Image: izusek/E+/Getty Images
About This Quiz
Do you happen to have an excessive amount of knowledge about Sri Lankan government policies, the origin of ancient Greek legends, or the number of hydrogen molecules needed to form table sugar? Do you tend to socialize at parties by discussing everything from famous inventors to highly venomous animals? If you are looking for a way to put your random threshold of information to use, keep reading!
Many of us hoard a ton of seemingly useless information without even realizing it. Maybe you find yourself answering TV game show questions under your breath. Or, you might regularly fight the urge to discuss international trade regulations or molecular relationships between chemical compounds on first dates. Whether it’s information you’ve retained from years in the classroom or something you learned last week, explore your repertoire to see how much you didn’t even know you knew.
Put your diverse collection of knowledge to the test, and maybe learn something new in the process. If you do well, you can share your newly acquired bragging rights with all of your friends. If not, well, you'll just have to try again!
If you have a habit of collecting random tidbits about history, nature or politics, check how much you really know with this rapid-fire trivia quiz. You never know what could be hiding in your mental archives.
If strawberry seeds, lotus pods or honeycombs make your skin crawl, which condition might you suffer from?
Arachnophobia
Trypophobia
Trypophobia is essentially the fear of small holes. While there is no proven cause for this condition, these patterns are often associated with danger or disease in nature. Clusters of holes or irregular patterns tend to cause trypophobic people to experience stronger effects, including anxiety and nausea.
Emetophobia
Erythrophobia
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What type of tiny animal makes up a blue whale's preferred meal?
Krill
These massive creatures aren’t as ferocious as they seem. Instead of using teeth, they filter their food through comb-like structures called baleen plates. In just one day, blue whales can ingest up to eight tons of krill.
Plankton
Silverfish
Sea urchins
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To determine the amount of each substance needed for a chemical reaction, what type of math would you use?
Statistics
Topology
Combinatorics
Stoichiometry
Stoichiometry is used to calculate the reactants and products in a chemical reaction. It is also used in measurement conversions. In chemistry, this is what allows us to convert moles into grams, liters and other units of measurement.
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The “sword of ____” refers to a story that is often used to discuss the pressure and danger experienced by people in positions of power. Who is the main figure in this story?
Pericles
Damocles
This story originated from the legend of Damocles, a court flatterer who mistakenly accused King Dionysius II of having an easy and blissful life. The king responded to this by inviting Damocles to sit on his throne. Damocles was excited for the lavishness and extravagance of living like a king, until he looked up to find a sword dangling over him by a single horsehair.
Hercules
Ares
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At a whopping height of 2,722 feet, the Burj Khalifa stands in which location?
Chongqing, China
Jakarta, Indonesia
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
This monster of a skyscraper is more than just a notable addition to the Dubai skyline. It also has one of the fastest elevators in the world. It can climb 124 floors in one minute!
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Which Asian country is Genghis Khan credited for founding?
Tajikistan
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Mongolia
After uniting many of Northeast Asia’s nomadic tribes, Genghis Khan conquered a vast majority of the continent in the 13th century. But, he's known for more than his brutal and thunderous past. He also created one of the world's first organized postal systems.
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The largest single-stem tree in the world was named after which famous Civil War general?
William Tecumseh Sherman
In 1879, naturalist James Wolverton, who served under William Tecumseh Sherman in the 9th Indiana Calvary, named a giant sequoia tree after the famous Union general. At 275 feet tall, this tree weighs approximately 2.7 million pounds!
Ulysses S. Grant
Grover Cleveland
Benjamin Harrison
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Which animal is the only marsupial in the United States?
Vole
Opossum
These small animals might look a bit frightening, especially when they are found to be playing dead. But, they are helpful to humans. They like to eat dangerous pests, including Lyme disease-carrying ticks.
Marmot
Lemming
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Who was the first woman in the United States to obtain a bachelor’s degree?
Elizabeth Blackwell
Mary Jane Patterson
Catherine Brewer
Catherine Brewer wasn't the only woman in her graduating class, but she was the first to officially earn her degree. Since her name was the first to be read from an alphabetized list, she was the one to be etched into history.
Linda Richards
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Antoni Gaudí became famous for his work in which major city?
Paris, France
Sao Paolo, Brazil
Barcelona, Spain
Antoni Gaudí has left his footprint in history as a one-of-a-kind designer and visionary. His most well-known creations incorporate colorful, mosaic designs and unique geometric shapes. Today, seven of his creations are preserved as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Milan, Italy
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Which Serbian-American inventor was best known for developing the alternating current electricity supply system?
