Crossword Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. What is a horizontal answer in a standard crossword normally called?
An Across entry
A line answer
A row entry
A side clue
2. The clue is “Feline (3),” and crossings produce the pattern _AT. Which answer should you enter?
RAT
BAT
HAT
CAT
3. Which answer fits the clue “Not present (6)” and the pattern A_S_N_?
AWAY
MISSING
ABSENT
OMITTED
4. Several long answers in a puzzle are MARS, VENUS, and EARTH. Which theme category best connects them?
Months
Planets
Mountain ranges
Chemical elements
5. What does a question mark at the end of a crossword clue most often suggest?
The answer is a quotation
The clue contains a printing error
The answer must be a proper noun
The clue uses playful, figurative, or unexpected wording
6. A crossword clue reads “Street, briefly (2).” Which answer fits best?
ST
RD
AV
LN
7. In crossword terminology, what is a “checked letter”?
A letter confirmed by the puzzle editor
A letter shared by an Across and a Down entry
The first letter of a themed answer
A letter printed in the grid before solving begins
8. In a crossword clue, what does the enumeration “(3,4)” tell you?
The answer has two words containing three and four letters
The clue appears in rows three and four
The answer uses either three or four letters
Three letters are given and four must be solved
9. A clue asks for the direction opposite WSW. What is the answer?
ESE
ENE
WNW
NNE
10. Which answer best fits the clue “Garden tools (4)”?
HOE
RAKE
SEED
HOES
11. The clue is “Thrilled (7),” and crossings give E_CITE_. Which answer fits?
ELATED
ENJOYED
EXCITED
ECSTATIC
12. In a standard blocked crossword, what is the main function of a black square?
It marks a letter that must be guessed
It separates answer entries within the grid
It shows where punctuation should be entered
It represents a space inside every phrase
13. Which three-letter answer commonly fits the crossword clue “Before, in poetry”?
AGO
PRE
ERE
ANT
14. The clue is “Bark source (4),” and the crossing pattern is T_EE. Which answer is supported by both the clue and the crossings?
TREE
TIRE
TAME
TONE
15. In a cryptic crossword, a word such as “mixed” most often signals which operation?
Taking only the first letters
Replacing a word with its opposite
Reading the entire clue backward
Rearranging letters to form an anagram
16. What distinguishes a rebus crossword square from an ordinary square?
It cannot be crossed by another answer
It always begins a themed answer
It can contain more than one letter or symbol
It is filled after every other square