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seeyoshirun

26 / M / Gay / Single

Adelaide, Australia

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Internet/SMS Literacy Test - Answer Key



First of all, to anyone who hasn't actually taken my Internet/SMS Literacy Test, click here.

So, thanks to all the people who did my Internet/SMS Literacy Test! Since some of the references are a bit obscure or tricky, I figured an answer key might be needed. Before I get into that, though, here are a few links to check out if you want to brush up on your language skills...

Wikigrounds
This glossary covers a good range of slang you might find on discussion boards.
Urban Dictionary
Various verbal, SMS, and Internet slang are listed here. All entries are user-submitted.
Wikipedia: Leet
For a history of Leet/133t/1337 language and some of the most common terms.
4chan Glossary
This page serves as a glossary for some of the most common terms/phrases to spring from website 4chan.org.

Anyway, the answer key is below! The correct answer to each question is in bold. If you have any additional questions, shoot me a message!

1. When might I use the term ASL in chat with someone online?
When propositioning them for casual sex.
When expressing that I find them attractive.
When first meeting them.
When I cannot understand what they're saying.

(ASL - Short for age/sex/location. Most of you seem to know this one.)

2. Which one of these SMS/133t abbreviations has a different meaning from the others?
TTFN
BCNU
TTYL
BRB

(From top to bottom: Ta Ta For Now, Be Seeing You, Talk To You Later and Be Right Back - option d) is not a farewell.)

3. When would you probably NOT use the term 'lol' in web-based chat with someone?
When the other person has said something you find genuinely funny.
When you want to keep the conversation moving to avoid awkwardness.
After you've said something silly or lame, in recognition of that fact.
When the other person has said something offensive.

(I did give half points for option a), just because it's rare for people to use 'lol' to express genuine humour these days - usually something else will replace it if the writer is genuinely amused.)

4. Orly?
Yrly.
No, anally.
Nrly.
Huh?

(Orly - short for 'oh really'. Yrly, short for 'yes, really'.)

5. If I were to say "Tom Cruise FTW", I would basically be saying...
That I support Mr. Cruise's endeavours and wish him success.
That I would like to beat Mr. Cruise to a bloody pulp.
That I am puzzled and perplexed by Mr. Cruise's behaviour.
That I want to become a Scientologist.

(Tom Cruise FOR THE WIN. I hope nobody has ever wrote that and meant it.)

6. If I were to say "Tom Cruise WTF", I would basically be saying...
That I support Mr. Cruise's endeavours and wish him success.
That I would like to bed Mr. Cruise.
That I am puzzled and perplexed my Mr. Cruise's behaviour.
That I would like to bed Katie Holmes, aka Mrs. Tom Cruise.

(Tom Cruise WHAT THE FUCK? This one makes much more sense to me.)

7. A phrase popularised by websites like 4chan.org is "the cake is a lie". When would "the cake is a lie" be a socially appropriate phrase to use online?
When declaring that something said/posted was homophobic.
When declaring that something said/posted was questionable or incorrect.
When declaring that something said/posted was weak, ineffective or hopeless.
When declaring a hunger for vanilla sponge filled with cream and decorated with fresh strawberries.

(This one's pretty self-explanatory - just read option b). And yes, I know 4chan users were not the only people to spread use of this term, but it was one of the most noticeable sites for it.)

8. So... what can we assume was most probably wrong with the video that Oliver received?
It didn't send properly and Oliver couldn't view it at all.
It was probably sexually explicit.
It was probably sexually explicit, verbally obscene or otherwise unprofessional.
It grossed Oliver out.

(Since SFW means 'safe for work', we can assume that anything not work-friendly would be an issue. This includes more than just sexual content, though you got half points if you took option b). Option c) gets full points.)

9. And who would the "she" referred to in the conversation most probably be?
Oliver's girlfriend or significant other.
Oliver's housemate.
Oliver's imaginary friend.
Oliver's boss.

(Again, SFW... you work it out.)

10. What does Oliver's last response (at 1:06pm) tell us about the female he's referring to?
She's there and he needs to leave the conversation.
She's there and has just told him she didn't mind the video.
She's not there.
She's there and is being sexually suggestive towards Oliver.

('XD' is an expression of happiness - look at it side-on and it looks like a grinning face. Kinda. We can infer, then, that the reason Oli's happy is because his boss is absent.)

