30 Great General Trivia Questions – Be Happy Now & Have More Epic Fun!
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by Archer | | October 8, 2021
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General trivia questions are fun and are here to stay!
I know because I've written many quiz posts that get thousands of hits every month! Why? Because trivia questions are the perfect icebreaker games that not only test your general knowledge skills but help create strong bonds between you and your friends and family.
This is the list of the best questions to ask! So come now, let's play...
Contents
Ultimate List of General Trivia Questions
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Trivia is played mainly with a list of questions prepared in advance on any topic of your choice. The question is shared with a group of individuals or teams by a host, and you play to see who can answer the most correctly. Trivia can be played on any occasion, whether it's a virtual game night at home, a major party, or during a pub quiz.
This is the ultimate list of general trivia questions, a trivia quiz that will put your general knowledge to the test!
Contents
6 Best General Trivia Questions To Test Your Stock Knowledge
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The best quiz question tests you on your common knowledge. It can be about a person, the geography of your country, the world, sport, or even include a bit of history trivia. It's the things you should know. It's possible even a kid will know the correct answers to these ones.
Here are 6 of the best general trivia questions:
1. What countries made up the original Axis powers in World War II?
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Answer
Germany, Italy, and Japan
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You can offer a hint if your players get stuck, but sometimes a good trivia question is a challenge. It makes you dig deep into your memory bank, searching for what you might have learned at school. Perhaps you watched a documentary on the subject. Either way, it's good to rack one's brain sometimes.
2. The first dictionary was written by?
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Answer
Robert Cawdrey
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A fascinating question! The Table Alphabeticall was published in 1604. It was the first single-language English dictionary that listed approximately 3000 words. We can be sure of one thing; the word "Twitter" and "app" didn't make the cut!
3. Who was the first woman pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic?
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Answer
Amelia Earhart
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Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, as a pilot, in 1932. Her distinctions included the Distinguished Flying Cross of the United States and the Cross of the French Legion of Honor. In 1929, she aided in the formation of the Ninety-Nines, a group of female aviators.
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4. How many fighters are playable in 'Street Fighter II'?
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Answer
8
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Capcom's Street Fighter II is a combat fighting game that was first released in 1991. It's the second game in the Street Fighter series. The arcade version was called Street Fighter II: The World Warrior and was more popular than its predecessor, 1987's Street Fighter because the first game only allowed you to control two players.
5. On a dartboard, what number is directly opposite No. 1?
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Answer
19
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Darts, also known as dart-throwing, is a competitive activity where two or more players throw small sharp-pointed projectiles called darts at a round target known as the dartboard. Darts began as a military pastime in England during the medieval era.
6. What is the world's most expensive spice by weight?
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Answer
Saffron
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Saffron is a spice made from the Crocus sativus flower, also known as the saffron crocus. To make one pound of saffron spice, you need about 75,000 saffron flowers. It's extremely expensive because of the limited amount of saffron spice you get per plant, and the harvesting is done by hand.
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6 Randomly Picked General Knowledge Trivia For Everyone
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Fancy yourself some random trivia questions and answers? Well, we've got the best ones. They span different categories but are all a general knowledge question you should know the correct answer to. If not, you may need to brush up and play more fun trivia.
Here are 6 randomly picked general knowledge questions for everyone:
7. How many referees work a soccer game?
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Answer
One
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Did you know a soccer referee is responsible for more than just enforcing the rules of the game? They are in charge of the entire event, including activities that take place before, during, and after. The referee makes the last decision in all matters concerning the game, and his ruling is definitive.
8. What is the nickname of the US state of California?
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Answer
Golden State
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Did you know the internet was born in California in 1969? The first message to ever be sent was two letters, L and O. "Login" was what they were trying to send, but the system crashed.
9. What is Cynophobia the fear of?
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Answer
Dogs
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You have to wonder who could possibly be afraid of dogs. However, the phobia is real. It's estimated that 7 to 9% of people in any given community have cynophobia!
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10. What item is the werewolf most afraid of?
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Answer
Silver
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Werewolves are considered to be mythical monsters. Their tales have been told for centuries and, as a concept, became popular across Europe. Almost every country on the continent had a legend or myth about them. In the United States, around 900 people took out insurance policies against themselves in 1999, just in case they changed into a werewolf on the full moon. Random!
11. Which swimming stroke was introduced into competition in 1952?
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Answer
Butterfly
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You'll never know what kind of question you'll get! Swimming was introduced to the Olympics for the first time in 1896, but the first swimming competitions were held in Japan and dates back to 36BC. Breastroke is the oldest swimming stroke known to man.
