1. Alternatively named Christmas Star, what flower was named by the United States' first ambassador to Mexico?
 Answer: Poinsettia
Interesting Information:
Joel Roberts Poinsett first named the poinsettia in 1828 while he was the U.S. Minister to Mexico. In addition to Mexico, the poinsettia is indigenous to Guatemala.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Snapdragon, Holly, Hydrangea
2. What would you be studying if you saw arches, whorls and loops?
Answer: Fingerprints
Interesting Information:The ridges on the fingertips known as fingerprints are useful for grip in humans. They can also be used as identification of criminals through a database of fingerprints that can be searched for repeat offenders.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Gates, Bushes, Swimming pools
3. What company logo, featured in the movie "Cast Away", contains an arrow between two of the letters?
Answer: FedEx
Interesting Information:Once you see the arrow between the "E" and the "x" (the white space) in FedEx, you'll see it every time. It's a secondary addition by the logo designers to indicate movement and speed.
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
DHL, UPS, United States Postal Service (USPS)
4. What does Volkswagen, the popular German car, mean in English?
Answer: people's car
Interesting Information:The Volkswagen Beetle was VW's first car, released in 1938. It was designed by Ferdinand Porsche under the direction of Adolph Hitler. The "people's car" was not known as the Beetle until 1967.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
yoked wagon, vehicle of the Fatherland, parent's auto
5. The Roaring Twenties ushered in some new and unusual styles of clothing. On what part of your body would you wear a cloche?
Answer: The head
Interesting Information:The cloche hat is a bell-shaped hat that was popular during the 1920s. Cloche hats were usually made of felt so that they fitted close to the head. Cloche is the French word for bell!
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
The feet, The hands, Around the waist
6. What famous actress, while on a war bond tour, died when her plane slammed into a mountain just outside of Las Vegas on 16th January, 1942?
Answer: Carole Lombard
Interesting Information:All were killed on the plane which was given faulty elevation data on the mountain height. The plane hit ten feet below the top. Parts of the plane are still visible. Clark Gable never got over the loss of what he called "the love of his life."
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
Jayne Mansfield, Linda Darnell, Isadora Duncan
7. In what month is the official first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere?
Answer: June
Interesting Information:The official first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere is the day when the Summer Solstice occurs, on the day of the year when the Sun is farthest North. It is commonly called The Longest Day of the Year. This day most often falls on June 21, but can also be on June 20.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
May, July, April
8. What are you cutting if you are using pinking shears?
Answer: fabric
Interesting Information:Pinking shears are used to cut fabric. They have a sawtooth type blade which cuts fabric leaving a zig-zag edge. This keeps fabric from fraying.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
flowers, hair, glass
9. What does the Latin word 'circa' mean when preceding a date?
Answer: Around
Interesting Information:Circa is often used in historical writing if there is uncertainty about the precise date of an event.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Before, After, Ending
10. Sometimes used to indicate weight, an octothorpe is also known as ....?
Answer: Number, Hash or Pound Sign (#)
Interesting Information:In most regions of the United States, the symbol is traditionally called the pound sign, but in others, the number sign. In Canada, the symbol is traditionally referred to as the number sign while in Britain it is known as the hash sign. In fact, major telephone equipment manufacturers, such as Nortel, have an option in their programming to indicate Canadian Pronunciation, which in turn instructs the system to say "Number Sign" to callers instead of "Pound Sign".
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Question Mark (?), Ampersand (&), At Sign (@)
11. Where would you find a gnomon?
Answer: On a sundial
Interesting Information:The gnomon is the little pointer that casts the shadow on the face of a sundial.
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
In your foot, Inside a TV set, Under the sea
12. Spinach consumption rose by over 33% in the USA in 1931. What is the main reason commentators give for this?
Answer: The release of the "Popeye" comic strip
Interesting Information:The first Popeye comic strip series appeared in 1931 - and as a result, kids thought they could build their muscle power up quickly by consuming massive amounts of the green vegetable. Either that, or Moms saw it as a good excuse to persuade their kids to eat some greens!
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Failure of the cabbage crop in Idaho, A sales promotion campaign by Ford, It was FDR's favourite food
13. Which food item connects a 1970s American band featuring David Gates and a 1980s British sitcom written by Carla Lane?
Answer: Bread
Interesting Information:David Gates was the main songwriter for the American band Bread. They had hits with such songs as "If", "It Don't Matter To Me" and "Guitar Man".
