InQUIZitive
Trivia & Pub Quiz Book
Volume I
Fun Quizzes for the Entire Family
by Sumit Dhar
Text Copyright ©2013 Sumit Dhar
All Rights Reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced or retransmitted without
the permission of the author. This book might contain product names and registered
trademarks. All trademarks in this book are property of their respective owners
Dedication
Dedicated to my parents who got me interested in Trivia Quizzing and to my wife
who has helped keep this interest alive.
And most importantly to my little one, Tejas. Hopefully, one day he too will be
interested in trivia!
Why buy this book?
To me, trivia quizzing is not about knowing or memorizing facts. Answering a trivia quiz question is
like putting together a puzzle. If you think sufficiently hard, you will be able to work out the answers
to most of the questions. Even if you are not able to answer them, when you finally see the answer,
you will feel “Shucks! I should have guessed that”.
Additionally, I have taken great efforts to present the details in such a way to make them extremely
memorable. The next time you see these details in some other quiz; you will certainly remember the
answer.
Lastly, all the questions have been extensively researched. That ensures urban legends and
unconfirmed facts do not make it into this book.
Happy Quizzing and May the Force be with you!
Sumit Dhar
[email protected]
Jan, 2013
InQUIZitive: Have you picked them all up?
Important Note: Two for the Price of One
As a special thank you to the readers who purchase this book & provide their review on Amazon, I
would like to make available any of the other volumes for free.
All you got to do is mail me at [email protected] with evidence of your purchase and a link to
your review.
I will mail you a free Kindle copy of the volume that you prefer.
Table of Contents
Quiz 1
Answers to Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Answers to Quiz 2
Quiz 3
Answers to Quiz 3
Quiz 4
Answers to Quiz 4
Quiz 5
Answers to Quiz 5
Quiz 6
Answers to Quiz 6
Quiz 7
Answers to Quiz 7
Quiz 8
Answers to Quiz 8
Quiz 9
Answers to Quiz 9
Quiz 10
Answers to Quiz 10
Quiz 11
Answers to Quiz 11
Quiz 12
Answers to Quiz 12
Quiz 13
Answers to Quiz 13
Quiz 14
Answers to Quiz 14
Quiz 15
Answers to Quiz 15
Quiz 16
Answers to Quiz 16
Quiz 17
Answers to Quiz 17
Quiz 18
Answers to Quiz 18
Quiz 19
Answers to Quiz 19
Quiz 20
Answers to Quiz 20
Quiz 1
Question1: Canonization is a process by which the Christian church declares a deceased person to be
a saint. During the canonization process of the Roman Catholic Church, a lawyer was appointed to
argue against the canonization of the person. It was this person’s job to take a skeptical view of the
candidate's character, to look for holes in the evidence and to argue that any miracles attributed to the
candidate were fraudulent. What was the popular name given to such a lawyer?
Question 2: After the Eagles broke up, fans and reporters repeatedly pestered them with the question,
"When will Eagles reunite?" To convey that this reunion would never occur, Don Henley (the lead
singer) said, "Eagles will reunite when _____ _____ _____." Fill in the blanks!
Question 3: They are classified as Class II devices and their production is governed by IS0 4074
standard. They undergo a series of tests such as the Electrical Conductance Test, Airburst Test and the
Tensile Strength Test before being marketed. What product?
Question 4: I was named after the author of the book “Field Guide to Birds of West Indies” and my
family motto is “Non Sufficit Orbis”. I majored in Far Eastern Studies at Cambridge and was married
to Teresa Di Vicenzo for a short while. I work for an organization which uses the cover name
Universal Exports. Who am I?
Question 5: It was a large aerial bomb capable of destroying an entire city block. However, today it is
used to denote a movie or book that has become immensely popular. What word?
Answers to Quiz 1
Question1: Canonization is a process by which the Christian church declares a deceased person to be
a saint. During the canonization process of the Roman Catholic Church, a lawyer was appointed to
argue against the canonization of the person. It was this person’s job to take a skeptical view of the
candidate's character, to look for holes in the evidence and to argue that any miracles attributed to the
candidate were fraudulent. What was the popular name given to such a lawyer?
