I've been playing trivia games with my family since I was a kid. I'm pretty good at it, but nobody could ever beat my dad (or later, my husband). I wrote these trivia questions with my dad and husband in mind, but I also made sure there were enough easier ones so kids could feel successful, too. So bust out your thinking caps and get together for a fun-filled family trivia night with our trivia questions and answers — and be glad my dad and husband aren't there so everyone has a chance.
Movies Trivia Questions & Answers
Who's the ultimate film buff in your family? Our movie trivia questions range from easy to stumpers to see who knows the most about film.
What Indian film genre features elaborate dance numbers?
Bollywood
In the movie Peter Pan, what did the crocodile swallow?
An alarm clock
Which famous musician wrote the songs for The Lion King?
Elton John
What species is Chewbacca in Star Wars?
Wookie
What is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time?
Marvel Cinematic Universe
What was the first talkie film?
The Jazz Singer
What grunge music legend did Bradley Cooper consult before filming A Star Is Born?
Eddie Vedder
In which Marvel movie did Captain America lift Thor's hammer?
Endgame
What was the first Marvel movie where all six Avengers came together?
The Avengers
What is the highest-grossing Christmas film ever?
What is the lowest grossing movie of the Star Wars franchise?
The Empire Strikes Back
Related: I Stumped My Family of "Star Wars Experts" With Our Star Wars Trivia. Can You Beat Them?
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's slippers were what color?
In the book, they were silver, and in the movie, they were red.
What were the first words ever spoken by Mickey Mouse?
Hot dogs!
In the movie Alice in Wonderland, what color does the Queen want her roses colored?
Red
Which classic movie from 1976 was filmed in only 28 days?
Rocky
What was the very first Disney movie?
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
What is the name of Harry Potter's pet owl?
Hedwig
What 2023 summer blockbuster featured the tagline, “She’s everything. He’s just Ken.”
Barbie
What color pill did Neo take in The Matrix?
Red
When Forrest Gump stops running and says, “I’m pretty tired, I think I’ll go home now,” where is he?
Monument Valley in Arizona
What breed of dog is Verdell in As Good as It Gets?
Brussels Griffon
The ride Tower of Terror at Disney’s California Adventure Park used to be Twilight Zone-themed, but it was closed and replaced by a similar ride based on what movie series?
Guardians of the Galaxy
What kind of shoes did everyone in the movie Idiocracy wear?
Crocs
In Casablanca, who says, “Play it again, Sam.”
Nobody. It’s a common misquote.
What was the first movie Tom Hanks appeared in?
He Knows You’re Alone
TV Trivia Questions & Answers
There's more TV to watch (and stream) than ever before! So if you're a TV lover, try your hand at our TV trivia questions.
What type of animal is the beloved PBS kids’ character Arthur?
An aardvark
What was the first TV show Selena Gomez appeared in?
Barney and Friends
What was Jason Bateman’s first TV show?
Little House on the Prairie
What TV show is credited with first using Google as a verb?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
In the US TV show, The Office, who was the Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton before Michael?
Ed Truck
Related: 100+ The Office Trivia Questions: A Dunder Mifflin Deep Dive
What's the name of the fictional town where Gilmore Girls is set?
Stars Hollow
In the television series Grey’s Anatomy, what were the names of the doctors otherwise known as McDreamy & McSteamy?
Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloane
Related: 60+ Ultimate Grey's Anatomy Trivia Questions & Answers for Superfans
What was the name of the very first TV reality show?
Candid Camera
What was the name of the faux reality series where one person thought he was competing to become a bounty hunter, and the rest of the cast were actors?
The Joe Schmo Show
In what city did Oprah start her television broadcasting career?
Baltimore
What cable television channel launched at 12:01 AM on August 1, 1981?
MTV
What was Star Trek’s prime directive?
Non-intervention with alien species
Who hosted the very first episode of SNL?
George Carlin
What show did Mary Tyler Moore star in before she starred in The Mary Tyler Moore Show?
The Dick Van Dyke Show
What brother and sister duo’s variety show featured a regular segment called A Little Bit Country, a Little Bit Rock n’ Roll?
Donny & Marie Osmond
What production company produced the Star Trek original TV series?
Desilu
What reality TV competition features Alan Cumming as its campy host?
The Traitors
When Seinfeld ended, where did the gang find themselves?
