Nonsense Poems of Edward Lear Quiz | Authors

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear, the couple dine on mince and slices of quince eaten with what type of spoon?

Answer: Runcible

A Runcible spoon does actually exist. It is rather like a fork with two broad prongs and one sharp prong used to serve hors d'oeuvres. It is also thought to be a reference to his friend George Runcy.

2. Who "went to sea in a sieve"?

Answer: Jumblies

The poem in question is "The Jumblies".
"Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a sieve".

"The Jumblies" tells the story of these strange creatures who embark on a ridiculous voyage in a sieve. They reach a wonderful land and then return twenty years later and are welcomed back with a big feast by the locals.

3. Lear wrote a poem about two pieces of furniture taking a walk in the sunshine and getting lost. What items were they?

Answer: Table and Chair

The poem "The Table and The Chair" tells the tale of how a table and chair have a lovely walk around town, causing the locals to be amazed. They take a wrong turn and get lost and have to pay a duck, beetle and mouse to take them home again, where they all have a nice meal together.

4. Another Edward Lear poem was "The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo". The Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo has very few possessions. What item completes this list? "Two old chairs, and half a ______, One old jug without a handle".

Answer: Candle

First published in 1877, this poem is a poignant story about the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo who is living on the coast of Coromandel. He falls in love with Lady Jingly who, unfortunately for him, already has a husband/partner at home. He sadly leaves Coromandel; she soon regrets her decision and waits in hope for the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo to return.

5. Lear wrote a poem about a married couple who fly to London to buy a hat and bonnet. The couple are "Mr and Mrs Spikky _______".

Answer: Sparrow

Mr Sparrow is a ... well obviously he's a sparrow. Mrs Sparrow is not so obvious. She's a duck. They worry about how the cold weather is affecting each other as they don't have a hat or bonnet. They travel to London to buy them and are very pleased with their purchases.

6. "The Two Old Bachelors" is a poem about two old men who catch a _____ and want to eat it in a muffin, but lack sage and onion stuffing. What did they catch?

Answer: Mouse

I hope you realized that only a mouse would fit into a muffin. The two bachelors go searching for a sage to turn into stuffing. Their hunt is unsuccessful and they return empty-handed, only to find the mouse has gone, but not before eating the muffin.

7. In "The New Vestments", Lear describes a man who makes a costume out of different food items. What did he use to make a hat? Think where he would put it and remember this is a poem.

Answer: A loaf of Brown Bread

Being a poem, you might expect something he might wear on his head would rhyme so it shouldn't be a surprise what the correct answer is. Unfortunately, when he went outdoors, he was attacked by all sorts of creatures who wanted to eat his suit. Clearly a hat would go on his head so the answer should be easy.
His suit was made up like this:-

"By way of a hat, he'd a loaf of Brown Bread,
In the middle of which he inserted his head;--
His Shirt was made up of no end of dead Mice,
The warmth of whose skins was quite fluffy and nice;--
His Drawers were of Rabit-skins, -- but it is not known whose;--
His Waistcoat and Trowsers were made of Pork Chops;--
His Buttons were Jujubes, and Chocolate Drops;--
His Coat was all Pancakes with Jam for a border,
And a girdle of Biscuits to keep it in order;
And he wore over all, as a screen from bad weather,
A Cloak of green Cabbage-leaves stitched all together".

8. Which Lear poem was about a bird that lives in inland and coastal waters? The following lines may help. "None but we have feet like fins! With lovely leathery throats and chins!"

Answer: The Pelican Chorus

The Pelican chorus tells the tale of a daughter pelican who 'comes out' (in the old fashioned sense) and is presented to bird society. She falls in love with a King Crane and they fly away together.

9. The Quangle Wangle sits on the top of the Crumpetty Tree. Why can't you see his face?

Answer: His hat is a hundred and two feet wide

"The Quangle Wangle's Hat" tells the tale of the Quangle Wangle who is lonely because nobody visits him. His beautiful big hat attracts the attention of birds and other fanciful creatures who make their home in his hat, and the Quangle Wangle is at last happy.

10. Lear's most famous nonsense poem may well be about a Dong. "A what?" you say? That's right - a Dong. What is his most obvious feature?

Answer: He has a luminous nose

"The Dong with a Luminous Nose" fell in love with a Jumbly Girl. When the Jumblies sailed away in a sieve, he was left heart-broken and wanders for evermore trying to find her.

Source: Author Spontini

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Nonsense Poems of Edward Lear Trivia Quiz

Edward Lear was a multi-talented man. He could play several musical instruments and was also an artist and illustrator, a writer and a poet, probably most famous for his nonsense poetry. This quiz is about that part of his life.

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