Trivia questions

[xiphias]

I'm doing a trivia game for the kids tonight at our indoor-because-it's-raining Lag B'Omer party at the shul.

I really ought to write some questions for it.

So therefore, I turn to you, my friends -- any good suggestions for trivia questions, on any subject, suitable for an audience ranging in age from, oh, five or so to, oh, maybe thirteen or so?

Comments

[arib.livejournal.com]

Specifically Jewish-related or no?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Some can be, but not all.

[rosefox]

I bet patgreene would have tons of 'em: she's a past Jeopardy contestant and mother of three.

[mattblum.livejournal.com]

I can provide a few for the younger end of that set, assuming that they don't have to be related to Judaism in any way. My questions are all ones my son could answer, which may or may not make them good for little kids in general. Here they are (answers in white text inside the parentheses after each question for the non-obvious ones):

What character on Sesame Street is a blue fruit bat? (Rosita)

What's the name of Elmo's goldfish? (Dorothy)

What's the name of the purple kangaroo on Blue's Clues? (Purple Kangaroo)

What was the name of the mission when Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins went to the moon?

A few for the somewhat older kids...

What's the capital of Massachusetts?

What's the capital of the United States?

Who was the first President of the U.S.?

And a few for the older end (these are questions I could've answered when I was 13)...

What was the first state? (Delaware)

What city was the capital of the U.S. when George Washington became President? (New York)

In what year will the next U.S. Presidential election be held?

Where was the first shot of the American Revolutionary War fired? (Lexington, despite what Emerson would have you think)

----
That's all that come to mind right now. Must go do work (that is, the kind I'm getting paid to do). Have fun!

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

The first President of the United States was John Hansen.

[mattblum.livejournal.com]

Hanson, actually. But he was only President of Congress, really, and it was under the Articles of Confederation, which provided such a weak federal government that Hanson probably couldn't have issued an order that he be given the time of day.

Come to think of it, that probably is what I'd've responded to that question when I was young. But I was/am a smartass, and a student of Presidential trivia.

If somoene gives that answer, ask them "Who was the 12th President of the U.S.?" If they say "Zachary Taylor," they're technically right but sorta kinda wrong, depending upon who you ask. If they say "David Rice Atchison," they're even more of a smartass than I was at that age, which I'm pretty sure is an accomplishment.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Let's see, I'm used to writing for adults, but if I were writing for kids, especially the wide age range you have...

What do the following mnemonics stand for? "Roy G.Biv." "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge" "HOMES" (colors of the rainbow, line notes on the treble clef in music, the names of the Great Lakes)

How many people were killed in the Boston Massacre? Who defended the accused soldiers?

What does the First Amendment to the Constitution protect?

Who created the first telescope?

What is the largest planet? What is the smallest?

Who painted the Mona Lisa?

Who said "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"? Where was he when he said it?

Which of the following are reptiles, and which amphibians? Alligator, newt, toad, snake, caiman, komodo dragon, salamander

What do a kiwi bird and an ostrich have in common?

Which of the following are cats? lynx, jaguar, coyote, wolf, guinea pig, hyena, meerkat

How many companions made up the Fellowship of the Ring?

Who lived with her friends in "an old house in Paris all covered in vines?"

Who tries to get his friend to eat green eggs and ham?

In "Are You My Mother", what sort of thing is a "snort"?

What continent is sometimes referred to as "Down Under"?

What continent has only one country on it? (You may need to explain that Antarctica is not a country)

How many stars are on the American flag? What did they represent? How many stripes are on the American flag? What do they represent?

What was the last state to become a state?

Who are Dorothy's companions when she goes to find the Wizard of Oz?

In "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH," what is Timothy sick with?

In "The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler," where do Jamie and her brother run away to?

What is a Nimbus 2000?

What are the names of the four houses at Hogwarts?

One they surely know: what was Moses' brother's name? his sister?

