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2024’s Top 200 Trivia Questions for the Sharp Mind

2024’s Top 200 Trivia Questions for the Sharp Mind

Are you looking for an eclectic collection of trivia? Well, luckily you’ve found it!

This trivia set covers contemporary films all the way to historical battles. It ranges from easy questions to extremely specific. Do you know what year the marathon’s distance was formalized? Or how about the location of certain Seven Natural Wonders of the World? Test yours and your friends’ knowledge with these questions on a game night, and claim the title of reigning trivia champ!

The Best Trivia Questions That Will Baffle Even The Smartest One At The Quiz Table

What was the name of Thomas Hardy’s fictional literary landscape?

Wessex

Which two movies do Richard Gere and Julia Roberts appear together as leads?

Runaway Bride and Pretty Woman

What was the first movie to win Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars?

Shrek

2001 was the first year animated films were separated from all films

What USA Network law show was Meghan Markle on?

Suits

Which river is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Mosi-oa-Tunya (also know as Victoria Falls), located?

The Zambezi River

**Two national parks protect it, located in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

What is the tallest mountain from its base to its peak?

Mauna Kea in Hawaii

**most of the mountain is actually underwater!

How many brains does an octopus have?
Nine. That means there is one for each arm!

Which of the following is NOT a type of cloud: Stratus, Cumin, Cirrus, Nimbus?

Cumin

Cumin is a flower and a common spice.

Which plant is NOT a part of the parsley (umbellifers) family: Carrot, Celery, Beet, Anise

Beet – it is a part of the amaranth family

What is the name of Prince Harry and Prince William’s mother?

Diana Frances Spencer

What periodic element is NOT a noble gas: Argon, Nitrogen, Neon, Helium?

Nitrogen

*nitrogen is a reactive nonmetal

Who bought Twitter in 2022?

Elon Musk

What body of water does the Volga River empty into?

The Caspian Sea

Who wrote Winnie The Pooh?
A.A. Milne

What type of writing did Emily Dickinson write?

Poetry

Which of these countries is NOT a part of the Schengen Zone: Austria, Malta, Slovakia, Ireland?

Ireland

Ireland is a part of the European Union, not the Schengen.

Which Dolly Parton song was released first: 9 to 5, I Will Always Love You, Better Get To Livin’, Coat of Many Colors?

Coat of Many Colors

Coat of Many Colors was released in 1971, I Will Always Love You was released in 1974, 9 to 5 was released in 1980, and Better Get To Livin’ was released 2007.

What missing artists makes up the band xboygeniusx? Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, and…

Phoebe Bridgers

How many levels of hell are there according to Dante?

Nine

Who is the main protagonist of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice?

Elizabeth Bennet

What is the name of the literary device that imitates the sound associated with it?

An onomatopoeia

How many Grammys has singer-songwriter John Prine won?

Two

What country is attributed to creating the French Fry?

Belgium

Even thought it’s colloquially called “French fry,” fries originate from Belgium

According to Greek mythology, who ferries souls across the River Styx?

Charon

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen is a parody of what type of novel?
A Gothic Novel

What is the name of a tentative assumption to test logical consequences in science?

Hypothesis

Who created the U.S. Postal Service?

Benjamin Franklin

Who created the statue of David?

Michelangelo

What U.S. State has the only non-rectangular flag?

Ohio

It was designed by John Eisenmann and may have been inspired by the cavalry’s flag.

What is the hypotenuse of a triangle?

The side opposite of the right angle

It is solvable through Pythagorean theorem!

What goddess was the Parthenon in Greece built for?

Athena

Which fruit is not considered a citrus: Kumquat, Grapefruit, Starfruit, Clementine?

Starfruit – it is a part of the Oxalidaceae family!

What flower represents the remembrance of armed forces who fought in World War I in Europe?

The poppy

Who has country singer Faith Hill been married to since 1998?

Tim McGraw

What song is about The Chicks getting blacklisted from the music industry after criticizing George W. Bush?

I’m Not Ready To Make Nice

**this song was released in 2006 after the 2003 controversy!

Who was the Poet Laureate of the United States in 2007?

Charles Simic

What year did the iPod Nano come out?

