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Alternate Facts Trivia Quiz

The Internet is filled with amazing facts. Can you spot which are actually true and which are merely "alternate facts"?

A multiple-choice quiz by AlexT781. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
AlexT781

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
387,267

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
439

Last 3 plays: Guest 184 (9/10), Guest 97 (7/10), Guest 175 (5/10).

Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Many people have heard George Washington Carver invented peanut butter. Is this trivia tidbit really true?

True

False

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Question 2 of 10

2. According to a story, John Tyler, 10th President of the United States and born in 1790, has grandchildren living into the 21st century. Is this true, or just another "alternative fact"?

True

False

3. One long-lived "alternative fact" compares similarities between two American presidents approximately 100 years apart. Which two presidents fell victim to largely made-up tidbits of information? Hint

Lincoln and Johnson

Kennedy and Buchanan

Kennedy and Johnson

Lincoln and Kennedy

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Question 4 of 10

4. Another email still making its rounds after many years is about the planet Mars. Supposedly, Mars will reach its closest point to Earth around August 27th of whatever year it happens to be, and will take another 60,000 years to be that close again. What truth is there in this tall tale? Hint

Every two years Mars is extremely close to Earth.

In 2003, Mars was the closest to Earth in 60,000 years.

It's actually completely false.

Mars isn't visible from Earth at the end of August.

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Question 5 of 10

5. Now for everybody's perennial favorite: does a duck's quack actually echo?

Yes

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Question 6 of 10

6. In the spring of 1987, the United States experienced a one-of-a-kind event in which nearly seven million people disappeared overnight. What was the cause of this massive population change? Hint

A massive computer failure erased the Social Security database

The IRS began requiring children's Social Security numbers

Stock brokers fled the country during the recession

It never happened

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Politicians can always be relied upon to exaggerate or make up claims about their job performance. During the 2000 Presidential election, what did former Vice President Al Gore claim about the Internet? Hint

He invested his own money to help finance the Internet

He claimed he invented the Internet

He led initiatives to make the Internet publicly available and open to all

He invented the term 'information superhighway'

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. One relatively recent argument is about who the first president of the United States was. We all know George Washington was elected as the first president, so why the controversy? Hint

It was started by a few people who wanted to be in the news

The title "President of the United States" was in use prior to the Constitution

It's another attempt to rewrite history

"President of the United States" was given by the British to the person who ruled the colonies

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Question 9 of 10

9. Many people believe that milk, high in calcium and vitamin D, builds stronger bones or reduce the chance of fractures. However, a 12-year study of 122,000 women came to which conclusion? Hint

Dairy products have no long-term effect

Regularly drinking milk lowers chance of osteoporosis

Calcium supplements have no long-term effect

You have to drink a glass per day, every day for any benefit

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Question 10 of 10

10. Another Internet rumor that is widely believed insists humans only use 10% of the brain. While brain scans immediately expose this as a lie, the source for this "alternate fact" is not as easy to find. Which person's amazing intellect could have fueled the myth? Hint

Albert Einstein

Henry Ford

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Tim Curry

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 06 2024 : Guest 184: 9/10
Dec 06 2024 : Guest 97: 7/10
Nov 15 2024 : Guest 175: 5/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Many people have heard George Washington Carver invented peanut butter. Is this trivia tidbit really true?

Answer: False

Carver didn't invent peanut butter. It was probably Dr. John Kellogg who gave us "modern" peanut butter. Dr. Carver did accomplish (aside from nearly 300 uses for peanuts and peanut oil) something much more important: an awareness of proper farming techniques, such as crop rotation and leaving fields fallow, among poor farmers.

2. According to a story, John Tyler, 10th President of the United States and born in 1790, has grandchildren living into the 21st century. Is this true, or just another "alternative fact"?

Answer: True

Surprisingly, it is very much true. Both grandsons were alive well into 2017, 35 presidents later. In 2012, the elder grandson was interviewed for a newspaper article.

Answer: Lincoln and Kennedy

According to Snopes, this list has been circling the Internet since the late 1990s. Unfortunately, time doesn't make these alternative facts true.

Answer: In 2003, Mars was the closest to Earth in 60,000 years.

On August 27, 2003, Mars actually did reach the closest point to Earth in 60,000 years. However, Mars is nearly that close to Earth quite often. Also, it won't be another 60,000 years to reach the closest possible point. That will happen around the year 2287.

5. Now for everybody's perennial favorite: does a duck's quack actually echo?

Answer: Yes

Despite a lack of rigorous scientific study, you no longer have to rely on MythBusters to answer this one. Many duck species rely on echolocation, meaning a quack echoes whether humans can hear it or not.

6. In the spring of 1987, the United States experienced a one-of-a-kind event in which nearly seven million people disappeared overnight. What was the cause of this massive population change?

Answer: The IRS began requiring children's Social Security numbers

The IRS began requiring Social Security numbers for all dependents. The seven million 'missing' children constituted nearly 10% of dependents from previous years. According to the IRS, at least 75,000 couples claimed four or more children in previous years and none in 1987. The rule change added an estimated $3 billion in tax revenue over the previous year.

Answer: He led initiatives to make the Internet publicly available and open to all

The claim that he invented the internet is simply another case of rival politicians and their supporters making up alternative facts to discredit opponents. What Al Gore did say was that he led political initiatives to create the Internet, which was later verified by the "Father of the Internet", Vint Cerf.

8. One relatively recent argument is about who the first president of the United States was. We all know George Washington was elected as the first president, so why the controversy?

Answer: The title "President of the United States" was in use prior to the Constitution

While at first glance it appears to be an exceedingly silly "controversy" thanks to the Internet, there are a few valid arguments. First among them is the fact that the title "President of the United States" was used during the Revolution, well before the Constitution was adopted.

However, simply bestowing a title on someone doesn't negate the fact that the United States didn't win independence (and therefore didn't exist) until 1783.

9. Many people believe that milk, high in calcium and vitamin D, builds stronger bones or reduce the chance of fractures. However, a 12-year study of 122,000 women came to which conclusion?

Answer: Dairy products have no long-term effect

The study concluded there is no long-term effect on fracture risk or age-related bone loss and osteoporosis from milk or other dairy products. The study didn't include calcium supplements, but suggested regularly taking supplements would be more effective than regularly drinking milk.

Answer: Albert Einstein

The 10% myth can be traced back to the early 1900s. Some speculate it was started to explain how or why a genius is so intelligent, with Einstein being an obvious possibility. Other ideas focus on miscommunication. For example, it could have started out as "scientists only know how 10% of the brain works".

Source: Author AlexT781

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