Hard Hebrew Vocabulary - Odd-Man Out Quiz / Test | World

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The Hebrew root T F R means "to sew". Three of the words listed below are derived from that root, and the fourth is from an entirely different root. Which word is the "Odd-Man Out"?

Answer: Tailor

Not surprisingly, the word for "seamstress" - "toferet" and the word for a seam "tefer", come from the same Hebrew root as the word "to sew". The fact that the word for "miser", "tafran" comes from the same root is a little more unexpected. The idea is that the miser's pockets are all sewed up! The Hebrew word for a tailor is "chayat", which appears first in the Talmud.

This is a common Jewish surname.

2. Three of the words listed below are derived from the root CH V R. The fourth word is not linguistically related to the others. Which word is the "Odd-Man Out"?

Answer: Culture

The root CH V R means "to connect, or be connected". The Hebrew word for a "notebook" is "machberet", since a "notebook" consists of pages that are connected together. A "society",or a group of people who are connected, is a "chevrah". The Hebrew word for "friend" is "chaver" (1st person,male), and was heard round the world when President Bill Clinton ended his eulogy of slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin with the words, "Shalom, Chaver".

The Hebrew word for "culture" is "tarbut".

3. The Hebrew word for "book" is "sefer", which comes from the root S F R. Three of the following words come from the same root. The fourth word is the the "Odd-Man Out" - do you know which it is?

Answer: Newspaper

The root S F R can be found in Ugaritic and Acadian sources, and appears in the Bible in the Book of Samuel. The Hebrew word for "story" is "sipor" (the sounds "f" and "p" are basically the same letter in Hebrew), while "library" is "sifria". "Literature" is "sifrut". The word for "newspaper" is "eetone", and comes from one of the many Hebrew words for "time".

4. The three letter C N S means "to convene". Three of the words listed below are derived from that root. Which one is the "Odd-Man Out"?

Answer: Mosque

The Israeli parliament is called the "Knesset", while a "Beit Knesset" is a "synagogue". The Hebrew prefix "Beit" means "house of", so a synagogue is a "house of gathering". A church is called a "kenisiya" in Hebrew, and sounds very much like the Hebrew word for "entrance", which is "kenisa".

The word for "mosque" is "misgad". It is derived from the root S G D, which means "to bow down", since much of the Muslim prayer involves bowing and kneeling.

5. The Hebrew word "to ride" comes from the three letters R CH V. Three of the words listed below are derived from that root; the fourth is different. Which word is the "Odd-Man Out"?

Answer: Automobile

Both the word "rider" and chariot" can be found in Exodus XIV:23 "And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all of Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his riders". The modern Hebrew words for "train" and "vehicle" were adapted from this Biblical source.

The word for "automobile", however, comes from the root for "machine", and is pronounced "michonit".

6. Three of the words listed below are derived from the same three consonant root in Hebrew, while the fourth word is unrelated. Can you guess which is the "Odd-Man Out"?

Answer: (Political) Opposition

The root P L G means "to divide" and can be found in the Book of Genesis X:25. "And unto Eber were born two sons; the name of the first was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided". "Peleg" is also the word for "creek", since it is a division of a larger river.

The Hebrew word for "political party" is "miflagah", since a party is a division of the body politic; while the word for a "military company" is "plugah", or a division of the army. The Hebrew word for "opposition" is taken from the English, and is pronounced "oppotzia".

7. Three of the words listed below are formed from the Hebrew root D R G, while the fourth is not related. Which of these words is the "Odd-Man Out"?

Answer: Ladder

The Hebrew root D R G forms the word "staircase", which is "madrigot" in Hebrew, as well as the word for "rank", which is "dargah". The same root forms the word "midurag", which can refer to the agricultural terraces found all over the country, as well as a "layered" haircut.

The word for "ladder" is "soolam", and it can be found in Genesis XXVIII:12 where Jacob's dream is described "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven..."

8. The "Negev" is the dry desert in the south of Israel. Three of the words listed below are derived from the same root, while the fourth is from a different root. Which word is the "Odd-Man Out"?

Answer: Diaper

The Hebrew word for "towel" is "magavet", while "windshield wiper" is "magav". "Magvon" is a baby wipe. The Hebrew word for "diaper" is "chitool", and can be found in the Book of Ezekiel, where it used to means "bandage".

9. "Kabbalah", of course, is the term for Jewish mysticism. The word "Kabbalah" is formed from the three consonants K B L. Three of the words listed below are related to the word "Kabbalah", while the fourth comes from a different root. Which word is the "Odd-Man Out"?

Answer: Famous

The Hebrew root K B L means "to receive" - Kabbalah is received wisdom. The very same word also means "receipt". A "contractor", or someone who gives receipts for his work, is a "kablan". Someone who is well-liked, or "well-received", is referred to as "mikubal" (1st person, male).

The Hebrew word for "famous" is "miforsum" (1st person, male), and comes from the same root as the word "to advertise".

10. Three of the words listed below are derived from the same root. Which of them is the "Odd-Man Out"?

Answer: Boycott

The root "sh" "b" "t" forms the word for "strike", which is "shvita", although of course, not all strikes are sit-down strikes! The Hebrew word for a "meeting", where indeed lots of people sit, is "yeshiva". A "yeshiva" is a also a Jewish school of higher-learning. The Hebrew word for "settlement" is "Yishuv" - a place where people sit, permanently. The Hebrew word for "boycott" is "cherem" - the same word also means to "excommunicate".
The "Even-Shushan" Hebrew dictionary was the primary source for this quiz.

Source: Author janetgool

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Leau before going online.
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Hebrew Vocabulary - Odd-Man Out Quiz

The Hebrew translations for three of the words listed in each question are derived from the same root, while the fourth word is unconnected. Try thinking from right-to-left and see if you can figure out which word is the "Odd-Man Out".

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