Italian Colors Trivia Quiz

Answer: green

Green is a secondary color, made by combining the colors yellow and blue. Emerald green is the birthstone for May (which symbolizes love and success). The birthstone for the month of August also uses a green color, which is Peridot and it symbolizes married happiness. The color green is sometimes used to represent envy, hence the phrase "green with envy."

Answer: red

Red is a primary color. The birthstone for the month of January is Garnet (symbolizing constancy), a deep red stone. Many things are represented by the color red, particularly anger. Red is supposedly the first color perceived by man. "The color red is the color of fire and blood. Blood and fire have both positive and negative connotations. Bloodshed, aggression, war and hate on one side and love, warmth and compassion on the other side." I suppose that both love and hate could be represented by the color red.

Answer: white

White is often considered as no color. It is not a primary or secondary color, since you cannot mix anything with it to get a different color (except maybe a lighter version of the same color). White is sometimes represented as silence, since again, it is more vague than vivid.

The birthstone for the month of April is the Diamond (symbolizing innocence), which is probably the closest to white as a stone can be.

Answer: purple

Purple is a secondary color made by mixing the primary colors blue and red. One of the many birthstones for the month of June is Alexandrite, a beautiful light purple stone that symbolizes health and longevity. (Maybe I'll have long and healthy life, since June is my month :D) February also uses a purple stone, the Amethyst which symbolizes sincerity.

Although it is a beautiful color, some feel that it is "red withdrawn from humanity by blue." A very interesting thought, considering it is worn is some lands as a sign of mourning the way we in America wear black.

Answer: blue

Blue is another of the primary colors. "It is the color of sky and water and is sometimes used to represent fidelity. Many companies use blue in their logos, including Nivea Cream and Deutsche Bank of Germany." The birthstone for the month of December is Turquoise, (symbolizing prosperity) a light blue stone, and March uses Aquamarine, symbolizing courage.

Answer: orange

Orange, a secondary color, is made by mixing the colors yellow and red together. I find it interesting that in English, we have identical words for the fruit as we do for the color. Italian has two separate words: "Arancione" for the color, and "arancia" for the fruit.

Answer: grey

Grey is a very basic color. The easiest way to make grey is by mixing black and white. Grey can be used to represent vagueness and indecisiveness, much like green mentioned earlier.

Answer: pink

One of the birthstones used for October is Pink Tourmaline, a pretty stone that is a light shade of pink. Pink is almost always used to represent femininity.

Answer: yellow

"Yellow, a primary color, is associated with sunshine, knowledge and flourishing of all living creatures, but also with autumn and maturity. Yellow can also be used to represent gentleness, cheerfulness, envy and discrimination." The two latter representations of this color originate with the Middle Ages.

Answer: black

The birthstone sometimes used for October is Black Opal, a very fascinating stone symbolizing hope. Black is a very definite, very deep color. Black is used to represent all kinds of things, including death, evil, silence and end.