Can You Answer These Easy 'Jeopardy!' Questions That All the Contestants Got Wrong?

By: Allison Lips
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can You Answer These Easy 'Jeopardy!' Questions That All the Contestants Got Wrong?
Image: Wiki Commons by RTL

About This Quiz

"Jeopardy!is one of those shows where you sit on the couch and yell the answers to the questions at the television. From the comfort of your home, the questions seem easy. It also helps that there is not the added pressure of having to buzz in first and then phrase your response in the form of a question. Even without the added pressure, some of the questions are deceptively easy. 

When you are not on stage under hot lights, the answers also come a little quicker. However, there are plenty with which you may still struggle. After all, the show would not be fun to watch if it was not challenging to play at home along with those on stage. 

We have a list of real "Jeopardy!" questions that have stumped contestants. If you can answer all these questions correctly, you will definitely impress Alex Trebek and maybe will be the next Ken Jennings, who holds the longest winning streak on the show! Otherwise, you may want to brush up on your general knowledge and watch more of the show.

Are you ready to test your general knowledge? Will you sign up for "Jeopardy!tryouts because you've done so well and want to show off your skills? Or will you decide it's best to keep your "Jeopardy!results private? 

In the French off the Boat category, Ireenee DuPont founded a mill after landing in this state from the ship named the American Eagle. Do you know which state this gunpowder mill was founded in?
Alaska
Hawaii
Delaware
California
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This question appeared on the Oct. 29, 2018, episode. Tori Campbell, an attorney from Chicago answering the question, responded with “What is Louisiana?”

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In the Time category, a watch is named for the crystal that runs it. What is the vibrating crystal called?
Diamond
Opal
Obsidian
Quartz
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the December 14, 1984 episode, this question was worth $100. All three contestants answered incorrectly.

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In the Automobiles category, the queary was the number of cylinders in a Ford Model A. How many cylinders does the engine have?
1
4
9
12
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On Jeopardy! Episode 393, all three contestants got this wrong. The episode aired on February 26, 1986.

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In the Crossword Clues “Y” category, in a new town, a man looking for fun may stay here. Where would he go?
MYCA
JCC
YWCA
YMCA
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This question appeared on show 7837, which aired on October 9, 2018. It was an $800 question. Greg Antoine, a programmer from Miami, answered incorrectly, so Alex Schmidt got the opportunity to answer the question correctly.

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In the Go “Bra” category, this term is used for a person born in Israel. What do we call them?
A sabra
A cobra
A zebra
A candelabra
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This question was worth $1,000 on March 1, 2018’s episode. It resulted in a triple stumper, which means no contestant answered correctly.

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In the Rhyme Time category, a bed covering made from parts of Scottish skirts. Which pair of rhyming words would you use to describe it?
A kilt stilt
A kilt quilt
A neat sheet
A Brillo pillow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This question appeared with an $800 value on the July 19, 2007 episode of Jeopardy!. All three Teen Tournament contestants were stumped. Kristiana Henderson gave the guess "kilt stilt."

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In the "A" is For Author category, this Greek Philosopher wrote ... of "Metaphysics" in the 300s B.C. Who wrote it?
Antisthenes
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This triple stumper was asked on show 6131. It aired on April 18, 2011. Sara Heard, who was a 3-day champion with a winnings total of $70,400, was among those who answered incorrectly.

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In the German History category, this country's secret police was called the Stasi and employed 200,000 informants, including children. Which Eastern Bloc country was it?
Czechoslovakia
Poland
West Germany
East Germany
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This $400 question was asked during the Double Jeopardy Round. It appeared on show 3093, which aired on Jan. 28, 1998. One contestant got it wrong, which allowed his competitor to answer correctly.

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In the Another Black Friday category, October 5, 1945: A film industry strike turns violent in an incident known as this American community's Black Friday. Which city did this occur in?
Atlanta
Hollywood
New York City
San Francisco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On June 11, 2013, this question stumped all three contestants. It was worth $800 in the Jeopardy round.

