Some players of more 'serious' instruments look askance at percussionists, who (so they think) make a lot more noise but without half the skill. Yet almost any orchestra or ensemble, without a percussion section, would sound like the equivalent of unseasoned food: recognisable, but somehow very much less exciting.
What do you know about the wacky world of percussion, that 'toy department' of the orchestra?
Answer 2 remains hauntingly true, but it is not easy (even if you are determined) to find out how the effect is supposed to be produced, whether by the percussion section in the stage pit or by the backstage department