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Easy general knowledge trivia questions
Everything Everywhere All at ___ (Movie, 2022)
- ALast
- BOnce
- CHome
- DTimes
Answer: Once
Fun fact: It won seven Oscars, including Best Picture.
How large is an emergency fund usually recommended to be?
- A3 to 6 months of expenses
- B1 month of expenses
- C1 year of your total income
- DA flat $500
Answer: 3 to 6 months of expenses
Fun fact: Keep it somewhere safe and easy to reach, like a high-yield savings account.
What happens if you try to hum while pinching your nose shut?
- AYou start sneezing
- BYou can't do it
- CIt gets louder
- DIt sounds higher
Answer: You can't do it
Fun fact: Humming needs air to escape through your nose. Try it.
Where was the first YouTube video filmed in 2005?
- AAt a skate park
- BIn a garage
- CAt a birthday party
- DAt a zoo
Answer: At a zoo
Fun fact: 'Me at the zoo' is a 19-second clip of co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo.
Which planet would float in water, if you had a big enough tub?
- ASaturn
- BMars
- CJupiter
- DNeptune
Answer: Saturn
Fun fact: Saturn is mostly hydrogen and helium, which makes it less dense than water.
If an egg floats in a bowl of water, what does that mean?
- AIt's fertilized
- BIt's extra fresh
- CIt's probably old
- DIt's hard-boiled
Answer: It's probably old
Fun fact: As an egg ages, air slowly seeps through the shell and the air pocket inside grows.
Which food essentially never spoils?
- AHoney
- BRice
- CDried pasta
- DBeef jerky
Answer: Honey
Fun fact: Archaeologists have found edible honey in Egyptian tombs thousands of years old.
Which major city sits on two continents?
- ACairo
- BIstanbul
- CAthens
- DMoscow
Answer: Istanbul
Fun fact: The Bosporus Strait splits Istanbul between Europe and Asia.
Someone insists you pay them with gift cards. What does that usually mean?
- AIt's a legitimate prize
- BIt's a normal bill payment
- CIt's a scam
- DIt's the government collecting a fee
Answer: It's a scam
Fun fact: No real government agency or business will ever demand payment in gift cards.
About how far away is lightning if the thunder comes 5 seconds later?
- AAbout 10 miles
- BAbout 1 mile
- CAbout 100 yards
- DAbout 5 miles
Answer: About 1 mile
Fun fact: Sound travels about a mile in 5 seconds, while the light arrives almost instantly.
The lion's ___: the biggest part of something (Idiom)
- Aportion
- Bshare
- Cpiece
- Dcut
Answer: share
Fun fact: It comes from an Aesop fable in which the lion takes everything for himself.
The Weeknd: "Blinding ___" (Song)
- ANights
- BEyes
- CStars
- DLights
Answer: Lights
Fun fact: It spent 90 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, a record at the time.
Halley's ___, which returns about every 76 years (Science)
- AStar
- BNebula
- CMoon
- DComet
Answer: Comet
Fun fact: Its next visit is expected in 2061.
Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl ___ (Painting)
- AHeadband
- BNecklace
- CBrooch
- DEarring
Answer: Earring
Fun fact: It's sometimes called the 'Mona Lisa of the North.'
What should you do during an earthquake?
- ADrop, cover and hold on
- BRun outside immediately
- CGet in an elevator
- DStand in a doorway
Answer: Drop, cover and hold on
Fun fact: Modern doorways aren't stronger than the rest of the house, so the old doorway advice is outdated.
Medium general knowledge trivia questions
Why do apples float in water?
- AThey're about 25% air
- BTheir skin is waterproof
- CTheir juice is lighter than water
- DTheir seeds are hollow
Answer: They're about 25% air
Fun fact: That's why bobbing for apples works.
Which city is farther west: Reno or Los Angeles?
- ALos Angeles
- BReno
- CNeither, they're north and south
- DThe same longitude
Answer: Reno
Fun fact: California's coast curves sharply eastward as it heads south.
If something catches fire inside your oven, what should you do first?
- APour flour on the flames
- BOpen the door to let the smoke out
- COpen the door and throw water on it
- DKeep the door shut, turn it off
Answer: Keep the door shut, turn it off
Fun fact: Without fresh air, the fire will usually burn itself out.
How often should a typical furnace filter be replaced?
- AOnly when it looks dirty
- BOnce a year
- CEvery 1 to 3 months
- DEvery 2 weeks
Answer: Every 1 to 3 months
Fun fact: Homes with pets or allergies usually need to replace filters more often.
What is 'smishing'?
- AHacking through smart home devices
- BPhishing by text message
- CA scam that happens over email
- DStealing Wi-Fi from neighbors
Answer: Phishing by text message
Fun fact: Fake package-delivery and toll-payment texts are some of the most common versions.
A modern smartphone has roughly how much more memory than Apollo 11's computer?
