How Well Do You Know the TV Show House M.D.?

By: Torrance Grey
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Well Do You Know the TV Show House M.D.?
Image: FOX

About This Quiz

Starring British actor Hugh Laurie, "House" premiered in 2004 and went on to become one of the most-watched TV dramas in the world - except in Laurie's native England, where his longtime comedy partner, Stephen Fry, was often asked "whatever happened" to Laurie! 

Medical dramas had already been drifting away from their ultra-sincere roots, with endlessly caring and nearly perfect doctors. The quirky '80s show "St. Elsewhere" and then the morally complex "E.R." were proof of that. But no one had seen anything like Dr. Greg House, a pill-addicted cynic whose mantra was "everybody lies." Following their mentor's lead, House's trainees lied to and manipulated their patients, as well as each other. Oddly, though, House seemed to bring out the best in his medical fellows, at least professionally. Meanwhile, Drs. Cuddy and Wilson tried to keep House's behavior within the realms of the semi-reasonable, Cuddy as House's supervisor and Wilson as his only true friend. 

Are you a true "House" fan? Then return to the halls of Princeton-Plainsboro with our quiz! We'll test you on the dramas, diagnoses and drugs of this 2000s show... and we promise, for this test you won't have to climb into the MRI of Doom! 

What is the name of the hospital where House worked?
Chicago Hope
Princeton General
Princeton-Plainsboro
Seattle Grace
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The full name was Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. This situates "House M.D." in the state of New Jersey.

Who was, in theory, House's supervisor?
Cuddy
Foreman
Taub
Wilson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dr. Lisa Cuddy was technically House's superior. Though he tended to do as he pleased, he always went to her office to make his case for whatever ground-breaking and dangerous treatment he wanted to use. (Probably because he enjoyed their verbal sparring so much.)

What was James Wilson's medical specialty?
cardiology
neurology
oncology
dermatology
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Oncology is the treatment of cancer. The show suggests that it was inevitable that Wilson, a deeply caring person, would be drawn into this most difficult of medical fields.

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What literary character was House loosely based on?
Mr. Darcy
Macbeth
Sherlock Holmes
Tuesday Next
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The name "House" was chosen to sound like "Holmes" (or "Home"). There are numerous other references to Arthur Conan Doyle's famous character in the show, including the shared address of 221B Baker Street.

How many fellows (trainees) did House go through in the course of the show?
three
six
seven
nine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

House's fellows were Chase, Foreman, Cameron, Kutner, "Thirteen," Taub, Masters, Adams and Park. We're obviously not counting the giant class of candidates he brought in to compete for fellowships in season four.

What differentiated Martha Masters from House's other fellows?
she was dyslexic
she was still a medical student
she wasn't intimidated by House
she wanted to be a veterinarian
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The other fellows were already full-fledged doctors, though less experienced in diagnostics than House. Masters was a medical student; Cuddy pulled strings to get her the opportunity to work for House.

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What was Cameron's medical specialty?
endocrinology
immunology
oncology
trauma
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Immunology involves the immune system, as the name indicates. Practicioners treat autoimmune disease, allergic reactions and similar issues.

On what drug was House dependent for most of the show?
Ambien
penicillin
Vicodin
Xanax
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

House was frequently seen downing Vicodin. He did, however, have chronic pain that justified some, if not all, of his painkiller use.

What underlying condition caused House to have pain in his leg?
bone cancer
damage from a car wreck
damage from an infarction
it was psychosomatic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

We think of infarction as being in the heart -- a heart attack, essentially -- but they happen in other parts of the body when clots or emboli keep blood from getting to tissue. It was brought up several times on the show that his pain might be partly psychosomatic, a reflection of his inability to deal with psychological pain.

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Who was badly injured during the Season 8 episode "Nobody's Fault"?
Adams
Chase
Foreman
Park
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chase is stabbed by a patient having a psychotic episode. For a time he can't feel his legs, and it seems he might be paralyzed, but this is not the case.

