Just joking! Exercise

1. [Multiple choice]

Which joke relies on onomatopeia for its humour?

(- with a Scottish accent ‘out’ becomes ‘oot’, so the verb ‘to root out’ sounds like the sound of a trumpet – root-a-toot-toot or rootity-toot.)

Answers for Quiz [1].

• 1. The one about the opera-singer.
• 2. The one about the hot-air balloon.
• 3. The one about the Scotsman and the trumpet. (correct)
• 4. The light-bulb joke.

2. [Multiple choice]

Which joke could be delivered as an anti-management in-joke?

(An in-joke is a joke that is funny because of a collective group-identity which finds criticism, or humour at the expense of another group amusing.
‘Hot air’ – is a jocular or disparaging term for meaningless talk which leads nowhere and doesn’t / won’t result in any practical / productive benefits.
“He’s all hot air” means he talks big, but it’s nothing but talk, or theory – he doesn’t actually get anything done. Different groups in organisations are bound to exchange such comments at some stage – ‘What happened at the meeting?’ ”Load of hot air.”(= all talk and no action). This is one reason why the hot-air balloon joke sets the tone for the comment about managers.
)

Answers for Quiz [2].

• 1. The one about the opera-singer Luciano Pavarotti.
• 2. The one about the balloonist. (correct)
• 3. The one about changing lightbulbs.
• 4. The one about the Scotsman.

3. [Multiple choice]

Which of these relies on a play on words for its humour?

(It uses the word ‘tenor’ with 2 different meanings 1) as a tenor (a singer) and 2) as a tenner, meaning a ten-pound note (£10).
A fiver is a five-pound note (£5).
)

Answers for Quiz [3].

• 1. The one about Luciano Pavarotti. (correct)
• 2. The hot-air balloonist one.
• 3. Any one of the ones about politicians changing a lightbulb.

4. [Multiple choice]

Which jokes could be varied to suit the target audience?

(In the joke about the balloonist the speaker is making fun of typical ‘managers’, but it could just as well be nurses / consultants or journalists / politicians. This type of joke can be varied to suit the target audience. It could be changed to make people laugh at sterotypes of professions or social classes.
Lightbulb jokes can be easily adapted too. It’s interesting to notice that some jokes are related just as they are, and that others can keep generating other versions.)

Answers for Quiz [4].

• 1. The balloonist one and the lightbulb ones. (correct)
• 2. The one about the Scotsman.
• 3. The one about Luciano Pavarotti.
• 4. The lightbulb ones.

5. [Multiple choice]

Which joke would only work (= be funny) if you adapted your accent somewhat?

(- with a Scottish accent ‘out’ becomes ‘oot’, so the verb ‘to root out’ sounds like the sound of a trumpet – rootity-toot or root-t-toot-toot.
The phrasal verb ‘to root sth out’ means to dig sth up (eg in the garden) and also to get rid of sth, so there is a pun here – a play on the meaning of ‘root out’, but only if it is delivered in the right accent. Otherwise it would fall flat.
to fall flat – of a joke (or idea) – not to work, or to be unamusing, not funny. You might hear someone say ‘that fell a bit flat’, meaning a joke or story did not raise the smile or laugh expected.)

Answers for Quiz [5].

• 1. The one about the opera-singer Luciano Pavarotti.
• 2. The one about the Scotsman. (correct)
• 3. Any of the lightbulb ones.
• 4. The one about the hot-air balloon.

6. [Multiple choice]

Which joke has several variations?

Answers for Quiz [6].

• 1. The one about Luciano Pavarotti.
• 2. The light-bulb joke. (correct)
• 3. The one about the Scotsman.
• 4. The balloonist one.

7. [Multiple choice]

Which joke uses the present tense as a way of making the delivery humorous, or more vivid or dramatic?

Answers for Quiz [7].

• 1. The ‘why did the chicken cross the road?’ joke.
• 2. The one about the trumpet.
• 3. The one about the tenor Luciano Pavarotti. (correct)
• 4. The light-bulb joke.