I have to help write a quiz, and would like to include a few tricky questions. Great examples include the largest manufacturer of tyres (Lego) or how many lakes in the Lake District (one) - the kind of questions that will really annoy people.
Any suggestions? Cheers.
(just seen this prompt under the Topic Title - think it might need some work!)
Discussions that may already have the information you are looking for
Volkswagens biggest selling product across all its car brands? Currywurst in the factory canteen.
Who wrote the MUSIC for Elton Johns hits? Elton John, but loads of people will say Bernie Taupin who wrote the lyrics.
How many wives did Henry VIII have? Answer - three. The other three marriages were annulled, meaning they were never his wife.
Ooohhhhhhhhhh. Nasty, I love them.
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, spell it.
Answer: IT
Which angels are named in the Bible?
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Lucifer.
Although it does vary depending on which Bible you are referring to.......
World's largest toy distributor? McDonalds.
There are five countries in the world that when written in capital letters, contain no letters that can be coloured in (ie. A, O, etc…)
YEMEN
SEYCHELLES
LIECHTENSTEIN
CHILE
FIJI
Sport: Red, Blue, White, Black, Orange. What comes next in the sequence
Answer: Black and White stripes - they are greyhound racing trap colours.
What's the world biggest annual sporting event
Answer: the Tour de France (people often guess the World Cup or Olympics but they aren't annual)
Science, which planet is on average closest to the Earth
Answer: Mercury, because of the size of their orbits Venus and Mars spend a lot of time far away from the Earth on the opposite side of the Sun, Mercury with its orbit very close to the Sun is on average closer to the Earth than any other planet.
What is the only US state not to share a letter with the word mackerel? Ohio
With which country does France share its longest land border
Brazil has the longest border with France, with a length of 730 km (450 miles). This is due to the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana and Brazil
These are all on paper and don’t need reading out by the quiz master so gives you a break.
Walk around locally and take pictures and ask what is behind you. Could be any landmark: statues, pubs, hotels….
ID the country from its silhouette.
Buy some crisps and guess the flavor.
Answer: Mercury, because of the size of their orbits Venus and Mars spend a lot of time far away from the Earth on the opposite side of the Sun, Mercury with its orbit very close to the Sun is on average closer to the Earth than any other planet.
If you liked that...
Which is more valuable, flotsam or jetsam?
Answer, flotsam, because it floated off deck unintentionally, whereas jetsam was deliberately ejected.
If you want one for people to ponder over for a while you can have them list the 11 countries that start with G. Might cause a few arguments as there are a few non countries like Greenland and Gibraltar. Bonus point for the only country that ends with G
One that made me smile recently was to give the value of Pi to 5 decimal places, with one point per DP. I am an engineer though so I may be slightly biased in my amusement.
Only county in the UK to have 2 entirely separate coastlines (mainland only, islands off the coast don't count) - Devon.
What are the second highest peaks in Scotland, Wales, England (excluding peaks on the same massif)? Ben Macdui, Carnedd Llewelyn, Helvellyn. Bonus point if they can spell Carnedd Llewlyn correctly.
Highest Peak in a UK territory (Mount Hope, Antarctica).
Just for fun, how about a couple of crossword puzzle type questions.
Sea animal (5, 3).
Large fish (7).
Maybe a silly prize if anyone gets them.
Oh and the answers are ship's cat and special.
The second president of the USA
Band who released the classic 80's album the Lexicon of Love
Those were both tricky ones I remember from our pub quiz last week
One that we have got wrong on more than one occasion is what does the acronym BAFTA stand for, and you've got to get it exactly right. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. You can't have Awards as the final word. Quiz master is always right, (even when he's wrong).
Q Who is younger - Gary Oldman or Gary Newman?
A Gary Oldman, by 13 days
Ah, never mind…
Which of these UK cities is the furthest east?
- Bristol 2.5879° W
- Edinburgh 3.1883° W
- Carlisle 2.9329° W
- Manchester 2.2426° W [correct]
There is "difficult" and there is "impossible," do you really want a quiz full of gotchas? Some of these suggestions you might as well ask "what is my middle name" (and give a point for "no it isn't").
whereas jetsam was deliberately ejected.
