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The First Terry Pratchett 'Footnotes' Quiz

Terry Pratchett makes copious use of footnotes in his "Discworld" books. Those of you lucky enough to have seen a Pratchett play will know that Footnote is often one of the Dramatis Personae. So why not a quiz dedicated to Footnotes? Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by Quiz_Beagle. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Quiz_Beagle

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
271,514

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
737

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What Guild in Ankh-Morpork was described in a footnote in 'Equal Rites' as 'A very respectable body which in fact represented the major law-enforcement agency in the city'? Hint

The Guild of Thieves, Cutpurses, Housebreakers and Allied Trades

The Guild of Fools and Joculators and College of Clowns

The Guild of Plumbers and Dunnikindivers

The Seamstresses' Guild

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In 'Maskerade', Agnes Nitt had heard that 'inside every fat woman there was a thin woman trying to get out'. What did a footnote suggest the thin woman was actually doing? Hint

Calling herself Perdita

Dying for a chocolate

Using black writing paper

Being beautifully pale

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. A footnote in 'Jingo' told us about a man who was paid two dollars a day from Ankh-Morpork City funds to wear a sack over his head. What was his name? Hint

Sergeant Knock

Nobby Nobbs

Sidney Lopsides

Gurnt the Stupid

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. In a 'Night Watch' footnote, which group 'much preferred a good singsong and a healthy game of table tennis'? Hint

The Black Ribboners

The Canting Crew

The Eluciated Brethren of the Ebon Night

The Nac Mac Feegles

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. In 'The Fifth Elephant', it was explained that Igors did not change a winning formula. How did the footnote amplify this? Hint

Especially if it was green, and bubbled

A mad master is always the best

An abnormal brain was good enough for any old monster

A good lightning bolt always gave them a charge

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Question 6 of 10

6. In 'Thief of Time', why, according to the footnote, does eating a chocolate nougat not count? Hint

Nougat is actually slimming and takes calories off the chocolate too

Chocolate does not count on Fridays

A chocolate you did not want to eat does not count as chocolate

There are no calories in nougat

7. In 'Monstrous Regiment' there is a troll bridge near Munz. 'It cost one penny to cross, or one hundred gold pieces if you had a billygoat'. The footnote explains that 'Trolls might not be quick thinkers but...' what? Hint

They like to eat billy goats

They don't like billy goats

They don't forget in a hurry, either

They love gold

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. In 'Pyramids' we were told that the old kingdom of Djelibeybi was so small and self-centred, the best plague they had been able to manage in the last hundred years was the Plague of Frog. What did the footnote tell us about this? Hint

It was a four hundred foot tall frog and it swallowed the sun

It was a were-frog and terrorised the young ladies who tried to kiss it

It was a hideous vampire frog and sucked the blood out of the old Pharaoh

It was quite a big frog and it got into the air ducts and kept everyone awake for weeks

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. In 'Moving Pictures' why, as the footnote informed us, did M'Bu's tribe sharpen their teeth to points? Hint

For a religious reason

They just rather liked the effect when they grinned

To save on toothpaste

They didn't, they were toothless

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. A footnote in 'Witches Abroad' explains something about holidays as 'traditional, and happens everywhere in the universe'. What? Hint

It rained every day except the one the witches had planned to stay indoors

Nanny Ogg sent a number of cards home to her family, not a single one of which got back before she did

The top came off Magrat's sun tan oil and ruined her clothes

When Granny Weatherwax got back, she hadn't worn half of the clothes she'd packed

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What Guild in Ankh-Morpork was described in a footnote in 'Equal Rites' as 'A very respectable body which in fact represented the major law-enforcement agency in the city'?

Answer: The Guild of Thieves, Cutpurses, Housebreakers and Allied Trades

Unlicenced thieving was very strongly discouraged in Ankh-Morpork. It's a bit obvious really - the City Watch would have to work very hard to make the city safer - all the Thieves' Guild would have to do would be to work a bit less. On his first day in the Watch, Private Carrot made himself a name by arresting the Head of the Thieves' Guild - for being a thief!