What life-threatening disease ran in Thirteen's family?
breast cancer
Huntington's chorea
multiple sclerosis
interstitial cystitis
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Huntington's chorea, sometimes just called Huntington's disease, causes movement disorders, dementia and eventually death. Thirteen tested herself for the disease after the death of Amber Volakis, who was part of the "class" that competed for fellowships.

Before Taub became House's fellow, what medical field was he in?
emergency medicine
pediatrics
plastic surgery
veterinary medicine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Taub was a successful plastic surgeon before a sexual indiscretion - apparently an affair with a partner's daughter - required him to leave his practice. The fellowship with House challenged Taub in ways plastic surgery didn't, and in addition, he was always working to repair his relationship with his wife.

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What did Cuddy and Wilson have in common, besides being doctors and friends of House?
they were amateur artists
they were Jewish
they were Wiccans
they were vegetarian
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Wilson, having fun with a documentary film crew, goes on a riff about House being Wiccan in a Season Four episode. But House's background is apparently Christian, while Cuddy and Wilson are both Jewish.

Which of House's trainees committed suicide?
Cameron
Kutner
Thirteen
Taub
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kutner was played by Kal Penn, who left "House" to take a job at Obama's White House. The reason for Kutner's suicide was never revealed and remains mysterious, as Kutner was the member of House's team who always seemed happy and excited to start a new day at work.

Who played season 8 fellow Dr. Park?
Chiaki Kuriyama
Grace Park
Song Hye-Kyo
Charlyne Yi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yi is a comic actress, but she played the serious, often scowling, Dr. Park on "House." Park joined House's team after hitting a supervising doctor for groping her.

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What is Foreman's first name?
Andrew
Eric
Gus
Henry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No matter how close people get on this show, no one seems to call anybody by their first name. This was even true of Cuddy, who continued to call her boyfriend "House" when they were dating.

What ailment does Foreman's mother have?
Alzheimer's
bone cancer
Parkinson's disease
schizophrenia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Foreman's mother is in mental decline. Early on, in a heartbreaking scene, Foreman tells her, "It's me, Eric." She smiles and says, "My son's name is Eric."

Which two characters fell in love and married on the show?
Cameron and Chase
Chase and Thirteen
Foreman and Thirteen
House and Cuddy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Actors Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer actually did develop a romantic relationship and nearly married during the run of the show. Their characters actually tied the knot, but since "House" seemed fundamentally opposed to happiness, their marriage didn't last.

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Who played the patient in the pilot episode?
Fairuza Balk
Neve Campbell
Robin Tunney
Rachel True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tunney played Rebecca Adler (one of two times the Sherlock Holmes character "Irene Adler" is referenced on the show). Bonus points to you if you recognized the other three actresses as Tunney's castmates in the '90s classic "The Craft."

Who played the scientist whom House had to treat remotely, from the South Pole?
Amber Tamblyn
Keira Knightley
Chloe Bennet
Mira Sorvino
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sorvino's character was stationed at the South Pole when she fell ill and couldn't be transported for treatment. It was clearly inspired by Jerri Nielsen, the doctor who found a lump in her breast while stationed in Antarctica.

Which character indirectly killed an African dictator on the show?
Chase
House
Foreman
Wilson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Uncharacteristically, it was the former seminary student who killed the patient, by letting a misdiagnosis stand and then a fatal treatment be administered. Foreman, often Chase's adversary, helped cover it up.

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Who played the African dictator?
Gregory Hines
James Earl Jones
Chi McBride
Morgan Freeman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"House" had a guest star every week as House's patient, and often they were character actors, not "Oh My God it's him!" types. James Earl Jones, though, was an exception.

Who did veteran character actor David Morse play in season three?
a cop
a deaf man
a minister
a visiting surgeon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Morse has played a lot of cops in his career, and "House" was no exception. Detective Tritter is determined to bust House for prescription drug abuse after... it's too weird to recount here; just watch the episode "Fools for Love."

