Q 01/05

The oldest surviving furniture, stone dressers and beds from around 3000 BCE, was found where?

A) Skara Brae in Orkney

B) Stonehenge in Wiltshire

C) Çatalhöyük in Anatolia

D) Newgrange in County Meath

Answer · why

A) Skara Brae in Orkney

With almost no wood on Orkney, the villagers built everything from stone; the dresser faced the door of every house.

Q 02/05

The French and German words for furniture (meubles, Möbel) come from a Latin word meaning what?

A) Wooden things

B) Moveable goods

C) Household items

D) Comfort and rest

Answer · why

B) Moveable goods

English is unusual in using 'furniture' for household objects specifically.

Q 03/05

The klismos, an elegant chair with a curved backrest and splayed legs, originated in which civilisation?

A) Ancient Egypt

B) Ancient Persia

C) Ancient Rome

D) Ancient Greece

Answer · why

D) Ancient Greece

The Romans copied it, and its shape is still part of the vocabulary of furniture design.

Q 04/05

Furniture of the European Middle Ages was typically made of which wood?

A) Oak

B) Pine

C) Walnut

D) Mahogany

Answer · why

A) Oak

It was heavy and carved; comparatively little survives from the 5th to 15th centuries.

Q 05/05

What was Thomas Chippendale's 1754 pattern book, the first comprehensive furniture catalogue, called?

A) The Cabinet Dictionary and Companion

B) The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director

C) The Upholsterer's and Joiner's Guide

D) The Universal System of Household Furniture

Answer · why

B) The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director

It was so influential that 'Chippendale' became shorthand for any furniture in his style, on both sides of the Atlantic.