Trivial Pursuit Flashcards
Which British explorer first circumnavigated Antarctica?
Captain James Cook
Which bearded Kiwi directed the Lord of the rings film trilogy?
Peter Jackson
Which head of state was colourfully labelled ‘Pootie Poot’ by George W. Bush?
Vladimir Putin
Summer medley, Bermuda cocktail and Royal Regatta a shade of what colour paint?
Blue
A British polar research vessel commissioned in 2016 was called Boaty McBoatface after the name topped a public poll. True or false?
False. The ships owners overruled the poll and instead named it the RSS Sir David Attenborough. 
On Fitbit fitness trackers, which of these badges awards the highest number of daily steps: boat shoe, trail shoe or urban boot?
Trail shoe. Representing 30,000 steps in a day. 
Which is the longest aboveground mountain range in the world?
Andes. It spans seven countries in South America. 
Which notable filmmaker is responsible for founding Pixar?
George Lucas. But it was Steve Jobs who saved the company after buying it in the mid-1980s. 
Which Irish clothing retailer opened its first English shop in derby in 1973?
Primark
In which Spanish city is the first Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum?
Bilbao. Gehry also designed one for Abu Dhabi
A human hand has more bones than a human foot. True or false?
True. We have 27 bones in each hand and 26 in each foot. 
What is the name of the stadium complex at which the French open tennis tournament take place?
Roland-Garros
Which US bridge is painted a distinctive International orange?
Golden Gate Bridge – the paint colour has its own formula
What is the title of David Bowie’s final album, released two days before his death in 2016?
Blackstar – it is his only album to debut as number one on the US Billboard chart
As at the beginning of the 21st-century, what was the tallest building in the United Kingdom?
One Canada Square (Canary Wharf) – It was overtaken by the shard, which was completed in 2012
In which sport do you wear a lamé, a plastron and a mask?
Fencing – a lamé is an overvest that defines the target area; a plastron is an underarm protector
Which European language is the official language of Senegal?
French
Which television documentary series about genealogy shares its name with a Spice Girls hit?
Who do you think you are?
Name one of Shakespeare’s plays that has an Italian place name in its title.
The merchant of Venice, the two gentlemen of Verona
The iPod name was inspired by which Stanley Kubrick sci-fi classic?
2001: a space Odyssey – ‘open the pod bay doors, HAL. ‘
Which is not a room in the game of Cluedo – conservatory, cellar or kitchen?
Cellar
Which Windmill-topped Parisian landmark first opened in 1889?
Moulin Rouge
What is the name of the title character in Steig Larson’s ‘the girl with the dragon tattoo’?
Lizbeth Salander
A tigers stripes are unique to each animal. True or false?
True
Which popstar, known for being Swift on his feet, took an ownership stake in my space in 2011?
Justin Timberlake
In which town is the headquarters of the open University?
Milton Keynes
Alternative music radio station Radio X was launched in 2015 following a revamp of which former station?
Xfm
The motto of which of the armed forces is usually translated as ‘through adversity to the stars‘?
Royal air force
Under what pen-name has Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling written a series of Detective novels?
Robert Galbraith
What is the actual colour of the Sun?
White – it’s the earth’s atmosphere that makes it look yellow, red or orange
What distance is covered by participants in a parkrun running event, held each Saturday morning at more than 400 locations across the UK?
5km – 2km junior parkruns for children aged 4–14 are held at some locations on Sunday mornings
Which island drink, invented in Puerto Rico in the 1950s, has a Spanish name that translate into English as ‘strained pineapple‘?
Piña colada
Which artist had the fastest selling album of 2015, moving 3.38 million copies in its first week of release?
Adele – the album is 25
Which British government intelligence agency is based at Thames house?
MI5
Which social networking website closed down in 2016 after 16 years of helping to reconnect old school friends?
Friends reunited
The active volcano Popocatepetl is located about 40 miles from which capital city?
Mexico City
Bamm-bamm is the son of which Stone Age couple?
Barney and Betty rubble
Which prime minister of Canada was the 1st to follow in the footsteps of a father who was also prime minister?
Justin Trudeau
What is the artistic term for the radiant light or halo that surrounds sacred or mythological figures in classical art?
Nimbus
Which mobile app started out with the name Picaboo?
Snapchat
Which sport has produced the most winners of the BBC sports personality of the year award?
Athletics
Which South American country was the home of Paddington Bear before he moved to London?
Peru
Which stop-animation film follows the antics of a flock of sheep from mossy bottom farm?
Shaun the sheep movie
Which military crackdown in China, on 4th June 1989, effectively ended a vibrant student democracy movement?
Tiananmen Square
What is the title of the second book in the classic sci-fi hitchhiker series written by Douglas Adams?
The restaurant at the end of the universe – sequel to the hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy.
Which footballer scored after 79 seconds on his debut appearance for England, against Lithuania, in 2015?
Harry Kane
Which of these motorways is the longest – M4, M5 or M6?
M6 – it runs from Rugby in the Midlands to the Scottish border near Gretna. 
In the 1975 film Jaws, Captain Quint famous and crushes account of which brand of beer?
Narraganset
The title of which Aretha Franklin hit is also the name of a former political party led by George Galloway?
“Respect”
How many of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five are boys?
Two
Weighing in at approximately 1400 g what is the most complex object in the known universe?
The human brain
Which savoury sandwich filling was invented by Rosemary Hume in 1953?
Coronation chicken
The flag of which South Asian country looks similar to that of the United States, complete with red and white stripes and a field of blue?
Malaysia
Who is deputy director of the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation?
Leslie Knope - played by Amy Poehler
Which germ fighting mouthwash was once sold as a floor cleaner?