11. The SEGA video game Zero Wing was responsible for a lot of poorly translated dialogue. Which phrase from the game has become popularised as a running joke in the online community?
"All your base are belong to us."
"All your bases or belong to us."
"To ask me on a data?"
"To ask me in a date?"

(For the record, option c) refers to a bit of poor translation, too. In the Super Nintendo RPG "Terranigma", approaching one of the girls in the town Neotokio is met with the line "...to ask me on a data? But you're dressed so odd...")

12. If I type "/sarcasm" in a message, what am I indicating?
That the last sentence, statement or paragraph I wrote was sarcastic.
That the last sentence, statement or paragraph I wrote was not intended to be sarcastic.
That the sentence, statement or paragraph following will be sarcastic.
That the sentence, statement or paragraph following should not be mistaken for sarcasm.

(False HTML tagging has become a very common way to clarify tone in writing online. Check the Wikipedia link up top for more info on this one.)

13. Which one of these is not a common (deliberate) misspelling of a word used on the Internet?
pr0n
hay
sauce
tr1ck

(The first three are misspellings of porn - or prawn - hey, and source respectively.)

14. On which day do people post captioned pictures of cats on the Internet?
I think people have got over that.
Several websites, such as icanhascheezburger.com, host competitions once every three months.
Caturday.
Every freakin' day, dude.

(If you pick option (a) then you don't know the Internet very well. I did give half points for d), though, just because it is very true. Every day is Caturday these days.)

15. In 133t language, what does ITT stand for?
"In this thread."
"I tell (the) truth."
"It's timewarp time!"
"I'm talking trash."

(This one might be used as a warning on forums and message boards, e.g. "ITT: explicit content", or "ITT: we go all emo.")

16. What does it mean to 'troll' on an Internet forum?
To present a strong argument that discredits that of another user.
To make outrageous or inappropriate statements in an attempt to offend or incite other users.
To discuss fantasy-based fiction.
To live under a bridge and occasionally eat small children.

(Trolling is often a bannable offense online. Most forums/boards keep an eye on this stuff.)

17. The term "weeaboo" is used online to refer to anyone who is unhealthily obsessed with:
Japanese culture.
Sexually explicit cartoons featuring underage girls.
Sexually explicit cartoons featuring animals.
Nintendo Wii.

(Again, pretty straightforward.)

18. Now, remember that "the cake is a lie" line I mentioned back in the first section? Do you know which recent video game that phrase is a reference to?
Paper Mario
Portal
Katamari Damacy
Halo 2

(Many gamers claimed that you don't get cake at the end of this game. But from what I read, you sorta do...)

19. Which one of these SMS/133t abbreviations is not used to show affection or friendship?
KOTC
PL&
M8
WUWH

(From top to bottom: Kiss on the Cheek, Planned, Mate, Wish You Were Here.)

20. Part of the writing in the above picture has blurred out. It should read, "WARMIN MY _______"
HABEEB
SAGE
HARBL
CAKE

(Habeeb is actually used in the context of "Habeeb It", referring to something which is true whether you like it or not.)

21. Complete the following piece of text, lifted from an SMS someone sent to me, the writer of this test: "I'm so ova my manager. So rude. Total ______... neway, hope ur havin a gud day. xox"
PITA
KHUF
RGDS
BF

(The other three choices wouldn't make sense: Know How You Feel, Regards, or Boyfriend. Whuh? PITA - or rather, "Pain in the Ass" - makes much more sense.)

22. Three of these are common text message and/or 133t abbreviations. Which one is just an ordinary word?
HAND
KIT
GAL
RING

(The first three choices stand for Have A Nice Day, Keep In Touch, and Get A Life.)

23. The term 'smeg', usually referring to something detestable, gets thrown around online a lot. Do you know which TV show it originated from, though?
Red Dwarf
League of Gentlemen
Doctor Who (the original series)
Doctor Who (the new series)

('Smeg' is derived from 'smegma'. UPDATE: JUNE 21. It refers to the gunk that can build up around the head of the penis or the clitoris if not washed often enough - not to semen, as I had originally wrote. This quibble doesn't affect anyone's scoring but thanks regardless to the person below who corrected me.)

24. What does YLBO stand for?
"Young lad/lady (with) body odour."
"You looked better online."
"You like bending over."
"You'll be okay."

(YLBO is a much newer acronym to find popularity, so less people would be familiar with it.)