In jail
What is the most-watched television program of all time?
The Apollo 11 moon landing
What news anchor was the “most trusted man in America?”
Walter Cronkite
What is the longest-running show on television?
General Hospital
On the TV show Frasier, what type of dog was Eddie?
What was the name of the first-ever winner of Survivor?
Richard Hatch
What was the name of the band that recorded the Friends theme song, "I'll Be There for You?"
The Rembrandts
What was the name of the winner of the very first season of The Bachelor?
Amanda Marsh
Related: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader Trivia Questions to Put You to the Test
Music Trivia Questions & Answers
From classical to pop, we love music. Is anyone in your family a music trivia expert?
What famous pop star was born with the name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta?
Lady Gaga
What is rapper Diddy's real name?
Sean Combs
Name the pop star who once starred in the Disney show Hannah Montana.
Miley Cyrus
Related: 101 Disney Trivia Questions That'll Take Your Family to Infinity & Beyond
What was Miley Cyrus’s father’s breakout hit in 1990?
“Achy Breaky Heart”
Who do critics and fans agree that Don McLean was referring to when he mentions The Jester in “American Pie”?
Bob Dylan
Which pop star has fans who call themselves "Swifties?"
Taylor Swift
Who is often referred to as The King of Pop?
Michael Jackson
What is Madonna's last name?
Ciccone
What was the name of the band that Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament played in before they were Pearl Jam?
Mother Love Bone
What was the name of the original drummer in The Beatles?
Pete Best
What was the name of Justin Timberlake's first solo album?
Justified
What is the spoken poem at the end of Moody Blues’s “Nights in White Satin” called?
“Late Lament”
What is the largest type of saxophone?
Subcontrabass saxophone
How many keys does a piano have?
88
What instrument does the singer Lizzo play?
The flute
Who was the opening act at Woodstock in 1969?
Richie Havens
What are the four voices in a barbershop quartet?
Lead, tenor, baritone, and bass
In what period did JS Bach compose his music?
The Baroque Period
What is the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey also known as?
“Also sprach Zarathustra”
What differentiates the oboe, bassoon, and English horn from other reed instruments?
They have double reeds. The rest have single reeds.
What is the standard tuning for the A above middle C?
440 Hz
What Liszt piece is considered one of the most difficult compositions for piano ever?
“La Campanella”
What cantata is the piece “O Fortuna” from?
“Carmina Burana”
According to Wayne and Gareth, what is the top misheard lyric?
“Excuse me while I kiss this guy.” (‘‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky.”)
Who were Glenn Frey and Don Henley touring with when they decided to form the Eagles?
Linda Ronstadt
Literature Trivia Questions
Do you have readers in your family? If so, these literature trivia questions ranging from easy to hard should be right up their alley.
What famous book did author A. A. Milne write?
Winnie-the-Pooh
What Dr. Seuss book features Thing 1 and Thing 2?
The Cat in the Hat
What beloved children’s character did Barbara Park create?
Junie B. Jones
What’s the name of the children’s book character that created worlds with a purple crayon?
Harold
What's the name of the author of the children's poem compilation Where the Sidewalk Ends?
Shel Silverstein
What mischievous Beverly Cleary character terrorized her classmates in Portland, Oregon?
Ramona Quimby
Who wrote the children’s book Jumanji?
Chris Van Allsburg
What fictional school’s motto is “Never tickle a sleeping dragon”?
Hogwarts
What is the answer to everything according to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
42
What book opened with the line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,"?
A Tale of Two Cities
Who was the “face that launched 1,000 ships”?
Helen of Troy (or Helen of Sparta)
What literary device is used in The Canterbury Tales?
A frame tale
What was Mr. Darcy’s first name?
Fitzwilliam
What type of car did Jay Gatsby drive?
A yellow Rolls Royce
What Colorado hotel inspired Stephen King to write The Shining?
The Stanley Hotel
Name the first book (chronologically) in the Chronicles of Narnia series.
The Magician’s Nephew
What author created the detective story genre?
Edgar Allan Poe
In what language was Albert Camus's The Stranger originally written?
French (L’Etranger)
What was William Shakespeare’s wife’s name?
Anne Hathaway
Who declined the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for literature?
Jean-Paul Sartre
In a library, what are the stacks?
