True or False
Chameleons change colors to communicate.
What is true?
It is widely believed they change colors to blend in with their surroundings, but that is false. They also change colors to adjust their body temperature.
This is another name for the Persian language, which is spoken in Iran.
What is Farsi?
It is also spoken in parts of Afghanistan.
Children were to be seen and not this.
What is heard?
That often didn’t work as planned.
This common accompaniment to sandwiches, burgers, and fried fish does not come from France.
What are french fries?
Allegedly, french fries originated in Belgium in the late 1600s. The French were prohibited from growing potatoes until 1772.
“Rum and Coca-Cola” was a 1945 hit tune by these sisters.
Who are Andrews?
Florida is the closest state to Africa.
What is false?
Quoddy Head State Park in Maine is the closest point to Morocco.
This is the standard Chinese language.
What is Mandarin?
It’s based on the dialect spoken in Beijing. Cantonese is another major language in China.
It was impolite to discuss religion, politics, or this practical matter.
What is money?
Columbus misnamed these indigenous people because he thought he had landed elsewhere.
Who are Indians?
He thought he had reached the East Indies, thus the misnomer, Indians.
She performed the 1955 hit “Que Será Será.”
Who is Doris Day?
Many have performed the tune, but it is most often associated with Doris Day.
Widespread panic set in after Orson Welles’ live radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds.
What is false?
Most people didn’t hear it. Those who did panicked.
In most languages, this is the sound a baby will make to mean “mother.”
What is “mama” or “ma”?
According to the BBC, “[One] theory proposes that language evolved from the communication between mother and baby, with the mother repeating the baby's babbling and giving it a meaning.”
These acts, known as PDAs, were strictly forbidden.
What are public displays of affection?
Panama hats come from this country.
What is Ecuador?
Ecuadorans took their hats to Panama because there were more customers there. Panama Canal workers wore the hats, so that contributed to the misnomer.
His “Blueberry Hill” was a hit tune in 1956.
Who is Fats Domino?
Humans and bananas share 50 percent of their DNA.
What is true?
There are six official languages in use at the United Nations. Two of them are French and English. Name one of the other four.
What is Spanish, Chinese, Russian, or Arabic?
Parties often had a guest of honor, and it was considered rude to do this before the guest of honor did it.
What is leave?
This illuminating beetle is not really a fly.
What is firefly?
A chemical reaction creates the light in lightning bugs.
He performed the top 1943 country hit “Pistol Packing Mama” and the 1944 pop hit “Don’t Fence Me In” with the Andrews Sisters.
Who is Bing Crosby?
He is best known for the tune “White Christmas.”
The ozone smells a little bit like roses.
What is false?
It smells faintly like geraniums.
This ancient language, which is still in use today, has its roots in India and is considered “the language of the gods.”
What is Sanskrit? The Indian newspaper Sudharma Daily is the only remaining newspaper published in Sanskrit.
When an adult entered the room and a child was first meeting that adult, the child was expected to stand and do this.
What is shake hands?
This humorous misnomer is not a bone.
What is funny bone?
The pain you feel in your elbow is the ulnar nerve.
This orchestra leader’s “In the Mood” was a hit tune in 1940.
Who is Glenn Miller?