We'll Give You a Tool, You Tell Us What Job It's Associated With

Jacqueline Samaroo

Image: 10'000 Hours/DigitalVision/Getty Images

About This Quiz

You know the drill! Now it's time to show you know jack about the tools of EVERY trade!

There are some common tools which are used across professions, sometimes with slight modifications to suit the particular job. These same tools tend to be the ones you would find in your own toolbox, kitchen junk drawer or even among the items you use in your daily grooming routine. If you have a clue which ones we are thinking of, then you could definitely hit the nail on the head with this quiz!

Of course, many of the tools professionals use are designed specifically for the tasks they perform. They come in all shapes and sizes and they usually require special training and skills to use them. Once you see them, there is no question as to which job they are used for. That chart you have to stand 20 feet away from and call out the letters written on it is a good example. There's only one profession which uses that! Think you know which one it is? Work your way through the quiz and see if you are right!

Ready to put your quiz-taking reputation on the line? Come show you are the master of ALL trades and the tools they use - take the quiz, now!

Can you tell which one of these jobs uses these tools?

Some car owners enjoy tinkering around with their own cars, but there are many real benefits to going with a professional mechanic. Among them is that professional auto repair mechanics have several specialized tools to get the job done right and another is not being covered in oil once you’re done!

Do you know which of these jobs uses the tools shown here?

French physician Rene Laennec invented the stethoscope in 1816 as a way to amplify the chest sounds of his patients. Laennec’s very first stethoscope was simply a sheet of rolled paper, but the instrument enabled him to make more accurate diagnoses of his patients’ conditions.

Which of these jobs uses the tools shown here?

A plumbing system consisting of copper water pipes was discovered in palace ruins in the Indus River Valley in India. The ruins date back to approximately 4,000 BCE.

Can you guess which of these jobs uses the tools shown here?

NASA aerospace scientist Jack Cover invented the Taser in 1969. Cover originally called it a T.S.E.R. for Tom Swift’s Electronic Rifle. Tom Swift was a popular series of science and technology children’s books first published in 1910, with young inventor Tom Swift as the lead character. Cover added the “A” to form “Taser” so that the name would be easier to say!

Can you tell which professional uses these tools?

Research shows that women in ancient Rome created extravagant hairstyles using a simple type of curling iron. Plus, hair dyeing was practiced by Greek women from as early as 400 BCE.

Do you know which one of these jobs uses these tools?

Nowadays, firefighting units have the benefits of tech gadgets such as thermal imaging cameras and handheld weather meters. Even so, equipment such as a fire hose, ladder and a wide variety of axes are still quite indispensable for firefighters to have when it comes to saving lives and property.

Which of these professionals uses the tools shown here?

Good advice for every home chef is to avoid using knives which are dull. They make cutting much more difficult than it needs to be and they can be more dangerous to handle than a sharp knife.

Do you know which professional uses the tools shown here?

The modern form of surgery came into being in the late 1800s. At that time, the chance of a patient dying from an operation was far greater than the chance of them surviving. It was not until in the 1900s that survival rates climbed above 50%.

Which of these jobs uses the tools in the photo?

There is evidence of land surveying being performed as a profession from as early as 3,000 BCE in Egypt. The Egyptian Land Register from that era carried land ownership information which included landowner names and property boundaries.

The tools shown here are used in which occupation?

Electricity production for use in lighting businesses and homes did not fully begin until the late 1800s. One of the very first electricity plants was owned by Thomas Edison, inventor of the incandescent light bulb.

Which job are these tools used in?

Many persons enjoy making house painting a do-it-yourself job. Going with a professional, however, does have its benefits. For example, instead of just painting a wall the desired color, professional house painters will know how to remove old paint, if necessary, and prepare the wall for a new coat of paint.

Can you say which of these jobs matches these three tools?

The beginning of the Iron Age (and hence the birth of blacksmithing) is thought to have taken place in the Middle East around 1, 200 BCE. From there, blacksmithing techniques spread around the world, following along with the use of iron, and reached eastern Asia and western Europe by the year 600 BCE.

Do you know which of these jobs uses the tools in this photo?

Accounting or bookkeeping is one of the world’s oldest professions. It developed thousands of years ago alongside the use of money, number systems and writing. The earliest records of accounting date back to 7, 000 BCE when it was used in Ancient Mesopotamia as a way of maintaining crop records.

Do you know which occupation uses these tools?

The Bunsen burner is named after German chemist Robert Bunsen who did much of his work in the areas of heat and gas theory. It was designed in 1854 by Peter Desaga, a mechanic at the University of Heidelberg, based on the ideas suggested by Bunsen.

Can you say which job uses the three tools shown here?

The vast majority of midwives are female, with men making up less than 1% of their number. The term “midwife” means “with woman” and so males in the profession are also known as midwives and not midhusbands as some persons might think.

Can you identify the occupation which uses these tools?

The night vision technology currently used by the military allows you to see in almost total darkness. The technology is based on the night vision of many nocturnal animals, such as owls and tarsiers, as well as sea creatures who live at depths where very little light is able to penetrate.

Which of these jobs uses the tools in the picture?

The Snellen chart which measures sharpness of vision or visual acuity has been around since 1862. The chart is named after its designer, Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen.

Which of these workers uses the three tools shown here?

Janitors go by several names, including custodian, caretaker and porter. Although janitors are mostly hired for their cleaning services, some janitors may have maintenance work as a part of their duties.

What is the name of the professional who uses these tools?

Rolling pins are traditionally wooden but they can be made from a variety of materials, including porcelain, glass and silicone. There are also metallic rolling pins commonly made of stainless steel. Home cooks can resort to using a long straight glass bottle in the absence of a rolling pin.