The main bookshelves
What is the name of the first spirit to visit Ebenezer Scrooge?
Jacob Marley
In Merchant of Venice, who wanted his pound of flesh?
Shylock
How many of Emily Dickinson’s poems were published while she was alive?
10
What's the title of the book featuring Holden Caufield?
The Catcher in the Rye
Seasonal & Weather Trivia
How much do you pay attention to as the seasons change? We have weather and seasonal trivia to test your knowledge.
What colors are in a rainbow?
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet
How many points does a snowflake have?
6
Where was the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth?
Vostok, Antarctica (-128.6°F or -89.2°C)
What Catholic holiday is celebrated on November 1?
All Saints' Day
What's a dust storm called when it mixes dirt with wind?
A black blizzard
How many months in winter does near-total darkness, known as polar night, last in Utqiaġvik, Alaska?
2 months
Who was the month of January named after?
The Roman god Janus
Which Sunday in February accounts for the second-highest food consumption in the US for the entire year?
Super Bowl Sunday
Related: 47 Festive & Fun February Trivia Questions & Answers
What is March’s birth flower?
Daffodil (Check out more March trivia!)
What meteor shower happens over 10 days in April running from approximately April 16-26?
The Leonids (Discover more April trivia.)
What are the three zodiac signs of spring?
Aries, Taurus, Gemini (more spring trivia)
According to the poem, Marry in May and you’ll what?
Rue the day
Norma Jean Mortensen was born on June 1, 1926. What does the world know her as?
Marilyn Monroe
Where was the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth?
Death Valley (134.1°F on July 10, 1913)
Who was the month of July named after?
Julius Caesar
A traditional Christian holiday in the UK celebrates the wheat and corn harvest on August 1. What’s it called?
Lammas Day
This “national” day occurs on September 29 every year. It’s probably huge in Seattle. What is it?
National Coffee Day
What was fall originally called?
Harvest
Related: 60 Fall Trivia Questions That Just Might Stump You
What are October’s birthstones?
Opal and tourmaline
What is November named for?
Novem, the Latin word for 9
What rock god turned reality TV star was born on December 3, 1948?
Ozzie Osbourne
What type of weather is hotter than the surface of the sun?
Lightning
Related: 70 Striking Weather Trivia Questions That Will Wow Any Crowd
What type of weather is graupel?
A soft form of hail
What are hurricanes that form over the South Pacific and Indian Ocean called?
Cyclones
What is the snowiest city on the planet?
Aomori City, Japan
Sports Trivia Questions & Answers
Calling all sports fans! Test your knowledge of different sports with our sports trivia questions.
What is the most popular sport in the world?
Football (soccer)
What fictional sport features a quaffle and a bludger?
Quidditch
What chess piece can move in a diagonal direction?
The Bishop
What is the “fastest 2 minutes in sports”?
The Kentucky Derby
How long is a marathon?
42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards)
What is the official sport of Alaska?
Dog sledding
What motorsports event is held in the US every year on Memorial Day?
The Indianapolis 500
What type of speed skating does Apollo Ohno do?
Short track speed skating
The longest winning streak in college football lasted 47 games between 1953 and 1957. What university holds the record?
University of Oklahoma
Related: College Football Trivia
Who did Johnny Carson dub Mr. Baseball?
Bob Uecker (Love baseball? We have more baseball trivia!)
What sport has a gully and a fly slip?
Cricket
What movie with the subtitle, A True Underdog Story, is about one of grade school’s most dreaded gym class sports?
Dodgeball
Who scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics?
Nadia Comaneci
Who holds the record as the fastest man in the world?
Usain Bolt
What Seattle Seahawks player caused a seismic event called the BEASTquake in 2011?
Marshawn Lynch
Which biennial golf event pits the US against Europe in tournament play?
The Ryder Cup
How many NBA championships did Michael Jordan win?
6
Where was curling (the sport) invented?
Scotland
Why is zero called “love” in tennis?
It’s named for the French word for the egg, l’oeuf, which sort of sounds like “love.”
What is the name of the book about the 1936 University of Washington crew team that won a gold medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympics?
The Boys in the Boat
How many majors has Tiger Woods won?
15
What type of professional sport does the team the Seattle Kracken play?
Ice hockey
What is the name of the federal civil rights lawsuit that granted women equal opportunity in sports?