Listerine – created as a surgical antiseptic, it was commercialised to increase sales.
In ballet, a dance performed by two dancers is known as what?
Pas de deux
What are the three main types of honey bees in a hive?
Queen, drone, worker
What is the combine distance of the four track events in the men’s Decathalon in Olympic competition?
2,110m – 1,500m, 400m, 100m and 110m hurdles. 
Which British bridge was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 2015?
Forth bridge – it is Scotland’s sixth world heritage site.
In 1978, which publishing magnate held a fund-raising event to save the then crumbling Hollywood sign?
Hugh Hefner
In which year did the treaty of Paris officially end the American revolutionary war?
1783
What pricey materials, apart from human teeth, did Damien Hirst use for his controversial artwork ‘for the love of God?‘?
Diamonds and platinum – the diamond encrusted skull had a pricetag of £50 million. 
Which company, founded by the British Mogul Sir Richard Branson, has a space plane called SpaceShipTwo?
Virgin galactic
What are the four events in which female artistic gymnast compete?
Vault, floor exercise, uneven bars, balance beam
The Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed sits on the Central Square of which city?
Moscow – it is on red Square.
Which comedy character is known for the catchphrase “am I bovverd?“– Lauren Cooper, Vicky pollard or Waynetta slob?
Lauren Cooper – the outspoken teenager is played by Catherine Tate
Who was the first female prime minister of Pakistan?
Benazir Bhutto – she was elected twice, in 1987 and in 1993.
Who is the owner of the garden that Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit wanders into?
Mr McGregor
Which part of a flower contains bright yellow sacs that produce and contain the pollen grains?
Anther
Which Latin dance style is also the name for a group of rattlesnakes?
Rumba
Which landmark, nicknamed ‘la dame de fer’, is one of the most visited tourist spots in the world?
Eiffel Tower – ‘the iron Lady’ has 7 million visitors per year
How many sentries are on guard at Buckingham Palace if the Queen is in residence?
4 - when her Majesty is not at home, only two senties are on duty
Who paints with a ‘pallet of blue and grey’, according to a 1971 song by “American pie” singer Don McLean?
Vincent van Gogh – the song is “Vincent“, sometimes known as “starry, starry night“.
How many pixels in a megapixel?
1 million
What was the occupation of the winner of the first recorded Olympic event, held in ancient Greece in 776 B.C. – soldier, Cook or actor?
Cook - his name was Coroebus, and he ran a 192 meter footrace
Which is the busiest stop on the London underground?
Waterloo station – as at 2015, 99.2 million passengers per year passed through. 
Which camera shy Australian singer Scored her first billboard top 100 hits as a solo artist with the song “chandelier”?
Sia
What does the A stand for in the name of the government department DEFRA – agriculture, administration or affairs?
Affairs – info, the Department for environment, Food and rural affairs.
Which series of books is set on the island of Sodor?
Thomas the Tank Engine
What was the cost of the first Ford model, ordered by a dentist in Chicago in 1903?
$850
Which Japanese video game company started out producing playing cards?
Nintendo
Of which country are the islands of Islay, Mull and St Kilda located?
Scotland – there are more than 790 islands in Scotland; about 130 are inhabited. 
Which 1995 film, starring Tom Hanks, was promoted with the tagline ‘Houston, we have a problem‘?
Apollo 13 – the film was about the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970
The term ‘yuppies’ was born in which decade?
1980s
Which of these female Shakespearean characters has the most lines - Cleopatra, Juliet, Ophelia or Portia?
Cleopatra – she has about 680 lines compared with Portia’s 590, Juliet’s 540 and Ophelia’s 170. 
Which of the following can elephants do – jump, crawl or swim?
Swim – they can displace a lot of water but, at upwards of eight tons, they are just too heavy to jump
Since 1927, which hymn has been sung before kickoff at the FA Cup final?
“Abide with me”
Tenerife is the largest island in which archipelago?
Canary Islands – named after the Latin word for ‘dog‘, the birds are named after the islands
What was the name of the relentless cyborg played in 1991 by Robert Patrick in terminator 2?
T–1000 – the malleable metal terminator was justly liquefied by hero Arnold Schwarzenegger
In which century was Britain first ruled by a king named George?
18th-century – George I was on the throne from 1714 to 1727. 
The first appearance of Andy Warhol’s commercial art was a 1949 illustration in which magazine ‘for the girl with a job’?
Glamour – it accompanied the article ‘what is success‘. 
The ‘milk’ of which unappetising insect could join kale as our next superfood?
Cockroach – the Pacific beetle cockroach secretes a liquid that is highly calorific and nutritious. 
Which of these wine grapes is not used in white wine – Gamay, Riesling, Semillon or Silvaner?
Gamay
In 1949, Horizon Holidays introduced the first package holidays, including flights. Which Mediterranean island was the destination?
Corsica
Which actor, who coproduced TVs band of Brothers, was instrumental in getting the World War II memorial built in Washington DC?
Tom Hanks
Henry Dunant, founder of the international committee of the Red Cross, was the first recipient of which prestigious award in 1901?
Nobel peace prize - a prize he shared with French peace activist Frederic Passy.
Which Romanian region, known for its mediaeval castles, provided the inspiration for the setting of Bram Stoker’s Dracula?
Transylvania
Which kind of nerves in the human body are called cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sarcal andcoccygeal? 
Spinal nerves
Who did Andy Murray beat in the final to win his first Grand Slam title?
Novak Djokovic – at the US Open in 2012. 
What is the name of the narrow body of water between Sudan and Saudi Arabia?
Red sead
Which Brit with a near perfect US accent first one over American audiences as stone-cold mastermind Stringer Bell in The Wire?