Same root as "jettison."
Oh yeah, another one, though maybe 50/50 questions shouldn't count, which UK city is further west, Bristol or Edinburgh. It's actually Bristol by about 1 degree.
edit - beaten to it while I was just fact checking myself!! (although Keva has a more comprehensive question/answer).
Jesus, these are all incredible. Thanks very much...you evil bastards
There is "difficult" and there is "impossible," do you really want a quiz full of gotchas? Some of these suggestions you might as well ask "what is my middle name" (and give a point for "no it isn't").
There are a few rounds - I was thinking of putting one of this kind of question in each round. The rest are pretty normal...
If you want one for people to ponder over for a while you can have them list the 11 countries that start with G
Its a pretty tough one, I'm a bit of a geography trivia nerd but I only managed 8 without google.
Greece
Georgia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Gambia
Gabon
Guatemala
No Idea on the others
Can't get the one that ends in "G" either
EDIT "Luxembourg" cheated and asked the wife.
Name a country whose flag does NOT contain red, white, or blue.
Can you name the three actors who have all been killed in films, by an Alien, a Predator AND a terminator?
Now I've typed it out, I can't remember the third... There's definitely two.
Edited to add: it's only two, quite tricky to get though, I think.
Why was Knight Rider's car called KITT ?
It was an acronym for Knight Industries Two Thousand
Saw this on some telly program the other day.
Which European Union country has a National anthem with no words - Spain
Though easy if you're Spanish or know it :-).
Can you name the three actors who have all been killed in films, by an Alien, a Predator AND a terminator?
Oh, that's good. Bill Paxton was the punk in Terminator 2 ("nice night for a walk"), Hudson in Aliens and the gobshite cop in Predator 2. Not that he's typecast or anything.
Who else? Was Lance Henrickson in a Predator film?
A couple of times I've compiled quizzes and without declaring the round as such, it was themed.
So if the seemingly unconnected answers were Fiesta, Galaxy, Granada, Escort etc. the theme is old Ford cars. Mail Telegraph, Mirror, Sun the theme is Newspapers. The last question is "what is the theme" and as you go along you see teams twigging it and going back and getting the answers. So it lets you set seemingly impossible questions which only become easy when the theme is clear. As in "the superior of a Franciscan Convent" is The Guardian.
Its a pretty tough one, I'm a bit of a geography trivia nerd but I only managed 8 without google.
Yes. It's definitely more of a team one to ponder over the course of the evening.
No Idea on the others
You have missed an easy one 🙂
Yep, well done. Lance Henriksson was playing Weyland Yutani founder in Alien v Predator and got stabbed by the predator.
You have missed an easy one
doh! Germany
Guyana too
Which of these are nuts - list of 'nuts' (lots of nuts aren't genuine nuts)
Best questions I got once were 8 film scenes made from Lego and you had to identify the film. It was flipping ace although hard work for the question writers.
Mark Radcliffe was going on about a book called haiku killer qu'est que ce which describes pop songs in 17 words.
That'd be a good round, maybe one of them ones thats written down to ponder on during an interval.
Think it's only from Amazon, at least that's the only source I can find.
We’re doing a quiz at new year and for my round I’ve come up with ‘Band or Beer’.
I’m going to do a mixed list of the names of obscure bands, who’ve done 6 music sessions, or artisan/hipster craft beers. You have to guess which is which 😃
How many beans make five?
Band who released the classic 80's album the Lexicon of Love
I'd say that's a pretty easy quiz question TBH.
If you want a tricky but (IMO) gettable music question, how about 'Stan Ridgeway, the writer and performer of the No. 2 UK hit song 'Camouflage', was the original lead singer of what band? (Wall of Voodoo).
What colour is your anus?*
Blue
* Uranus
I ended up in detention for asking my science teacher "Sir, what colour is you anus?".
Taste challenges if you can prepare samples for tasting:
Put the five Tesco cheddar cheese samples in order of maturity rating.
