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Animal Names and Groups
English has an oddly specific vocabulary for animals, most of it inherited from medieval hunting manuals. Ten of the terms that are still in everyday use.
About this topic
Most of the strange collective nouns come from fifteenth-century books of courtesy that taught gentlemen the correct term for every animal they might chase. Some of those inventions stuck, some are still repeated only in quizzes, and a few were probably jokes at the time. The terms for males, females and young are older and more practical, because farmers needed them. This quiz mixes the two: a handful of collective nouns that are genuinely current, and a handful of words for individual animals that anyone who has kept livestock uses without thinking.
Questions & answers
Animal Names and Groups: all 10 questions and answers
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
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1What is a group of geese on the ground called?
- A A skein
- B A covey
- C A colony
- D A gaggle Correct
Answer: D. A gaggle
Why: On land they are a gaggle. The same birds flying in formation are called a skein, which is a rare case of a collective noun changing with what the animal is doing.
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2What is a baby goat called?
- A A lamb
- B A foal
- C A kid Correct
- D A calf
Answer: C. A kid
Why: A kid, which is where the slang for a child comes from. Adult females are does or nannies and males are bucks or billies.
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3What is the usual word for fish swimming together in coordinated formation?
- A A herd
- B A school Correct
- C A pod
- D A colony
Answer: B. A school
Why: Biologists use shoal for fish loosely gathered together and school for a group moving in the same direction in unison. Schooling makes it much harder for a predator to lock onto any one fish.
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4What is a group of dolphins called?
- A A pod Correct
- B A pack
- C A gaggle
- D A troop
Answer: A. A pod
Why: A pod, which can be a stable family group or a loose gathering depending on the species. Some species form temporary superpods of several hundred animals when food is plentiful.
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5What is the swirling evening flock of starlings called?
- A A murder
- B A gaggle
- C A clutch
- D A murmuration Correct
Answer: D. A murmuration
Why: A murmuration, named for the sound of thousands of wingbeats. Each bird appears to track only about seven of its neighbours, which is enough to keep the whole flock turning as one.
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6What is a male swan called?
- A A cygnet
- B A drake
- C A cob Correct
- D A pen
Answer: C. A cob
Why: The male is a cob and the female is a pen. A cygnet is a young swan, and a drake is a male duck.
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7What is a male red deer called?
- A A tom
- B A stag Correct
- C A colt
- D A gander
Answer: B. A stag
Why: A stag, with the female called a hind. Buck and doe are used instead for the smaller deer such as roe and fallow.
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8What is an adult female horse called?
- A A mare Correct
- B A doe
- C A sow
- D A ewe
Answer: A. A mare
Why: A mare, against a stallion for an entire male. A horse of either sex is a foal in its first year, then a colt or a filly.
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9What is a group of kangaroos called?
- A A troop
- B A pack
- C A flock
- D A mob Correct
Answer: D. A mob
Why: A mob, which in Australia can run to dozens of animals. Kangaroos are marsupials, and a young one carried in the pouch is a joey.
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10What is a group of owls traditionally called?
- A A council
- B A cabinet
- C A parliament Correct
- D A congress
Answer: C. A parliament
Why: A parliament, a term popularised in the twentieth century by C. S. Lewis in the Narnia books. Wild owls are mostly solitary, so the name describes a gathering that rarely happens.
Frequently asked questions about Animal Names and Groups
How many questions are in Animal Names and Groups?
Animal Names and Groups has 10 questions and takes about 6 minutes to finish. It is rated Easy and sits in our Animals & Wildlife category.
How is Animal Names and Groups scored?
Each of the 10 correct answers adds 10 XP, up to 100 XP for a clean run. Wrong answers cost you nothing, and your full question-by-question review is shown at the end.
Are the answers to Animal Names and Groups explained?
Yes. All 10 questions carry a written explanation of why the correct answer is right, so the quiz works as a study sheet as well as a test.
Can I replay Animal Names and Groups?
Yes, as often as you like. The questions and the answer options are reshuffled on each run, and you can use Practice Mistakes afterwards to retry only the ones you missed. No account is needed to play.
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