2. In 'Maskerade', Agnes Nitt had heard that 'inside every fat woman there was a thin woman trying to get out'. What did a footnote suggest the thin woman was actually doing?

Answer: Dying for a chocolate

Agnes was a large woman with a lovely personality, so she invented Perdita, her 'thin woman'. Perdita could get away with black writing paper and being pale in plum-coloured lipstick. Sometimes 'Agnes thought Perdita was as dumb as she was.'

3. A footnote in 'Jingo' told us about a man who was paid two dollars a day from Ankh-Morpork City funds to wear a sack over his head. What was his name?

Answer: Sidney Lopsides

It wasn't that Sidney was particularly ugly, just that 'anyone who saw him spent the rest of the day with an unnerving feeling that they were upside down'. Later, when mentioning that the night in Ankh-Morpork 'had a thousand eyes and so did the day, and it also had five hundred mouths and nine hundred and ninety nine ears' we learn that that was down to Sidney Lopside too.

4. In a 'Night Watch' footnote, which group 'much preferred a good singsong and a healthy game of table tennis'?

Answer: The Black Ribboners

The Black Ribboners of Uberwald are former vampires who wear the Black Ribbon to show they no longer have a er...drink problem. Notable Black Ribboners include Otto Chriek, Sally and Lady Margolotta. The Eluciated Brethren of the Ebon Night summoned a Dragon, the Canting crew ate boots and mud and the Nac Mac Feegles like drinking, fighting and stealing 'coo beasties'.

5. In 'The Fifth Elephant', it was explained that Igors did not change a winning formula. How did the footnote amplify this?

Answer: Especially if it was green, and bubbled

Igors are very much traditionalists. The Igor that became the City Watch 'surgeon' was thrown out for not lisping enough.

6. In 'Thief of Time', why, according to the footnote, does eating a chocolate nougat not count?

Answer: A chocolate you did not want to eat does not count as chocolate

How many times have you taken a chocolate 'blind' (i.e. without closely studying the pictures on the lid) and, on finding it's something you didn't like, quickly taken another one as 'that didn't count'? I know I have! The footnote says that this 'is from the same branch of culinary physics that food eaten while walking contains no calories'. 'Chocolate does not count on Fridays' is my own personal rule, but you can borrow it if you want.

Answer: They don't forget in a hurry, either

No billy goat gruff is going to go trippity-trop if these trolls can help it! Trolls wouldn't want to eat billygoats (despite the story!) as they eat rocks and it's dwarfs that love gold (except in Discworld they just tell gold that to get it into bed.)

Answer: It was quite a big frog and it got into the air ducts and kept everyone awake for weeks

I love the idea of the plague of a solitary frog! There's just something so non-impressive about Djelibeybi (it's all because of the pyramids, of course). I'm afraid all the wrong answers were products of my warped imagination.

9. In 'Moving Pictures' why, as the footnote informed us, did M'Bu's tribe sharpen their teeth to points?

Answer: They just rather liked the effect when they grinned

The footnote explicitly states that that this was not for a religious reason. M'bu was the assistant of Azhral N'Choate, the stock dealer that Dibbler ordered a thousand elephants from for the latest click. It was M'Bu who came up with the cunning plan to get them to Holy Wood.

10. A footnote in 'Witches Abroad' explains something about holidays as 'traditional, and happens everywhere in the universe'. What?

Answer: Nanny Ogg sent a number of cards home to her family, not a single one of which got back before she did

All the answers are things that have happened to me on holiday. I went to school with a girl who *never* posted her postcards - we got given them (unstamped) at school the following term! I hope you have enjoyed this quiz, please let me know if you did - and I'll write some more on the wonderful footnotes.

Source: Author Quiz_Beagle

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