Idris Elba
Which 16th century Italian astronomer’s middle finger is displayed in the Florence history of science museum?
Galileo – a fitting salute to those who jailed him for saying the Sun is the centre of the solar system. 
Jake and Dinos Chapman scandalised the art world when they added clowns and puppies to a legendary series of prints by which Spanish artist?
Goya – His ‘the disasters of war’ series was ‘rectified‘ by the pair to make insult to injury. 
Rubies and sapphires are both variations of which mineral?
Corundum
What is the Japanese name for boiled soya beans?
Edamame
Mexico City was built on the ruins of Tenochtitlán, the Capital city of which lost civilisation?
Aztec empire
The inauguration of which US president was the first to be streamed live on the Internet?
Bill Clinton – it was the inauguration for his second term on the 20th January 1997
Which moustachioed artist designed the logo for a popular Spanish lollipop called Chupa Chups, a branding that has lasted almost 50 years?
Salvador Dalí
Which scientist sailed the HMS beagle to South America including a stop in Galapagos Islands?
Charles Darwin – Darwin based his theory of natural selection on observations from this voyage
For what type of heat does a volleyball setter usually try to prepare a teammate?
Spike
Which London skyscraper is nicknamed the salt cellar?
The shard
What is the name given to The official responsible for announcing the result of a local or Parliamentary election?
(Acting) returning officer
Mark Rylance won a Tony and an Olivier for his portrayal of Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron in which ‘green and pleasant’ play?
Jerusalem
Edward O. Wilson is considered a great modern thinker. Which small but organised critter is the focus of much of his work?
Ant
What are you doing if you make a riposte with a foil, or parry with an épée?
Fencing
Which NYC neighbourhood is home to the Apollo theatre, and is the namesake of the river that separates the Bronx from Manhattan?
Harlem
Susan Boyle won Britain’s got talent the TV show that made her a star.
True or false?
False – she came 2nd to a dance group called diversity
In which decade did it become compulsory for passengers travelling in the front seat of a car to wear seatbelts?
1980s – unless they have a medical exemption, front seat passengers have been required to belt up in the UK since 1983.
The tale of kitty in boots was published in 2016 from a long lost manuscript by which children’s author?
Beatrix potter
In Ernest Hemingway’s masterpiece, what kind of fish did the angler in ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ hook?
Marlin – it’s a big game fish that can be up to 4.2 M long and weigh up to 900 kg.
Fortune cookies, a mainstay of Chinese American restaurants, originated in Japan. True or false?
True — they can be traced back to the 19th century Kyoto. 
Which continent has a capital city where there are the most French people speaking outside of Paris – more than 9 million?
Africa – Kinshasa, the capital of the democratic republic of the Congo.
Which med students travels, before he came a Marxist icon, I celebrated in the 2004 Oscar winning film ‘the motorcycle diaries‘?
Che Guevara
The African country formally known as Rhodesia was named after which English man, who discovered diamonds there?
Cecil Rhodes
What is the title to the 2016 sequel to JoJo Moyes’ 2012 bestselling novel ‘me before you‘?
After you
Which planet is known as the jewel of the solar system?
Saturn – for its many beautiful rings, of course
What is the Palio, a Medieval event that takes place twice a year in the Italian city of Siena?
Horse race – after 800 years, the event still works citizens into a frenzy
Which of these cities is closest to the equator – Cairo, Jakarta, Nairobi or Rio de Janeiro?
Nairobi
Which 2013 film featured an ill-fated expedition to Jupiters moon Europa in search of life?
Europa report
Which is the only country of the United Kingdom to have an official bank holiday every March?
Northern Ireland – for Saint Patrick’s Day; Saint David’s day on the 1st of March is not an official bank holiday in Wales.
What is magma called when it reaches the Earth surface?
 lava – flowing at a cool 1200–2000°F
Which profession practice in 18th century London markets is believed to have given its name to a dark beer?
Porter
Which of the seven wonders of the ancient world still exists?
Great pyramids of Giza – one of which was the tallest structure on the planet for four millennia
Singer songwriter George Ezra enjoy chart success in 2014 with a single that shares its name with which European capital city?
Budapest
From which European country did Bartolomeu Dias set sail on his voyage of discovery around the Cape of good Hope?
Portugal
In 2013, a crater on the planet mercury was named after which early 20th century master of horror?
H. P. Lovecraft
At sea level, what degrees Celsius is pure water freeze?
Zero degrees
Which powdered substance is combined with hot water to make the drink Matcha?
Green tea
Which religious artefact is kept in the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Italy?
Shroud of Turin
Blue Ivy is the child of which to music moguls?
Jay-Z and Beyoncé
Which member of the royal family got married at Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh, in July 2011?
Zara Phillips – to England rugby player Mike Tindall
For which men’s magazine did Hugh Hefner work as a copy writer, two years before launching playboy?
Esquire
What is notable about the collared lemming – it’s coat turns white in winter, it grow special winter claws, or both?
Both
Several thousand tons of sand were shipped to the Horse Guards Parade in London so that it could host which sport during a 2012 Olympics?
Beach volleyball
Which country borders 14 other countries, including Norway, Finland and Poland?
Russia – China also has borders with 14 countries.
Which rodent crime fighter lives in a postbox outside 221B Baker Street, London?
Danger mouse
Which insurance brand-name was introduced in 2002, following the merger of Norwich union and CGU?
Aviva
What type of animal is the first character introduced in ‘the wind in the Willows‘?
Mole
Which organ produces the hormone insulin?
Pancreas
Which British football club, once a European giant, was forced to begin life again in the bottom divisions after being liquidated in 2012?
Rangers FC
What is the name of the island nation directly to the south of India?
Sri Lanka
What is the title of Wes Anderson’s first feature length film about three buddies who go ‘on the lam‘?