2005

What is the capital of the Puglia region in Italy?

Bari

Which is NOT currently a company under the Meta Platforms umbrella: Whatsapp, Instagram, Signal, Facebook?

Signal

Signal is a 501c3!

What was Taylor Swift’s first number one hit in the United States?
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Who wrote the poem “The Wasteland,” published in 1922?

T.S. Eliot

What instrument was featured on the Belgian note before the Euro was adopted?

A saxophone

The saxophone was invented in Belgian by Adolphe Sax!

Who was the last heir to the Habsburg lineage?

Otto von Habsburg

What is the name of a parasite that causes necrotic material build up in a raptor bird’s esophagus?

Frounce

In Dungeons and Dragons, which of the following one is NOT a character class: Mage, Wizard, Sorcerer, or Bard?

Mage

Who wrote and directed the 2018 Pixar short Bao?

Domee Shi

**Domee Shi also helmed Turning Red, a full length Disney feature that released in 2022!

What prince is responsible for Franz Sacher’s creation of Sachertorte?

Prince Kelmens von Metternich

What is the name of a learning technique that assists with memory and the remembering or retention of information?

Mnemonic Device

What does NOT have the colloquial name kiwi: a fruit, a bird, a sandal, a dollar

A sandal

The kiwi is a type of fruit, a flightless bird in New Zealand, and a name for the dollar coin in NZ

Who is credited to coining the term space as we understand it to mean “beyond Earth’s sky?”

John Milton in Paradise Lost

How many animated television series were produced from Akira Toriyama’s series Dragon Ball?

Four

The first aired in 1986.

What was the only European influence allowed to enter Japan during their isolationist “Sakoku” period from 1603 to 1868: the Dutch, the Italians, the French, the Germans?

The Dutch

What Latin word does the phrase “horn of plenty” come from?

cornucopia

What flower is St. Germain liquer made of?

Elderflower

The book Good Omens is written by Neil Gaiman and which other author?

Terry Pratchett

 Who, along with Ryan Tedder, wrote the song Bleeding Love, made famous by Leona Lewis?

Jesse McCartney

Who wrote Sense And Sensibility?
Jane Austen

What is Alfred Nobel famous for inventing?

The blasting cap and dynamite

Who has NOT won Best Actor at the Oscars: Will Smith, Sean Penn, Adrian Brody, Benedict Cumberbatch?

Benedict Cumberbatch

He has been nominated twice for The Imitation Game and The Power of the Dog

What South American country is home to the Galapagos Islands archipelago?

Ecuador

Who did André Leon Talley work in the 1970s before working at W Magazine, The New York Times, and Vogue?

Andy Warhol

What does the acronym BYOD mean in the context of the European Union?

Bring Your Own Device

Which is NOT a red wine: Porto, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Riesling?

Riesling

How many times did Ash Ketchum win a pokeman league championship?

One

Over 26 years, Ash only won one championship!

What is the name of the biome that is a forest in a cold, subartic region?

Taiga

Who played Hannibal Lecter alongside Jodie Foster in The Silence of The Lambs?

Anthony Hopkins

Who is attributed to creating the original interpretation of schnitzel in Vienna?

Johann Figlmüller

What’s the name for a compound that has the same molecular formula but differs in structure?

Geometric isomer

In order, what colors make up the flag of Belgium?

Black, Yellow, Red

What Crimean War battle is Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Charge Of The Light Brigade” about?

The Battle of Balaklava

How many books has Stieg Larsson’s character Lisbeth Salander appeared in?

Six

Her first appearance was in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

What drug is made from the Cinchona tree and meant to treat abnormal heart rhythms?

Quinidine

As of 2023, outside of Paris, which is the next most populated city in Paris: Montpellier, Bordeaux, Lille, Marseille?

Marseille

Who played Eduardo Saverin in the film The Social Network?

Andrew Garfield

Who took the first X-Ray photographs, and has a unit of x-radiation named after him?

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen

What does CTE, the abbreviation for brain injuries linked to repeated head injuries, stand for?

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Which of these is NOT an official Pokemon: Conkeldurr, Fortoise, Wishiwashi, Talonflame?

Fortoise

It is a Nexomon, not a Pokemon.

