Need for Speed: Underground Trivia Quiz

Answer: Finishing first, regardless of civilian traffic

Even if you never played the game, you could well have guessed that "Need for Speed: Underground" involves racing. But even then, several ways of playing could be imagined. In "Underground", the player will take on a number of opponents (usually three) and race as fast as possible, whilst evading civilian traffic.
Other instalments of "Need for Speed" involve the classical "cops and robbers theme", where the player tries to evade police vehicles or can choose a role as police officer to chase speeding individuals.
The coin collecting is a theme quite abundant in "Super Mario" games for Nintendo systems. One of the typical race games is "Mario Kart 7", where coins and some power-ups appear en route to the finish line.
"Carmageddon" was the disputed game in which the object was to physically eliminate your opponents (by pushing them over the cliff, for example), with bonus points for the most stylish way of killing pedestrians and/or crossing animals.

Answer: You have to qualify in a far better car than you can choose at the start of the career

The qualification round is with one of the cars you need to unlock quite late in your career: the Acura Integra Type R. It has also been styled with some decorative elements you need to unlock later in your career.
The explanation for this remarkable feat is that you are daydreaming about finishing an Underground career. But as soon as you wake up, you have to start this career with the vehicles at hand.
No pedestrians are involved in "Need for Speed: Underground".
The career starts with two circuit tracks available, and twelve to unlock by winning specific races.
Thirty laps would be too harsh. There are circuit races that involve six or maybe seven laps, but the first races are limited to two laps.

Answer: Yes

Circuits are tracks in which you pass the finish line and continue at the same point for a next lap. Everywhere in the "Underground" career, you can choose to leave your career and do some practice at all the circuits already unlocked (in which you can set the intensity of traffic).
At the start of your career, two circuit tracks are available. You need to win certain circuit challenges to unlock six other circuits and all of the reversed circuits.
Only the "Underground" career mode allows you to unlock certain aspects of the game: style elements such as spoilers or stickers, equipment such as a better engine or a turbo chip, better cars, tracks hidden at the start of your career...
At any moment in the career mode, you can save your progression so you won't have to restart from scratch when you end the game.

Answer: Lap Knockout

The Lap Knockout is a type of gameplay you encounter for the first time in the fifth challenge (out of 111). You start with three computer-steered opponents, and every lap one of those (if you're victorious) is removed from the game. In case you end yourself last in any lap, the race stops right there, but the remaining opponents are ranked as if the race would have continued.
Other instalments of "Need for Speed" use the term Elimination for this game play. The two other red herrings have nothing to do with "Need for Speed: Underground".

Answer: Yes

A typical Sprint track uses part of the circuits already unlocked, with some communication roads.
In the Heads Up Display, you'll see a part of the map, so you can assess how long it may take you to finish the Sprint. Some shortcuts are indicated on the map, too.
At the start of your career, there is only one Sprint track available, with a length of 4.3 km. Winning certain Sprints in Underground mode will unlock seven other tracks (the longest being 8 km), as well as all of the reversed tracks.

Answer: Time Trial has no opponents

Time Trial is in fact a Sprint against time. You have to reach the finish line within a certain time limit to advance in your career.
Circuit tracks or Sprint tracks in the Underground mode can only be driven with an automatic gearbox. Only one of the other game plays involves a manual gearbox, but in Underground mode you never choose between a manual or an automatic gearbox.
The first time trials are free of traffic, but your fourth time trial (level 47) is complicated by light traffic. The farther you get, the more traffic you'll probably have to avoid.

Answer: Skidding sideways stylishly through the corners

Drifting has nothing to do with racing faster than your opponents. You start at an empty circuit (no opponents, no traffic), on which the middle of the road is oiled in. Skid through the curves and corners, but don't ever hit the guardrails.
A skid that ends without touching the guardrail will give you a certain number of points (based on the duration, with a bonus for skidding close to the rails), but if you hit the guardrail your skid won't give you anything. On the contrary, every hit will lose you some style points.
The car in which you drive the Drift challenge, has no effect on your final ranking in the event. The more style points you have, the greater the effect on your style points after the race. Mind you, most Drift challenges end up with a negative number of styling points, so beware of too fancy a car.
At the same time as you drive the Drift, your opponents' score is displayed. So you can glance at any moment if you're doing fine. But don't do this too often: your main mission is to control your skidding.

Answer: You need to win the challenge in order to advance

Drag racing is a challenge in which speed is most important. Contrary to the other types of game play, you won't have to search your way through a variety of curves and corners. But whereas you benefit from an automatic gearbox in the other challenges, you need to use a manual one in Drag challenges.
The race ends prematurely if you blow up your engine (because you didn't shift up at the right time, or you use the turbo too soon) or if you collide head-on with any obstacle: civilian traffic, road block, a train crossing the road, or even an opponent's car. Slight collisions will not end the race right away, but force you to a standstill - while the opponents are likely to cross the finish line before you even get back to cruising speed.
In any Underground challenge, you need to win before you can advance to a next level. Sometimes you can pick a challenge out of two or three options, but even then you can't advance without winning all these options.

Answer: Yes

The first tournament you drive, is a Circuit Tournament. But a Drag Tournament and a Drift Tournament are some challenges you'll have to win before you're halfway to winning the Underground career.
A tournament consists of three or four different tracks on which to compete. Every track will give some tournament points: 8 for the winner, 6 for second place, 4 for the third, and 2 for the last place.
In theory you could win a Tournament without winning any track. But as you have in each track the same three opponents, you're likely to encounter one opponent who stands out over the other two.
Drag tournaments have the specific requirement that you cannot start a following race if you haven't finished the previous one (because of a head-on collision or because you blew your engine).

Answer: False

During the Underground career mode, you can trade in your car for another one. At the start, you have eight cars to choose from, and winning certain challenges will unlock supplementary (and in most cases better) cars.
You have also the ability to purchase some visual upgrades (another type of rear spoiler, for instance), to paint your car (and all the non-standard parts), to apply some stickers...
For the first tournament in your career, you need to have a sufficient number of styling points. In order to reach the minimum required, you'll most probably have to apply a number of visual upgrades. Some visual upgrades are for free, some come at a cost.