- AAbout 100 times more
- BAbout 10 times more
- CAbout the same
- DMillions of times more
Answer: Millions of times more
Fun fact: The Apollo Guidance Computer had about 4 kilobytes of working memory.
After a thunderstorm, how long should you wait after the last thunder to go back outside?
- A2 hours
- B5 minutes
- C30 minutes
- DUntil the rain stops
Answer: 30 minutes
Fun fact: 'When thunder roars, go indoors.' If you can hear thunder, you're close enough to be struck.
Which factor affects your credit score the most?
- AYour payment history
- BYour yearly income
- CYour age
- DHow many cards you have
Answer: Your payment history
Fun fact: Payment history makes up about 35 percent of a FICO score. Income isn't a factor at all.
What is a group of flamingos called?
- AA flutter
- BA blushing
- CA parade
- DA flamboyance
Answer: A flamboyance
Fun fact: A group of jellyfish is called a smack.
Read someone the riot ___ (Idiom)
- Arules
- Bact
- Clist
- Dreport
Answer: act
Fun fact: Britain's Riot Act of 1714 had to be read aloud to a crowd before officials could break it up.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a ___ (Proverb)
- Aseason
- Bweek
- Clifetime
- Dyear
Answer: lifetime
Fun fact: It's often called an ancient proverb, but the earliest known version is from an 1885 English novel.
"Houston, we've had a ___" (Famous quote)
- Aproblem
- Bfailure
- Cmalfunction
- Dsituation
Answer: problem
Fun fact: The 1995 movie Apollo 13 changed the real line to 'Houston, we have a problem.'
Steve Jobs and Steve ___ founded Apple (Tech)
- ADell
- BCase
- CBallmer
- DWozniak
Answer: Wozniak
Fun fact: They started the company in 1976, famously working out of Jobs's family garage.
Blue-___ stocks: shares of big, reliable companies (Business)
- Asky
- Bchip
- Ccollar
- Dribbon
Answer: chip
Fun fact: The term comes from poker, where blue chips were traditionally worth the most.
If your car starts to skid, which way should you steer?
- AStraight ahead, no matter what
- BWhichever way feels easiest
- CWhere you want the car to go
- DThe opposite way of the skid
Answer: Where you want the car to go
Fun fact: Look where you want to go, too. Your hands tend to follow your eyes.
How long did the shortest war in recorded history last?
- AAbout 8 hours
- BAbout a week
- CAbout 38 minutes
- DAbout 3 days
Answer: About 38 minutes
Fun fact: The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 ended almost as soon as it began.
Hard general knowledge trivia questions
In summer, which way should a ceiling fan spin (looking up at it) to cool a room?
- ACounterclockwise
- BClockwise
- CIt should be switched off
- DIt doesn't matter which way
Answer: Counterclockwise
Fun fact: Counterclockwise pushes air down to make a breeze. In winter, clockwise gently pushes warm air down from the ceiling.
What is the safe minimum temperature for pork chops?
- A180°F, to be extra safe
- B165°F, with no rest
- C145°F, with a 3-minute rest
- D125°F, for pink pork
Answer: 145°F, with a 3-minute rest
Fun fact: The USDA lowered its pork recommendation from 160°F in 2011. A little pink is fine.
Which snack can catch fire on its own when stored in huge piles?
- APotato chips
- BPretzels
- CPistachios
- DPopcorn
Answer: Pistachios
Fun fact: Their high fat content can make big shipments heat up and ignite.
What does the 'Rule of 72' estimate?
- AYour ideal credit score
- BHow much to save for retirement
- CHow long money takes to double
- DThe best age to retire
Answer: How long money takes to double
Fun fact: Divide 72 by the interest rate. At 8 percent, your money doubles in about 9 years.
The Curse of the ___, blamed for the Red Sox's 86-year title drought (Sports)
- ABabe
- BBilly Goat
- CYankee
- DBambino
Answer: Bambino
Fun fact: It's named after Babe Ruth, whom Boston sold to the Yankees in 1919. The Red Sox finally won in 2004.
Oxford Dictionaries' 2015 Word of the Year wasn't a word at all. What was it?
- AAn emoji
- BA hashtag
- CA GIF
- DA number
Answer: An emoji
Fun fact: It was the 'face with tears of joy' emoji. 'Selfie' won in 2013 and 'vape' in 2014.
What is the smooth area between your eyebrows called?
- AThe septum
- BThe philtrum
- CThe nasion
- DThe glabella
Answer: The glabella
Fun fact: 'Glabella' comes from the Latin for 'smooth and hairless.'
Great minds think alike, though fools seldom ___ (Proverb)
- Adiffer
- Bagree
- Clearn
- Dlisten
Answer: differ
Fun fact: The full saying suggests that agreeing doesn't prove you're right.
The law of diminishing ___: each extra unit adds less benefit than the last (Business)
- Ainterests
- Bgains
- Cprofits
- Dreturns
Answer: returns
Fun fact: Think of pizza. The first slice is amazing, and the fifth, not so much.
