Languages Trivia Quiz

Languages — multiple choice, with the answer and a fun fact a tap away.

After Germany, which country is generally estimated to have the most native German speakers?

Answer
After Germany, which country is generally estimated to have the most native German speakers?

Correct answer: Austria.

Austria, where German is the official language, has roughly eight million native speakers -- generally more than Switzerland's German-speaking population.

The word "tabby," now used for a striped or mottled cat, comes from a district of which capital city?

Answer
The word "tabby," now used for a striped or mottled cat, comes from a district of which capital city?

Correct answer: Baghdad.

"Tabby" traces to al-Attabiya, a district of Baghdad known for a striped silk whose pattern was likened to a cat's coat.

Using standard English-language Scrabble tile values and no board bonuses, the highest-scoring three-letter word is "zax." What is a zax?

Answer
Using standard English-language Scrabble tile values and no board bonuses, the highest-scoring three-letter word is "zax." What is a zax?

Correct answer: a tool for cutting roofing slates.

A zax is a tool for cutting and punching nail holes in roofing slate; its letters total 19 points before any bonus squares.

"Nephelococcygia" is the act of doing what?

Answer
"Nephelococcygia" is the act of doing what?

Correct answer: finding shapes in clouds.

The word nods to "Cloud-cuckoo-land" from Aristophanes' comedy "The Birds."

Which term does NOT appear in Benjamin Franklin's 1737 list of slang words for being drunk?

Answer
Which term does NOT appear in Benjamin Franklin's 1737 list of slang words for being drunk?

Correct answer: pifflicated.

Franklin's 1737 "Drinker's Dictionary" gathered more than 200 terms for drunkenness, among them "nimptopsical" and "buzzey."

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