160 Trivia Questions with Answers for the Perfect Game Night

If you organize a game night for more than four people, you’ll need to plan how you'll spend the time. You can’t rely on board games to entertain a team-building event. You can’t ask people to play “Who am I?” or talk amongst themselves. Trivia questions entertain the local pub’s attendees and managers alike. They bring to attention fun, interesting, and close-to-genius facts that spark conversation and allow people to get to know each other. They also fuel competition, curiosity, learning, and problem-solving, all good skills to have in your company.

So, you’ve decided. You’ll run a trivia night. So far, so good, but you still need to find the best quiz questions suited for your audience, which is why we’ve prepared 160 questions with answers covering 16 categories and including multiple-choice questions. Have your pick and have fun!

 

General Knowledge Trivia Questions

  1. Which famous movie star starred in the classic films "Roman Holiday," "Breakfast at Tiffany's,” "Sabrina,” and “War and Peace”?
    Answer: Audrey Hepburn
  2. What is the first name of Madame Bovary, the eponymous character of Flaubert’s novel?
    Answer: Emma
  3. In which month is the longest day of the year in Earth’s northern hemisphere?
    Answer: June
  4. Who built the first Apple computer?
    Answer: Steve Wozniak
  5. Who wrote the book "To Kill a Mockingbird?"
    Answer: Harper Lee
  6. What’s the national flower of Japan?
    Answer: Cherry blossom
  7. Until 1923, what was the Turkish city of Istanbul called?
    Answer: Constantinople
  8. How many stripes are there on the US flag?
    Answer: 13
  9. What’s the capital of Canada?
    Answer: Ottawa
  10. Name the best-selling book series of the 21st century?
    Answer: Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling

 

Funny Pub Quiz Trivia Questions

  1. What kind of monk is called a stylite monk?

    2. Possible answers:

    • A monk with a sense of fashion and style
    • A monk who spends his life up on a pillar [correct answer]
    • A monk from the town of Styles
    • A monk who has taken a vow of poverty
  2. What is the dot over the letter "i" called?
    Answer: A tittle
  3. What is the fear of running out of things to read called?
    Answer: Bibliophobia
  4. Which planet smells like rotten eggs?
    Answer: Uranus
  5. What is the most shoplifted book in the world?
    Answer: The Bible
  6. What’s the color of a giraffe’s tongue?
    Answer: Purple or bluish-black
  7. Which artist performed in a meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards?
    Answer: Lady Gaga
  8. Which animal can’t jump?
    Answer: The elephant
  9. What was the first ever toy to be advertised on television?
    Possible answers:
    • Barbie
    • Potato Head [correct answer]
    • Dominoes
    • Polly Pocket
  10. What animal's fingerprints are so similar to humans they can confuse crime scenes?
    Possible answers:
    • Koala [correct answer]
    • Monkey
    • Cat
    • Slug

Regular Pub Quiz Trivia Questions and Answers

  1. What is the largest planet in our solar system?
    Answer: Jupiter
  2. How many sides does an octagon have?
    Answer: 8
  3. What gas do plants absorb from the atmosphere?
    Answer: Carbon dioxide
  4. How many minutes are in a full day?
    Answer: 1,440
  5. What is the largest organ in the human body?
    Answer: The skin
  6. In which year did World War II end?
    Answer: 1945
  7. The Great Wall is located in which country?
    Answer: China
  8. What was the name of the period of artistic and cultural rebirth in 14th to 17th century Europe?
    Answer: The Renaissance
  9. The ancient Olympic Games originated in which country?
    Answer: Greece
  10. Which desert is the largest hot desert in the world?
    Answer: The Sahara

 