12. What does “www” stand for in a website browser?
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Answer
World Wide Web
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You won't need to search this question online now. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a computer scientist in a particle physics facility in Geneva, Switzerland, was trying to figure out how to make it easier for scientists to communicate data from their studies. In 1989, he made his first proposal for an innovation that would dramatically transform the world—the world wide web.
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6 General Knowledge Quiz for Kids
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You can ask about pop culture or something about the latest and best board game, but remember, when playing trivia for kids, consider your audience insights. A question can be about Christmas, a Disney princess, a film, or even the human body; these topics can make for entertaining and easy trivia.
Here are 6 questions for kids:
13. What geometric shape is generally used for stop signs?
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Answer
Octagon
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An octagon is a shape that has eight straight sides of the same length. Stop signs are easy to identify because of their shape, and for many years, they've been red-and-white. The first stop sign appeared on Michigan roads in 1915, but they were actually black and white.
14. Which American president appears on a one-dollar bill?
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Answer
George Washington
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George Washington's wife, Martha, also appeared on the one-dollar bill in 1886. Do you know what some of the Latin on the bill means? It's all about American exceptionalism. "Annuit Coeptis" means "he supports our enterprise," and "Novus Ordo Seclorum" means "new order of the ages."
15. Which restaurant's mascot is a clown?
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Answer
McDonald's
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McDonald's mascot was inspired by another clown, Bozo, the star of multiple television series during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. From his creation, Ronald McDonald has gone through some changes. At one point, he wore a McDonald's cup for a nose and magically pulled hamburgers from his belt. He had a hat too, which held a burger, fries, and milkshake.
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16. How many colors are there in a rainbow?
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Answer
7
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If you've ever wanted to look for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, don't. That's because a rainbow depends on the observer's orientation (you) and the light source (the sun). In other words, it will move with you.
17. What is the name of the largest ocean on earth?
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Answer
Pacific Ocean
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Every year, the Pacific Ocean shrinks by around one inch. This is due to the underwater impacts of plate tectonics. It's happening on three sides of the basin, while the Atlantic Ocean continues to increase at the same rate year after year.
18. What is the rarest M&M color?
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Brown
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Kids would love a question about their favorite candy. Well, did you know originally, brown M&Ms didn't even exist! There was only red, orange, yellow, green, and violet. Peanut M&Ms came out in 1954, and because Forrest Mars was actually allergic to peanuts, he never got to taste his creation.
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6 Funny Questions To Ask During A General Knowledge Trivia Game
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Funny things and strange facts surround us. You can make a fun question out of just about anything! Mixing in funny trivia questions will make your game more amusing. Hopefully, your players will not only learn something new, but the fun fact might even put a smile on their faces.
Here are 6 funny things to ask:
19. What TV series showed the first interracial kiss on American network television?
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Answer
Star Trek
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There is a lot of fun and interesting Star Trek Trivia. In fact, we've got the best compilation! If you want to test just how much of a Trekkie you are, check it out!
20. What is a duel between three people called?
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A truel
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When a trio of people finds themselves in a physical battle, it's a truel. In many circumstances, the person with the best marksmanship does not always win. Like in a duel, each truelist has to try and survive while eliminating their opponents.
21. Who invented the word "vomit"?
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William Shakespeare
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William Shakespeare not only authored many outstanding plays, but he also developed and popularized many terms and phrases that we still use today. "Puking" was first used in Shakespeare's As You Like It and was most likely a translation of the German term "spucken," which means "to spit."
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22. In public places in the state of Florida, what's illegal to do when wearing a swimsuit?
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Answer
Sing
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A funny question indeed. Make sure to avoid karaoke at the beach! There are other weird laws in Florida, like the fact that it's illegal to eat cottage cheese after 6 pm on a Sunday, or if you happen to tie your elephant to a parking meter, you still need to pay the parking fee!
23. In the state of Georgia, it's illegal to eat what with a fork?
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Fried chicken
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The law was passed back in 1961. In 2009 a woman was arrested but luckily was pardoned for the offense.
24. Henry VIII introduced which tax in England in 1535?
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Answer
A beard tax
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Despite having a beard of his own, King Henry VIII of England was exempt from paying the fee. Don't question a king on his rulings! The tax applied to anyone with more than two weeks' growth.
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6 Challenging General Trivia for Adults During Pub Trivia Night
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Flex everyone's brainpower with some challenging and hard trivia questions! The smallest country in the world, a random fact about a Beatle? Perhaps it will ask you about the longest coastline of a particular country! The world is your oyster in this round, and these trivia questions for adults can be about anything.
Here are 6 challenging questions for a pub trivia night:
25. Which monarch officially made Valentine's Day a holiday in 1537?
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Answer
Henry VIII
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England's King Henry VII declared the holiday in 1537. Most people link Valentine's Day with a Roman priest and physician who was killed on February 14, 269. He is thought to have left a note signed, "Your Valentine," before being led away to his death.
