| 1 |
What
famous product was considered a failure and abandoned - but
became a success when one of the engineers took some discarded
samples home, only to find that his teenage daughters used the
product for setting their hair? a)
styling gel
b) Scotch tape
c) Post-It notes |
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| 2 |
What
invention was discovered after its inventor discovered an analogy
between a toy funnel and the motions of a paper doll and sound
vibrations? a)
the telephone
b) the phonograph
c) the telegraph |
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| 3 |
What
famous inventor had a conversation with God where he asked if
he could learn the mysteries of the universe, only to be told,
"No." He finally asked to learn all he could about
one small object. a)
George Washington Carver
b) Marconi
c) Samuel Morse |
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| 4 |
Who
solved a famous problem by imagining he was travelling on a
beam of light? a)
Thomas Edison
b) Albert Einstein
c) Benjamin Franklin |
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| 5 |
George
Foerstner went door to door selling wholesale food. But he wasn't
knocking on doors primarily to sell food. He was there to take
orders for this appliance (to be used once he had sold people
a large quantity of food). What was it? a)
Osterizer Blender
b) General Electric Stove
c) Amana Freezers |
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| 6 |
What
famous inventor was standing by a well when he saw a stone hit
the water at the same time a bell rang. Watching the circular
ripples in the water while at the same time listening to the
ringing of the bell, he realized that sound travels in waves.
a)
Sir Isaac Newton
b) Leonardo da Vinci
c) Marconi |
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| 7 |
What
famous invention was discovered after the inventor studied under
a microscope the burrs in his dog's hair? a)
velcro
b) the zipper
c) the sewing machine |
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| 8 |
What
famous person said if he were told that a comet would hit the
earth in one hour, totally destroying it, replied that he would
spend 55 minutes thinking about the question and 5 minutes solving
it? a)
Stephen Hawking
b) Carl Sagan
c) Albert Einstein |
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| 9 |
For
five years, Spencer Silver tried to sell 3M on the usefulness
of this product. Finally, he showed it to Arthur Fry who saw
the possibilities. Once marketed, it caught the attention of
consumers all over the world. a)
Scotch tape
b) Overhead transparencies
c) Post-It Notes |
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| 10 |
What
famous inventor threw a paint-filled sponge at the wall and
then looked to see what shapes he could find in the splatters
of paint, then thinking about connections between the image
he saw and the problem he was working on? a)
Alexander Graham Bell
b) George Washington Carver
c) Leonardo da Vinci |
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| Most
of the information in this quiz comes from Michael Michalko's
excellent books, Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative
Genius and Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Business Creativity.
If you are interested in creativity, these are two of the best
books you can purchase! |