Bottle rocket – released in 1996, it stars Wilson brothers Owen and Luke
Who was the British prime minister at the time of the Suez crisis in 1956?
Anthony Eden – he resigned in January 1957
Which artist had her bed moved into her gallery, in 1953, because of her gangrenous leg?
Frida Kahlo
Mushrooms and toadstools can form naturally growing arcs, or circles, which are known by what magical name?
Fairy rings
Which staple of British late night dining was ‘invented’ in Berlin in the 1970s?
The doner kebab – Turkish immigrant Kadir Nurman is credited with introducing the snack to Berlin commuters.
The Roman Catholic nun Mother Teresa is recognised for her missionary work with the poor people of which Indian city?
Calcutta/Kolkata – she was canonised by the Roman Catholic Church in 2016 as Saint Theresa of Calcutta
In which city and its suburbs does Ferris Bueller’s Day off take place?
Chicago
By what shortened name is the office for standards in education, children services and skills commonly known?
OFSTED
Which two super popular hip-hop trio joined forces for 1987’s together forever tour?
Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys
Astronauts from which country are sometimes referred to as ‘taikonauts’?
China
Which aquatic sports shares part of its name with a 13th century explorer?
Water polo – Marco Polo was a Venetian traveller
What is the largest inland body of water in the world?
Caspian Sea
Which British designer handbag brand features are Scotty dog shaped logo?
Radley
Which cabinet office did Jeremy Hunt hold before being appointed secretary of state for health in 2012?
Secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport
Van Gogh’s ear was severed following a fight with which French post impressionist artist?
Paul Gauguin
Which species of shark has a range of vision of nearly 360 degrees?
Hammerhead
Which Scottish football club made headlines around the world with the introduction of its ‘terrifying‘ new mascot, Kingsley?
Partick Thistle
Which food sensitivity plagued Ötzi the ice man, a bronze age mummy found in the Tyrolean Alps?
Lactose intolerance – how do we know? His DNA told us.
Bob Geldof, known for his humanitarian work with the charity Band Aid, first became famous as lead singer of which band?
The boomtown rats – who famously don’t like Mondays
What was the first name of the Zulu king who ruled most of southern Africa in the early 1800s?
Shaka
In Dr. Seuss’ ABC, A is aunt Annie’s what?
Alligator
With 67 known moons as of 2016 (53 confirmed and 14 unconfirmed), which planet in our solar system has the most moons?
Jupiter – it just edges out Saturn which has 53 confirmed, 9 unconfirmed
Which British cycling star and Tour de France winner was born in Belgium?
Bradley Wiggins
Which island in the Bristol Channel is an important habitat for seabirds, including puffins and Manx shearwaters?
Lundy
Philip Seymour Hoffman was Dustin Hoffman’s nephew. True or false?
False – the Oscar winners share the same surname but are not related.
Who was the Labour Party candidate defeated by Boris Johnson in the London mayoral
election in 2008?
Ken Livingstone-He had served as Mayor of London from
2000 to 2008.
Which 2014 science-fiction novel by Jeff Vandermeer was made into a film starring Natalie Portman?
Annihilation – the environmental thriller is about four women scientists in the mysterious area X.
In her years as a research chemist, Margaret Thatcher worked on saponification, the process for making which common household product?
Soap
Which southern US delicacy, often served at breakfast, is made from hominy, a form of dried maze or corn?
Grits
Which country boasts the biggest barrier reef of corals in the world?
Australia – the reef’s 900 islands and 2,900 individual reefs stretch over an area of 133,000 square miles. 
In the 2016 film the secret life of pets, what type of animals are Max, Duke and buddy?
Dogs
Which of these is the highest gallantry award in the UK honours system – Elizabeth cross, George cross or Victoria cross?
Victoria Cross
Who leads the company of the Wolves on the quest to reclaim their treasure from Smaug in J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit?
Thorin Oakenshield – the 13 dwarves and hobbit Bilbo make up Thorin and Company
Which wrist launched flying cameras generated lots of buzz at the 2014 CES electronics tradeshow?
Selfie drones
Which Hollywood star appears as a computerised representation of himself in the ‘call of duty: advanced warfare’ video game?
Kevin Spacey – he plays crooked arms dealer Jonathan Irons
The recipe for which of these place name inspired recipes does not traditionally contain almonds – Bakewell tart, Dundee cake or Welsh cakes?
Welsh cakes
Curtis Jackson is the real name of which rapper turned actor?
50 Cent
The ancient Greek city of Halicarnassus was the birthplace of which historian, commonly referred to as the father of history?
Herodotus
The name for which popular fruit comes from the Arabic word for ‘finger’?
Banana
On which continent do most ospreys spend the winter?
Africa – 4200 mile migration mission takes about 45 days to complete.
Which boxer, known as the Pac man, is also a politician in his home country of the Philippines?
Manny Pacquiao
In which European city would you find the Charles bridge, the Clementinum and St Vitus cathedral?
Prague
BBLB and BBBOTS are spinoff shows from which television programme?
Big brother – big brother’s little brother and big brother’s bit on the side
The ancient Egyptian God Khepri had the body of a man and the head of which insect?
Scarab beetle – he was associated with the creation, the movement of the Sun and rebirth.
Which Channel 4 television presenter and fitness Coach wrote the ‘lean in 15’ series of best selling cookbooks?
Joe Wicks
What is the name of the neon glow emitted by an organism beneath the ocean surface, similar to that of a firefly?
Bioluminescence
Which three players, when making up Barcelona FC‘s formidable attack, became known as MSN?
Messi, Suarez and Neymar
Name the two Spanish ports that are the destination of passenger ferry services from the UK, as at 2016?