Carla Lane's sitcom "Bread" was set in Liverpool and featured the machinations of the Boswell family. The grown-up children all lived at home with their parents and survived with a combination of dodgy dealings, benefit fraud and occasionally legitimate employment.
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
Rice, Potato, Chocolate
14. One engaged in busking is doing what?
Answer: performing
Interesting Information:Busking is the practice of performing in public places for tips; thus, buskers are often called street performers. The practice of busking has been seen in every major culture, and dates back thousands of years. In the United States, the courts have consistently struck down laws limiting busking as being a violation of free speech.
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
gardening, eating, swimming
15. In their slogan, how many varieties is the Heinz company famous for?
Answer: 57 Varieties
Interesting Information:The number 57 does not relate to the quantity of products offered by the Heinz company. The numbers 5 and 7 held a special significance for founder H.J. Heinz and his wife; he adopted the slogan "57 Varieties".
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
47 Varieties, A lot of Varieties, 27 Varieties
16. Leo the Lion was the mascot for which film studio?
Answer: MGM
Interesting Information:Leo roared at the start of all Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer productions.
Tri-Star's mascot is Pegasus; RKO is a radio tower radiating lightning on top of the world; Paramount's symbol is a mountain surrounded by 22 stars (a trivia question in itself).
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Tri-Star, RKO, Paramount
17. The Procter and Gamble company first sold their unsinkable bar soap in 1879. What was it called?
Answer: Ivory soap
Interesting Information:The classic soap was established to have a pH value of 9.5 and claimed to be 99 44/100 percent pure. The white, gently-scented soap was one of P&G's oldest products and was distinctive in the fact that it floated in water.
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
Dial soap, Pine Tar soap, Dud's soap
18. What is the Welsh word for "Library"?
Answer: Llyfrgell
Interesting Information:"Cymru" is the Welsh word for Wales and "Lloegr" is the Welsh word for England. "Banana" is surprisingly the Welsh word for a yellow curved fruit known in English as a "Banana"!
Llyfrgell, literally translated, means "cell for books". The word probably emanates from the fact that the earliest users of books were monks - and they would read these books in a cell - hence the "cell for books".
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
Banana, Lloegr, Cymru
19. What is the name given to a screwdriver with a four pointed pattern?
Answer: Phillips head
Interesting Information:The shape of a screw or screw driver with a four pointed or cross-shaped pattern is the 'Phillips head', also known as the 'crosshead'. Named for Henry F. Phillips (1890 - 1958), a U.S. businessman from Portland, Oregon. He successfully patented the design, though copies soon flooded the market.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Flat head, Star head, Double-flat head
20. What was the name of both the site of the "pleasure dome" in "Kubla Khan" and a 1980 movie starring Olivia Newton-John?
Answer: Xanadu
Interesting Information:"Kubla Khan" was a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge who also penned "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". The incorrect choices are associated with Doris Duke, Sir Thomas More and Henry David Thoreau.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Shangri La, Utopia, Walden
21. What is the colloquial name for a New Zealander?
Answer: Kiwi
Interesting Information:Kiwi, Moa, Takahe and Kakapo are all flightless birds of New Zealand. Originally the nickname came about during WWI, the Regimental sign for New Zealand troops featured the kiwi. Gradually over time it came to represent all New Zealanders.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Moa, Kakapo, Takahe
22. What do hodophobia and St Christopher have in common?
Answer: travel
Interesting Information:Hodophobia is fear of travel and St Christopher is widely regarded as the patron saint of travel. He is also the patron saint against toothache, storms and floods.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
toothache, storms, floods
23. We like to exercise to the Village People singing "YMCA", but what does YMCA stand for?
Answer: Young Men's Christian Association
Interesting Information:The YMCA, founded on June 6, 1844 in London, England, by George Williams, was originally formed to help young men who were coming to the city looking for work, and had nowhere to stay. In many parts of the world the YMCA still provides accommodation, but the main emphasis nowadays is on health and physical fitness.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Young Male's Catholic Alliance, Young Men's College Affliliation, Young Male's Calisthenics Association
24. Which mythological creature lends its name to a US city, an Irish park, and a Harry Potter novel?
Answer: Phoenix
Interesting Information:The phoenix is a mythological bird which dies in a burst of flame, only to rise again from the ashes. Phoenix, Arizona is the most well known, but there are fourteen states in the USA which have a city called Phoenix. The Phoenix Park, located in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the largest enclosed urban parks in Europe.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Gryphon, Siren, Centaur
25. What stuffed tiger that belongs to Calvin from the comics shares his name with the last name of Miranda the lawyer on TV's "Sex and the City"?
