The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "The _______ has, I fib no fibs / 318 pairs of ribs / In stating this I place reliance / On a seance with one who died for science / This figure is sworn to and attested / He counted them while being digested." Which animal was the inspiration for this poem?

Answer: The Python

A python is a large constricting snake that kills its prey by wrapping around it and squeezing. Death usually occurs by suffocation or heart failure rather than by crushing.

2. "Strange as it seems, the smallest mammal / Is the _______ and not the camel." This poem refers to which tiny mammal?

Answer: The Shrew

Though Ogden finished the poem by saying, "And that is all I ever knew / Or wish to know, about the shrew," the shrew is a mouse-like creature that is not a rodent at all, but in the order Insectivora, along with hedgehogs and moles. The smallest type of shrew is the pygmy white-toothed shrew, which can grow up to 3.5 cm and 2 grams. It is generally considered the smallest mammal.

3. "The _______ lives across the seas / Among the far Antipodes / He may exist on nuts and berries / Or then again, on missionaries / His distant habitat precludes / Conclusive knowledge of his moods." To which marsupial does this poem refer?

Answer: The Wombat

Only three species of wombat survive in Australia - the common wombat, the southern hairy-nosed wombat, and the northern hairy-nosed wombat. While not typically ferocious, when threatened, they are very strong and very fast. Perhaps this is why Ogden Nash ended this poem with the words, "I would not engage the wombat / In any form of mortal combat."

4. "The _______ roams the great Sahara / Its mouth is wide, its neck is narra / It has such long and lofty legs / I'm glad it sits to lay its eggs." Which large flightless bird is the subject of this poem?

Answer: The Ostrich

The ostrich is the largest living bird, reaching heights of 8 feet. It is native to Africa, though it is also bred in other parts of the world, including the United States.

5. "The _______ is harmless / And conspicuously charmless." This poem refers to which aquatic mammal?

Answer: The Manatee

Manatees are docile animals, sometimes known as "sea cows." In America, they are an endangered species. The creatures used to be hunted for oil, but are now legally protected. It has no natural predators, but human expansion has eaten into its environment and many have been injured or killed by propellers of outboard motors. Ogden Nash finished this poem about the manatees lack of physical attractiveness by saying, "Luckily the manatee / Is quite devoid of vanity."

6. "Behold the _______! We laugh at how he looks to us / And yet in moments dank and grim / I wonder how we look to him." In this poem, Ogden Nash is extolling the virtues of which animal?

Answer: The Hippopotamus

This African mammal looks almost comical and docile, but is actually a fierce animal that is said to cause more deaths than any other. Their teeth are approximately 20 inches long, they stand 5 feet tall and weigh between 3 and 4 tons. Perhaps out of caution, Ogden Nash ended the poem this way: "Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus! / We really look all right to us / As you no doubt delight the eye / Of other hippopotami."

7. "The _______ has made himself illustrious / Through constant industry industrious / So what? / Would you be calm and placid / If you were full of formic acid?" This poem describes which insect?

Answer: The Ant

Ants are industrious creatures, working together to build their colonies. Formic acid is a chemical that ants use in defense, injecting it into their targets through biting and/or stinging. Formic acid actually got its name from the Latin word for ant, "Formicidae."

8. "My friends all know that I am shy / But the _______ is twice as shy as I / He moves with flickering indecision / Like stripes across a television / He's like the shadow of a cloud / Or Emily Dickinson read out loud." What is the rodent that inspired this poem?

Answer: The Chipmunk

Chipmunks are also known as ground squirrels or striped squirrels. Their name comes from the "chip" sound that they make. There have been many other chipmunks in popular culture, including Chip, Dale, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.

9. In Ogden Nash's poem, "The Birds," several birds are mentioned singing various songs. Which bird sings the roundelay?

Answer: The Skylark

The entire poem reads, "Puccini was Latin, and Wagner Teutonic / And birds are incurably philharmonic / The skylark sings a roundelay / The crow sings "The Road To Mandalay" / The nightingale sings a lullaby / And the sea gull sings a gullaby / That's what shepherds listened to in Arcadia / Before some one invented TV's and radia."

10. "Have ever you harked to the _______ wild / Which scientists call the onager? / It sounds like the laugh of an idiot child / Or a hepcat on a harmoniger." This poem refers to what domesticated farm animal?

Answer: The Jackass

The jackass, or donkey, is a domesticated animal used to carry loads, pull carts, and carry riders. It is commonly viewed as a very stubborn and very comical creature. Ogden Nash finishes this poem (entitled "The Wild Jackass") in this way: "But do not sneer at the jackass wild / There is a method in his heehaw / For with maidenly blush and accent mild / The jenny-ass answers shee-haw."

11. "How many scientists have written / The _______ is gentler than a kitten!" To what aquatic animal does this poem refer?

Answer: The Shark

Sharks are large marine predators with cartilaginous skeletons and rows of replaceable teeth in the mouth. There are typically about 100 shark attacks on humans per year worldwide, with only 30 being fatal. Still, Ogden Nash adds this final point to his poem: "Yet this I know about the shark / His bite is worser than his bark."

12. "Tell me, O _______, I begs / Is those things arms, or is they legs?" This poem refers to which cephalopod?

Answer: The Octopus

Octopi have eight legs (or arms, who knows) and live in various parts of the ocean. They are highly intelligent, and some scientists believe that if they lived longer than three years, they would have developed civilization of their own. Ogden Nash completes this poem by stating, "I marvel at thee, Octopus / If I were thou, I'd call me Us."

13. "The _______'s a confusing suitor / It's masc., fem., and even neuter / At times it wonders, may what come / Am I husband, wife, or chum." This mollusk is...

Answer: The Oyster

Oysters are mollusks that live in the ocean and have shells made of calcite. They are edible, but only fresh. Oysters are perhaps best known for their production of pearls.

14. "Some primal _______ knocked on wood / And tasted it, and found it good / And that is why your Cousin May / Fell through the parlor floor today." This wood eating insect is...

Answer: The Termite

Termites are pests that eat through wood and cause serious damage to property made of that material. They are also known as the white ant.

15. "The ______ is like a leopard / Except it hasn't been peppered / Should you behold a _______ crouch / Prepare to say Ouch." The large cat that is the subject of this poem is...

Answer: The Panther

Panther is the name commonly given to a species of big cat, including the black leopard, the black jaguar, and to the puma. Ogden Nash finished his poem about the panther with the warning, "If called by a panther / Don't anther." I hope you enjoyed this quiz, and learned some about the animals in Ogden Nash's poetry. If you didn't know anything about Ogden Nash before taking the quiz, I encourage you to check out more of his poetry.

He was quite a funny guy.

Source: Author asutbone

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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American poet Ogden Nash (1902-1971) wrote many humorous poems in his lifetime, including many about animals. In this quiz, find the animal that is the subject of the poem.

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