What was the last dynasty of Portugal to rule in Brazil until the formation of the Brazilian republic in 1889?

The House of Bragança

What was the name of Sabrina’s cat in Sabrina and the Teenage Witch?

Salem

Which of these is NOT a brand of guitar: Yamaha, Gibson, Jacobs, Seagull?
Jacobs

Who voices Hacker in the PBS children’s show Cyberchase: Gilbert Gottfried, Christopher Lloyd, Michael Gambon, Al Pacino?

Christopher Lloyd

Gilbert Gottfried did play Digit!

What is the capital city of Iceland?

Reykjavik

Which of the following is a synonym for “loquacious:” garrulous, deficient, overwhelmed, laudable?

Garrulous

What is the tallest monument in the United States?

The St. Louis Arch, at 630 feet!

How many wives did King Henry VIII have?

Six

Which of these birds is the national bird of Morocco: Moussier’s redstart, Barbary partridge, Red-necked grebe, Arabian buzzard?

Moussier’s redstart

All the other birds are found in Morocco!

Which actor played Malcom in Malcom In The Middle: Chad Michael Murray, Taylor Lautner, Frankie Muniz, Ashton Kutcher?

Frankie Muniz – the show ran for six year, 151 episodes!

What is the name of the villain in Disney’s 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty?

Maleficent

What city in Ireland was the last one the Titantic stopped at before sinking?

Cobh, Ireland

What was the first Pixar Short directed by a woman?

Bao, by Domee Shi

Who is the youngest winner of the Best Actress Oscar?

Marlee Matlin

She won for Children of a Lesser God at age 21!

How many Olympic Medals has Simone Biles won?

Five

What is the name of the movie where Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu in his discovery of CTE in American football players?

Concussion

What is the name given to someone who knows and can use several languages?

A polyglot

Which city in the world holds the record for the most bridges within its city limits?
Hamburg, Germany It is estimated that 2300-2500 are in the city!

Who is attributed for the name “whammy bar” for the device used to bend pitches on an electric guitar?

Lonnie Mack

The pitch-bending in his 1963 song “Wham!” is what gave the device its name!

According to the Guinness World Records, in which of the 50 United States does the oldest dog live as of 2022?

Ohio

He turned 23 years old in December 2022!

The official languages of Barcelona, Spain are Spanish and what other language?

Catalan

How many hydraulic elevators were in operation at the Eiffel Tower in 1889?

Five

In the context of music, what does the abbreviation ASCAP stand for?

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

What character does actor Mike O’Malley play in the 2009-2015 US television show Glee?

He plays Burt Hummel, Kurt’s dad.

As of 2023, which of these Thailand cities has over 200,000 residents: Chon Buri, Surat Thani, Si Racha, or Khon Kaen?      

Chon Buri

What is the word that means “a layer of permanently frozen soil,” generally associated with the taiga and other cold biomes?

Permafrost

Who has NOT won Best Actress at the Oscars: Sissy Spacek, Saiorse Ronan, Reneé Zellweger, Meryl Streep?

Saoirse Ronan

But she has been nominated three times!

What how many square meters are inside of one hectare?

10,000 square meters

What year was actress Olivia Coleman born: 1974, 1980, 1965, 1979?

1974

What is the main flour used in pumpernickel bread?

Rye flour

What is a synonym for “prosopopoeia:” personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, allusion?

Personification

Which of these is NOT a part of an electric guitar’s anatomy: Body, Neck, Nut, Hip?

Hip

What is the name of the dog Pongo’s mate in the Disney movie One Hundred And One Dalmations?

Perdita

What year was the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, establish as the first indigenous and independent university of Nigeria?

1955

How many islands make up the Malta?

Five

They are Malta, Gozo, Comino, and the uninhabited Kemmunett and Filfla.

What stroke does swimmer Michael Phelps specialize in?

The Butterfly

What year did the Soviet Union launch Sputnik 1 into space?

1957

Which of these words means “the study of the origin of words:” endocrinology, etymology, entomology, or ethology?

Etymology

Endocrinology is the study of the endocrine system, entomology is the study of bugs, and ethology is the study of animal behavior.