Answer 1: Devil's Advocate. Therefore, today a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular cause
for the sake of argument or to expose it to a thorough examination is called a "Devil's Advocate"
Question 2: After the Eagles broke up, fans and reporters repeatedly pestered them with the question,
"When will Eagles reunite?" To convey that this reunion would never occur, Don Henley (the lead
singer) said, "Eagles will reunite when _____ _____ _____." Fill in the blanks!
Answer 2: Hell Freezes Over. When Eagles reunited after 14 years and did a live album, they named it
Hell Freezes Over
Question 3: They are classified as Class II devices and their production is governed by IS0 4074
standard. They undergo a series of tests such as the Electrical Conductance Test, Airburst Test and the
Tensile Strength Test before being marketed. What product?
Answer 3: Condoms
Question 4: I was named after the author of the book “Field Guide to Birds of West Indies” and my
family motto is “Non Sufficit Orbis”. I majored in Far Eastern Studies at Cambridge and was married
to Teresa Di Vicenzo for a short while. I work for an organization which uses the cover name
Universal Exports. Who am I?
Answer 4: James Bond. For those interested, "Non Sufficit Orbis means "The World is Not Enough"
Question 5: It was a large aerial bomb capable of destroying an entire city block. However, today it is
used to denote a movie or book that has become immensely popular. What word?
Answer 5: Blockbuster
Quiz 2
Question1: In 1512, a Dutch merchant searching for ways to transport large quantities of wine found
that by boiling the wine he could remove the water in it and thus transport more wine in the same
volume. He called the resulting liquid brandewijn (Dutch for burnt wine) and at the destination he
would just add the missing water. But he found that people were more interested in the boiled
concentrate than the wine and made a killing by selling the boiled concentrate. How do we better know
this boiled concentrate?
Question 2: What is the common name for a college publication distributed at the start of the
academic year by university administration with the intention of helping students get to know each
other better? (Clue: Today it is famous in a totally different context)
Question 3: According to the website of the Colchester tourist board, during the English Civil War a
large cannon was placed strategically on the wall of the castle. A shot from the parliamentary army
managed to destroy the wall under the cannon and caused it to tumble to the ground. The Cavaliers
(who were loyal to the King) tried to raise the cannon but could not do so as it was too heavy. What
was the name of the cannon & how has it been immortalized?
Question 4: According to the Greek mythology, he is the God of marriage and specifically the
marriage hymn. He holds a burning torch in one hand and is considered the protector of female
virginity. Give me the name of this Greek God.
Question 5: What are algorithms like the layer method, the block method, the corner method and the
super-flip used to solve?
Answers to Quiz 2
Question1: In 1512, a Dutch merchant searching for ways to transport large quantities of wine found
that by boiling the wine he could remove the water in it and thus transport more wine in the same
volume. He called the resulting liquid brandewijn (Dutch for burnt wine) and at the destination he
would just add the missing water. But he found that people were more interested in the boiled
concentrate than the wine and made a killing by selling the boiled concentrate. How do we better know
this boiled concentrate?
Answer 1: Brandy
Question 2: What is the common name for a college publication distributed at the start of the
academic year by university administration with the intention of helping students get to know each
other better? (Clue: Today it is famous in a totally different context)
Answer 2: Facebook
Question 3: According to the website of the Colchester tourist board, during the English Civil War a
large cannon was placed strategically on the wall of the castle. A shot from the parliamentary army
managed to destroy the wall under the cannon and caused it to tumble to the ground. The Cavaliers
(who were loyal to the King) tried to raise the cannon but could not do so as it was too heavy. What
was the name of the cannon & how has it been immortalized?
Answer 3: Humpty Dumpty. It is widely believed this story of the Colchester Cannon is the origin of
the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty.
Question 4: According to the Greek mythology, he is the God of marriage and specifically the
marriage hymn. He holds a burning torch in one hand and is considered the protector of female
virginity. Give me the name of this Greek God.