Put the chocolate in order of cocoa content
Put the wines in order of price
Name the herb
What is the elephant population of Bedfordshire
10
5 at Woburn 5 at Whipsnade
Which is more valuable, flotsam or jetsam?
Answer, flotsam, because it floated off deck unintentionally, whereas jetsam was deliberately ejected.
How about "Name the 4 different categories for items lost or discarded at sea". FWIW drug smugglers will intentionally drop their cargo offshore with a beacon attached so it can be collected later. That could be quite valuable! (and what category does it fall into? Clue - it's not not flotsam,)
2. Which planet spins on its side compared to the others in the solar system?
Name all the "fifth Beatles".
Name all vehicles that are permitted to use blue flashing lights.
Identify songs from reading (no music) the opening line.
“Steve walks warily down the street with the brim pulled way down low” really threw people, at least the way I read it.
If reading it takes a special effort not to read in time.
What are the two pre-existing indigenous names for Mt Everest? Could tie it in with educational trivia on the subject if you're that way inclined.
Name a country whose flag does NOT contain red, white, or blue.
Jamaica.
I've run a monthly beer tasting/quiz for the past 15 years so have a huge number of questions... some of which are here, and some of which i'm taking from here!
I'm sure I started a thread here a few years back to get some more ideas and some kind soul sent me a link to a load of quizzes they'd developed.
My favourite ever question though is to pull out a tangled piece of string from my pocket and without unravelling it ask "How long is this piece of string?". Nearest team gets a point.
Then a month later I come back with the same piece of string and ask the same question... can people remember the answer from last month (especially given they were drinking)? Is it the exact same piece of string?
Edited.
I thought of the flag of Bhutan, which is yellow and orange, split diagonally, but it’s got a white dragon superimposed on it, which I’d forgotten. Drat!
The kiwifruit originated from which country?
Which was named first, the country Mexico or New Mexico?
Observational everyday questions for me, don't go down the Google gives me 50 questions and answers as you often get questions meant for USA . If the questions are too hard folk get bored and talk about their day to the person next to them or go off for another drink. University challenge style starter and if your knowledge of 17th century monarchs is nil the 3 follow up questions are a waste of time
The music trivia / lyrics is good all depending on the age of everyone with added point for delivery or making an effort to sing the line
A few die hard serial quiz goers can sometimes just take over rather than make it enjoyable for all
It's no longer considered a planet.
True of the one you're thinking of, but the next but one neighbour is more tilted and still is a planet.
Name all vehicles that are permitted to use blue flashing lights.
There are loads.
https://www.ukemergency.co.uk/blue-light-use/
Which company makes the most tyres?
......
Lego
Which letter does not appear in the name of any of the top 92 English football teams?
J
Who was the last man to walk on the moon?
Eugene (Gene) Cernan
Which is the only country to have a flag that isn't rectangular or square?
Nepal
The kiwifruit originated from which country?
Which was named first, the country Mexico or New Mexico?
This isn't actually a pub quiz, you can give the answers.
What's the highest altitude football stadium in England?
Silverlands Stadium - home of Buxton FC
Then The Hawthorns - WBA
What is the most southerly country to be shown on a Euro note?
French Guiana.
I always thought this would be a good pub quiz quesiton..
"why is a 10 horsepower engine, ACTUALLY a 30 horsepower engine..?"
It's cos when James Watts was selling the notion of an engine, he sited HP as the idea was to replace horses in factories. So a 10 BHP engine replaces 10 horses, right.. But NO...! Because the horses worked shifts, a 10bhp engine could run continuously, replacing 30 horses!
DrP
How about some True or False questions?
The last words of General John Sedgwick were “They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance.”
True
When Richard Nobel broke the land speed record he was carrying Malcom Campbell’s false teeth in his pocket.
False
A couple from my old lock-down quizzes
The Arabic phrase “Shah Maat”, literally “The King is dead” has evolved into which modern day term?