Guess the Year Trivia Questions

  1. In what year were the first Winter Olympic Games held?
    Answer: 1924
  2. What year was the wreck of the Titanic discovered?
    Answer: 1985
  3. When was the World Wide Web invented?
    Answer: 1990
  4. When was the first issue of Vogue published?
    Answer: 1892
  5. When was Netflix founded?
    Answer: 1997
  6. In what year did the United States declare independence?
    Answer: 1776
  7. What year did humans first land on the Moon?
    Answer: 1969
  8. In what year was La La Land announced as the winner of the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards?
    Answer: 2017
  9. What year was the first Grammy Awards held?
    Answer: 1959
  10. Julia Roberts launched her career in the movie “Mystic Pizza” in what year?
    Answer: 1988

 

This or That Questions

  1. What is the chemical symbol for gold, Au or Gd?
    Answer: Au
  2. Honey never spoils, true or false?
    Answer: True
  3. Tea or coffee - which is consumed more globally?
    Answer: Tea
  4. Amazon or the Nile - which is longer?
    Answer: The Nile
  5. Mount Everest or Mauna Kea - which is taller from base to summit?
    Answer: Mauna Kea
  6. Cats or dogs - which was domesticated first?
    Answer: Dogs
  7. What color is most associated with St. Patrick's Day, green or blue?
    Answer: Green
  8. January or February, when do Chinese celebrate New Year?
    Answer: February
  9. Who was the British Prime Minister at the outbreak of World War I, H. H. Asquith or Winston Churchill?
    Answer: H. H. Asquith
  10. Which country has a flag that is different on either side, Paraguay or Costa Rica?
    Answer: Paraguay

 

Pop Culture and Music Quiz Questions

  1. What is the "27 Club?"
    Answer: The group of musicians and artists who have died at the age of 27
  2. What city do The Beatles come from?
    Answer: Liverpool
  3. How many keys does a classical piano have?
    Answer: 88
  4. What is the name of the coffee shop in the sitcom Friends?
    Answer: Central Perk
  5. Which singer holds the record for most Grammy wins?
    Answer: Beyoncé
  6. Which artist released the album "Midnights"?
    Answer: Taylor Swift
  7. Music artist Prince requested to be included in an episode of which sitcom because he was such a fan of the main characters' romantic relationship?
    Answer: New Girl
  8. What band asked the biker gang Hell's Angels to act as security for their festival show?
    Answer: The Rolling Stones
  9. What are the names of Kim Kardashian's children? Answer: North West, Saint West, Chicago West, and Psalm West
  10. What is the all-time most-streamed song on Spotify to date?
    Answer: Ed Sheeran, The Shape of You

 

Food and Drinks Trivia Questions

  1. Which capital city gave its name to a culinary specialty consisting of cooking a fillet of beef in puff pastry stuffed with foie gras?

    2. Possible answers:

    • Wellington [correct answer]
    • Washington
    • Canberra
    • Dublin
  2. Which spice is the most expensive in the world by weight?
    Answer: Saffron
  3. Where does the coffee variety "Arabica" originate?
    Answer: Ethiopia
  4. What does “antipasto” mean?
    Answer: “Before the meal”
  5. Which vegetable was originally purple before being bred orange?
    Answer: Carrot
  6. What vitamin gives sweet potatoes and carrots their orange color?
    Answer: Vitamin A
  7. Which fast food chain has the most locations around the world?
    Answer: Subway
  8. Which country invented champagne?
    Answer: France
  9. Which country is the origin of the cocktail Mojito?
    Answer: Cuba
  10. What is the main ingredient in traditional hummus?
    Answer: Chickpeas

 

Animals Trivia Questions

  1. What is the common, more popular name for an orca?
    Answer: Killer whale
  2. What animal has the highest blood pressure?
    Answer: The giraffe
  3. What is the closest living relative to the T-Rex?
    Answer: The chicken
  4. Which baby animal can gain up to 250 pounds a day when growing to maturity?
    Answer: The blue whale
  5. How many hearts does an octopus have?
    Answer: 3
  6. What animal has the strongest bite?
    Answer: The hippopotamus
  7. A group of flamingos is called a what?
    Answer: A flamboyance
  8. A shrimp's heart is located where?
    Answer: In its head
  9. How many legs does a lobster have?
    Answer: 10
  10. Which animal has the longest gestation period?
    Answer: The elephant