Answer 4: Hymen
Question 5: What are algorithms like the layer method, the block method, the corner method and the
super-flip used to solve?
Answer 5: Solve the Rubik’s cube
Quiz 3
Question1: According to Hebrew mythology, on Yom Kippur two goats were brought into the Temple
of Jerusalem. The high priest would confess the sins of the people of Israel, place his hand on the
head of one of the goats and transfer these sins onto this goat. This goat was led away and later pushed
over a distant cliff. What word (meaning the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative
treatment) derives from the name given by Hebrews to this goat?
Question 2: Given its position between the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe, ancient
civilizations believed this water body to be in the middle of the earth. Hence, its name in Latin when
translated to English means middle of the earth. Work it out and tell me what water body are we
talking about?
Question 3: This game, a variant of an older game named Halma, was invented in 1892 in Germany.
It was originally introduced under the name Stern-Halma due to the star shaped board on which it was
played. It was introduced in the US by Bill and Jack Pressman under a different name as a marketing
ploy to make it sound exotic and that is the name we know it by. Which game?
Question 4: David Webb is a career foreign service officer and a specialist in Far Eastern affairs. He
married a Thai woman named Dao and had two children Joshua and Alyssa. He was recruited into a
top secret government project code named Medusa by Alex Conklin. How do we better know David
Webb?
Question 5: Bomis.com is an adult website and its primary source of revenue is online advertising. It
was founded by Jimmy Wales and Tim Shell in 1996. They, however, used the revenue from Bomis to
launch and support a more famous initiative in 2001. What initiative?
Answers to Quiz 3
Question1: According to Hebrew mythology, on Yom Kippur two goats were brought into the Temple
of Jerusalem. The high priest would confess the sins of the people of Israel, place his hand on the
head of one of the goats and transfer these sins onto this goat. This goat was led away and later pushed
over a distant cliff. What word (meaning the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative
treatment) derives from the name given by Hebrews to this goat?
Answer 1: The Hebrew word ez-ozel means the goat that escapes and it has given us the English word
Scapegoat
Question 2: Given its position between the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe, ancient
civilizations believed this water body to be in the middle of the earth. Hence, its name in Latin when
translated to English means middle of the earth. Work it out and tell me what water body are we
talking about?
Answer 2: The Mediterranean Sea (from Latin; medius meaning middle and terra meaning land)
Question 3: This game, a variant of an older game named Halma, was invented in 1892 in Germany.
It was originally introduced under the name Stern-Halma due to the star shaped board on which it was
played. It was introduced in the US by Bill and Jack Pressman under a different name as a marketing
ploy to make it sound exotic and that is the name we know it by. Which game?
Answer 3: The star-shaped board should have given it away. It is Chinese Checkers.
Question 4: David Webb is a career foreign service officer and a specialist in Far Eastern affairs. He
married a Thai woman named Dao and had two children Joshua and Alyssa. He was recruited into a
top secret government project code named Medusa by Alex Conklin. How do we better know David
Webb?
Answer 4: Jason Bourne
Question 5: Bomis.com is an adult website and its primary source of revenue is online advertising. It
was founded by Jimmy Wales and Tim Shell in 1996. They, however, used the revenue from Bomis to
launch and support a more famous initiative in 2001. What initiative?
Answer 5: Wikipedia
Quiz 4
Question1: He was an avid fisher and he holds the record for maximum marlins caught in one day
(seven). Additionally, he was the first person to boat a giant tuna in an undamaged state. He enjoyed
boxing and offered $100 to anyone who could last a few rounds with him in the ring. He also setup a
counter-espionage and spy ring, known as the Crook Factory in Cuba. He ended his life by blowing his
brains out with a twelve-gauge shotgun. And, oh before we forget, he also is a Nobel Prize winner.
Who?
Question 2: Sean Lennon, son of the legendary John Lennon, criticized the baby boomer generation
for many of the problems plaguing the society. A famous singer from the generation that was being
criticized offered a rebuttal to this criticism in a particularly innovative way. This singer showcased
that the problems Sean was talking about have always existed and that the baby boomer generation
was not responsible for those problems. Who was the singer & what was his response?