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In the Those Are Some Big Shoes category, in 1990, John Major was no longer minor when he replaced this British prime minister. Who did he replace?
Benjamin Disraeli
Margaret Thatcher
Gordon Brown
Neville Chamberlain
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On show 6896, Steve Lozano, Elizabeth Williams and Winston Nguyen were asked this question. It was the first question in Those Are Some Big Shoes and stumped them all.

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In the Prefixes category, oto- pertains to the ear, sono- pertains to sound, and this term refers to hearing and sound. What term is it?
un-
semi-
audio-
post-
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This $200 question was a triple stumper. It was featured on show 2307, which aired September 20, 1994.

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In the New in the 2000s category, in 2012 Joanna Rohrback created an exercise technique that emulates a horse's gait. What was it called?
Prancercise
Horsercise
Jazzercise
Zumba
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On April 2, 2014, this question appeared on game three of Battle of the Decades. All three contestants did not know the answer.

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In the Entertainment Awards category, in 1998 Garry Shandling and Peter Tolan took home Emmys for their work on this HBO comedy series. What was its name?
Six Feet Under
Girls
The Larry Sanders Show
The Sopranos
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first answer was "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which came from Chris Zane, a benefits administrator. Drew Beechum, a computer programmer, answered this $1600 question with "The Garry Shandling Show." The final contestant, Bethany Grenald, did not provide an answer.

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In the VI Pack category, Colin Firth played this stammering monarch in "The King's Speech." Who was the monarch?
King James I
King Edward I
King George VI
King John
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This question was worth $1600 and stumped all three contestants. Alex Trebek added that the monarch was the father of Queen Elizabeth.

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In the Right on the Money category, "This note is legal tender for all" these "public and private" can be found on all Federal Reserve notes. What is the missing word?
Purchases
Funds
Transactions
Debts
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This first round $800 question was a triple stumper. It appeared on episode 5398, which aired on Feb. 13, 2008.

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In the Son Also Rises category, in France, his father commanded the 3rd Army. This person commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry in Vietnam. Which famous general was it?
George Patton
Norman Schwarzkopf
Douglas MacArthur
Dwight Eisenhower
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Susan Thaler, a librarian, buzzed in with Norman Schwarzkopf. On the June 9, 1998 episode, this $600 question went on to stump her opponents as well.

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In the Science Puns category, a manometer will measure when you are "under" this." What would you be under?
Gravity
Pressure
Stress
Water
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the October 21, 2003 episode of Jeopardy!, Parker Morrison guessed the answer was weather. None of the other contestants gave an answer.

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In the Oxford University category, this English University may have been founded because this French University barred the English from attending. What is the university's name?
Princeton
Harvard
Cambridge
University of Paris
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the November 14, 1989 show, Rich Lerner, a lawyer, answered the question incorrectly. His response was the Sorbonne. The other two contestants did not attempt to answer.

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In the Military Matters category, this nickname for a World War II U.S. Air Force fighter bearing the number P-51 is derived from the Spanish for "stray animal." What is it?
Cow
Burro
Mustang
Gato
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This second round $200 question stumped all three contestants. It was used on the January 18, 2000 episode.

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In the New Jerseyans category, in 1873, this poet moved to Camden to be closer to his mother and brother George. Which poet is it?
Oscar Wilde
Walt Whitman
Robert Frost
Edgar Allan Poe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the December 10, 1996 show, this $600 question stumped all three contestants. Cynthia Edmunds, an office manager, is the only one who answered. She guessed Robert Frost.

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In the Zoology category, the sargassum evolved to resemble this as a form of camouflage. What does it resemble?
Coral
Sand
Rock
Seaweed
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the September 8, 2008 episode, all three contestants did not know the answer. Guesses included rock and the sea floor.