 

Weird but True Quiz Questions

  1. What is Arachibutyrophobia?
    Answer: The fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.
  2. The "black box" records the flight path, performance, condition, and any issues of a plane in flight, but what color is it actually?
    Answer: Orange
  3. On average, how far do a typist's hands travel in one day?
    Answer: 6 miles
  4. Which bird cannot walk?
    Answer: Hummingbird
  5. What is the most consumed beverage in the world after water?
    Answer: Tea
  6. What is the only mammal capable of true flight?
    Answer: The bat
  7. What language was left unpunctuated until the modern age?
    Answer: Japanese
  8. Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 film "Rope" was based on a real-life crime committed by whom?
    Answer: Leopold & Loeb
  9. The “Hollywood” sign originally spelled out what word?
    Answer: Hollywoodland
  10. How long was the first Thanksgiving?
    Answer: Three days

 

Random Trivia Questions

  1. In human anatomy, what does the “hallux” refer to?
    Answer: The big toe
  2. What is the name for the plastic or metal tube found on the ends of shoelaces?
    Answer: An aglet
  3. Leonardo da Vinci's “Mona Lisa” hangs in what museum?
    Answer: The Louvre Museum in Paris
  4. What was the first animal to ever be cloned?
    Answer: A sheep
  5. In the United Kingdom, what is the day after Christmas known as?
    Answer: Boxing Day
  6. What actor plays Ken in the 2023 blockbuster movie “Barbie”?
    Answer: Ryan Gosling
  7. What is the name of Elvis Presley's Memphis home?
    Answer: Graceland
  8. Sancho Panza is a fictional character from what book?
    Answer: “Don Quixote”
  9. Which writer holds the Guinness World Record for the most translated works?
    Answer: Agatha Christie
  10. Which European explorer discovered a passage that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans?
    Answer: Magellan

 

Hard Trivia Questions

  1. Which major city put the first urban tram line into service in 1832?
    Answer: New York
  2. Who discovered penicillin?
    Answer: Alexander Fleming
  3. What does the Latin phrase "cogito, ergo sum" mean?
    Answer: "I think, therefore I am”
  4. What is the capital of Kyrgyzstan?
    Answer: Bishkek
  5. What is the square root of 2,025?
    Answer: 45
  6. What is Prince Harry’s official first name?
    Answer: Henry
  7. The first iPhone was released in what year?
    Answer: 2007
  8. Who was the first author to use a “typemachine” or typewriter in writing a manuscript?
    Answer: Mark Twain
  9. Who was the first president to visit all 50 states?
    Answer: Richard Nixon
  10. What is the second longest river in the world?
    Answer: The Amazon

 

Trivia Questions and Answers for Adults

  1. What number is spelled with the same number of letters as the number itself?
    Answer: Four
  2. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
    Answer: Marie Curie
  3. Who is considered the “Father of Relativity?”
    Answer: Albert Einstein
  4. Which ocean name loosely translates into “Sea of Atlas?”
    Answer: The Atlantic
  5. What is the currency of Poland?
    Answer: Złoty
  6. How many degrees are in a circle?
    Answer: 360°
  7. What is the largest bone in the human body?
    Answer: The femur
  8. Which astronomer is called out in “Bohemian Rhapsody”?
    Answer: Galileo
  9. What country has the largest population of tigers?
    Answer: India
  10. What animal breathes through its butt?
    Answer: Turtle

 

Geography Quiz Questions

  1. What is the largest country by land area?
    Answer: Russia
  2. Which country has the most time zones (including overseas territories)?
    Answer: France
  3. What country has the most islands in the world?
    Answer: Sweden
  4. Name the longest river in the world?
    Answer: The Nile
  5. Where is the lowest natural place on planet Earth?
    Answer: The Mariana Trench
  6. Which city in the country of India is the largest in terms of population?
    Answer: Mumbai
  7. In which country is Mount Kilimanjaro located?
    Answer: Tanzania
  8. What is the smallest country in the world?
    Answer: The Vatican
  9. Which ocean is the smallest?
    Answer: The Arctic Ocean
  10. Which mountain range separates Europe and Asia?
    Answer: The Ural Mountains

