1. brakes
   carburetor
2. crankshaft
   transmission

Okay, this was an easy one! But when you get to the question about the throw-out bearing, you'll be nostalgic for questions like these!

1. gearstick
   gearshift
2. gear selector
   any of these will do

Probably the most common term is "gearstick." This is reflected by the fact that manual-transmission cars are casually called "stick shift."

1. catalytic converter
   fuel pump
2. exhaust manifold
   spoiler

Although any number of things can cause a car to break down, the fuel pump dying will stop it in its tracks. For that reason, you should always know how to replace the fuse for your fuel pump, and carry a spare.

1. carburetor
   camshaft
2. strut
   transaxle

Carburetion has been largely replaced by fuel injection. But carburetion is still a fun concept to use metaphorically, as when a newspaper columnist referred to Seabiscuit as a horse that ran "like the carburetor needed adjustment."

1. drum brake
   fuel injector
2. overhead cam
   exhaust manifold

This change was not entirely welcomed by amateur mechanics. A carburetor is much easier to work on at home -- changing the fuel filter, for example -- than is a fuel-injection system.

1. starter motor
   intake manifold
2. scoop
   sprayer

You'd find an intake manifold on both older cars with carburetion or new ones with fuel injection. Not to be confused with the exhaust manifold.

1. clutch pedal
   brake pedal
2. accelerator pedal
   fuel gauge readout

Of course, this isn't the case if you have an automatic transmission car. You'll also know the clutch pedal by the amount of force it requires to depress all the way -- more than the brake or accelerator.

1. accelerator pedal
   piston
2. cylinder
   spark plug

An accelerator pedal is technically a foot throttle. A throttle (in automotive terms, at least) controls the flow of fuel to the engine. In other words, it makes it go.

1. catalytic converter
   carburetor
2. piston
   throttle

The pistons move so fast, and so vigorously, that a car would shake violently if they didn't fire in a carefully-planned sequence to balance out the forces involved!

1. drive shaft
   fuel gauge
2. odometer
   steering column

An odometer will usually track miles up to 999,999. When people take truly good care of their vintage cars, you can see some truly remarkable odometer readings (though not usually that high!)

1. distributor caps
   gates
2. spark plugs
   valves

The valves don't just let the fuel-air mixture in. They also let exhaust gases out.

1. bushings
   intake manifolds
2. piston rings
   struts

Piston rings keep the pistons tightly flush against cylinder walls, for the best compression. If your engine needs a "ring job," shudder: It's one of the more time-consuming and expensive jobs in car repair.

1. battery cables
   air filters
2. fuel filters
   tires

Technically, you just need to disconnect the negative battery cable. It conducts just enough electricity to the engine to slowly drain the battery over time.

1. distributor cap
   handbrake
2. fuse box
   venturi tube

Google "bootlegger's turn" and you'll see what we mean -- hauling up on the hand parking brake is part of the technique of making a very short, sharp 180. This is not recommended unless you're in a wide-open space and are confident in your driving skills.

1. true
2. false

When you take your foot *off* the clutch pedal, it engages the clutch. This means the clutch disk and flywheel are pressed together, allowing power to be transmitted from the engine to the power train.

1. console
   carburetor
2. master cylinder
   wheel well

The master cylinder holds the brake fluid in a hydraulic brake system. When you step on the brake pedal, it sends fluid out to the actual brakes.

1. bushing
   float
2. venturi tube
   Besteni indicator

While it's fun to imagine the float, which is made of foam and actually does float in the gas tank, has a little altimeter that transmits a signal to the fuel gauge, that's not actually how it works. It has to do with electrical resistance in a current going through an attached rod, and that's all we're going to say about it, because realizing that there's an electrical current running that close to a large amount of gas makes us never want to start up a car again.

1. ignition coil
   steering knuckle
2. tailpipie
   shock absorber

Shock absorbers are mechanical components, like struts, near the wheel. They make the ride smoother than it otherwise would have been.

