Invention Plot Twists

General Knowledge · 10 questions

Explore the unexpected beginnings behind familiar inventions. Which friends will make the sharpest guesses.

Answer each question first, then check with “Show the answer”. You can also play the same quiz in the Quizera app by searching for it in Explore, as a live game, a test or flashcards.

1. What was Play-Doh used for before it became a toy?

   1. Wallpaper-cleaning compound
   2. Carpet-stain remover
   3. Glass polish
   4. Furniture polish
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   A) Wallpaper-cleaning compound

2. What was Bubble Wrap originally intended to be?

   1. Furniture upholstery
   2. Textured wallpaper
   3. Protective packaging
   4. Greenhouse insulation
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   B) Textured wallpaper

3. What problem was Art Fry trying to solve when he came up with the idea behind Post-it Notes?

   1. Labels coming loose from folders
   2. Bookmarks falling out of hymnals
   3. Pages tearing from notebooks
   4. Pen marks that would not erase
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   B) Bookmarks falling out of hymnals

4. Which design detail helps LEGO bricks hold together securely?

   1. Locking corner tabs
   2. Interlocking rings
   3. Tubes on the underside
   4. Flexible side walls
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   C) Tubes on the underside

5. Which product was the first scanned with a barcode in a store?

   1. Heinz ketchup
   2. Hershey’s chocolate
   3. Campbell’s tomato soup
   4. Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum
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   D) Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum

6. What technical purpose were the springs being studied for before the Slinky emerged?

   1. Stabilizing shipboard instruments
   2. Retracting submarine cables
   3. Measuring bridge vibrations
   4. Supporting aircraft landing gear
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   A) Stabilizing shipboard instruments

7. In which field was magnetron technology, used in developing microwave ovens, also used?

   1. Television broadcasting
   2. Radar
   3. Shortwave radio
   4. Sonar
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   B) Radar

8. How many raised-dot positions form a letter cell in standard literary Braille?

   1. Six
   2. Four
   3. Twelve
   4. Eight
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   A) Six

9. What did Nintendo make at its original business in Kyoto?

   1. Wooden dice
   2. Mahjong sets
   3. Hanafuda playing cards
   4. Shogi pieces
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   C) Hanafuda playing cards

10. Which industry’s parts tracking was the QR code first developed to improve?

    1. Food retail
    2. Rail transport
    3. Pharmaceutical distribution
    4. Automotive manufacturing
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    D) Automotive manufacturing