Who appears to House as a hallucination in season five?
Amber Volakis
House's father
Sigmund Freud
Charles Darwin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Amber was one of House's fellow candidates in season four, and, briefly, Wilson's girlfriend in season five. After her death in a bus crash, she returns as a figment of his subconscious and helps him solve cases.

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After the bus crash, what was Amber's ultimate cause of death?
drug overdose
aneurism
cranial hemhorrhage
radiation poisoning
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Amber had just taken a drug called amantadine for her cold symptoms. She would have survived her injuries had her kidneys been functioning properly, but they weren't, making a normal dose of the drug a fatal overdose.

In which season did the controlling Edward Vogler appear?
Season one
Season two
Season three
Season four
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Vogler gives the hospital $100 million for research after his father dies of Alzheimer's complications. Does House find a way to screw up this windfall? Of course he does!

In season four, Edi Gathegi played a fellowship candidate with what religious background?
Baha'i
Hindu
Mormon
Muslim
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cole was Mormon, leading House to needle him about his religious beliefs. House later fired Cole after Cole betrayed Kutner, his closest friend in the candidate group, to get ahead.

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Which one of these actors did NOT make a guest appearance?
Eliza Dushku
Greg Grunberg
Cynthia Nixon
Scott Foley
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The former "Buffy" and "Dollhouse" star never checked into House's diagnostic unit. The other three did, including Cynthia Nixon's memorable turn as a woman with Munchausen's Syndrome, who House is convinced has an underlying illness (other than her compulsion to fake being ill).

What unique narrative device did the episode "Bombshells" use?
dream sequences based on TV and movies
a musical interlude
a noir-style voiceover
both #1 and #2
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In "Bombshells," Cuddy seeks diagnosis for what might be kidney cancer. Her dreams take her into a zombie movie, a TV sitcom and a Western - and during exploratory surgery, a musical number.

Does Chase have a cat?
yes
no
there is conflicting evidence on this
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the "Adverse Events" episode, Chase observes a patient's gastric bezoar (basically a giant hairball), and comments that it's why he won't let Cameron get a cat (they were living together at the time). But later that season, House's hallucination of Amber comments that "Chase has a cat." So which is it? It's possible that House's hallucination was lying to him ... in that episode, House sets up Chase to have a life-threatening allergic reaction.

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Where did Dr. Adams work before taking a fellowship with House?
Harvard Medical School
New York Mercy Hospital
in private care for a billionaire
in a prison
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

House served time for running his car into Cuddy's house (long story)! That's where he met Dr. Adams, who soon comes to work for him.

Who became head of diagnostics after House's "death"?
Cameron
Chase
Foreman
Adams
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many fans saw this coming. Chase was said to be House's first hire, and his thought processes were the most like House's. Foreman, meanwhile, tended to oppose House and rein him in, which made it appropriate that Foreman took over Cuddy's job.

What song plays over the final moments of the series finale?
"Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)"
"Forever Young"
"Solsbury Hill"
"You Can't Always Get What You Want"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In season five, this song was employed to chilling effect, as part of House's hallucinations when he descended into mental illness. It was used again as House and Wilson rode motorcycles "into the sunset" on the finale.

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Which of these writer-producers was not a founding member of the "House" team?
Paul Attanasio
Eli Attie
Bryan Singer
David Shore
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Attie joined the show in the fourth season but became a key player, co-writing the finale. The other three were all part of the show and main character's creation.

Where did Hugh Laurie shoot his audition tape for "House"?
a bathroom in Namibia
a garage in Scotland
an opera house in Canada
his bedroom in Los Angeles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

House was filming "Flight of the Phoenix" in Africa when he made the audition tape in his hotel-room bathroom - the only place that had sufficient light. This is one of the better known "fun facts" about the show. In his audition, Laurie seemed convincingly American.

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