Title IX
Who holds the most Grand Slam titles in women’s tennis?
Margaret Court
What sport is Lindsey Vonn best known for?
Alpine skiing
Animal Trivia Questions & Answers
If you love critters of all kinds, our animal trivia questions will test just how much you really know abou the animal kingdom.
What is a woodchuck better known as?
A groundhog
What type of dog is the most popular as a pet in the US?
French bulldog
What type of cats have no tails?
Manx, Cyrmic, and Owyhee Bob
What type of bird is an African grey?
Parrot
What is a moth in its larval stage?
A caterpillar
How many bones does a shark have?
Zero
What type of animal is a budgie?
A bird
Which land animal has no vocal cords?
A giraffe
What is the largest living land animal?
An African elephant
What is the fastest land animal without wings?
The cheetah
Which animal other than chimpanzees and gorillas have human-like fingerprints?
The koala
How many hearts does an octopus have?
Three
What color is a polar bear's skin?
Black
What animal has the most powerful bite?
The saltwater crocodile
What part of a dog's body does it sweat through?
Its paw pads
How long is an elephant pregnant for?
Up to 22 months
Which land animal never sleeps?
A bullfrog
What is the largest bat in the world?
Giant golden-crowned flying fox
What is the lifespan of an adult male mosquito?
10 days
What type of animal is a slug?
A shell-less gastropod mollusk
What is a group of whales called?
A pod
What are the three types of mammals?
Egg-laying monotremes, marsupials, and placentals
Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are all types of sea mammals called what?
Cetaceans
What is the largest type of horse?
Shire horse
What do cats use their tails for?
Balance and sensory input
Related: 109 Animal Trivia Questions & Answers: Test Your Critter Quotient
History Trivia Questions & Answers
Did you pay attention in history class? We'll test your knowledge with our history trivia.
What are the famous pyramids in Egypt best known as?
The Great Pyramids of Giza
What’s the name of the first person in space?
Yuri Gagarin
Where is the Alamo located?
San Antonio, Texas
Where was the last battle of the American Civil War fought?
Palmito Ranch in Brownsville, Texas
How long did WWI last?
4 years
What was the first state?
Delaware
The Statue of Liberty was given to the United States by which country?
France
Which founding father appears on the $100 bill?
Benjamin Franklin
How many red stripes are on the American flag?
7
What was the name of the Pilgrims' ship?
The Mayflower
Name the Civil Rights icon who refused to give up her bus seat.
Rosa Parks
Who became the Prime Minister of England in 1979?
Margaret Thatcher
Related: 50+ 70s Trivia Questions Full of Groovy Gems
Who assassinated John Lennon in 1980?
Mark David Chapman (Check out more 80s trivia.)
As the end of the 90s neared, what potential apocalyptic event were people panicked about as a new century turned over?
Y2K (more 90s trivia)
Who built Machu Picchu?
The Incas
Who became the 38th governor of California in 2003?
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Try more 2000s trivia.)
What year was the Declaration of Independence signed?
1776
Did Pocahontas marry John Smith?
No. She wed John Rolfe.
How long was William Henry Harrison president before he died?
32 days
What natural disaster destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79AD?
The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
Which country was the first to allow women to vote?
New Zealand
What states were at either end of the Santa Fe Trail?
New Mexico and Missouri
What was Cleopatra’s nationality?
Greek
Who killed Lee Harvey Oswald?
Jack Ruby
Related: 60s Trivia Questions & Answers You'll Dig
What was a “date that will live in infamy?”
December 7, 1941 (the bombing of Pearl Harbor)
Science Trivia Questions & Answers
Science is such a fascinating subject. And boy do we have some science trivia questions for you to answer.
What does an ichthyologist study?
Fish
What scientist created the theory of relativity?
Albert Einstein
What is the first law of thermodynamics?
Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only change form.
A²+B²=C² is better known as what?
The Pythagorean Theorem
What is the smallest planet in the solar system?
Mercury
What two elements make up water?
Hydrogen and oxygen
Who was the first man to walk on the moon?
Neil Armstrong
What is the smallest unit of matter?
An atom
What is the boiling point of water?
100°C or 212°F
How many elements are in the periodic table?
118
What is the hardest natural material in the world?
Diamond
What is the hottest planet in the solar system?
Venus
What is the longest and strongest bone in the body?