What is a synonym of the word “zilch:” glitch, zero, lurch, ditch?
Zero

Which city in Poland is considered the first capital of Poland: Warsaw, Kraków, Gniezno, or Poznań?

Gniezno, until 1039.

What year was the marathon distance of 26 miles and 365 yards solidified?

1908, during the London Olympics.

What word is defined as “an apparatus for measuring the work performed  (as by a person exercising)”?

Ergometer

What year did the “Great Schism” take place in Christianity?

1054 CE

Who wrote the short story “Rip Van Winkle?”

Washington Irving

Which of the following is largest landlocked country in the world: Kazakhstan, Botswana, Mongolia, or Mali?

Kazakhstan

Which of these is NOT a type of Italian pasta: Bigoli, Gigli, Bucatini, or Astragali?

Astragali – it is a dried root a part of the pea family!

Who wrote the novel Les Misérables?

Victor Hugo

What year was the Erie Canal completed in the United States?

1825

What United States city does country music band Rascal Flatts originate from?

Columbus, Ohio

In terms of word origin, what item do gladiator and gladiolus have in common?

Sword – Latin’s gladius means sword, and gladioli have sword-shaped leaves!

What mountain range do Monarch butterflies from the Eastern United States migrate to in the winter?

The Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico

What is a most common religion in Nepal according to the 2011 Census?

Hinduism

At over 80%!

What -ology word means “the study of the hair and scalp?”

Trichology

What island was Napoleon exiled to the second time, and where he consequently died?

Island of Saint Helena

Which of the following is NOT a synonym of “sprauchle:” clamber, stump, scramble, or sprawl?

Stump

What name was Led Zeppelin initially formed under in 1968?

The New Yardbirds

What river splits the city Budapest into its respective Buda and Pest?

The Danube River

What was the first mass produced hybrid automobile?

Toyota Prius

Who invented the fantastical character the Jabberwocky?

Lewis Carroll

Which of these actors is NOT in the Mamma Mia movie franchise: Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgåd, Hugh Grant, or Pierce Brosnan?

Hugh Grant

What scientist is the movie The Theory of Everything about?

Stephen Hawking

Which of these is NOT a county in the Republic of Ireland: Donegal, Dublin, Cork, or Dingle?

Dingle is a town in County Kerry

What town was closest to the No. 4 Nuclear reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and still remains abandoned today?
Pripyat

What does the acronym GPU stand for in the context of computer and intel?

Graphics processing unit

What year did the New Orlean’s Saints win their first American Football Superbowl?

2010

As of 2022, who is the last remaining original member still playing in Uriah Heep?

Mick Box, the original guitarist

How many Earth years is the length of a year for Uranus?

84 Earth Years

What type of planet is Pluto considered as of 2022?

A dwarf planet

What is the name of the most common vent allowing air to escape from a hot air balloon?

A parachute vent

When was the city of New Orleans considered part of the United States?

1803, after The Louisiana Purchase

What is Weird Al Yankovic’s middle name: Matthew, John, Gabriel, or William?

Matthew

What century did the herb dill start getting added to the cucumber pickling process?

900 CE

Who is the coxswain relative to rowing?

The steersman who directs rowers

Minerva was the Greek goddess of which of these traits: wisdom, beauty, machinery, or autumn?

Wisdom

Which is NOT a movie Daniel Radcliffe has acted in: Guns Akimbo, Imperium, Trainwreck, or Baby Driver?

Baby Driver

What gas leaked and caused the Hindenburg to explode in 1937?

Hydrogen gas

In Greek mythology, the necklace of Harmonia was a gift from which god: Hermes, Helios, Hephaestus, or Hymenaios?

Hephaestus, the blacksmith god – and it brought misfortune to its owners!

Which Native Peoples tribe in the United States originally settled in the city now know as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

The Lenape

When does the pantomime, a style of British theatre, typically take place during the year?

The Christmas season

Whose lobbying and influence on the United States market led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration in the early 1900s?

Henry Heinz

What year did the first zeppelin make its initial flight?

1900

Who painted the famous painting Saturn Devouring His Son?

Francisco Goya

What American poet created ‘the duplex’ form in poetry?

Jericho Brown

What day is Guy Fawkes Day in Great Britain?