What number on the Beaufort scale is defined at sea as “The air is filled with foam and spray; sea is completely white with driving spray; visibility very seriously affected” and on land as “Devastation”?
answers: Checkmate and 12 (Hurricane)
This one got me banned from ever creating a pub quiz again.
What was Sherlock Holmes' "seven percent solution?"
Cocaine.
I always think that 'lists' rounds do well at a quiz.
You just give a list out at the start that has the initial letter(s) of each answer and they have to be completed throughout the time the quiz is going on
Things like:
- States in the US
- Ceremonial Counties of England
- Christmas Number ones since 1970
- Cities if the UK
- Countries in Europe/Asia/Africa/S.America
In 1985 3 different songs titled 'The Power of Love' made the top 10 of the UK singles chart - Name the artists.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Jennifer Rush and Huey Lewis and the News.
In 1985 3 different songs titled 'The Power of Love' made the top 10 of the UK singles chart - Name the artists.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Jennifer Rush and Huey Lewis and the News.
That could be two, three, or four artists. That's why we have the Oxford comma.
What is the only continuous circular motorway in the UK?
The M60.
Most people will say the M25 but the Dartford Crossing is an A road.
True of the one you're thinking of, but the next but one neighbour is more tilted and still is a planet.
Oh, really? IDNKT.
What is the biggest desert in the world - the Antarctic
Who was the last man to walk on the moon?
Reminds me of one of my favourite space-based questions:
What is the name of the first Briton in space? And for a bonus point, who did they work for before they went into space?
I had a round on a recent family quiz called Bird or Bullshit.
Sheepsucker F
Masked Booby
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Tropical Doudou F
Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler
Tufted Crevice Warbler F
Crested Mockingjay F
Bushtit
Yankee Doodle Pigeon F
Lesser Prairie-Chicken
Of those 10, 5 are real, 5 are made up (F). I didn't reveal the 5/5 split until after they had decided T/F for all 10, then they had time to readjust.
What is the name of the first Briton in space? And for a bonus point, who did they work for before they went into space?
Helen Sharman / Mars?
I had a round on a recent family quiz called Bird or Bullshit.
Sheepsucker F
Masked Booby
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Tropical Doudou F
Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler
Tufted Crevice Warbler F
Crested Mockingjay F
Bushtit
Yankee Doodle Pigeon F
Lesser Prairie-Chicken
Of those 10, 5 are real, 5 are made up (F). I didn't reveal the 5/5 split until after they had decided T/F for all 10, then they had time to readjust.
Did you cull that idea from STW? 😁 I did "bird or bollocks" ages ago. I had:
- SpoilerArgentinian Great FannyFALSE
- SpoilerRough-Faced ShagTRUE
- SpoilerFluffy-Backed Tit-BabblerTRUE
- SpoilerLesser-spotted WillyFALSE
- SpoilerHimalayan SnowcockTRUE
- SpoilerBushy ClamlickerFALSE
- SpoilerRed Shafted FlickerTRUE
- SpoilerFlamboyant BastardFALSE
- SpoilerSoapy BoobyFALSE
- SpoilerSatanic GoatsuckerTRUE
At the start of Friends the TV show, what order are the coloured blobs in?
I reckon billions have seen the show and very few of them will know. But it'll drive them nuts!
(There are 6 blobs, 3 colours)
If you want a tricky but (IMO) gettable music question, how about 'Stan Ridgeway, the writer and performer of the No. 2 UK hit song 'Camouflage', was the original lead singer of what band? (Wall of Voodoo).
You what? How is that gettable? No amount of thinking, remembering, reasoning, counting or working out or anything will ever reveal the answer to that if you don't already know. Flippin eck there are some terrible questions on here. You might as well all be Bilbo Baggins.
Name both of the double land locked countries in the world.
Bonus points for naming the counties that border them.
What's "double land locked"? Surrounded by countries that are also all landlocked?
At the start of Friends the TV show, what order are the coloured blobs in?
I reckon billions have seen the show and very few of them will know. But it'll drive them nuts!
Also, the Google colours (or if you want to be less of a bastard / forcing people to (ironically) look it up) the colour of the G.