The Trivia Quiz for People Who Want a Challenge!

By: Allison Lips
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Trivia Quiz for People Who Want a Challenge!
Image: Bruce Rolff/UIG/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Over the years, we all gather a bunch of useless knowledge figuring we'll never get an opportunity to use it. For some reason, we're able to name all the Kardashian-Jenners but can't remember what we had for breakfast yesterday. If you find that happens to you, you probably frequent your local bar quiz and will find this quiz helpful in keeping you sharp. If you don't, you should get on it because there's no end to the possible prizes on which you could be missing out.

This quiz will test your knowledge of pop culture, history, math, science and any other subject about which we could create a question. In some ways, this quiz is like the Potpourri category on "Jeopardy!" Not only do you not know what the next question will ask, you won't be able to predict the topic, making this quiz even harder. 

Do you always win your local bar quiz? Are others jealous of your vast wealth of knowledge? Then, you're going to love these challenging questions. Why not show off your trivia smarts again? We've compiled 35 of our toughest trivia questions. How many will you get correct? There's only one way to know for sure! 

Which of the following is a bone in the human skull?
Ulna
Maxilla
Humerus
Radius
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are 22 bones in a human skull. Eight of those bones are cranial. The other 14 are facial bones. The cranial bones are frontal, sphenoid, ethmoid, parietal, temporal and occipital. The facial bones are mandible, maxilla, inferior nasal concha, lacrimal, nasal, palatine, zygomatic and vomer.

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What is the longest-running primetime scripted series in the United States?
Gunsmoke
M*A*S*H
The Simpsons
Law & Order
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Simpsons" has been on the air for 30 seasons. The series debuted on December 17, 1989. Prior to becoming a series, "The Simpsons" aired as shorts on "The Tracey Ullman Show." There are currently 651 episodes of "The Simpsons."

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In which city would you find the Taj Mahal?
Agra, India
Paris, France
Shanghai, China
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Taj Mahal was built between 1631 and 1648 in memory of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's favorite wife. In 1983, the United Nations named the mausoleum as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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If a recipe asks for a mirepoix, which of the following ingredients would you not put into your pot?
Onions
Carrots
Bell peppers
Celery
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In French cuisine, the mirepoix is frequently used. It consists of diced onions, carrots and celery. In Cajun cooking, a similar pairing is called the holy trinity. A holy trinity replaces the carrots with bell peppers.

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Where would you find the highest point in the continental United States?
Mount Massive
Denali
Mount Rainier
Mount Whitney
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At, 14,505 feet, Mount Whitney is the highest mountain in the continental United States. It is located in California. However, the United States' top 10 highest mountains are all in Alaska. The top five are Denali, Mount Saint Elias, Mount Foraker, Mount Bona and Mount Blackburn.

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Which of the following was never a standard Monopoly piece?
Wheelbarrow
Iron
Top Hat
Radio
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a current standard Monopoly set, the pieces are Scottish terrier, rubber ducky, cat, t-rex, penguin, top hat, battleship and race car. In 2017, the thimble, wheelbarrow, and boot were retired. Ten years earlier, the horse and rider, the howitzer and the iron met the same fate.

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Who was the Prime Minister of Canada before Justin Trudeau?
Brian Mulroney
Pierre Trudeau
Stephen Harper
Jean Chretien
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stephen Harper served as Prime Minister of Canada from February 2006 to November 4, 2015. His constituency was Calgary Southwest. Harper was succeeded by Justin Trudeau, who represents Papineau, Quebec, in parliament.

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Where would you visit if you wanted to see where the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was filmed?
New Zealand
Australia
U.S. Virgin Islands
Ireland
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

During the filming of "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy, New Zealand provided the scenery needed to depict Middle-earth. Matamata was used for The Shire and Hobbiton. Other locations used were in Wellington, Nelson Tasman, Canterbury, Mackenzie Country, Southern Lakes and Fiordland.