The thigh bone (the femur)
Which metal can you find in the earth's crust and also in the human body?
Iron
What is the tallest mountain on Earth?
Mount Everest
What element is present in all organic compounds?
Carbon
Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
Marie Curie
What molecule does lightning produce?
Ozone
What blood type is the universal recipient?
AB+
What was Dolly the sheep’s claim to fame?
She was the first living creature cloned.
If you study fungi, what are you called?
A mycologist
How long is a year on Neptune?
About 165 years on Earth
In E=mc², what do the letters stand for?
Energy = mass times the speed of light squared
What did Einstein call quantum entanglement?
Spooky action at a distance
What does a nephrologist treat?
Kidneys
Related: Science Trivia Questions for Kids
Food & Drink Trivia Questions & Answers
Ah, food. It's such a cultural touchstone. We have some great food trivia questions and answers to test your knowledge of food and drink.
What is the most popular seasoning in the world?
Salt
What is cinnamon made from?
The bark of a cinnamon tree
Name the only fruit that has its seeds on the outside of it.
A strawberry
What was the name of the Taco Bell chihuahua?
Gidget
What fast food franchise hit it big with commercials that asked, “Where’s the beef?”
Wendy’s
What grape is used to make red wine from Burgundy?
Pinot noir
What is the mushroom layer of beef Wellington called?
Duxelles
In what city was the first McDonalds?
San Bernadino
What’s in a negroni?
Equal parts of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari
Every hard liquor starts with one of these two base beverages. What are they?
Wine and beer
What do people with celiac disease need to avoid?
Gluten
What temperature range is medium-rare beef?
130-135°F
What meat substitute is made from wheat gluten?
Seitan
What is canola oil made from?
Rapeseed
What is Takeru Kobayashi famous for?
He’s a competitive eater
What type of food are peanuts?
Legumes
What spice comes from crocus?
Saffron
What is the most eaten food in the world?
Rice
What makes up the base of remoulade?
Mayonnaise
What are the five mother sauces of French cuisine?
Béchamel, Hollandaise, Velouté, tomato sauce, and Espagnole sauce
What’s in the British food bangers and mash?
Sausages and mashed potatoes
What type of soup is vichyssoise?
Chilled potato leek soup
What type of food is the peppercorn?
It’s a dried fruit that has been cooked.
What city has the most coffee shops per square mile at 8.3?
San Francisco
What type of plants are chives, garlic, and onions?
Alliums
General Trivia Questions for the Whole Gang
And then there's everything else. Test your general knowledge with these miscellaneous trivia questions.
How many teeth does a grown human being have?
32
What are the three primary colors?
Red, blue, and yellow
What is the name of the biggest island in the world?
Greenland
What city is referred to as "The City of Brotherly Love?"
Philadelphia
In the internet browser address bar, what does "www" stand for?
World Wide Web
What interstate runs from north to south along the West Coast all the way from Canada to Mexico, running through cities like Seattle, Portland, and Sacramento?
Interstate 5
How many national parks does Washington State have?
3
What is the name of the monument in Wyoming where a seminal scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind was filmed?
Devil’s Tower
Who said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”?
Walt Disney
What is the name of the day following Christmas in the United Kingdom?
Boxing Day
Name the smallest country in the world.
Vatican City
What is the name of the Jewish New Year?
Who was the first American president to appear on television?
Franklin Roosevelt
What US state has the most land mass?
Alaska
What is the highest-grossing Broadway musical of all time?
The Lion King
How many national parks are there in Utah?
5
If I’m spelunking, what am I doing?
Exploring caves
Who is the most prolific serial killer in the US?
Samuel Little
What is the oldest recorded board game in history?
Backgammon
How many cards does a pinochle deck have?
48
A dead man’s hand consists of all black cards, with two pairs of aces and eights. Who is it named after?
Wild Bill Hickock
What is the riddle of the Sphinx?
“What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet in midday, and three feet in the evening?”
Where is the lowest elevation dry land on earth?
The shoreline of the Dead Sea
Who is the real-life inspiration for Dracula?
Vlad the Impaler
What does e pluribus unum mean?
Out of many, one
Trivia Questions & Answers for the Whole Family
People of all ages can participate in these trivia questions that range from easy enough for the kiddos to super difficult to stump the adults. So gather your nearest and dearest and test your knowledge.
