Common Trivia Questions

Common Trivia Questions Part 1

1) Without sextant, chart or compass, Polynesians navigated vast oceans. How did they do it?

A) Read patterns of waves

B) Followed fish

C) Emerald talismans

D) Whalebone divining rods

E) With magnets

Answer: A

The islanders estimated their position by seeing how waves bounced off large ocean islands.

2) Who did then Prince Rainier of Monaco marry in 1956?

Answer: Grace Kelly

3) Who was the author of the book ‘The Tale of Genji’?

Answer: Shikibu Murasaki

4) What is the principal and official language of Brazil?

A) Brazilian

B) Spanish

C) Portuguese

D) English

Answer: C

Spanish, English, and French are also common.

5) In movies, George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg teamed up in what 1999 Gulf War drama?

Answer: Three Kings

6) The correct order of the seasons is:

A) Spring, summer, autumn, winter

B) Spring, summer, winter, autumn

C) Summer, winter, spring, autumn

Answer: A

7) In which of these sporting events are live animals participants in the action?

A) Water polo

B) Jai alai

C) Rodeo

D) Bowling

Answer: C

8) What did Heike Kamerlingh-Onnes discover?

Answer: Superconductivity

9) Which type of person could most accurately be called an epicure?

A) Miser

B) Hypocrite

C) Religious fanatic

D) Gourmet

E) Political martyr

Answer: D

The term has come to stand for the ability to appreciate the finer material things in life.

10) The least dense gas is:

A) Nitrogen

B) Helium

C) Hydrogen

Answer: C

11) A villanelle is a type of:

A) Pastry

B) Coat

C) Drama

D) Poem

E) Currency

Answer: D

Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle into that good night” is an example of the form.

12) When a new substance is made in a chemical change, signs of this could be:

A) A color change or bubbles

B) Melting or freezing of the substance

C) Dissolving or filtration of a substance

Answer: A

13) What is the triangular portion of an end wall under a sloping roof called?

Answer: Gable

14) Pairs of muscles that function together but in opposition are called:

A) Antagonistic

B) Complementary

C) Opposites

Answer: A

15) In poker, a pair of _______ and a pair of _______ is known as a “dead man’s hand”. (Spell out the answer: card, card)

Answer: aces eights, eights aces

On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall in a saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota. Hickok died holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, which became known as a “dead man’s hand.”

Common Trivia Questions Part 2

16) Who wrote the Brandenburg Concertos?

Answer: J. S. Bach

17) In chemistry, which colorless, odorless, poisonous gas is known as CO?

Answer: carbon monoxide

18) What is the last letter in the Greek alphabet?

Answer: Omega.

19) This speed skater won gold medals at 1988, 1992, and 1994 Winter Olympics. Who is this?

A) Gunda Niemann

B) Jaap Eden

C) Bonnie Blair

D) Eric Heiden

Answer: C

American speed skater Bonnie Blair won gold medals at the Winter Olympics in 1988, 1992, and 1994.

20) Which is the most common name of English kings since 1700?

A) George

B) Charles

C) Henry

D) William

Answer: A

21) Those menu items described as “en croute” are served:

A) Encased in pastry

B) In a casserole

C) With cheese on the side

D) Covered with crumbs

E) With gravy

Answer: A

“Croute” is the French word for crust.

22) What folky nickname did The Sydney Morning Herald acquire in 1881?

Answer: Granny

23) What name is given to the container clipped to a palette that an artist dips his brush in for medium or dilutent?

A) Well

B) Dipper

C) Reservoir

Answer: B

24) Which English county was created in 1974 when Bristol was merged with parts of south Gloucestershire and North Somerset?

Answer: Avon

25) Which camera introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1900 was originally sold for one dollar?

Answer: The Brownie

26) The hands and feet contain almost half the bones in the human body. True or False?

A) True

B) False

Answer: A

27) Lebanon gained independence from which country in 1943?

Answer: France

28) What do you call a grouping of hawks? (pick two)

Answer: A cast or kettle of hawks

29) What was the date of the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite?

Answer: The Soviet Union launched the communications satellite SputniA into orbit on October 4,1957. The United States countered by putting out several pop songs with “Sputnik” in the lyrics.

Common Trivia Questions Part 3

30) Who was the only US president to resign from office?

Answer: Richard Milhous Nixon

31) What is the normal color of the gem sapphire?

Answer: Blue

32) The world’s largest post office building is in what Illinois city?

Answer: Chicago

33) Which two countries are located on the same island?

A) Haiti – Dominican Republic

B) Jamaica – Cuba

C) Trinidad – Tobago

D) Suriname – Guyana

E) Antigua – Bermuda

Answer: A

Haiti is French-speaking while natives of the Dominican Republic speak Spanish.

34) In the early 1800s there was a strong revival in

A) Education

B) Religion

C) Slavery

D) painting

Answer: B

35) What city must you visit to shop in the famed Galeries Lafayette?

Answer: Paris

36) Which of the following carries blood away from the heart?

A) Trachea

B) Arteries

C) Veins

Answer: B

Arteries carry blood away from the heart to other parts of the body. The aorta (a type of artery) carries oxygenated blood from the left ventricle, or chamber, of the heart to the rest of the body; the pulmonary artery carries blood from the right ventricle to the lungs. The newly oxygenated blood is returned from the lungs to the left side of the heart. Veins are one of the three types of blood vessels that, along with the heart and blood, make up the circulatory system. The other two types of blood vessels are arteries and capillaries. The trachea is part of the respiratory tract. It is commonly known as the windpipe.

37) What type of animal is a lurcher?

Answer: It is a dog. Human beings have about 5 million smelling receptors. However, an Alsatian has about 220 million! Greyhounds are the fastest dogs and can reach speeds of about 70km/hour.

38) What river is known as “The Child of the Ocean”?

A) Yangtze

B) Amazon

C) Eufrat

D) Mekong

Answer: A

39) Pick the true statement:

A) The coma is part of the head of a comet.

B) The coma is part of the tail of a comet.

Answer: B

40) Which of the following is classified as a Lepidoptera?

A) Honey bee