Sunday Quiz Easy like Sunday morning | Time for rhymes
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On May 24, 1830, this nursery rhyme was first published by a Boston publishing firm. It was a poem composed by a New Hampshire teacher, Sarah Josepha Hale, when one of her students brought her pet to class. She had to send the pet out, but it waited and the student ran to it after class. She used the incident to convey a moral to the class — ‘And you each gentle animal, In confidence may bind, And make them answer to your call, If you are always kind.’ What rhyme came from this?
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In 1806, at the age of 23, Jane Taylor wrote a poem for a book of nursery rhymes which she and her sister published. A few decades earlier, Mozart had composed a piano piece called Twelve Variations on ‘Ah vous dirai-je, Maman’, the melody of which is known for being easy to memorise. Soon Taylor’s poem was sung in this melody. The penultimate verse is ‘In the dark blue sky you keep, And often thro’ my curtains peep, For you never shut your eye, Till the sun is in the sky.’ Which rhyme is this that is still sung in Mozart’s melody?
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In 1951, this rhyme became the first to be digitally saved and played on a computer. First seen in print in 1731, it is also sung in the same previously mentioned Mozart tune. One theory for the rhyme is that it was a complaint against taxes levied on the trade of a popular commodity in Medieval England, especially since this particular produce, because of its colour, could be used without dyeing. Which rhyme is this?
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This rhyme has been known since the 18th century but the two characters mentioned have been known since the 16th century. Shakespeare mentions both of them in Love’s Labour’s Lost and in A Midsummer Night’s Dream referring to them as a romantic couple (basically a version of Romeo & Juliet). The rhyme doesn’t make sense as what the characters intend to do is usually not found where they are going to do it. What rhyme is this and what is the issue with it?
Answer : Jack and Jill (it makes no sense to dig a well on top of a hill)
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This is one of the most famous rhymes and has been known since 18th century. The name of the character was slang for a short and clumsy person and the rhyme was initially a riddle that asked what would happen if this person had an accident. Interestingly, there is no mention of the character ever being anything but human, though we all think he is a fragile daily item. What rhyme is this and who is the character?
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This is a rhyme about a landmark which can be dated all the way back to 1636. It is generally thought to relate to the many difficulties experienced in bridging the River Thames. It could also be about the destruction of the landmark by the Vikings in 1014 or by the fire of 1633. What rhyme is this that is the code word for an unfortunate but inevitable incident?
Answer : London Bridge is falling down, code word for passing away of Queen Elizabeth II
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This counting-out rhyme was first recorded in 1805 and had five more lines than we are familiar with. The lines start with numerals and end with a rhyming word for the second numeral. Which rhyme is this whose last line is ‘My plate’s empty’?
Answer : One, two, buckle my shoe (Nineteen, Twenty my plate’s empty)
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This popular rhyme is actually a lullaby which is a variant of a 1688 tune ‘Lillibullero’. Though the rhyme literally sounds like a dangerous activity is happening, it actually refers to the fact that in a gentle breeze the upper portions of trees sway gently (when a mother carries her child) and once the aim of the lullaby is achieved she can put the child down in its crib. Which rhyme is this?
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First published in the 1600s this rhyme follows the adventures of a group of naughty animals who seek adventure. The version we are familiar with unfortunately ends with a barbaric act. In the original, the story ends with the farmer’s wife using a tonic to regrow their lost appendages and abilities, and eventually learn to become carpenters and live happily ever after. What rhyme is this?
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This rhyme was first printed in 1917 and it even has versions performed by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby and deadmau5. It is usually a cumulative rhyme where the words used in the previous verses are added to subsequent verses. The rhyme is usually taught to children to teach them about how livestock communicate. What rhyme is this in which you also have to spell out three vowels in the first two lines?
Answer : Old MacDonald had a farm (Did you just sing that? Well now you are going to!)
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