Answer: Hobbes
Interesting Information:Who2.com tells us that Calvin and Hobbes have been entertaining readers since their introduction in 1985. Bill Watterson is the creative mind behind Calvin and his trusty tiger. The last strip ran on December 31, 1995.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Tony, Harvey, Thomas
26. What word meaning to worship or respect is also the last name of an American Revolutionary dentist and silversmith?
Answer: Revere
Interesting Information:Paul Revere is best known for his "Midnight Ride", in which he helped to warn fellow Americans of the movements of the British Army.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Franklin, Exalt, Venerate
27. What animal do these names have in common: Cornelius, Cogburn, Foghorn, and Chanticleer?
Answer: Rooster
Interesting Information:Foghorn Leghorn was the rooster of Warner Brother cartoons. Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn was played by John Wayne, while Kellogg's Corn Flakes mascot is Cornelius Rooster. Finally, Chanticleer is a rooster appearing in fables with Reynard the Fox and in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Chimpanzee, Cobra, Pelican
28. What name do TV's "The Jetsons" share in common with baseball players Nolan Ryan, Jeff Bagwell, and Craig Biggio?
Answer: Astro
Interesting Information:The name in common is Astro. IMDb tells us that "The Jetsons" were on air from 1962 to 1988, with the lovable Astro as their family dog. Nolan Ryan, Jeff Bagwell, and Craig Biggio are former star players for the Houston Astros.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Red Sox, Tigers, Dodgers
29. The City of Light did see me rise, to great heights I do soar, by strength of iron my feet never leaving the earthen floor. What am I?
Answer: The Eiffel Tower
Interesting Information:The Eiffel Tower an iron structure was built in the city of Paris, France during the period 1887 to 1889. The tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel. At the time of its completion it was the tallest tower in the world. It is a popular tourist destination having been visited by many hundreds of millions.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Mount Everest, The Colossus of Rhodes, The Pyramid of Khufu
30. If your surname is Cooper, what was the likely occupation of one of your ancestors?
Answer: Barrel Maker
Interesting Information:Cooperage is the name given to the occupation of barrel, or wooden cask, making and Cooper is the name given to the craftsman. Many surnames developed from the family occupation in ancient times, hence the common surnames of Smith, Potter and Fletcher in English speaking countries.
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
Blacksmith, Potter, Arrow maker
31. In which country, famed for its glaciers, sheep and rugby players, did the first commercial bungee-jump take place?
Answer: New Zealand
Interesting Information:New Zealanders, or Kiwis, are notorious for their participation in dangerous sports. The first bungee-jump was in Queenstown, on the South Island, from a small iron bridge that spans a white-water rafting river.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Argentina, Scotland, Greenland
32. Which item of clothing is also the name of a breed of cow, a traffic barrier, and a British island dependency?
Answer: Jersey
Interesting Information:It all begins with the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, which became famous for its knitting in medieval times, giving its name to both a type of pullover and a type of knitted fabric. Jersey cattle were originally bred on the island of Jersey. The US state of New Jersey, named for the island, gave its name in turn to concrete barriers used to separate lanes of traffic, called Jersey barriers.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Cardigan, Aran, Polo
33. Superstition states that it will bring you good luck if you find what item and hang it over a door?
Answer: Horseshoe
Interesting Information:It has been claimed that a horseshoe must be lost by a horse and be found by you in order to bring you good luck and that's only if the open end is faced your way. To keep the luck from falling out, you are to hang it above a door with the open end facing toward the ceiling.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
China cup, Starfish, Mistletoe
34. On a standard computer keyboard, what is the only vowel that isn't on the top row of letters?
Answer: A
Interesting Information:On a standard QWERTY keyboard, all the vowels apart from "A" appear on the top line. "A" is normally situated between the "S" and the caps lock.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
E, I, U
35. "Between love and madness lies..." What word completes this advertising slogan from Calvin Klein?
Answer: Obsession
Interesting Information:Obsession for women began to be sold in 1985, and the men's fragrance came out in 1986. In 2005, Obsession Night was released.
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
Eternity, Euphoria, Hai Karate
But that's just the start! Here are more great Random trivia questions:
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