Show Off Your Trivia Skills With This General Knowledge Quiz!

By: Ryan Choate
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Show Off Your Trivia Skills With This General Knowledge Quiz!
Image: valentinrussanov/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Some people immediately think of answering questions about movies and world facts or sports when referring to the word trivia. Trivia has become synonymous with a board game and a TV show that makes players guess the question to the answer. Trivia draws crowds to pubs on Tuesday nights to sit around with friends and answer rounds of questions over rounds of beer. 

If we consider the definition of trivia, it refers to a kind of knowledge that deals with facts that are unimportant or inconsequential. Try telling that to the daily Jeopardy! champion. Trivia has a place in our culture that is very much relevant and entertaining.

Trivia gained some popularity in the 1950's with a series of TV game shows that centered around question and answers for money. After a  scandal broke in 1959 during which a producer was caught secretly giving answers to a contestant, TV trivia shows to a break until the 80's. 

A seminal moment in the history of trivia was the invention of the game Trivial Pursuit in 1982. Trivia was back in favor of the mainstream and the board game would go on to sell over 100 million copies. Put your buzzer down and make a final wager to show off your trivia skills on this general knowledge quiz!

What is the capital of Afghanistan?
Kandahar
Kabul
Herat
Islamabad
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kabul is the capital and largest city in the country of Afghanistan. It has a population of 4.6 million people. It is also one of the highest capitals in the world with an elevation of over 5800 feet above sea level.

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What sports car company has a car model named the Testarossa?
Ferrari
Lamborghini
BMW
Jaguar
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ferrari is one of the best known sports car companies in the world. Based in Italy they make many styles of sports car including the Testarossa. Ferrari is know around world in the racing scene and also among celebrities for their super fast cars.

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Who was the first Vice President of the United States to resign from office?
John Tyler
John C. Calhoun
Martin Van Buren
Millard Fillmore
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

John C. Calhoun was the Vice President from 1825 to 1832 when he resigned from office. Calhoun was Vice President under President John Q. Adams until he was defeated by Andrew Jackson in 1828. Calhoun resigned from office in 1832.

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Where would you find the Sea of Tranquility?
The South Pacific
Mars
Bahamas
The Moon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are several plains of lava filled areas on the moon that have been dubbed "seas" by astronomers here on earth. The dark areas we can see on the moon areas where craters impacted the moon. These filled with lava and then cooled, creating the dark area we can see from earth.

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What year did World War I begin?
1914
1911
1918
1921
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1914 the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie is seen as the beginning to the first World War. It was the catalyst that brought chaos to the already unstable Balkan Peninsula. The war would last for about 4 years and claimed the lives of an estimated 16 million people.

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What movie business icon has the most Academy Awards?
Katherine Hepburn
James Cameron
Steven Speilberg
Walt Disney
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As far as actors go, Katherine Hepburn has the most Oscars at 4. Overall though, Walt Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards at 26. Most of those awards came in the area of animation and Best Animated Short.

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What is the largest planet in our solar system?
Mercury
Neptune
Jupiter
Uranus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jupiter is far and away the largest planet in our solar system. The diameter of Jupiter is 11 times larger than Earth. You could fit 1300 Earths inside Jupiter.

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What country would you find the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
Italy
France
Spain
England
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions. Located in Pisa, Italy, the tower stands at over 180 feet tall. It began to lean even as it was being built, but steadily got worse over the years since it was completed in 1372.

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The Charge of Light Brigade was a battle fought in which war?
Korean War
Crimean War
Vietnam War
Civil War
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Charge of the Light Brigade was a battle fought during the Crimean War which took place in 1854. British troops were sent to the Crimean peninsula to form a sneak attack on Russian troops. The British forces were ill prepared and suffered heavy casualties.

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Who was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776?
John Hancock
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
Benjamin Franklin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The United States Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, declaring the original 13 colonies as independent states from the rule of Britain. The first to sign the document was John Hancock, followed by 56 others, including future presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

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What Shakespeare character says, "Goodnight, sweet prince" to Hamlet?
Polonius
Horatio
Othello
Rosencrantz
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the Shakespearean play "Hamlet," Horatio is a character who is friends with Hamlet. In the final act, Hamlet drinks poison. Horatio utters the famous words, "goodnight, sweet prince" in reference to Hamlet dying.

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What is the third sign of the Zodiac?
Taurus
Gemini
Pisces
Aries
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gemini is the thirds sign of the Zodiac. Known as the caring twins sign, it is for birthdays between May 21 - June 20. Geminis are gentle, affectionate, curious, adaptable, ability to learn quickly and exchange ideas.

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Who, after anchoring off the Hawaiian Islands in 1779, was thought to be the god Lono?
Captain James Cook
Julian DuBuque
Alexander Von Humboldt
Gaspar De Portola
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Captain James Cook was a British explorer who made several key discoveries in the Pacific including 3 visits to the Hawaiian Islands. The first two encounters were friendly, but his third visit was met by hostile Hawaiians who attacked his crew. He was subsequently killed in 1779.

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How many dots total are on two dice?
54
48
60
42
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A single dice has 6 sides ranging in value from 1 through 6. If we total that number we get 21 and if we have 2 dice, that doubles to 42.

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How many U.S. states have a border along the Gulf of Mexico?
5
3
4
6
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Gulf of Mexico encompasses a portion of the U.S. along the southern border. The five states that share a border with the gulf are Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

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What is the diameter of the earth?
8,000 miles
12,000 miles
26,000 miles
19,000 miles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you sliced the earth in half and measure the distance across it would be around 8,000 miles! The diameter of a circle is the measure across it at its widest point. Measuring around the entire earth, its circumference would be about 24,900 miles.

