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Can you win at Mah Jongg? Trivia Quiz

I learned to play Mah Jongg last year and was surprised not to find a quiz dedicated to this game. Where there are differences between Mah Jongg styles, all answers refer to American Mah Jongg.

A multiple-choice quiz by Julia103. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Julia103

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
384,441

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
222

Last 3 plays: Guest 100 (6/10), Guest 67 (10/10), Guest 101 (8/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What type of game pieces are used in Mah Jongg? Hint

Tiles

Marbles

Checkers

Cards

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Question 2 of 10

2. What is the goal of American Mah Jongg? (How do you win?) Hint

Having more pieces than your opponent at the end of the game

Using up all your pieces

Having all piece of the same suit

Getting a hand that matches one of the hands on the card

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Question 3 of 10

3. What suits are used in Mah Jongg? Hint

Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades

Bam, Crak, and Dot

Blue, Red, Yellow and Green

Dragons, Winds, and Flowers

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Question 4 of 10

4. How many pieces are on each player's rack in American Mah Jongg? Hint

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Question 5 of 10

5. How many players are in a standard Mah Jongg game? Hint

From 2 to 6 players

Unlimited

One - Mah Jongg is a solitaire game

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Question 6 of 10

6. When can Jokers be used? Hint

Any time three or more of the same piece are needed

To complete a pair

For any required piece

For a comic interlude

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Question 7 of 10

7. What is the Charleston (in the context of Mah Jongg)? Hint

A special Mah Jongg set originating in South Carolina

Passing tiles between players

Charleston is a dance - no relation to Mah Jongg

A winning hand

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Question 8 of 10

8. Some hands are based on the current year. For a hand which has one tile for each digit in the year, (such as FF NNNN 2016 SSSS from the 2016 card) what tile can be used for the zero? Hint

Any dragon

One dot

White dragon

Joker

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Question 9 of 10

9. What is a concealed hand? Hint

A hand which must be made solely from the tiles drawn without picking up other players' discards

A hand which is made with no Jokers

A hand where all tiles are the same suit

A hand with no numbered tiles (only Winds, Dragons, and Flowers)

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Are there any limitations on what tiles may be discarded?

Yes

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 16 2024 : Guest 100: 6/10
Dec 14 2024 : Guest 67: 10/10
Dec 10 2024 : Guest 101: 8/10
Nov 27 2024 : Guest 172: 10/10
Nov 27 2024 : Guest 172: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What type of game pieces are used in Mah Jongg?

Answer: Tiles

Although some of the terminology such as "hands" and "suits" is similar to card games, the game is played with rectangular tiles which are drawn and discarded.

2. What is the goal of American Mah Jongg? (How do you win?)

Answer: Getting a hand that matches one of the hands on the card

Mah Jongg cards with winning hands are issued every year by the National Mah Jongg League. Hands are changed from year to year so all players in the game must be using the same card. The cards have the rules of the game on the back.

3. What suits are used in Mah Jongg?

Answer: Bam, Crak, and Dot

Although not all sets have the same designs, Crak tiles usually have Chinese characters. Bam is short for bamboo and usually has sticks. (One Bam may have a bird on a branch.) Dots are circles. Winds and Flowers do not have suits. Dragons are red, green and white (which go with Crak, Bam, and Dot respectively).

4. How many pieces are on each player's rack in American Mah Jongg?

Answer: 13

The dealer starts with 14 tiles while all other players have 13. However, the dealer must discard a tile in the first move without first picking one up so everyone plays with 13 after that. Winning hands have 14 tiles, so they are obtained by drawing a new tile but not discarding.

5. How many players are in a standard Mah Jongg game?

Answer: 4

Mah Jongg tile designs are used in many online solitaire games, but these are simply matching games and not based on the actual game of Mah Jongg.

6. When can Jokers be used?

Answer: Any time three or more of the same piece are needed

A Mah Jongg set has 144 tiles including 8 Jokers. Most Mah Jongg hands include combinations with three or more of the same piece, so obtaining Jokers is very helpful. A Joker can never be used for a pair or for a single.

7. What is the Charleston (in the context of Mah Jongg)?

Answer: Passing tiles between players

After the tiles are dealt, but before the first discard, players pass three unwanted tiles. This may help a player get started on a hand before actually drawing a new tile. The first pass is to the right, the second to opposite (across the table), third and fourth passes to the left, fifth to opposite, and sixth to the right.

After the Charleston, play continues by drawing and discarding tiles. If both players agree, an additional "courtesy" pass may be done to the opposite player.

8. Some hands are based on the current year. For a hand which has one tile for each digit in the year, (such as FF NNNN 2016 SSSS from the 2016 card) what tile can be used for the zero?

Answer: White dragon

In many sets, the red and green dragon tiles resemble a dragon but the white dragon tile has a rectangular outline with white inside, resembling a zero. (In the group I play with, this tile is called "soap" rather than "white" when discarded.) The complete hand mentioned in the question text needs four north winds, four south winds and two flowers in addition to the 0, 1, 2 and 6 tiles.

9. What is a concealed hand?

Answer: A hand which must be made solely from the tiles drawn without picking up other players' discards

Concealed hands are indicated with a C on the card. All other hands are indicated with an X.

10. Are there any limitations on what tiles may be discarded?

Answer: No

Any tile may be discarded. However, if a Joker is discarded it may not be picked up by another player. Any other tile may be picked up to fill in three or four of the same piece. The only time a tile may be picked up to fill a pair is if this is to complete a winning hand, otherwise known as only for Mah Jongg.

Source: Author Julia103

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
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