Proverbs quiz

More questions about Proverbs

These visible examples show the question style. LearnClash turns the full topic into ranked duels and spaced repetition.

1. 1 Easy

   In the proverb blood is thicker than water, what does blood represent?

   Answer: Family bonds

   Why: The 'blood of the covenant' reversal quoted online has no historical basis; the saying is recorded in a 1737 Scots proverb collection.

2. 2 Medium

   In which language was the proverb about a city that was not built in a day first recorded?

   Answer: French

   Why: The oldest known version sits in Li Proverbe au Vilain, a collection of about 1190 written by a cleric at the court of Philip of Flanders.

3. 3 Hard

   According to the Latin proverb, who does fortune favor?

   Answer: The bold

   Why: Virgil gives the line to Turnus in the Aeneid, but Terence had used 'fortes fortuna adiuvat' in his comedy Phormio in 161 BC.

4. 4 Easy

   Which writing instrument is mightier than the sword?

   Answer: The pen

   Why: Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined the line in 1839 for his play Richelieu, first staged at London's Covent Garden Theatre.

5. 5 Medium

   According to William Shakespeare, what is the soul of wit?

   Answer: Brevity

   Why: Shakespeare hands the line to Polonius in Act 2, the play's most long winded character, who then rambles on until the queen cuts him off.

6. 6 Hard

   What animal was originally killed by care in early proverb versions?

   Answer: A cat

   Why: Care here meant worry, not looking after. Ben Jonson used the line in 1598; a newspaper swapped in curiosity only in 1868.