25. Abbreviate the following sentence as much as would be accepted in common SMS language: "Call you back later, the boss is looking and I need to delete the porn."
CUB L8r, BIL n I need 2 delete the porn.
Call u bak l8r, BIL n I need 2 del the porn.
Call you back l8r, boss lookin and I need 2 del the porn.
Call u bak l8r, boss is looking n I need to delete the porn.

(n, 2, BIL and CUB L8r are all common abbreviations. Del isn't as widespread, and the only options that offered it didn't use CUB L8r, anyway.)


First of all, to anyone who hasn't actually taken my Internet/SMSLiteracy Test, click here.

So, thanks to all the people who did my Internet/SMS Literacy Test!Since some of the references are a bit obscure or tricky, I figuredan answer key might be needed. Before I get into that, though, hereare a few links to check out if you want to brush up on yourlanguage skills...

Wikigrounds
This glossary covers a good range of slang you might find ondiscussion boards.
Urban Dictionary
Various verbal, SMS, and Internet slang are listed here. Allentries are user-submitted.
Wikipedia: Leet
For a history of Leet/133t/1337 language and some of the mostcommon terms.
4chan Glossary
This page serves as a glossary for some of the most commonterms/phrases to spring from website 4chan.org.

Anyway, the answer key is below! The correct answer to eachquestion is in bold. If you have any additional questions, shoot mea message!

1. When might I use the term ASL in chat with someone online?
When propositioning them for casual sex.
When expressing that I find them attractive.
When first meeting them.
When I cannot understand what they're saying.

(ASL - Short for age/sex/location. Most of you seem to know thisone.)

2. Which one of these SMS/133t abbreviations has a differentmeaning from the others?
TTFN
BCNU
TTYL
BRB

(From top to bottom: Ta Ta For Now, Be Seeing You, Talk To YouLater and Be Right Back - option d) is not a farewell.)

3. When would you probably NOT use the term 'lol' in web-based chatwith someone?
When the other person has said something you find genuinelyfunny.
When you want to keep the conversation moving to avoidawkwardness.
After you've said something silly or lame, in recognition of thatfact.
When the other person has said something offensive.

(I did give half points for option a), just because it's rare forpeople to use 'lol' to express genuine humour these days - usuallysomething else will replace it if the writer is genuinelyamused.)

4. Orly?
Yrly.
No, anally.
Nrly.
Huh?

(Orly - short for 'oh really'. Yrly, short for 'yes,really'.)

5. If I were to say "Tom Cruise FTW", I would basically besaying...
That I support Mr. Cruise's endeavours and wish himsuccess.
That I would like to beat Mr. Cruise to a bloody pulp.
That I am puzzled and perplexed by Mr. Cruise's behaviour.
That I want to become a Scientologist.

(Tom Cruise FOR THE WIN. I hope nobody has ever wrote that andmeant it.)

6. If I were to say "Tom Cruise WTF", I would basically besaying...
That I support Mr. Cruise's endeavours and wish him success.
That I would like to bed Mr. Cruise.
That I am puzzled and perplexed my Mr. Cruise'sbehaviour.
That I would like to bed Katie Holmes, aka Mrs. Tom Cruise.

(Tom Cruise WHAT THE FUCK? This one makes much more sense tome.)

7. A phrase popularised by websites like 4chan.org is "the cake isa lie". When would "the cake is a lie" be a socially appropriatephrase to use online?
When declaring that something said/posted was homophobic.
When declaring that something said/posted was questionable orincorrect.
When declaring that something said/posted was weak, ineffective orhopeless.
When declaring a hunger for vanilla sponge filled with cream anddecorated with fresh strawberries.

(This one's pretty self-explanatory - just read option b). And yes,I know 4chan users were not the only people to spread use of thisterm, but it was one of the most noticeable sites for it.)

8. So... what can we assume was most probably wrong with the videothat Oliver received?
It didn't send properly and Oliver couldn't view it at all.
It was probably sexually explicit.
It was probably sexually explicit, verbally obscene or otherwiseunprofessional.
It grossed Oliver out.

(Since SFW means 'safe for work', we can assume that anything notwork-friendly would be an issue. This includes more than justsexual content, though you got half points if you took option b).Option c) gets full points.)

9. And who would the "she" referred to in the conversation mostprobably be?
Oliver's girlfriend or significant other.
Oliver's housemate.
Oliver's imaginary friend.
Oliver's boss.

(Again, SFW... you work it out.)

10. What does Oliver's last response (at 1:06pm) tell us about thefemale he's referring to?
She's there and he needs to leave the conversation.
She's there and has just told him she didn't mind the video.
She's not there.
She's there and is being sexually suggestive towards Oliver.