Bilbao and Santander
Before moving to Channel 5 in 2008, I’m which terrestrial television channel was Australian soap neighbours broadcast?
BBC One – the Erinsborough soap had been shown on BBC one for 22 years
Natalie Bennett was leader of which UK political party between 2012 and 2016?
Green party
Which musical, based on a collection of T.S. Eliot poems, returned to Broadway in 2016, where it previously had a run of 18 years?
Cats
Which scientist synthesised voice was sampled in a track on Pink Floyd‘s 2014 album, endless River?
Stephen Hawking – the song is called “hawkin talkin“
What are the five colours of the Olympic rings?
Red, blue, green, yellow, black
What is the name of the Hindu spring festival in which participants throw colourful powder on one another?
Holi
Which superhero has an alter ego reported to have the Social Security number 092-09-6616?
Superman – a 1966 issue of action comics revealed this fact about the mild mannered reporter Clark Kent
Which author appears on the first polymer £10 bank note, released by the Bank of England in 2017?
Jane Austen
What was old mother Hubbard searching for in the cupboard?
A bone
What does GMO stand for, in relation to food?
Genetically modified organism
What nationality is Antoine Griezmann, top goalscorer at the 2016 UEFA European Championships?
French – he scored six goals during the tournament
According to the Simpsons creator Matt Groening, in which state is the fictional town of Springfield?
Oregon
In 1967, which female singer became the first African-American to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine?
Tina Turner – she graced the cover of the magazine second issue
What type of animal was adopted by the Medici family as a symbol for their motto, ‘make haste slowly‘?
Turtle – the motto is a popular one. It’s also used by Kikkoman, renowned makers of soy sauce
What name is the secret identity of Wonder Woman?
Diana Prince
Which sport includes trolling, jigging and chumming?
Fishing
What group of elements in the periodic table shares a name with a type of light bulb?
Halogen
In Hawaii, a flower worn over a woman’s right ear indicates that she is single and approachable. True or false?
True
Rigsby, rump and Rasmussen are all characters in which long-running BBC science-fiction favourite?
Doctor Who – they appear alongside the 12th doctor, Peter Capaldi
Which three party leaders resigned within the space of 52 minutes after the results of the 2015 general election were announced?
Nigel Farage, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband
From which Orwellian masterpiece did the phrase ‘Big Brother is watching you‘ originate?
1984
Which fastener did George de Mestral invent in 1948, after noticing that the bird is sticking to his dog had lots of tiny hooks?
Velcro – which is the name for the hook and loop fastener
Before which birthday must participants on the Duke of Edinburgh‘s award scheme have completed their activities in order to receive their award?
25th
Which creature was made an official citizen of the Shinjuku district of Tokyo in 2015?
Godzilla – his birthday is listed as 9th April 1954, the year the big Lizard made his film debut
Which 2015 Little Mix hit invited listeners to ‘take a sip of my secret potion‘?
Black Magic
First introduced in 1921, what ceased to be a legal requirement for cars in the UK in 2014?
Paper tax discs
Which author went into hiding after a fatwa was issued by Ayatollah Khomeini?
Salman Rushdie
Which North American insect migrates up to 3000 miles during the winter after progressing through three or four generations during the summer?
Monarch butterfly – those returning are the great grandchildren of the ones that migrated the year before
In which month does the Great North run take place each year?
September
For what type of extreme weather did December 2015 enter the record books – the wettest, the coldest or the windiest month ever recorded in the UK?
Wettest – with an average rainfall of 230 mm, it was officially the wettest calendar month since records began
In 2016, British record producer Jonas Blue released dance music cover version of which 1988 Tracy Chapman song?
“Fast car“ – it featured the vocals of Richard Singer Dakota, and fell under the genre tropical house
Name two of the three products sold by the first Sainsbury’s store when it opened in Drury Lane, London, in 1869
Milk, butter and eggs
Which author – of the bleak poem ‘the waste land‘ – was a practical joker who made good use of exploding cigars and whoopee cushions?
T.S. Eliot
Which small, aquatic animal is able to withstand the vacuum of space and generally makes it living sucking the juices out of plants?
Tardigrade or water bear – it’s adorable and indestructible
Who stood with the world at his feet before plummeting a world record breaking 39,045 meters to earth on 14th of October 2012?
Felix Baumgartner
What are you most likely to buy in London’s Billingsgate market—meat, fish or antiques?
Fish
Henry VIII’s sister Mary was, by marriage, queen of which European country?
France — She was married to King Louis XII from 1514 until his
death the following year.
Which former James Bond is an accomplished artist, selling his paintings to raise money for his favourite charities?
Pierce Brosnan
Which species is the ‘Robin Hood tree’, which grows in a gap alongside Hadrian’s Wall?
Sycamore - The Sycamore Gap Tree, as it is known, appeared in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Which weather phenomenon gives its name to Lancashire’s men’s Twenty20 cricket side?
Lightning — The women’s side is called Lancashire Thunder.
In which London square would you find four giant bronze lions that tourists love to climb?
Trafalgar square
In which medical drama series does Martin Clunes play Dr Bamford?
Doc Martin
Which of these Welsh symbols was used first on the reverse of UK £1 coins — leek, daffodil
or dragon?
Leek — The leek was first used in 1985, the dragon in 1995 and
the daffodil in 2013.
Which renowned English author dreamed up such characters as Miss Havisham, Oliver Twist and Tiny Tim?
Charles Dickens
What are you afraid of if you suffer from acrophobia?
Heights
What do participants wear in the South Pole 300 challenge, a hot-sauna-to-frigid-air feat
that boasts a 300-degree temperature change?
Nothing but boots–Challengers dart outside stark-naked, except
for footwear.