Thomas Edison
George Westinghouse
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla worked under Thomas Edison, where he developed many of his un-patented inventions. Edison offered Tesla $50,000 to improve upon existing plans regarding DC generation, but later reneged on the deal and brushed it off as a joke when Tesla held up his end of the bargain.
Werner von Siemens
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In 1948, Sri Lanka gained independence from the rule of which empire?
French
British
The Colony of Ceylon gained partial independence from the British Empire in 1948. It gained full independence as the Republic of Sri Lanka in 1972, and the country is often called the "Pearl of the Indian Ocean."
Portuguese
Spanish
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Alexander The Great ruled which ancient Greek kingdom?
Mycenae
Cyrene
Thessalia
Macedon
Alexander The Great certainly lived up to his name throughout history. He was responsible for conquering what is now Eastern Europe, Asia and Northeastern Africa. With Aristotle as his personal tutor, he was certainly set up for success.
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When were American Prohibition laws officially enforced?
1869-1890
1905-1910
1920-1933
The 18th Amendment was added in 1920, banning the sale, consumption, production and distribution of alcoholic beverages in the United States. This led to the creation of thousands of illegal alcohol-selling venues, or speakeasies, that were spread across the country.
1942-1945
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How many signatures are required to pass the second phase of the petition approval process in the United States?
1,000
10,000
100,000
It only takes 150 signatures for your petition to be searchable on the official We the People website. But, in order to be eligible to receive a response for a submitted petition, organizers much obtain at least 100,000 signatures within the first 30 days.
1,000,000
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The Republic of India, a Southeast Asian country of more than 1 billion inhabitants, uses which governmental structure?
Parliamentary republic
The Republic of India gained independence within the British Commonwealth in 1947. In 1950, India unveiled a new constitution that outlined it as democratic country. Now, it is the largest democracy in the entire world.
Communist
Unitary state
Presidential system
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Why do sea otters hold hands?
It’s a mating ritual.
Holding hands is a symbol of possessiveness.
This is how otters express comfort and trust.
It keeps them from drifting apart while they sleep.
Sea otters will often hold hands with each other, particularly their offspring, to prevent them from being separated by ocean currents. They'll also use the same mechanism to anchor themselves to kelp, which keeps them from drifting into open ocean.
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The code of Hammurabi decreed that:
Making eye contact with a government official was a criminal offense.
Only single males had permission to leave the country alone.
Bartenders who served watered-down beer would face execution.
In Mesopotamia, the Hammurabi code mandated that beer, by volume, must be worth its respective value in corn.
Soldiers who fled combat would be imprisoned for life.
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In order to attend the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, Brazilian participants used a creative strategy to finance their trip. How did they raise enough money?
They sold coffee from their ship during the journey.
The Brazilian Olympic team made the voyage to Los Angeles aboard the Itaquicê, and they sold coffee in San Francisco to afford the disembarking fees for their most qualified athletes.
They danced and sang for passersby in San Francisco.
In exchange for donations, they mailed signed photographs to their fans.
They sent a petition to the United States government to receive assistance.
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How many students were set to graduate in New Mexico State University's first commencement ceremony?
1
The first graduating class at New Mexico State was scheduled to cross the stage in 1893. There was one sole student, but he was murdered at gunpoint before he was able to cross the stage.
2
3
4
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What is the most shoplifted food item in the world?
Cereal
Cheese
Cheese is easy to conceal, filling and perfect for an illicit bowl of tabletop nachos. Around the world, cheese is stolen more often than lobster, caviar or even steak.
Spinach
Potato chips
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Old Prussians spoke a dialect that was most closely related to which modern language?
Lithuanian
When it was still incorporated, Prussia was comprised of multiple Baltic tribes that inhabited an area that now includes parts of Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Belarus. Latvia and Lithuania use languages that retain some Old Prussian roots.
Slovenian
Spanish
Chinese
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Which of the below countries does not officially use the metric system?
Myanmar
Most of the world uses the same measurement system, but three nations have yet to get on board. Liberia, Myanmar and the United States are the only countries in the world that have not adopted the metric system as their official unit of measurement.
Croatia
Mexico
Barbados
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Which of these strange laws is not currently enforced in Canada?
Bathtubs cannot be filled with more than three and a half inches of water.
Wearing a sleeveless shirt to a public park is an official violation.
These might sound like fake laws, but they're actually real. Most of these are still true for certain Canadians, depending on where they live. However, you could be fined $10 for wearing a sleeveless shirt to a public park in Maine, U.S.A.