('XD' is an expression of happiness - look at it side-on and itlooks like a grinning face. Kinda. We can infer, then, that thereason Oli's happy is because his boss is absent.)

11. The SEGA video game Zero Wing was responsible for a lot ofpoorly translated dialogue. Which phrase from the game has becomepopularised as a running joke in the online community?
"All your base are belong to us."
"All your bases or belong to us."
"To ask me on a data?"
"To ask me in a date?"

(For the record, option c) refers to a bit of poor translation,too. In the Super Nintendo RPG "Terranigma", approaching one of thegirls in the town Neotokio is met with the line "...to ask me on adata? But you're dressed so odd...")

12. If I type "/sarcasm" in a message, what am I indicating?
That the last sentence, statement or paragraph I wrote wassarcastic.
That the last sentence, statement or paragraph I wrote was notintended to be sarcastic.
That the sentence, statement or paragraph following will besarcastic.
That the sentence, statement or paragraph following should not bemistaken for sarcasm.

(False HTML tagging has become a very common way to clarify tone inwriting online. Check the Wikipedia link up top for more info onthis one.)

13. Which one of these is not a common (deliberate) misspelling ofa word used on the Internet?
pr0n
hay
sauce
tr1ck

(The first three are misspellings of porn - or prawn - hey, andsource respectively.)

14. On which day do people post captioned pictures of cats on theInternet?
I think people have got over that.
Several websites, such as icanhascheezburger.com, host competitionsonce every three months.
Caturday.
Every freakin' day, dude.

(If you pick option (a) then you don't know the Internet very well.I did give half points for d), though, just because it is verytrue. Every day is Caturday these days.)

15. In 133t language, what does ITT stand for?
"In this thread."
"I tell (the) truth."
"It's timewarp time!"
"I'm talking trash."

(This one might be used as a warning on forums and message boards,e.g. "ITT: explicit content", or "ITT: we go all emo.")

16. What does it mean to 'troll' on an Internet forum?
To present a strong argument that discredits that of anotheruser.
To make outrageous or inappropriate statements in an attempt tooffend or incite other users.
To discuss fantasy-based fiction.
To live under a bridge and occasionally eat small children.

(Trolling is often a bannable offense online. Most forums/boardskeep an eye on this stuff.)

17. The term "weeaboo" is used online to refer to anyone who isunhealthily obsessed with:
Japanese culture.
Sexually explicit cartoons featuring underage girls.
Sexually explicit cartoons featuring animals.
Nintendo Wii.

(Again, pretty straightforward.)

18. Now, remember that "the cake is a lie" line I mentioned back inthe first section? Do you know which recent video game that phraseis a reference to?
Paper Mario
Portal
Katamari Damacy
Halo 2

(Many gamers claimed that you don't get cake at the end of thisgame. But from what I read, you sorta do...)

19. Which one of these SMS/133t abbreviations is not used to showaffection or friendship?
KOTC
PL&
M8
WUWH

(From top to bottom: Kiss on the Cheek, Planned, Mate, Wish YouWere Here.)

20. Part of the writing in the above picture has blurred out. Itshould read, "WARMIN MY _______"
HABEEB
SAGE
HARBL
CAKE

(Habeeb is actually used in the context of "Habeeb It", referringto something which is true whether you like it or not.)

21. Complete the following piece of text, lifted from an SMSsomeone sent to me, the writer of this test: "I'm so ova mymanager. So rude. Total ______... neway, hope ur havin a gud day.xox"
PITA
KHUF
RGDS
BF

(The other three choices wouldn't make sense: Know How You Feel,Regards, or Boyfriend. Whuh? PITA - or rather, "Pain in the Ass" -makes much more sense.)

22. Three of these are common text message and/or 133tabbreviations. Which one is just an ordinary word?
HAND
KIT
GAL
RING

(The first three choices stand for Have A Nice Day, Keep In Touch,and Get A Life.)

23. The term 'smeg', usually referring to something detestable,gets thrown around online a lot. Do you know which TV show itoriginated from, though?
Red Dwarf
League of Gentlemen
Doctor Who (the original series)
Doctor Who (the new series)

('Smeg' is derived from 'smegma'. UPDATE: JUNE 21. It refers to thegunk that can build up around the head of the penis or the clitorisif not washed often enough - not to semen, as I had originallywrote. This quibble doesn't affect anyone's scoring but thanksregardless to the person below who corrected me.)