 

Movies Trivia Questions

  1. TheDa Vinci Codeby Dan Brown opens with a murder in what French location?
    Answer: The Louvre Museum in Paris
  2. Who wrote the James Bond series of books?
    Answer: Ian Fleming
  3. What was Disney’s first film?
    Answer: Snow White
  4. When was the first episode of Doctor Who broadcast?
    Answer: 1963
  5. Who voices Woody in the "Toy Story" films?
    Answer: Tom Hanks
  6. Who played James Bond in "Casino Royale" (2006)?
    Answer: Daniel Craig
  7. In what year was the movie Jurassic Park released?
    Answer: 1993
  8. Who holds the record for winning the most Oscars?
    Answer: Walt Disney
  9. On what day do Star Wars fans celebrate "National Star Wars Day?"
    Answer: May 4th
  10. What animal is Indiana Jones famously afraid of?
    Answer: Snakes

 

History Trivia Questions

  1. In what year did the reunification of Germany take place?
    Answer: 1990
  2. Whose adopted son was Emperor Augustus?
    Answer: Julius Caesar
  3. Which four presidents are on Mount Rushmore?
    Answer: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt
  4. How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she was crowned Queen of England?
    Answer: 27
  5. What is the shortest war in history?
    Answer: The Anglo-Zanzibar War - lasted 38 minutes
  6. Who discovered America for Europe in 1492?
    Answer: Christopher Columbus
  7. The French Revolution began in which year?
    Answer: 1789
  8. Which empire was ruled by Genghis Khan?
    Answer: The Mongol Empire
  9. Which civilization built Machu Picchu?
    Answer: The Inca
  10. Which flower symbolized the Tudor dynasty?
    Answer: The Rose

 

Sports Quiz Questions

  1. An Olympic gold medal is mostly composed of what metal?
    Answer: Silver
  2. What is it called when a bowler makes three strikes in a row?
    Answer: A turkey
  3. What is the national sport of Canada?
    Answer: Lacrosse
  4. What sport was featured on the first curved U.S. coin in 2014?
    Answer: Baseball
  5. Who was the highest-paid athlete in 2022?
    Answer: Lionel Messi
  6. What type of race is the Tour de France?
    Answer: Bicycle race
  7. How many Grand Slams did Rafael Nadal win before retiring in 2024?
    Answer: 22
  8. Which sport has a so-called Greco-Roman variation?
    Answer: Wrestling
  9. Which driver has won the most Formula 1 championships?
    Answer: Michael Schumacher
  10. In which sport do you score a "birdie"?
    Answer: Golf

 

How to Run a Trivia Night for Adults?

A trivia night’s success depends on how you run it. Much like in a game of bingo, the person reading the questions and answers sets the tone for the evening. Therefore, you need a good pace, an easy-to-follow structure, and a good mood throughout. Here are some tips to help you run the perfect trivia night for adults:

  • Select questions relevant to your audience.
  • Select questions ranging from easy to difficult and start with the easy ones to keep people in good spirits and help them engage with the game.
  • Select multiple question formats, from This or That to multiple-choice questions, to avoid boredom.
  • Structure the game in rounds and use around 10 questions per round, giving people around one minute to answer each question. Pace is important.
  • Include breaks and switch topics between rounds to keep people relaxed and engaged.
  • Keep the scoring simple: one point per correct answer. You can give bonus points or let teams choose a category and then reward them with multiple points per correct answer for that particular category.
  • Sudden-death questions and speed rounds are great for tiebreaks.
  • Balance is key. You don’t want to ask questions only a few people can answer or have a high difference in points between teams. So, choose the questions wisely and mix them up. Inclusivity and diversity matter.
  • Prepare an award. It can be a trophy, medal, or diploma, a mention in the company’s newsletter, or a small gift. People like to know what they are competing for.

 

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