There is a legal limit to how many coins can be used for a single transaction.
Transporting liquor across different provinces, without special authorization, is illegal.
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Which political activist was one of the key players in the movement to end South African apartheid?
Mahatma Gandhi
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was the first president of South Africa. He also led the African National Congress, which catalyzed the dissolution of South African apartheid in 1994. He's famous for peacefully expressing his dissent for discriminatory and unfair government policies.
Jane Fonda
Malala Yousafzai
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How many crows must be in a group to officially be classified as a murder?
3
You might say that you see a flock of birds, but crows actually form a murder when three or more band together. You'll still find scarecrows in farms around the world, even though most crows are fairly solitary creatures in general.
4
5
8
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What is the world's most venomous animal?
Western Diamondback
King Cobra
Box Jellyfish
The box jellyfish, or Irukandji, is a small but mighty animal that lives in the oceans near Australia and Southeast Asia. This jellyfish is responsible for 20 to 40 annual deaths in the Philippines alone.
Death-Stalker Scorpion
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In which country will you find the world’s lowest-recorded point of elevation?
Afghanistan
Iran
Oman
Jordan
The part of the Dead Sea coastline that borders Jordan, Israel and the West Bank is the lowest point of on-land elevation. At its lowest, this area reaches 420 meters below sea level.
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Until the American dollar was introduced as legal tender in 2009, which African country circulated the highest-denomination currency note in the world?
Zimbabwe
As a result of hyperinflation, Zimbabwe once produced a note worth one TRILLION Zimbabwean dollars. Now they they’ve been discontinued, these bills are primarily used as collectibles and souvenirs.
Central African Republic
Kenya
Nigeria
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Which bodily organ is directly targeted by Hashimoto's disease?
Medulla oblongata
Thyroid
Hashimoto’s disease, otherwise known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, is an autoimmune disorder that affects at least 14 million people in the United States alone. It causes antibodies to attack the thyroid gland, and it is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States.
Sciatic nerve
Femoral artery
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What was the first country to stop minting lower-denomination coins?
United States
In 1857, the United States stopped minting the ½ penny coin as a response to rising inflation. During the time it was eradicated, it actually had more purchasing power than the dime does today.
Austria
Hong Kong
Sweden
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In 1993, 12 countries joined to officially form the European Union. Which of these countries was not a part of that group?
Germany
Denmark
Greece
Switzerland
Even though Switzerland is a member of the Schengen Agreement, it is not a part of the European Union. Instead, the country is a member of the European Free Trade Agreement. This allows the Swiss to share some policies with EU nations, such as free trade and open travel.
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When did the construction of the Great Wall of China begin?
6th century B.C.
The Great Wall of China is a collective series of different segments that span across a large portion of the country. During the Qin Dynasty, it was first built to ward off invaders from northern territories.
5th century B.C.
3rd century A.D.
5th century A.D.
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How do you write the compound formula of table sugar?
NaHCO3
C2H5OH
C12H22O11
Table sugar is the common name for sucrose, which is made with 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, and 11 oxygen atoms. This compound is a combination of glucose and fructose.
NaCl
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Which famous actor previously worked as a lion tamer?
Leonardo DiCaprio
Christopher Walken
When he was a teenager, Christopher Walken made a living by training lions to perform in the circus. He used a whip to signal and deliver commands. His primary subject was an older lioness, which reportedly behaved more like a dog than a ferocious beast.
Brooke Shields
Maggie Smith
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You Got:
/35
Image: izusek/E+/Getty Images
About This Quiz
Do you happen to have an excessive amount of knowledge about Sri Lankan government policies, the origin of ancient Greek legends, or the number of hydrogen molecules needed to form table sugar? Do you tend to socialize at parties by discussing everything from famous inventors to highly venomous animals? If you are looking for a way to put your random threshold of information to use, keep reading!
Many of us hoard a ton of seemingly useless information without even realizing it. Maybe you find yourself answering TV game show questions under your breath. Or, you might regularly fight the urge to discuss international trade regulations or molecular relationships between chemical compounds on first dates. Whether it’s information you’ve retained from years in the classroom or something you learned last week, explore your repertoire to see how much you didn’t even know you knew.
Put your diverse collection of knowledge to the test, and maybe learn something new in the process. If you do well, you can share your newly acquired bragging rights with all of your friends. If not, well, you'll just have to try again!
If you have a habit of collecting random tidbits about history, nature or politics, check how much you really know with this rapid-fire trivia quiz. You never know what could be hiding in your mental archives.