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Most TV and radio stations with which letter are usually to the east of the Mississippi River?
K
E
W
B
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While there are exceptions, the general rule is that TV and radio stations east of the Mississippi River receive call signs that begin with W. West of the Mississippi the call signs begin with K.

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How many years are in a score?
Five
10
20
100
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln said, "Four score and seven years ago." His speech was made on November 19, 1863, but he was talking about 87 years prior. That means he's referencing 1776, which was the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.

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In what state is the largest mall in the United States located?
Minnesota
New Jersey
California
Montana
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Mall of America is located in Bloomington, Minnesota, which is a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. It is the largest mall in the United States. The title of largest mall in North America goes to West Edmonton Mall, which is located in Canada.

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Which of the following in not another name for a mountain lion?
Cougar
Panther
Puma
Cheetah
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The mountain lion has many names because it lives in many different locations. People in each area where it is found came up with their own name for the cat but cheetah is not one of them. When scientists talk about the species, they usually call it a puma.

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Where would you go shopping if you wanted to shop at the largest retailer in the United States based on sales?
Kroger
Walmart
Home Depot
Costco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to the National Retail Federation's Stores magazine, as of 2018, Walmart was the largest retailer when using sales as the metric. In 2017, Walmart achieved close to $375 billion in sales. The second-highest total was Kroger with approximately $116 billion in sales.

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What video was the first played on MTV?
"Daydream Believer" by The Monkees
"Beat It" by Michael Jackson
"Like a Virgin" by Madonna
"Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On September 7, 1979, "Video Killed the Radio Star" was released. Two years later, it became the first music video shown on MTV. On August 1, 1981, the music video began playing at 12:01 a.m. The song was written by Geoff Downes, Trevor Horn and Bruce Woolley.

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Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
Rembrandt
Van Gogh
Leonardo da Vinci
Michelangelo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. Michelangelo initially did not want to paint the ceiling because he considered himself a sculptor, not a painter. And once he took on the project, Michelangelo regretted it because of the physical strain.

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When was the first Super Bowl held?
1969
1967
1955
1950
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first Super Bowl was called the First World Championship Game AFL vs NFL. In 1967, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. Viewers could watch it on both NBC and CBS.

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Which U.S. president served the shortest amount of time in office?
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
William Henry Harrison
Warren Harding
Abraham Lincoln
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On March 4, 1941, William Henry Harrison was inaugurated as the ninth P​resident of the United States. Thirty-two days into his term, Harrison died. Not only does Harrison hold the distinction of serving the shortest amount of time as president, he was also the first to die in office.

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What year was Google founded?
1989
1994
1998
2004
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While the idea of Google began in 1995 as BackRub, the company now known as Google didn't form until August 1998. That year Larry Page and Sergey Brin received a check from Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim for $100,000.

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How many member states belong to the European Union?
10
17
28
154
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Currently, the European Union has 28 member nations. Of those countries, 26 are members of the Schengen area. Since 1985, the Schengen border-free area has allowed people to travel freely within the area without having to worry about border checks in every country they pass through.

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If you traveled around on the Tube, which city would you be in?
Los Angeles
Boston
London
New York City
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On January 10, 1863, the world's first underground railway opened between Paddington and Farringdon Street. Over the next 50 years, most of what would become known as the London Underground, or the Tube, would be developed and expanded.

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What is Peter Parker's secret identity?
Spider-Man
Batman
Superman
Aquaman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Spider-Man, who was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, debuted in Marvel Comics' "Amazing Fantasy." In 1962, the character appeared in issue number 15. Peter Parker gains his Spider-Man powers after he is bitten by a radioactive spider.

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Aside from Australia, which is considered a continent, which country is the world's biggest island?
England
Madagascar
New Zealand
Greenland
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While Australia is by far the largest island at 2,941,517 square miles, it is usually disqualified because it is considered a continent. As a result, Greenland is considered the largest island at 840,004 square miles. The second-largest island is New Guinea, which is 303,381 square miles.