And finally... Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? : D


I hope this helps... I can probably think of others later.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Let's see how many of those I know. . .
five, John Adams; religion, speech, the press, and assembly; Galileo; Jupiter, and Pluto if you think Pluto actually is a planet and not an escaped moon or something; Leonardo; Neil Armstrong, and a soundstage in Hollywood (KIDDING! Don't kill me); aligator, snake, caiman, and komodo dragons are reptiles; umm. . . they're flightless birds?; lynx and jaguar; eight?; Madeline; Sam I am; a steam shovel?; Australia; ditto; fifty, the fifty states, thirteen, the thirteen original states; Hawaii?; The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto; some sort of fever but I don't remember details; a museum. . . the Met?; a broomstick; Griffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin; SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!

I was also putting together some "what house is this character in" questions: Blaise Zambini, Sara Boot, and the like. You can often tell just from the name: JKR is good like that.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

I sort of figured you'd know these, as you're older than thirteen : )

"Flightless birds" was what I was going for; there are nine members of the fellowship; Timothy had pneumonia; and they ran away to the Met.

You could also ask "What does Mach 1 stand for?" "What is a baby elephant callled?" "Where is the Kentucky Derby run each year, and how old does a horse have to be to run in it?" "How many players on a hockey team?" "How long is a marathon?" "How many rings are there in the Olympic logo, and what colors are they?" "What is a baby kangaroo called?" "How many minutes does it take light to reach the earth from the sun?" Who sent Louis and Clark on their famous expedition?" "In what state would you find the Alamo?"

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Another couple I'd thought of:

If you want to pot a wink using your squidger, but you can't, because the wink is squopped, then you are playing what game?

If the bowler bowls the ball at the batsman, and the ball hits the stump and knocks the bail off the wicket, then what game are they playing?

Oooh, a kiwi question got taken!

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

Let's see...

Very hard: Here's one...what do guinea pigs and capybaras have in common? Both rodents--capybara is the largest member of the family, and they look very much alike.

Who is Aslan?

What did Bilbo Baggins forget to put in his pocket when he left on his journey with the dwarves? A handkerchief.

Name the science officer of the U. S. S. Enterprise. (any version thereof!)

What color do you get when you mix blue and red?

Name a wildflower with heart-shaped green leaves and purple or white flowers. The violet.

What common plant is named after a dangerous animal? The dandelion.

Oh, and just because I HAVE to, what is the national animal of New Zealand? The kiwi!

What do you call a New Zealander? A kiwi.

What bird has been declared an honorary mammal? A kiwi.

What flightless bird can pull a worm as big as a garden hose out of the ground? A kiwi.

What is the only bird in the world that has its nostrils at the end of its beak? The kiwi!

So there!

[querldox.livejournal.com]

I've a personal fondness for "What gas keeps the Goodyear blimp afloat?", which both my nieces were able to answer at ages 7-8 and which won me $20K on a game show.

What's Batman's real name? What's Superman's real name? OK, what's Superman's *other* real name (i.e. Clark Kent and Kal-El). What President resigned from the office? Who is Luke Skywalker's father? Who is Princess Leia's mother?

Ah, an idea; go to the 20th season Jeopardy! archive and look at the Back To School and Kids Week games for possible topics.

[beckyzoole.livejournal.com]

Jewish related:
Who was the first Prime Minister of Israel?
Who is the Prime Minister of Israel right now?
Who said Im tirtzu ein zo agadah ("If you will it, it is no dream")?
Who said Im ein ani li, mi li? Im ani l'atzmi, ma ani? V'im lo achshav, eimatai? ("If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?")?
Who wrote Yerushalayim shel Zahav?
Who was the oldest man in the Torah?
Judah Maccabee had four brothers. What are their names?
Whose plot to kill the king did Mordechai discover?
Who was Ruth's mother-in-law?
Who was Moses' father-in-law?
What is the very first word, in Hebrew, in the Tanach?
What is the very last word, in Hebrew, in the Tanach?
What was the first mitzvah that G-d gave Adam and Eve?
What was the first mitzvah that G-d gave the Jewish people after we left Egypt?
How many commandments are there in the Torah?
In the song Chad Gadya, who bought the little goat and how much did it cost?
Who wrote the song L'cha Dodi?
What was Simon bar Cochba's real name?

What about an old chestnut?

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

Who cut Samson's hair off? I seem to recall that Delilah sent for a barber and had him do it, which stumps most people.