Question 3: In 1895, Wilhelm Rontgen was investigating the external effects from the various types
of vacuum tube equipment when he made an interesting discovery. While studying the properties of
his discovery, he temporarily termed it X, the mathematical designation for anything unknown. What
discovery are we talking about?
Question 4: This word is used to describe any literal or metaphorical force regarded as unstoppable
and will crush anything in its path. It is derived from Sanskrit word which when translated means
“Lord of the World” or “Lord of the Universe”. What word?
Question 5: According to CNN - Dennis Hwang may be the most famous unknown artist in the world
-- his work doesn't hang in galleries or museums, but it's been viewed hundreds of millions of times.
Where would you view Dennis’s work?
Answers to Quiz 4
Question1: He was an avid fisher and he holds the record for maximum marlins caught in one day
(seven). Additionally, he was the first person to boat a giant tuna in an undamaged state. He enjoyed
boxing and offered $100 to anyone who could last a few rounds with him in the ring. He also setup a
counter-espionage and spy ring, known as the Crook Factory in Cuba. He ended his life by blowing his
brains out with a twelve-gauge shotgun. And, oh before we forget, he also is a Nobel Prize winner.
Who?
Answer 1: Ernest Hemingway
Question 2: Sean Lennon, son of the legendary John Lennon, criticized the baby boomer generation
for many of the problems plaguing the society. A famous singer from the generation that was being
criticized offered a rebuttal to this criticism in a particularly innovative way. This singer showcased
that the problems Sean was talking about have always existed and that the baby boomer generation
was not responsible for those problems. Who was the singer & what was his response?
Answer 2: Billy Joel; We Didn’t Start the Fire
Question 3: In 1895, Wilhelm Rontgen was investigating the external effects from the various types
of vacuum tube equipment when he made an interesting discovery. While studying the properties of
his discovery, he temporarily termed it X, the mathematical designation for anything unknown. What
discovery are we talking about?
Answer 3: X-Rays.
Question 4: This word is used to describe any literal or metaphorical force regarded as unstoppable
and will crush anything in its path. It is derived from Sanskrit word which when translated means
“Lord of the World” or “Lord of the Universe”. What word?
Answer 4: Juggernaut. The term is a metaphorical reference to the Ratha Yatra of Lord Jaganath,
which was reportedly unstoppable.
Question 5: According to CNN - Dennis Hwang may be the most famous unknown artist in the world
-- his work doesn't hang in galleries or museums, but it's been viewed hundreds of millions of times.
Where would you view Dennis’s work?
Answer 5: Dennis is the artist who designs the special Google logos (doodles) on various festivals and
important days.
Quiz 5
Question1: On March 31, 1929, a woman named Bertha Hunt informed the press that she and her
friends would be lighting “torches of freedom” in the interest of equality of sexes and to fight another
gender based taboo. How do we better know these “torches of freedom”?
Question 2: Saint Ambrose had to visit Rome on a mission. However, he was concerned about which
holy day to fast on. You see, the Romans fasted on another day than was the tradition of other places.
So Saint Ambrose wrote to Saint Augustine requesting guidance. What famous piece of advice did
Saint Augustine give to Saint Ambrose?
Question 3: If Umami is the fifth, what are the other four?
Question 4: Over the years various toys like Hot Wheels, Hula Hoops, Roller Skates, Game Boy,
Skateboards, Jack in the Box etc. have been inducted into the Toys Hall of Fame. This item, famously
called “The Greatest Toy Never Sold” was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2005. Additionally,
according to Dr. Benjamin Spock, with a little imagination, this item could turn into a doll’s house, a
town or a farm. What item are we talking about?
Question 5: According In her book Fairy Tale Ending, Ursula Sautter offers this hypothesis: After the
defeat of the Danes at the Battle of Bornhoved, their lands became available for colonization by the
Germans. The German rulers sent out glib recruitment officers offering rich rewards to those who
were willing to move to the new lands. Thousands of young adults from Lower Saxony headed west
leaving their parents behind. What incident is she trying to explain?