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What is the longest-running show on Broadway?
A Chorus Line
Cats
The Lion King
The Phantom of the Opera
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to Playbill, as of December 30, 2018, "The Phantom of the Opera" is the longest-running show on Broadway with 12,871 performances. The second-longest running was the 1996 revival of "Chicago," which has been performed 9,195 times.

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Which famous Greek created the formula a2+b2=c2?
Euclid
Pythagoras
Archimedes
Plato
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pythagoras founded the Pythagorean brotherhood. While modern scholars do not know the full story of Pythagoreanism, they do know that it was a religious way of thinking. Some might even call it a cult. Pythagoras' teachings influenced Plato and Aristotle.

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Ronald Reagan appointed the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice. What is her name?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Sandra Day O'Connor
Elena Kagan
Sonia Sotomayor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sandra Day O'Connor served as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1981 to 2006. She was considered a moderate conservative. During her time with the court, she was often a decisive swing vote.

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Where is the headquarters of the United Nations?
London
Munich
Prague
New York City
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The address of the United Nations' headquarters is 405 East 42 Street. While physically part of New York, the United Nations is technically on international territory that belongs to all member nations.

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How many years are there in a U.S. senator's term?
Two
Four
Six
10
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Senators serve terms of six years before they are up for reelection. The elections are spread out so that approximately one-third of senators are up for reelection every two years. The members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms.

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When did the first iPhone hit store shelves?
1990
2001
2004
2007
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone and explained its features at a Macworld conference. Six months later, Apple released the first iPhone. As of December 2018, the company had sold almost 1.5 billion iPhones.

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If you were watching the first James Bond film, who would be playing the lead role?
Sean Connery
Timothy Dalton
Pierce Brosnan
Roger Moore
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sean Connery played James Bond for the first time in 1962's "Dr. No." He appeared in seven James Bond films. They are "Dr. No," "From Russia With Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice," "Diamonds Are Forever​" and "Never Say Never Again."

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Who won the inaugural season of "American Idol"?
Kelly Clarkson
Jennifer Hudson
Carrie Underwood
Jordin Sparks
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Since winning American Idol in 2002, Kelly Clarkson has released eight studio albums. They are 2003's "Thankful," 2004's "Breakaway," 2007's "My December," 2009's "All I Ever Wanted," 2011's "Stronger," 2013's "Wrapped in Red," 2015's "Piece by Piece" and 2017's "Meaning of Life."

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Which baseball stadium is the largest in the United states?
Dodger Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Wrigley Field
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dodger Stadium is the largest Major League Baseball stadium by capacity. It can seat 56,000 fans. The stadium opened on April 10, 1962. Every season, more than 2.7 million Dodger fans visit the stadium to watch their team play.

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What country is the world's largest by land mass?
Russia
United States
China
India
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Russia is more than 6.6 million square miles. It is more than twice the size of the second-largest country, which is Canada at 2.8 million square miles. Russia covers approximately 17 percent of Earth's inhabited land and has a population of approximately 144 million people.

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On August 28 of which year did Martin Luther King Jr. give his "I Have a Dream" speech?
1955
1963
1970
1971
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have A Dream Speech" in front of 250,000 people at the March on Washington. King delivered his speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

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This musical artist set YouTube records with his hit, "Gangnam Style." Who is he?
Justin Beiber
Michael Jackson
Zayn
PSY
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On July 15, 2012, the "Gangnam Style" song and music video were released. The song was the first YouTube video to reach more than one billion views. It accomplished this on December 21, 2012.

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There is only one pepper that has no capsaicin. What is it called?
Jalapeno
Habanero
Serrano
Bell
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While bell peppers are part of the Capsicum annum family, they do not contain capsaicin, which gives peppers their heat. For peppers, heat is measured using the Scoville scale. On this scale, a bell pepper has zero Scoville Heat Units.

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You Got:
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