26. What was the first soft drink in space?
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Coca Cola
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Pepsi used a pop-top lid, whereas Coke used a screw-top container. Because Coca-Cola officials were the first to enter an application to have their soft drink evaluated on Challenger, astronauts onboard the space shuttle opened the Coke space bottle first.
27. Which is the only edible food that never goes bad?
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Answer
Honey
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You might have wanted the answer to this question to be your favorite treat, but at least honey is sweet. The earliest known sample of honey, dated to around 3000 years ago and discovered in an Ancient Egyptian tomb, was still completely edible.
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28. "Hendrick's," "Larios," and "Seagram's" are some of the best-selling brands of which spirit?
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Answer
Gin
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Gin is the national spirit of England, but it was invented in Holland. During the Dutch War of Independence in the 17th century, the English discovered genever and carried it back with them. 150 years later, the London-style gin we know today was born.
29. What was the first feature-length animated movie ever released?
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Answer
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
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It took 750 artists to complete more than 2 million sketches, and the film included 250,000 drawings. Disney received a special Academy Award for the movie in 1939.
30. What is the correct term for a question mark immediately followed by an exclamation mark?
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Answer
Interrobang
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The interrobang, sometimes known as the interabang, is an unusual punctuation mark that combines the roles of the question mark, or interrogative point, and the exclamation mark, or exclamation point, known as a "bang" in printers' and programmers' lingo.
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How Do You Host A Trivia Game?
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People can take game night pretty seriously. As a host, you've made the right choice of including a trivia quiz. But did you know there are many ways to host this game?
Here are 3 ways to host a quiz game:
Virtual
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A virtual game date is a time of shared excitement! You can play trivia via a zoom call or other virtual platforms.! You can play trivia via a zoom call or other virtual platforms.
Pro Tip: When playing online, it's more fun when the camera is on! Have your list of quiz questions ready before starting the virtual call.
Party
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The original way, at home with your friends and family. Whether it's a big blowout or a quiet get-together, trivia at a party brings joy and competition to the table.
Pub
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You may have seen personalized ads, but pubs are now hosting trivia nights due to popular demand. If your local pub doesn't do a Friday night quiz, perhaps you can offer to host a game for them!
Pro Tip: Consider your number of players. If they're an even number, you can place players into teams or groups.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Now that you've been asked a few questions, you may have some of your own. Here, we've answered a few of the most frequently asked:
Are general trivia questions easy to answer?
This depends on your level of knowledge. A general trivia question usually covers well-known things, like topics you learned at school or have come across growing up. The question could be about news items or random things, like what's the largest bone in the human body or the largest planet in our solar system. Normally, the general topics aren't too hard.
What are the benefits of answering trivia questions?
You can learn so much have some great fun. If you do it with friends, it's a great way to challenge each other and have a good time. Playing these kinds of games also supports cognitive and brain development and helps us to think more creatively.
Who can participate in general trivia games?
Anybody, and everyone! Trivia games are so much fun, and playing them can give a dopamine rush. You feel happy and accomplished when you get a question right. And if you get something wrong, you get to learn something.
Is it true that trivia questions enhance your brain memory?
It sure does! According to research, people who regularly engage in quizzes and similar socially engaging activities have better cognitive function than those who do not. You improve your cognitive skills by answering questions and learning.
I'm a grade 4 teacher. Can you use trivia questions on a general knowledge quiz at school?
Yes. Trivia is perfect for a school quiz. And the best thing is you can find relevant questions for all grades. Whether they're studying the longest river in the world or their current curriculum is covering South America, you can write your own questions or find ones to suit your students.
How could you include a picture round during a pub quiz?
Instead of asking a question, you can use a projector to show a famous figure, and players must guess who it is. You can even show the outline of a country, and they must guess which country it is. Picture rounds are always fun because it adds visually to the quiz game.
Downloadable and Printable List of Great General Trivia Questions
Here is a downloadable and printable jpg/pdf list of Great General Trivia Questions (right-click the image and select Save Image As...):
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More Awesome Trivia Questions
There's no question about it! We know you can't get enough quiz questions, so here are some more awesome trivia!
1. Want a question on your favorite sports team? Check out sports trivia questions for some sporty challenges. It's a quiz made for sports lovers!
2. Think you know everything about Disney? Our Disney trivia questions are set up to test your expertise.
3. This quiz will really evaluate your love for Star Wars. If you think you have what it takes to ace this quiz, then try our Star Wars trivia questions.
In Conclusion
At your next gathering, make sure to pull these general trivia questions out for a bit of fun. Trust me, trivia questions will become an all-time favorite! They're perfect for icebreaker games, and if you save the collection we have, you'll never be stuck looking for questions to ask!
