Word Play Quiz

Name:

Date:

Instructions: Puns, double entendres, and clever wordplay

1.
What is a 'pun'?
A
A type of poem
B
A joke exploiting different meanings of a word or similar-sounding words
C
A type of bread roll
D
A punctuation mark
2.
In the phrase 'Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana,' what type of wordplay is used?
A
Alliteration
B
Hyperbole
C
Onomatopoeia
D
A pun using the double meaning of 'flies' and 'like'
3.
What is a 'spoonerism'?
A
A type of limerick
B
A transposition of sounds in two or more words (e.g., 'a blushing crow' for 'a crushing blow')
C
A joke about spoons
D
A cooking term
4.
What is a 'malapropism'?
A
A mathematical error
B
A French cooking term
C
A type of dance step
D
The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one
5.
The phrase 'I used to be a banker, but I lost interest' is an example of:
A
A pun on the word 'interest'
B
An oxymoron
C
A metaphor
D
A simile
6.
What is a 'double entendre'?
A
Two people entering a room
B
A French dessert
C
A phrase with two meanings, one of which is often risque
D
A musical term for playing twice
7.
An anagram rearranges the letters of a word to form a new word. Which is an anagram of 'listen'?
A
Tinsel
B
Lentil
C
Insult
D
Silent
8.
What is a 'palindrome'?
A
A word borrowed from another language
B
A word or phrase that reads the same backward and forward
C
A word that sounds like what it means
D
A word with two opposite meanings
9.
Which of these is a palindrome?
A
Banana
B
Orange
C
Racecar
D
Hello
10.
'She sells seashells by the seashore' is an example of:
A
Alliteration
B
A malapropism
C
An oxymoron
D
A pun
11.
What is a 'Tom Swifty'?
A
A fast runner
B
A children's book character
C
A pun linking a quoted sentence to its attribution adverb
D
A type of cocktail
12.
'I'm reading a book about anti-gravity — it's impossible to put down!' This joke works because:
A
Anti-gravity is funny
B
Books are heavy
C
Gravity doesn't exist
D
The phrase 'put down' has a literal and figurative meaning
13.
What is a 'portmanteau' word?
A
A very long word
B
A word blending sounds and meanings of two others (e.g., 'brunch' from breakfast + lunch)
C
A word that cannot be translated
D
A word from Latin
14.
An 'oxymoron' combines words with what relationship?
A
Opposite or contradictory meanings
B
Rhyming sounds
C
Similar meanings
D
The same root word
15.
Which of these is an example of an oxymoron?
A
Jumbo shrimp
B
Bright sunshine
C
Loud thunder
D
Fast car

Answer Key

Question 1

B. A joke exploiting different meanings of a word or similar-sounding words

Question 2

D. A pun using the double meaning of 'flies' and 'like'

Question 3

B. A transposition of sounds in two or more words (e.g., 'a blushing crow' for 'a crushing blow')

Question 4

D. The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one

Question 5

A. A pun on the word 'interest'

Question 6

C. A phrase with two meanings, one of which is often risque

Question 7

D. Silent

Question 8

B. A word or phrase that reads the same backward and forward

Question 9

C. Racecar

Question 10

A. Alliteration

Question 11

C. A pun linking a quoted sentence to its attribution adverb

Question 12

D. The phrase 'put down' has a literal and figurative meaning

Question 13

B. A word blending sounds and meanings of two others (e.g., 'brunch' from breakfast + lunch)

Question 14

A. Opposite or contradictory meanings

Question 15

A. Jumbo shrimp

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