Which independent European country is located between Spain and France?
Andorra
Which of the other three seasons of the year does not give its name to an annual run of programmes in the BBC Springwatch series?
Summer — Springwatch and Autumnwatch first aired in 2005, and
Winterwatch was added in 2012.
Which of these was not an Anglo-Saxon kingdom — Mercia, Northumbria or Cumbria?
Cumbria
In the film Pitch Perfect, in which singing style do the Barden Bellas perform?
A cappella
A certain species of lemur is the only primate, other than some human beings, to have which physical attribute?
Blue eyes — Found in Eulemur flavifrons, the blue-eyed black
lemur.
What colour are the polka dots on the white jersey awarded to the king of the Mountains in the Tour de France?
Red
Which of these is not a nickname for a London skyscraper – gherkin, cheesegrater or armadillo?
Armadillo – also known as Glasgows Clyde auditorium
Which comedy character bounce back onto our screens, big and small, with Alpha Papa and mid morning matters?
Alan Partridge
Until the 17th century, French wine makers used oil-soaked rags instead of which bottle accessories?
Corks
Which East London Street provided Monica Ali with the title of her booker-nominated debut novel?
Brick Lane
Where in your body would you find the cochlea – eye, ear or ankle?
Ear
The incessant blurring of which colourful instrument dominated the FIFA World Cup tournament in South Africa?
Vuvuzela
The traditional Gaelic festival known as the Beltane celebrates the rival of which season?
Summer
From which Scottish BBC comedy series did a ‘voice operated lift’ Sketch become viral hit worldwide?
Burnistoun
The United States does not have a central bank. True or false?
False – the federal reserve system is the central bank of the United States.
What position did Roald Dahl’s illustrator Quentin Blake hold from 1999 to 2001, the first person to do so?
Children’s laureate
What is the sum of the interior angles of a pentagon?
540 degrees
Name three of the four chess pieces that can move diagonally on a board.
King, Queen, Bishop, pawn
At 12,500 km², lake Vostok is the worlds sixth largest lake, and is on which continent – Asia, Antarctica or Europe?
Antarctica – it’s under 3 km of ice
The last name of which character on the TV show The Big Bang Theory was never revealed?
Penny
What is the oldest native language still spoken in Britain?
Welsh – it’s believed to be more than 4000 years old
In the nursery rhyme ‘there was an old Lady‘, what did she swallow to catch the spider?
A bird – how absurd, to swallow a bird
What bony framework did scientists create using a 3-D printer, which was then implanted inside a patient in Spain in 2015?
A ribcage – made of titanium
‘Ditch the workout, join the party’ is a slogan for which mega dance fitness craze?
Zumba
Ceuta and Melilla, On the north African coast, or outposts of which European country?
Spain
Which offbeat radio station was saved from closure in 2010 after executives were inundated with emails of protest from the public?
BBC6 music – a digital only station
Which particularly bloody World War I battle resulted in nearly 60,000 British casualties on just the first day in 1916?
Battle of the Somme – it lasted another 140 days, inflicting a total of 1.5 million casualties on all sides
Which British artist caused a stir when he anonymously sold his works, worth thousands, for $60 each at a stall in New York’s Central Park?
Banksy
What is the name given to the lustrous grain that has been genetically modified to tackle malnutrition in the developing world?
Golden rice
Which of these sports was not a part of the 2016 Summer Olympics – handball, slalom canoeing, squash or trampoline gymnastics?
Squash
The highest peak in the Caucasus mountains is in which country?
Russia – Mount Elbrus is 5600 m high and the 10th tallest peak in the world
Which daring Canadian filmmaker plumbed the abyss, and took a submersible to the deepest part of the worlds ocean, the challenger deep, in 2012?
James Cameron – fortunately, he wasn’t terminated, and set the record for the deepest solo dive at 10,908 m
Which country shocked it’s predominantly Catholic population and it’s hosts when it closed it’s Vatican City Embassy in 2011?
Republic of Ireland – a slimmed down embassy opened in 2014
Which Pulitzer prize winning historical musical began life as a solo performance at the White House poetry jam in 2009?
Hamilton
HDL and LDL other good and bad versions, respectively, of which compound?
Cholesterol
In 1971, surfer Tom Morey invented the lightweight foam body board and named it what?
Boogie board – spawning the nickname ‘boogers‘ for bodyboard surfers
What is an HP depicted on a bottle of HP sauce?
The Houses of Parliament
Which Ben Affleck thriller is based on a true story of a CIA team that posed as a Hollywood production crew?
Argo – it won the Oscar for best picture in 2013
Whose coffin was followed by 2000 suffragettes in a procession through London in 1913?
Emily Wilding Davidson – the suffragette who threw herself under the Kings horse at Epsom
Which character from Arthur Ransome‘s novel ‘swallows and Amazons‘ underwent a name change for the 2016 big-screen adaptation?
Titty – she became Tatty in a 2016 film version
Which two breeds of dog are crossed to make a Pomsky?
Pomeranian and husky
Prehistoric cave art in Wadi Sura, Egypt, depicts people apparently taking part in which sport – swimming, football or baseball?
Swimming – rock art at the cave of swimmers depicts figures in various ‘swimming‘ positions
Juba is the capital of which African country?
South Sudan
Which model of car did Thelma and Louise, the ultimate Road trip chicks, driving to the Grand Canyon?
Thunderbird – a 1966 turquoise convertible, to be exact
Who became the youngest elected president in Venezuela’s history on the 6 December 1998?
Hugo Chavez
Edvard Munch was inspired to paint the blood red skies of his painting ‘the scream’ in the aftermath of which 1883 volcanic eruption?
