. Other synonyms for this sense of the word would include: being erect or upright, getting to one's feet or getting up. Sitting, lying or reclining are antonyms.

A nightstand is a small bedside table.

'Stand' is one of those words in English that has a number of different uses. Some other meanings of 'stand' are:
* To put or place something.
* To move or remove: 'stand aside'.
* To argue or defend a cause: 'to stand for'.
* The location of something.
* To endure or persist.
* A rank or position indicating one's standing.
* To pay for something: "I'll stand/shout the next round."
* A defence against an attack: 'Last stand'.
* A viewpoint or political stance.

2. Mum had also set out my SCHOOL UNIFORM. I took off my PAJAMAS and dressed for the day.

Answer: clothes

Some schools require students to wear specific clothes, otherwise known as school uniform. Students required to wear uniform quickly learn that the opposite word is 'mufti' and mufti days are a highlight for many.

Synonyms for clothes are apparel, garments, attire, dress and garb.

Nightclothes include pajamas and are things worn to bed. Pajamas, also spelled pyjamas are loose fitting jackets and trousers suitable for sleeping in. The word has Persian and Urdu origins meaning 'leg' and 'clothing'.

3. The Police talked to our school class. They don't PUT people our age in jail. We looked at the CLUB they carry.

Answer: stick

Stick can be a noun (naming word) or a verb (doing word).

The first meaning is verbal: 'stick you in jail'. Synonyms include thrust, insert, place, plant and lodge.

A nightstick is a club carried by police personnel. Truncheon, baton, billy club, staff and bludgeon are other terms for nightstick.

Historically some police forces were equipped with day-sticks and longer night-sticks, the latter affording more protection at night because of its bigger size.

4. It was sunny and I needed my HAT playing baseball. My friends talked about the best DRINK BEFORE BED.

Answer: cap

A baseball cap has a big peak on it, to protect your eyes from the sun. Aside from headgear, cap can also mean a top, lid or seal.

As a verb, cap means bettering, exceeding or outdoing.

A nightcap can be a soft garment worn on the head to bed (who does that anymore?). It is also a drink (sometimes alcoholic) consumed before bed with the aim of promoting a good night's sleep.

Possibly the ritual of getting dressed for bed and having a drink at the same time may have resulted in the second meaning being conflated from the first.

5. On the way home I stumbled with a LOSS OF BALANCE. It was GETTING DARK and I should be more careful.

Answer: fall

When you lose your balance, you fall. Other words with similar meanings are drop, descend, tumble, topple, collapse and crash down.

Nightfall means the time when it is getting dark. It is also known as twilight, dusk, evening, gloaming, sundown and eventide.

The word nightfall results from night (darkness) + fall (dropping or descending).

6. At home, Mum asked if I knew the HOUR. I laughed and told her the hours of DARKNESS.

Answer: time

Mum: "Do you know what TIME it is?"
Me: "Nighttime!"

Time is a reference to the period of the day, divided up into 24 hours.

Nighttime or night-time is an all-encompassing term for the hours of darkness. Its origin is night + time.

7. Homework was about PLANTS AND ANIMALS. I saw MOTHS fluttering around the outside lights.

Answer: life

Plants and animals are living things (life). Synonyms are creatures, organisms and living beings. From the noun come a number of adjectives relating to being full of life: lively, animated, vital, spirited, energetic, vivacious and vigorous.

Nightlife is frequently used for evening social opportunities like dances or nightclubs. Linking night + life gives us nightlife.

Nightlife may also refer to animals that are nocturnal or active at during the hours of darkness. Crepuscular animals are active during twilight while cathemeral species tend to have irregular bursts of activity during the day or the night. Diurnal is the antonym of nocturnal.

8. Around the EDGE of the house, the Moon looked funny because of the DARK PART FACING AWAY FROM THE SUN.

Answer: side

Edge is another word for side. Synonyms for this meaning of 'side' include boundary, limit, border, margin, rim, part, section, region and division.

Nightside is an astronomical term applied to moons or planets. It is the part which lies in darkness because it is facing away from the sun or body it orbits.

Nightside is the result of joining night + side. The antonym is dayside.

9. A scary film on television was about wild FEMALE HORSES. I hope it doesn't give me BAD DREAMS.

Answer: mares

Mares are adult female horses. Those kept for breeding purposes are referred to as brood mares or stud mares.

Nightmares refer to bad or frightening dreams.

'Mare' or 'mares' are sometimes used as a contraction of nightmares. However, the 'mare' part of nightmare has nothing to do with horses. It's derived from the Old English 'maere', meaning an evil spirit.

Some synonyms for 'nightmare' are misery, agony, hell, horror and torment. These terms indicate how unwelcome nightmares can be. Much preferred are sweet dreams, heaven or paradise.

10. Mum turned off my LAMP. The faint glow from a SMALL ELECTRIC DEVICE was the last thing I remembered.

Answer: light

A lamp is a small light. Historically, various sources of illumination have been used to enable activity during darkness. Lamps have used a variety of energy sources to produce light: electricity, batteries, gas, oil and even calcium carbide. The latter reacts with water producing acetylene gas which burns, generating light, also known as limelight.

A nightlight is a dim light often left on overnight for children.

Nightlight is formed from night + light and can also refer to other sources of light such as moonlight or starlight.

Source: Author psnz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
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Night Becomes Them Trivia Quiz

I can sum up this day in ten words. Then I noticed something strange. Putting 'night' in front of each word, it becomes something else. Can you match my words with these clues?

Questions		Choices
1. I woke up feeling thirsty and was about to RISE when I saw that Mum had left some water on my BEDSIDE TABLE.		side
2. Mum had also set out my SCHOOL UNIFORM. I took off my PAJAMAS and dressed for the day.		stick
3. The Police talked to our school class. They don't PUT people our age in jail. We looked at the CLUB they carry.		life
4. It was sunny and I needed my HAT playing baseball. My friends talked about the best DRINK BEFORE BED.		mares
5. On the way home I stumbled with a LOSS OF BALANCE. It was GETTING DARK and I should be more careful.		fall
6. At home, Mum asked if I knew the HOUR. I laughed and told her the hours of DARKNESS.		cap
7. Homework was about PLANTS AND ANIMALS. I saw MOTHS fluttering around the outside lights.		clothes
8. Around the EDGE of the house, the Moon looked funny because of the DARK PART FACING AWAY FROM THE SUN.		time
9. A scary film on television was about wild FEMALE HORSES. I hope it doesn't give me BAD DREAMS.		light
10. Mum turned off my LAMP. The faint glow from a SMALL ELECTRIC DEVICE was the last thing I remembered.		stand