24. What does YLBO stand for?
"Young lad/lady (with) body odour."
"You looked better online."
"You like bending over."
"You'll be okay."

(YLBO is a much newer acronym to find popularity, so less peoplewould be familiar with it.)

25. Abbreviate the following sentence as much as would be acceptedin common SMS language: "Call you back later, the boss is lookingand I need to delete the porn."
CUB L8r, BIL n I need 2 delete the porn.
Call u bak l8r, BIL n I need 2 del the porn.
Call you back l8r, boss lookin and I need 2 del the porn.
Call u bak l8r, boss is looking n I need to delete the porn.

(n, 2, BIL and CUB L8r are all common abbreviations. Del isn't aswidespread, and the only options that offered it didn't use CUBL8r, anyway.)
Internet/SMS Literacy Test - Answer Key
An image of noangel77 I got 42.

Oh, and YLBO.

noangel77 commented on

Default user image Goodness, this test was hard as hell. Only got a 22. I guess spelling out your phrases and words completely isn't hip anymore. *laughing out loud*

A former user commented on

Default user image That was super funny. 43! I dunno about 4chan spreading the popularity of "the cake is a lie", though.

animaetrix00 commented on

Default user image great quiz!! got 37... and i thot i was totally illiterate when it came to this... not too shabby!

A former user commented on

An image of talec18415 41! The SMS questions tripped me up, I only speak 4chan. xD

talec18415 commented on

An image of sauergeek 'Smeg' is derived from 'smegma'. It refers to, well, semen, basically. Close, but not quite. "smegma: a thick, cheeselike, sebaceous secretion that collects beneath the foreskin or around the clitoris." A very good choice of word to mean "disgusting".

sauergeek commented on

An image of seeyoshirun Right. Seems I'm a bit off on that one. Mind you, that didn't really affect anyone's scoring, but thanks for the FYI. :D

seeyoshirun commented on

An image of malloreigh for some reason i have no idea with PITA stands for and i don't think you explain it.

malloreigh commented on

Default user image FWIW, Weeaboo is from the Perry Bible Fellowship: http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF071-Weeaboo.gif

A former user commented on

Default user image 32 Fake it 'til you make it! FITYMI ought to be on there! It's what I did! Great test! Thanks for the answers!

A former user commented on

An image of NUMBR4940 smegma does not refer to semen. smegma is the oily substance that builds up on your privates if you don't wash them for too long

NUMBR4940 commented on

An image of meghanmayhem The saddest part is that I actually found a few incorrect answers in your key. Sad for you or sad for me, I can't decide.

meghanmayhem commented on

An image of immoko 27 - lol do it for the lawl. Yes i am surprised how widespread of 4chan "culture" and its word useage.. by the next century these words should become daily used haha.

immoko commented on

An image of Jarrokarris question 14 is a little tricky; you post on caturday, but everyday is caturday, so... also, there is a cake. The cake is not a lie, don't listen to them dang 4channers not actually playing the game. You don't however, officially receive the cake. it's in a room with the companion cube and glaDOS.

Jarrokarris commented on

An image of Maledicta Want to point out that SFW can also mean 'so fucking what?' as in "what's the big deal?"...could cause confusion over a number of questions...

Maledicta commented on

Default user image So, what's a HARBL? BTW, this is a big help for us SMS/133t-uneducates. Thanks.

A former user commented on

Default user image Being one who learned from this, I just want to add that it's still important to keep the regular English language tuned well. Perhaps on #5, it might work a bit better to state, "I hope nobody has ever written that..." Just a thought. As for me, this was very insightful and thanks for doing this.

A former user commented on

An image of TBBle Fun test, although I reckon #14 should be full points for "Every day" and half-points for Caturday, since that implies that you think 4chan is "The Internet". ICanHasCheezburger certainly gains a pile of new images every day these days. ^_^ Even so, happy with my 43. Never saw CUB or BIL before, or realised that everyone doesn't use "del" to delete things. Not too sure about 10 either. If my boss was looking over my shoulder while I was IMing, XD (or >_<) would seem the appropriate response.

TBBle commented on

An image of Koresh04 I got all of the hard questions but missed a few of the easy and intermediate questions, (got a 43 total) WTF? I guess my SMS skills aren't what they used to be since I've got a phone with a QWERTY keyboard and spellcheck! :p

Koresh04 commented on