Krakatoa – the debris in the sky produced fiery, red sunsets that were seen by people all over the world
Which inventor, who led the field in the science of electricity, was born in a raging lightning storm in what is now Croatia?
Nikola Tesla
Which sports manufacturer, still in operation today, supplied the first balls when the sport of rugby was invented?
Gilbert
In which seaside city did the i360, 162 meter observation tower open in 2016?
Brighton
Which legendary ITV news reader began his broadcasting career in the Caribbean section of the BBC World Service?
Trevor McDonald
Name the two creatures that feature on the royal coat of arms, which is shown on the front of all British passports?
Lion and unicorn
What is the name of the pirate ship in JM Barrie’s Peter Pan?
Jolly Roger
Which of these aircraft, employed in active service by the RAF, it’s not a helicopter - Typhoon, Merlin or Griffin?
Typhoon
Which music streaming service from Sweden was launched in 2008, and by 2016 claimed to have more than 100 million users per month?
Spotify
The tallest mountain in Africa is in which country?
Tanzania – Mount Kilimanjaro reaches an elevation of about 5,895 metres
In which HBO series did ‘the IT crowd’s’ Chris O’Dowd appear as an unhealthy love interest as one of the core cast?
Girls
What title is held by the German head of government?
Chancellor
What is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, at about 2 1/2 hours – Hamlet, Macbeth or Othello?
Macbeth – Hamlet is a 4 hour play and Othello lasts about 3 1/2 hours
Which of these trees is not evergreen – holly, Juniper, spruce or willow?
Willow
In orienteering, which of these coloured courses is considered the most difficult – yellow, white or brown?
Brown – white and yellow courses are for beginners, wild Brown are only for the most experienced orienteers
A word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others is know as what?
E.g. motel, brunch, alcoholic, chocoholic
Portmanteau
Only F1 driver to win the championship posthumously (after death).
Jochen Rindt. Crowned champion on 18th November 1970, two months after his death.
Who is Max Verstappen’s race engineer?
Gianpiero Lambiase
What are human nails made of?
Keratin. A type of protein that forms the cells of your nails.
Keratin also forms the cells of your hair and skin.
Human nails grow after you die. True or false?
False. The skin dehydrates and shrinks which makes it look like the nails have grown.
In the human nail, what are the names of 1, 2 and 3?
1 - Eponychium
2 - Cuticle
3 - Lunula
What was author George Orwell’s real name?
Eric Arthur Blair
What is 50 cent’s real name?
Curtis James Jackson III
In his epic poems, what does Homer refer to as the food and drink of the gods?
Ambrosia (food) and Nectar (drink)
How many times do the hands of a clock coincide in a day?
22
How many stations on the London Underground?
272
What is different about the Galapagos penguin?
Only penguin species to live in the northern hemisphere
What is a group of penguins called?
Rookery
What is a frond?
The leaf or leaflike part of a palm, fern or similar plant
Crack and pussy are varieties of what tree?
Willow
‘Flammable air’ was an early name for which gas?
Hydrogen
What is the book A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust most famous for?
Longest ever novel (its 1,267,069 words is double that of War and Peace)
Dump, floater and wipe are terms used in which sport?
Volleyball
Which material is used in the artform known as scrimshaw?
Ivory or bone
A common addition to the words on a ‘kiss me quick’ hat are ‘squeeze me…’ what?
Slow
Steely McBeam is the mascot of which American football team?
Pittsburgh Steelers
What colour are the spacesuits NASA space shuttle astronauts wear?
Orange
Which French explorer discovered Prince Edward Island?
Jacques Cartier
Which organ in the body acts as a filter for your blood, cleaning it of bacteria and viruses?
Spleen
At what country estate was the World War Two German Enigma code broken?
Bletchley Park
Traditionally, sailors would get a tattoo of what bird after travelling over 5,000 nautical miles?
Swallow
In 1948, the Empire Windrush arrived in London from which Caribbean Island?
Jamaica
Which newspaper in 1906 coined the word ‘suffragette’?
Daily Mail
What is the minimum numbers of players a football team must have for a match to start or restart?
Seven
What is the ‘Battle of Bramall Lane’?
The only match in English football history to have been abandoned due to a shortage of players. Sheffield United vs West Bromwich Albion. 16 March 2002
What is name of the Pringles man?
Julius Pringle
The Dolomites are a famous mountain range you’ll find in which country?
Italy
In which city will you find the famous Széchenyi thermal bath?
Budapest
The landmark Atomium building is located in which city?
Brussels
In which city can you visit the Alhambra Palace?
Granada, Spain
Lucerne is a popular tourist destination located in which European country?
Switzerland
Which Mediterranean island has temples that are believed to be older than the Egyptian pyramids?
Gozo
What year did the Eurovision song contest start?
1956
Who is the F1 safety car driver? From 2000 to present (2022).
Bernd Mayländer
In which European country is Cologne, the city famous for its perfume?
Germany
Which hilarious cult film follows the comeback tour of a British heavy-metal band whose amps go up to 11?
This is Spinal Tap
Which former communist leader had more than 600 documented plots launched against him?
Fidel Castro
How may basic positions of the feet are there in ballet?
Five - No exciting names for them, just first, second, third, fourth and fifth.
Which religious leader was honoured with a series of emojis to commemorate his visit to the US in 2015?
Pope Francis - 52 Popemojis were created for the trip
Fast5 is a modified five-a-side version of which seven-a-side sport?
Netball
The Roskilde Festival of music and culture occurs annually in which lowland Scandinavian country?
Denmark - The 2016 fest attracted 100,000 attendees
Who was the first woman to win the Oscar for best director?
Kathryn Bigelow - For the Hurt Locker
In the 1960s, who did the Anti-Digit Dialing League protest group want to keep in a job?