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What major urban area has the largest population in the world?
Tokyo
Delhi
Mexico City
Shanghai
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With a very crowded population of 37,468,302, Tokyo is the most populated urban region in the world. Tokyo has nearly 10 million more people than second place Delhi in India.

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Which pop music album is number 1 all-time in sales?
Thriller, Michael Jackson
Their Greatest Hits, The Eagles
Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin
The Wall, Pink Floyd
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

For decades, the best selling album of all time was Thriller, by Michael Jackson, with over 33 million copies sold. Recently The Eagles album of their greatest hits surpassed the king of pop with over 36 million copies sold.

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What famous artist painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City?
Caravaggio
Raphael
Michelangelo
Da Vinci
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Sistine Chapel contains one of the world's most famous permanent art collections. The ceiling and walls were painted used a method called fresco. The Sistine Chapel was created over a period of 4 years between 1508 - 1512.

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Entomology is the science that studies what?
Insects
Snakes
Birds
Herpetologists
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The branch of zoology that deals with insects is known as entomology. Scientists study all different types of insects and different anthropology, environmental impacts, etc. Zoology is the broader umbrella of studying animals.

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What continent has the least amount of flowering plants?
Antarctica
Australia
Asia
Africa
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The continent with the least amount of flowering plants is Antarctica. The cold continent only has two flowering plants: Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort. Both are found along the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

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What NFL team won the first Super Bowl?
Kansas City Chiefs
Green Bay Packers
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first Super Bowl of professional football was held in 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. The game was played in Los Angeles at the Coliseum. The Packers went on to win the game 35-10.

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When did the Cold War end?
1985
1992
1989
1995
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Cold War was more political muscle flexing than actual combat. The Soviet Union and United States were embroiled in a race to put a man on the moon and show domination in a race for nuclear weapons. The tension revolving around Communism was a driving force behind the tensions of the Cold War. The Cold War ended in 1989 as the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union was disassembled.

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Who was the first American to go into space?
Chuck Yeager
Buzz Aldrin
Neil Armstrong
Alan Shephard
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1961,Shephard became the first American in space in a one man Mercury spacecraft. He did not orbit the earth, but was in space. The whole mission lasted about 15 minutes.

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What famous politician can be attributed with the quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for you country?"
Ronald Reagan
John F. Kennedy
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Franklin Roosevelt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

John F. Kennedy became the 35th president of the United States in 1960. In January of 1961, at his inaugural speech, he famously called for all Americans to contribute in some way to the common good. His famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" was immediately immortalized in historic presidential speeches.

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What was the name of the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945?
Flying Goose
Little Boy
Enola Gay
Spirit of St. Louis
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Enola Gay was the name of the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb during WWII. It was named after the pilot's mother Enola Gay Tibbets. The bomb essentially put an end to the war.

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What is the world's biggest island at over 800,000 square miles?
Madagascar
Baffin Island
Greenland
New Guinea
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Greenland is the largest island in the world by far at 840,000 square miles. The second largest is New Guinea at less than half the size, 303,000 square miles. Greenland is almost entirely covered in ice and snow.

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What Great Lake state has more shoreline than the entire U.S. Atlantic seaboard?
Michigan
Illinois
New York
Ohio
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As its nickname implies, Michigan, the Great Lake state, has more shoreline than all of the Atlantic states. The shoreline tops in at a whopping 3,288 miles! That's almost enough shoreline to stretch across the entire length of the U.S.

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What is the largest bone in the human body?
Cranium
Radius
Tibia
Femur
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The femur is the longest and strongest bone in the human body. The femur is located in the upper thigh region of the leg and attaches to the hip and the knee.

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The Nobel Prize in Literature was once awarded to a famous British Prime Minister. Can you pick who?
Clement Attlee
Winston Churchill
Tony Blair
Margaret Thatcher
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In addition to being a famous figure in British history, Winston Churchill was also noted for his brilliant writing. After being pushed out of power, he began amassing a collection of writings including letters and memoirs on World War II that would be published in 1953. He would be awarded the Nobel that same year.

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Who assassinated president Abraham Lincoln?
John Wilkes Booth
Johnny Lee Ray
Jim Henry Ford
Jesse James
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1865, during a play at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth shot and killed Abraham Lincoln. After shooting Lincoln, Booth jumped onto the stage and proclaimed, "Sic semper tyrannis! The South is avenged." Booth was on the run for about a week before being caught.

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How many track events are in the Olympic decathlon?
12
10
7
5
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The olympic decathlon consists of 10 different track and field events. The events include four track and six field events, a total of 10 events. Competitions include 100-meter sprint, 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter event, 1500-meter event, long jump, high jump, shot put, discus throw, javelin throw and pole vault.

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What color is the jersey worn by the leader of the Tour De France bike race?
Red
Green
Yellow
Blue
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Tour De France is an annual bike race through the country of France. Riders climb through the Alps in route to a finish like in Paris. The race takes place over the month of July every summer. The daily race leader wears a Yellow jersey.

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What famous novel was originally published in Britain under the name "The Whale"?
"Treasure Island"
"The Old Man And The Sea"
"Moby Dick"
"The Origin of Species"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Herman Melville's classic novel follows a young whaler named Ishmael as he goes on a harrowing adventure at sea with his maniacal captain Ahab. The book was originally published under the title "The Whale," but is printed today under the title "Moby Dick."

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Name the 1969 movie classic starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda?
"The Longest Yard"
"Deliverance"
"Easy Rider"
"Hell's Angels on Wheels"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1969 movie about a couple of motorcycle riders heading out across country is called Easy Rider. The characters played by Hopper and Fonda head out from California to Mardi Gras and encounter all different sorts of people along the way.

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