Question 1 of 20Words and phrasesEasy
Trivia questions for adults
Ready for a quiz night that asks a little more of the grown-ups? These 20 fun trivia questions for adults range across history, science, words, food, sport, money and the human body, with a few real stumpers to keep game night lively.
A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of Quiz Night! The General Knowledge Quiz Book.
Question 2 of 20Pop culture classicsEasy
Which author created the detective Sherlock Holmes?
Question 3 of 20HistoryMedium
Which treaty, signed in 1919, formally ended World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers?
Question 4 of 20Money and businessMedium
In the stock market index name "S&P 500," what does "S&P" stand for?
Question 5 of 20GeographyEasy
Which is the longest continental mountain range in the world?
Question 6 of 20ScienceHard
Which chemical element makes up the largest share of Earth's crust by mass?
Question 7 of 20The human bodyMedium
Which is the smallest bone in the human body?
Question 8 of 20Pop culture classicsMedium
The street names on the classic US Monopoly board are taken from places in and around which New Jersey resort city?
Question 9 of 20Food and drinkEasy
Which legume is the main ingredient in classic hummus?
Question 10 of 20Words and phrasesHard
What is the name for the small dot above a lowercase "i" or "j"?
Question 11 of 20SportMedium
In golf, what is the name for completing a hole in three strokes under par?
Question 12 of 20ScienceMedium
What does the abbreviation DNA stand for?
Question 13 of 20HistoryHard
Which conflict is usually cited as the shortest war in recorded history, lasting well under an hour?
Question 14 of 20The human bodyEasy
Which vitamin does human skin make when it is exposed to sunlight?
Question 15 of 20Words and phrasesMedium
A sesquicentennial celebrates an anniversary of how many years?
Question 16 of 20GeographyHard
Counting all of its overseas territories, which country spans the most time zones?
Question 17 of 20Food and drinkMedium
Which country has been the world's largest coffee producer since the 1840s?
Question 18 of 20SportEasy
How many players does a baseball team have on the field when it is fielding?
Question 19 of 20Money and businessHard
On Wall Street, a "bear market" is commonly defined as a fall of at least what percentage from a recent high?
Question 20 of 20Money and businessMedium
Which currency did Germany use before switching to euro notes and coins in 2002?
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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
- The Latin phrase "carpe diem" is usually translated as what? Seize the dayIt comes from the Roman poet Horace's Odes (23 BC); "carpe" literally means "pluck," as in picking ripe fruit.
- Which author created the detective Sherlock Holmes? Arthur Conan DoyleHolmes and Dr. Watson first appeared in A Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887.
- Which treaty, signed in 1919, formally ended World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers? Treaty of VersaillesIt was signed in the palace's Hall of Mirrors on June 28, 1919, five years to the day after Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.
- In the stock market index name "S&P 500," what does "S&P" stand for? Standard & Poor'sThe index expanded to 500 companies on March 4, 1957; its 90-stock predecessor dates back to 1926.
- Which is the longest continental mountain range in the world? AndesIt runs through seven countries, from Venezuela to Argentina, and its highest peak, Aconcagua, reaches 22,838 feet (6,961 m).
- Which chemical element makes up the largest share of Earth's crust by mass? OxygenIt makes up about 46% of the continental crust by mass, bound into rocks and minerals; silicon is a distant second at about 28%.
- Which is the smallest bone in the human body? StapesFound in the middle ear, it measures only about 2 to 3 mm and is named for its stirrup-like shape.
- The street names on the classic US Monopoly board are taken from places in and around which New Jersey resort city? Atlantic City"Marvin Gardens" is a misspelling of Marven Gardens, a neighborhood just outside the city, on the Margate City–Ventnor City border; Parker Brothers apologized for the error in 1995.
- Which legume is the main ingredient in classic hummus? ChickpeasAlso called garbanzo beans, they were domesticated about 10,000 years ago, and India grew roughly 75% of the world's crop in 2023.
- What is the name for the small dot above a lowercase "i" or "j"? TittleThe phrase "to a T" is thought to come from the older expression "to a tittle," meaning down to the smallest detail.
- In golf, what is the name for completing a hole in three strokes under par? AlbatrossIt is also called a double eagle. A condor, four under par, would mean something like a hole-in-one on a par-5 hole.
- What does the abbreviation DNA stand for? Deoxyribonucleic acidIts genetic code is written with just four chemical bases: adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine. The human genome has about 3 billion base pairs.
- Which conflict is usually cited as the shortest war in recorded history, lasting well under an hour? Anglo-Zanzibar WarFought on August 27, 1896, it ended after roughly 38 minutes, though sources give figures of up to 45 minutes.
- Which vitamin does human skin make when it is exposed to sunlight? Vitamin DSkin can't make it from sunlight that comes through a window, and the vitamin helps the body absorb calcium for strong bones.
- A sesquicentennial celebrates an anniversary of how many years? 150Philadelphia held a Sesquicentennial Exposition in 1926 to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- Counting all of its overseas territories, which country spans the most time zones? FranceIt uses 12 time zones, or 13 if its claim in Antarctica, Adélie Land, is included, thanks to territories scattered across the globe.
- Which country has been the world's largest coffee producer since the 1840s? BrazilIts share peaked in the 1920s, when it supplied about 80% of the world's coffee. Arabica makes up about 70% of its crop.
- How many players does a baseball team have on the field when it is fielding? 9An official Major League baseball has 108 double stitches, and the balls are still sewn largely by hand.
- On Wall Street, a "bear market" is commonly defined as a fall of at least what percentage from a recent high? 20%The term dates to early-1700s London, where "bear-skin jobbers" sold shares they didn't yet own, like selling a bear's skin before catching the bear.
- Which currency did Germany use before switching to euro notes and coins in 2002? Deutsche MarkIntroduced on June 20, 1948, it was converted to the euro at a fixed rate of 1.95583 marks per euro.