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In the Our State Looks Up to You category, you'll find this state directly north of Arkansas. Which state is it?
Hawaii
Missouri
California
Nevada
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No one was able to answer this question correctly. Alex asked the question on show 7816, which aired on September 10, 2018.

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In the AskOxford.com category, the most common collective term for which animals is a clowder. What is the animal?
Birds
Horses
Dogs
Cats
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No one answered this $800 Double Jeopardy! round question correctly. This question aired on April 21, 2010.

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In the Word Origins category, a word in the name of this federal bureau is Latin for "footprint." What is the word?
Federal
Central
Tobacco
Investigation
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the March 30, 2016 episode, this $600 question was a triple stumper. Alex said that the Latin word is "vestigium."

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In the A Shower of April category, on April 10, 1966, this advocacy organization was founded. Which organization might a dog be grateful for?
ASPCA
American Heart Association
American Civil Liberties Union
NAACP
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the April 5, 2012 episode, contestant Emily Garber guessed the Humane Society of the United States. None of the remaining contestants buzzed in with a response.

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In the Sounds Like It To Me category, Mr. Ed brays. However, you could use this 6-letter word. What is another word to describe the sound?
Hee-haw
Whinny
Neigh
Growl
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On July 27, 2018, contestants Jerry Tsai and Rick Terpstra both answered incorrectly. They responded hee-haw and neigh, respectively.

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In the Hi, Bob category, this "Hogan's Heroes" star's life was the focus of the 2002 film "Auto Focus." Which actor's unusual antics made it to the big screen?
John Banner
Richard Dawson
Werner Klemperer
Bob Crane
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the April 12, 2010 episode, none of the contestants knew the correct answer. Neither Amanda Lahan, Debbie Russel nor Morgan Saxby buzzed in with a guess.

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In the In a Musical Mood category, examples of this category of musical symbol are treble, bass and C. What are they called?
Clefs
Key
Time signature
Staff
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This $400 question was a triple stumper in the Double Jeopardy! round. The question was used on February 6, 2012.

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In the Journalism category, this university offered the first graduate program for journalism in the USA after being endowed by a grant from Joseph Pulitzer. What university is the answer?
Columbia
Princeton
Harvard
Stanford
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the October 30, 2018 episode, Tori Campbell, an attorney from Chicago, answered with NYU. She lost $800 for the incorrect response.

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In the UCLA Celebrity Alumni category, this actor attended UCLA in the 60s and was no "Meathead," he just played one on TV. Who is the actor?
John Travolta
Rob Reiner
Tom Selleck
Michael Cole
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the January 7, 2013, no contestant correctly answered this question. It appeared as a $600 question in the first round.

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In the Cell category, this became a telecom giant after beating out Qwest to buy MCI. Which company is it?
Verizon
Sprint
T-Mobile
AT&T
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This $1000 question received no responses. It aired on December 20, 2005.

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In The "United" Nations category, this country does not impose personal taxes on its citizens. Which country is the answer?
Mexico
United Kingdom
United States
United Arab Emirates
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This $400 question appeared on show 5751, which aired on September 21, 2009. It stumped all three contestants.

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In the Flowers category, this type of rose smells like a beverage the English are fond of. What is this rose called?
Soda
Tea
Coffee
Water
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No one answered correctly. This $1200 question aired on February 20, 2017.

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In the Scott, Pilgrim category, the pilgrims started their journey to the New World from this English city. Where did the pilgrims leave from?
Plymouth
London
Manchester
Boston
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On March 2, 2011, this question was a triple stumper. Raynell Cooper answered Portsmouth. Kailyn LaPorte followed with London.

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In the Journalism Cliche category, in the course of one month, the nexis.com database showed 580 uses of "shrouded in secrecy" or "shrouded in" this. Which world completes the statement?
Mystery
Love
Change
Consequences
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On the October 8, 2014, episode, this question received no responses. It was chosen early in the game on show 6913.

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You Got:
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