1. catalytic converter
   intake manifold
2. stabilizer bar
   throw-out bearing

The reason that carburetion was replaced with fuel injection has a lot to do with catalytic converters, which work more easily with fuel-injection systems. This, in turn, was required by clean-air laws and new regulations.

1. dual exhaust pipes
   hood scoops
2. intake manifolds
   spoilers

Spoilers were an innovation in race cars. However, automakers started putting them on high-performance consumer cars, too, just because they looked sexy. Road cars should NOT be reaching speeds where they need their spoiler.

1. brake lines
   bushings
2. rear axles
   transaxles

No brakes! Actually, this doesn't happen as often in fiction anymore. We blame this not on any lack of effectiveness in the technique, but to a sad decline in automotive skills in modern society.

1. catalytic converter
   exhaust pipe
2. muffler
   spoiler

Like good fences make good neighbors, mufflers make it a lot more pleasant to live on highly-trafficked roads. A car will run without one, but they're required by law.

1. head gasket
   ignition coil
2. overhead cam
   spark plug

The average car battery doesn't have much more voltage than the little one you stick in your smoke alarm. The ignition coil increases the voltage until it's capable of supporting the car's electrical system.

1. dipstick
   fan belt
2. radiator
   camshaft

Even if you don't work on your car yourself, you've probably checked the oil. Unless you can't figure out how, in which case, you might be a dipstick.

1. crankcase
   fuse
2. reservoir
   spark plug

The spark plugs, as the name implies, create the sparks that ignite the fuel-air mixture in the cylinders. They're also famously hard to loosen up and remove when it's time to replace them.

1. axle
   differential
2. drive train
   solenoid

The differential is a gearbox that changes the direction of energy in the drive train and sends it to the wheels -- but only in a rear-wheel-drive car, though. This gave rise to a joke in "The Italian Job," when a character says, "Rozzer's having trouble with his differential" -- the joke being that Minis didn't have one, which confused a lot of mechanics early on.

1. yes
2. no

The spark plug gap is just that: a gap. It's the space between the electrodes of the spark plug. The electrodes themselves might need adjusting for space, but you can't work on the "gap" itself.

1. anti-lock brakes
   hybrid battery
2. "star" safety harness
   starter motor

Nowadays, there are many more hybrid (gas-electric) cars than just those two pioneers. Which means by now everyone should know not to let the hybrid battery run down. They cost an arm and a leg to replace!

1. the clutch
   the brake system
2. the fuel-injection system
   the radiator

The throw-out bearing lets you disengage the clutch via the clutch pedal. Author Deanna Sclar, who writes car-care books for the average person, warns drivers to shift into neutral if they need to idle for any period of time, or the throw-out bearing might wear out early.

1. an dashboard light
   a synonym for "dome light"
2. the light over the fuse box
   this isn't part of a car!

Just keeping you on your toes! A drop light is a work light, so named because it usually has a protective plastic cage around the bulb and you can drop it on the garage floor to shine up on your work.

1. odometer
   speedometer
2. tachometer
   venturi tube

Many cars show your rpm on the instrument panel, along with your speed. A high rpm in idle might mean the throttle needs adjustment.

1. yes
2. no

The timing belt or chain is, but not the timing light. Instead, this strobing light is used to check how efficiently all the parts of the engine are working together.

1. a slang term for parking brake
   a slang term for "drum brake"
2. a slang term for "disc brake"
   a brake attached to a heart monitor, that stops the car if the driver's heart stops

Yes, this really exists! But it will probably never be found on consumer cars, unless we all get considerably more paranoid than we are today. Thanks to edmunds.com for this bit of trivia (their thorough glossary was one of the sources consulted in the writing of this quiz).

1. yes!
2. nope!

Although a car's "head gasket" is famous for giving us the term "blowing a gasket," this is simply a ring or trim that keeps fluid or air in (or out). Your refrigerator door has a gasket to keep the cold air from leaking.

1. the power train
   the steering system
2. the suspension system
   an SUV

The A-, B-, and C-pillars are vertical supports for the passenger cabin. Only long-bodied vehicles, like an SUV, have D-pillars.