Which one of these jobs uses these tools?

Dentistry has been practiced as a profession from as far back as 7, 000 BCE. It wasn’t until the mid-1700s, however, that French surgeon Pierre Fauchard (considered to be the father of modern dentistry) proved that tooth decay was caused by acids. Before this, they were believed to be the result of tooth worms!

Can you recall which job uses the tools in the picture?

6, 000 years ago when barbers plied their trade in Egypt, it was with crude instruments made mainly of sharpened flint and oyster shells. By the Middle Ages, barbers became known as barber-surgeons since they used their sharp instruments, steady hands and skill to perform operations in addition to cutting hair and shaving.

Can you match the tools in the picture to the professional who uses them?

The daisy grubber is a weeder – a tool used to pull out weeds. The long, narrow, 2-pronged design is ideal for easing roots up out of the soil. The handle of the daisy grubber is traditionally made of wood but plastic is becoming a common option.

Do you know which job uses the tools pictured here?

It's very easy to trace the history of masonry thanks to structures such as the pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal of India, the Great Wall of China and the Colosseum of Rome. Other, even more ancient structures, such as low stone walls marking fields and the hardened mud walls of prehistoric dwellings, also shed light on the evolution of masonry techniques throughout the ages.

Can you match these tools to the occupation in which they are used?

The Industrial Revolution of the 1700s and 1800s brought about sweeping changes to the tailoring profession. Thanks to the mechanization of the textile manufacturing process, tailors saw a jump in the demand for their services since good-quality material was now readily available and relatively affordable by all.

Which of these workers uses these three tools?

Instead of cutting your cuticles (the layer of dead skin cells at the base of your nails), it is better to simply moisturize them, then push them back with a cuticle pusher. The cuticle serves as a barrier which keeps germs from entering the nail bed, so cutting and possibly damaging it can lead to nail infection.

What is the name of the worker who uses these tools?

In 2010, researchers in Ethiopia discovered that the ancient ancestors of the human race were butchering animals as far back as 3.4 million years ago. The scientists came to the conclusion based on cut marks on bones which are similar to the marks made when sharpened tools are used to remove meat and marrow from bones.

Do you know which of these jobs uses the tools in this image?

The antistatic wrist strap is a kind of ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection device. It protects both the computer repair technician and the equipment being worked on from the effects of built-up static electricity.

Which job uses the tools shown here?

A story board is a series of pictures which show how each scene in a film, video, TV series or commercial will unfold. The storyboard allows everyone to “see” what happens in each scene, including what angles cameras will shoot from.

Can you tell which one of these jobs uses these tools?

Arborists are also known as tree surgeons and they practice what is known as arboriculture. Their range of services include pruning, tree removal, planting and tree risk assessment, as well as cabling and bracing of trees.

Which occupation uses the three tools shown here?

The history of modern nursing is often said to have started with Florence Nightingale (known as the Lady with the Lamp). She was an educated British woman from a wealthy family who greatly reformed nursing practices during the Crimean War of the mid-1800s.

Do you know which one of these jobs uses the tools in the photo?

A medical examiner is, most often, also a medical doctor. The roles of the medical examiner tend to overlap with those of a coroner and a forensic pathologist.

Which job uses these three tools?

There are many different types of carpenter, including a shipwright who builds wooden ships and a trim carpenter who specializes in making trims and moldings. There are also coopers who make wooden barrels such as those use for aging whiskey and luthiers who make stringed musical instruments.

Do you know which job uses these three tools?

Farming, or agriculture, includes both the rearing of animals and the production of crops. Unlike many other developments in human history which began in one location and spread around the globe, the origins of farming can be traced back to several different regions among different groups of humans.

Which of these jobs matches the tools shown here?

The oldest surviving camera photograph is considered to be one taken in 1826 (or 1827) by French photography pioneer Nicéphore Niépce. The photograph is called "View from the Window at Le Gras" and was taken at Niépce’s estate in eastern France.

Can you match these three tools to the worker who uses them?

Throughout global history, architecture developed as more than a way to construct sturdy buildings. It has long been considered to be an art form, with many buildings constructed to be visually appealing both in terms of their shape and in the design elements used on them.

Do you know which worker uses the tools shown here?

HVAC technicians install, maintain and repair equipment used for heating, ventilation and air conditioning of buildings. They also work with refrigeration systems and so are increasingly being referred to as HVAC-R technicians.

Can you match these three tools to the professional who uses them?

The welding profession has its roots in blacksmithing, with welding largely replacing blacksmithing when arc welding was created in the 1800s. World War One in the early 1900s further pushed the growing demand for welding and skilled welders to assist with the construction of ships, aircraft and other military equipment.

Which of these jobs uses these three tools?

Humans have been making and using boats since prehistoric times. The very first boats were made from hollowed out tree trunks and are referred to as dugouts. Early boat building involved burning a section of the trunk and digging out the charred material with an ax-like tool.

Do you know which job matches the tools shown here?

The practice of dermatology (diagnosing and treating skin disorders) is not new. It can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, who used arsenic as a treatment for skin conditions such as tumors. There are also records of the Egyptians using animal oils, sour milk, salts and alabaster to improve the look and feel of the skin.

Can you match these three tools to the job which uses them?

The profession of locksmithing can be traced back 4, 000 years ago to Ancient Egypt and Babylon. Whereas locksmiths today mainly replicate keys and open locks for customers, in the past their job involved creating the parts of the lock and constructing the lock from them; as well as installing the lock and making the key or keys to fit it.

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