Questions & Answers
Browse all 20 questions from the
Word Origins for Little Explorers study set below.
Each question shows the correct answer — select a study format above to practice interactively.
1
The word 'alphabet' comes from the names of the first two letters of which ancient language?
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A
Latin
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B
Greek
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C
Hebrew
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D
Egyptian
2
The word 'robot' comes from a Czech word that originally meant what?
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A
Worker
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B
Machine
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C
Helper
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D
Metal
3
The English word 'candy' can be traced back to the Sanskrit word 'khanda', which refers to what substance?
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A
Sugar
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B
Honey
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C
Fruit
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D
Spice
4
The word 'galaxy' comes from a Greek word that means what?
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A
Bright light
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B
Star path
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C
Milky circle
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D
Space dust
5
Which animal's name comes from an ancient word meaning 'earth lion'?
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A
Tiger
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B
Giraffe
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C
Hippopotamus
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D
Elephant
6
The word 'camera' comes from a Latin word that originally meant what?
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A
Light box
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B
Dark room
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C
Glass lens
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D
Picture frame
7
The word 'dinosaur' was created by combining two Greek words that mean what?
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A
Big lizard
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B
Terrible lizard
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C
Ancient beast
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D
Strong giant
8
The word 'sandwich' is named after a person who held which title?
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A
A famous explorer
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B
An English Earl
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C
A royal king
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D
A hungry inventor
9
The word 'school' comes from a Greek word that originally meant what?
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A
Study hall
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B
Leisure or spare time
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C
Writing place
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D
Teacher's house
10
The name 'kangaroo' is thought to have come from the Guugu Yimithirr word 'gangurru', which refers to what?
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A
A jumping animal
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B
A large black kangaroo
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C
A grass eater
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D
A fast runner
11
The word 'pyjama' comes from a Persian word that means what?
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A
Soft clothes
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B
Leg garment
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C
Sleep suit
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D
Night fabric
12
The word 'banana' is believed to have originated from an Arabic word that means what?
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A
Finger
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B
Yellow fruit
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C
Sweet bunch
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D
Soft skin
13
The English word 'orange' (the fruit) originally came from the Sanskrit word 'naranga', which means what?
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A
Golden ball
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B
Orange tree
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C
Bright skin
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D
Citrus scent
14
The word 'koala' is thought to come from an Indigenous Australian language meaning what?
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A
Tree climber
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B
No drink
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C
Sleepy animal
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D
Grey fur
15
The word 'paper' comes from the name of which ancient plant?
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A
Bamboo
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B
Papyrus
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C
Reed grass
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D
Cotton
16
The word 'taxi' is a shortened form of which word?
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A
Taximeter
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B
Transportation
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C
Traveler
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D
Taxicab
17
The word 'avocado' comes from the Aztec word 'ahuacatl', which literally translates to what?
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A
Green butter
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B
Testicle
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C
Tree pear
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D
Hard skin
18
The word 'igloo' comes from the Inuit word 'iglu', which simply means what?
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A
Ice house
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B
Winter home
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C
A house
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D
Small shelter
19
The word 'balloon' comes from an Italian word that means what?
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A
Big ball
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B
Floating toy
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C
Air sack
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D
Round shape
20
The word 'umbrella' comes from the Latin word 'umbra', which means what?
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A
Rain
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B
Shadow
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C
Shield
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D
Cover
