[For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Quizzes Recommended for October
October is a pleasant time of year, with the hot days behind us.
The leaves start to change color, many foods are harvested, and there are plenty of fun events and festivities.
When you hear “October,” lots of things come to mind, don’t they?
So this time, we’re introducing “October-themed quizzes for seniors.”
Through these quizzes, let’s help everyone recall their memories of October.
Even for seniors who find it difficult to sense the seasons, this can help them remember the feeling of the season.
Enjoy some brain training with October-themed quizzes!
- [For Seniors] Let's have fun with an autumn-themed quiz!
- [For Seniors] Recommended Trivia Quizzes & Fun Facts for November
- [For Seniors] Let’s have fun with October trivia and fun facts quizzes!
- [For Seniors] Today’s recommended quiz. Daily brain-training quiz!
- [For Senior Facilities] Lively and Fun! November Quiz
- [For Seniors] Laugh-Out-Loud, Crowd-Pleasing! Fun Quiz
- [For Seniors] Fun and Informative! Health Trivia Quiz
- [For Seniors] Introducing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts About December
- [For Seniors] September Quiz: Brain Training Problems
- [October Health Topic] Introducing Recreational Activities for Seniors!
- [For Seniors] Recommended for Brain Training! Nostalgic Showa-Era Quiz
- [For Seniors] Find daily brain training. Today’s recommended brain workout.
- [For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! February-Themed Quiz
[For Seniors] Enjoyable Brain Training! Recommended Quizzes for October (41–50)
Witty characters using the kanji for ‘insect’
Let's think flexibly! Here's a wordplay puzzle using the character for 'insect' (虫).
The character 虫 is shown as if it has fallen over—what does that represent? The hint is to focus on the fact that it’s “an insect” and that it’s fallen.
If you consider whether the action “to fall over” (korobu) can be expressed with a different word, you might reach the answer.
The answer is “ladybug” (tentōmushi).
That’s because “to fall over” (korobu) can be rephrased as “転倒” (tentō), so we get “テントウ虫” (tentōmushi, ladybug).
It’s one of those puzzles that makes you say, “Ah, I see!”
Witty calligraphy using the characters ‘parent’ and ‘se’
After taking a quick breather, let’s give our brains a little workout.
Here’s a wordplay riddle using the characters “親” (parent) and “せ.” You can see the character “せ” placed between the two parts that make up “親,” right? The hints are that it’s a word meaning to cause someone trouble, and that “せ” is inside “親.” With those hints, many of you have probably figured it out already.
The answer is “oyanakase” (a child who causes their parents grief).
Oyanakase refers to behavior by a child that causes their parents distress or makes them lament.
Proverb Quiz
A proverb that every Japanese person has probably heard.
This time, we’re introducing a “proverb quiz” where you think of the sentence that fits inside the parentheses to complete the proverb.
You might be thinking, “It’s just filling in one sentence, right?” but once you try it, you’ll be surprised at how tricky it can be.
You may even come across proverbs you’ve never seen before.
If you can, try not only filling in the sentence but also thinking about its meaning.
The characters and their content are called semantic memory, an important kind of memory that makes up our knowledge.
We recommend using it regularly while enjoying a bit of brain training.
One high-end ingredient that represents autumn in Japan is described as having a “smell trapped in leather shoes,” and it isn’t commonly eaten in the West. What is this luxury ingredient?
As autumn is known for whetting the appetite, many delicious foods that boost our cravings come into season.
Starting with rice, there are also Pacific saury, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, pears, and grapes, but the true king of autumn flavors is undoubtedly matsutake mushrooms.
As a luxury ingredient, matsutake aren’t something we can easily enjoy every day, and their greatest allure lies in their uniquely sweet aroma.
This fragrance is said to stimulate the appetite and have a calming effect, and in recent years, it has reportedly been found to be potentially effective in helping prevent cancer.
What is the ghost that turns into an animal when it sees a full moon, which also appears on Halloween?
Halloween is an event with a strong spooky image, filled with various monsters that bring its world to life.
Among the monsters that appear at Halloween, which one is known for transforming into an animal when it sees the full moon? It turns into the animal strongly associated with howling at the full moon, and you might also recognize it as a character in board games.
The answer is the “werewolf,” also known as the Wolf Man or jinrō, a monster whose legend dates back to ancient times.
What day does Halloween correspond to in Japan?
Halloween is often associated with events and festivals, but it was originally important in the calendar as well.
So what day in Japan would Halloween correspond to? It comes from the fact that in ancient Celtic Druidism, the day after Halloween—November 1—was considered the beginning of winter.
Thinking about it as a change of seasons and a celebration of that year’s harvest leads us to the answer.
The answer is “New Year’s Eve.” Because the start of winter was regarded as the start of the new year, it became established as an occasion to look back on the year’s harvest.
When children go around asking for candy and say “Trick or treat,” it literally means “Give me candy or I’ll play a prank on you.” So if you don’t give them candy, they’ll “trick” you—that is, play a prank.
You’ve probably heard kids say “trick or treat” when they go around collecting candy on Halloween, but can you explain what it really means? It might be a bit tricky for some seniors, but that also makes it fun to see what clever answers they come up with! When using it as a quiz question, a fill-in-the-blank format like “Give me candy or I’ll ______!” is recommended.
You can choose whether or not to tell them in advance that the answer is four letters.
Imagining the answer gives the brain a workout, so it’s great for brain training too!