Telephone operators - San Francisco’s plan for an all-number dialing system would make humans redundant
Which magazine shares its name with a novel by William Thackeray?
Vanity Fair
The Hygiene Hypothesis supposes that kids who play in the first are less prone to allergies and asthma than those who don’t. True or false?
True - The idea is that early exposure to germs raises our immune system’s resistance to such ailments
Which Spanish football club has a policy to only employ players from the Basque region in which it is located?
Athletic Bilbao - A club motto translates as ‘With home-grown talent and local support, you don’t need foreigners’
The Balmoral estate is in which Scottish county?
Aberdeenshire
Which actor, who played Fredo in two Godfather films, was in five movies before his death, each an Oscar nominee for best picture?
John Cazale
For four decades, painting, music and sculpture were Olympic events. True or false?
True - Until they were dropped in 1952
Which three-word Latin phrase means ‘a favour or advantage given to you in return for something you have given to, or done, for someone else’?
Quid pro quo
What is a baby rat called?
Pup
Which sport, played with a broom, is often referred to as ‘Chess on ice’?
Curling
Which country has the longest coastline?
Canada - With more than 125,000 miles of coastline
Which fiery, female comedy legend was responsible for saving Star Trek?
Lucille Ball - Her production company, Desilu, funded the original series when no one else would.
Which London landmark was classed as an antique by US Customs?
London Bridge - Its antique status meant it avoided import duty when it shipped to Arizona in 1968.
Which author was responsible for making Bella Swan and Edward Cullen household names?
Stephenie Meyer - The stay-at-home mum penned the popular Twighlight vampire saga
Which divine nickname was given to the Higgs boson particle?
The God Particle
What was the name of the watersports venue that hosted the rowing events of the London 2012 Olympic Games?
Eton Dorney - Or Dorney Lake
In 2015, the EU granted approval for the construction of an 18km tunnel under the sea between Denmark and which other country?
Germany
What are the names of the three bullies in the Simpsons?
Dolph, Jimbo and Kearney
Who was flying the 1905 aeroplane that hit a bird in Dayton, Ohio, becoming the first pilot involved in a recorded aviation bird strike?
Wilbur Wright
Which famous musician was heavily booed at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 for switching from acoustic to electric guitar?
Bob Dylan
Which brand of computer operating system has offered versions named KitKat, Jelly Bean and Ice Cream Sandwich?
Android - they are all named after something sweet
What colour is the jersey awarded to the race leader in the Tour de France?
Yellow
Who was the first British astronaut?
Helen Sharman
Which two commercial airlines operated Concorde, the first supersonic airliner to shuttle passengers around the world?
British Airways and Air France
Which Canadian-born singer was Oprah’s most frequent guest, appearing 27 times in the 25 years Ms Winfrey was on the TV?
Celine Dion
Which NASA probe entered the orbit of Jupiter on 4 July 2016, after a five-year trek?
Juno
Which breakfast item did artist Andy Brown string together to create a portrait of the queen?
Teabags
Which of these foods is not allowed on the Paleo diet, which tries to mimic the fare of Stone-Age humans - nuts, legumes or meat?
Legumes - Never mind the evidence that beans have been eaten by our ancestors for many millennia
In Belgium, which crispy snack, a national favourite, is sold at the ‘frikot’ stall?
Frites - The Belgian version of chips
By what nickname is the Gravelly Hill interchange of the M6 also known?
Spaghetti Junction
In which month of the year does British Summer Time end?
October - It officially ends on the last Sunday in October each year
For which non-profit organisation did J. K. Rowling work before writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone?
Amnesty International
Play-Doh was originally invented as wallpaper cleaner. True or false?
True
Which sports apparel and accessories manufacturer shares its name with the Greek goddess of victory?
Nike
In terms of both population and area, what is the second largest city in Germany?
Hamburg
Which technology executive began the Lean In movement after writing a book of the same name?
Sheryl Sandberg
Which 1939 film rephrased ‘I’m so glad to be home again’ from a children’s book into a memorable movie catchphrase?
The Wizard of Oz - It became ‘There’s no place like home’
A Maillard reaction occurs when amino acids react with which ingredient, giving browned food a good flavour?
Sugar
What is the nickname for the annual Golden Raspberry Awards that honour the year’s worst movies?
Razzies
Which physicist, known for his theory of gravity, did NASA honour by sending a piece of his apple tree to space in 2010?
Isaac Newton
What does NASA stand for?
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
What is the name of Garfield’s canine companion?
Odie
Which part of the body of Richard I was buried and preserved in a lead box in Rouen, although his other remains were buried elsewhere?
His heart - Fitting for a monarch nicknamed The Lionheart
What was the name of the first yacht to win America’s Cup trophy in 1851?
America - The race was, in fact, named after that boat
The Argentine resort town of Ushuaia is situated in the middle of which fiery archipelago?
Tierra del Fuego
In the television series Battlestar Galactica, what is the mythical 13th colony?
Earth
Which of these institutions is not located in Switzerland? European Court of Human Rights, World Health Organisation or International Olympic Committee?
European Court of Human Rights - Based in Strasbourg, France
WhichEnglish comedian and former psychiatric nurse’s autobiographies are called ‘Look Back in Hunger’ and ‘Can’t Stand Up For Sitting Down’?
Jo Brand
What is the name of the lander that tumbled onto the side of a comet in 2014?
Philae
In which country is the source of the River Rhone?
Switzerland
The Tunguska Event is the name of a massive unexplained explosion that took place in which country in 1908?
Russia
What appears to be melting in Surrealist painter Salvador Dali’s ‘The Persistence of Memory’?
Clocks