November 5th

What plant that makes up the beverage yerba mate related to: holly, maple, sunflower, or daffodil?
Holly

Which of the following is an antonym for the word “recalcitrant:” agreeable, obstinate, malicious, or radical?

agreeable

John Witherspoon, an original signor of the United State Declaration of Independence, was president of which university in 1776: Princeton, Yale, Harvard, or Brown?

Princeton

When the temperature reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit during their football game, the Philadelphia Eagles drank what to maintain their endurance: pickle juice, orange juice, apple juice, or broccoli juice?

Pickle Juice

What brand car was Ken Miles driving when he crashed and died in 1966?

Ford

What note is NOT a part of the standard open ukulele tuning: G, A, B, or E?

B

Mars has two moons, one named Deimos and the other named:

Phobos

In what country is the Soberania National Park located: El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, or Venezuela?

Panama

What year was Nicaragua’s national anthem chosen: 1904, 1912, 1916, or 1918?

1918

What type of flower is the narcissus?

Daffodil

How old was Venetia Burney when she named Pluto in 1930?

11 years old

Which province of Canada touches the Great Lakes of North America: Nunavet, Ontario, Alberta, or New Brunswick?

Ontario

Which of the following is NOT considered one of the six major types of corn: flint, dent, pod, or meal?

Meal – meal is a ground corn as opposed to a major type.

What book is the 1995 movie Clueless modeled after?

Emma by Jane Austen

What the name for the top portion of a turtle’s shell?
Carapace

What country is the Hagia Sophia located in?

Turkey

What is the name for the person who makes wooden barrels?

A cooper

What animal was used to represent the Department of Motor Vehicles in the animated movie Zootopia?

Sloths

What was Istanbul, Turkey, previously called until officially changed in 1930?

Constantinople – after Constantine the Great!

Who is NOT one of the four main characters in the show Sex And The City: Samantha, Charlotte, Carrie, or Elizabeth?

Elizabeth – the fourth member is Miranda

What word means to “to cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters:” exfoliate, extrapolate, expunge, or expound?

Exfoliate

What type of flower is the lotus flower: perennial, annual, autumnal, or solstician?

Perennial

How many liters does a typical Madeira Drum hold: 450, 500, 650, 800?

650

What is the main medical use for liquid helium?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines

What is Dale Chihuly’s primary art medium?

Glass

What is the name of the Swedish government run liquor stores: Systembolaget, Julmust, Fläderblomsaft, or Ölsupa?

Systembolaget – the rest are non-alcoholic beverages popular in Sweden!

Which actress is mother to Jamie Lee Curtis and starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 movie Psycho?

Janet Leigh

What was the most popular boys name in Portugal in 2016: Santiago, Miguel, Gabriel, or Martim?

Santiago – the other names rank 8th, 11th, and 5th, respectively

In Greek mythology, Helen was the daughter of Zeus and which woman?

Leda

When she landed her backflip at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Surya Bonaly had injured this part of her body: wrist, Achilles’ tendon, knee, or ankle?

Achilles’ tendon

Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting For Godot revolves around two characters named Estragon and…?

Vladimir

From the show Jersey Shore, Snooki’s real first name is: Debra, Emily, Nadine, or Nicole?

Nicole

Who is the only actor to play Dr. Who twice?

David Tennant – he will be in the 2023 series release, and previously played the 10th Doctor.

What is the minimum alcohol content required in gin, according to EU law: 25.5, 30, 37.5, or 39%?
37.5

What 2002 show, starring Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres and others, only consisted of one fourteen-episode season?

Firefly

Although it is credited to Jacob Grimm, Grimm’s Law in English was first remarked by which scientist: Max Müller, Rasmus Rask, Franz Bopp, or August Schleicher?

Rasmus Rask

The Prose Edda, a piece of ancient Icelandic literature, was written by Snorri Sturluson in which century?

The 13th (1200s) – its considered the fullest detailed source of Germanic mythology!

Who organized the first major chain of newspapers in the United States in the 1890s?

Edward Willis Scripps

Which country can claim they invented the first instant soluble coffee in 1890?

New Zealand – by David Strang of Invercargill!

I hope you learned something new and got to show off your trivia skills!

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Maddie Corley