General Knowledge Trivia Questions and Answers
The deliberately unpredictable one: a mix with no subject, drawing on language, food, records, customs, measurements and the sort of fact that only ever turns up in a pub quiz. It exists because every table eventually contains one person who is very good at one topic and lost everywhere else, and a mixed round is the fairest thing you can put in front of them. Because nothing can be prepared for, this is also the best opener — it tells you within five questions who at the table is actually dangerous, and it does not let anybody hide inside a speciality.
1. What are the colours directly opposite each other on the colour wheel called?Medium
- Complementary colours ✓
- Analogous colours
- Primary colours
- Tertiary colours
2. What colour results from mixing all paint colours together in theory?Hard
- Black ✓
- White
- Brown
- Grey
3. What are colours next to each other on the colour wheel called?Hard
- Analogous colours ✓
- Complementary colours
- Primary colours
- Neutral colours
4. How many hours are there in a full day?Easy
- 24 ✓
- 12
- 20
- 36
5. How many minutes are there in a full day?Medium
- 1,440 ✓
- 1,000
- 1,200
- 1,600
6. Which bone is the longest in the human body?Medium
- The femur ✓
- The tibia
- The humerus
- The fibula
7. How many bones does a newborn baby have, more than an adult?Hard
- About 300 ✓
- About 150
- About 206
- About 400
8. Which is the longest river in the world?Easy
- The Nile ✓
- The Amazon
- The Yangtze
- The Mississippi
9. Which is the largest lake in the world by surface area?Medium
- The Caspian Sea ✓
- Lake Superior
- Lake Victoria
- Lake Baikal
10. Which is the coldest inhabited place on Earth?Hard
- Oymyakon, Russia ✓
- Verkhoyansk, Russia
- Yakutsk, Russia
- Barrow, Alaska
11. Who was the first person to walk on the Moon?Easy
- Neil Armstrong ✓
- Buzz Aldrin
- Yuri Gagarin
- John Glenn
12. Who was the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest?Medium
- Edmund Hillary ✓
- George Mallory
- Reinhold Messner
- Tenzing Norgay alone
13. Whose expedition was the first confirmed to circumnavigate the globe by sea?Hard
- Ferdinand Magellan's ✓
- Christopher Columbus'
- Vasco da Gama's
- James Cook's
14. How many players are on a football (soccer) team on the pitch at once?Easy
- 11 ✓
- 9
- 10
- 12
15. What is the official currency of the United States?Easy
- The dollar ✓
- The pound
- The euro
- The peso
16. Which country's currency is the yen, named after a word meaning round object?Hard
- Japan ✓
- China
- South Korea
- Vietnam
17. Which chess piece can move in an L-shape?Medium
- The knight ✓
- The bishop
- The rook
- The pawn
18. How many squares does a standard Monopoly board have?Hard
- 40 ✓
- 36
- 44
- 48
19. Which letter appears most often in written English?Easy
- E ✓
- A
- T
- S
20. Which system of Japanese writing consists of symbols representing whole syllables?Hard
- Kana ✓
- Kanji
- Hangul
- Pinyin
21. Which Italian dish is a flat, round base topped with cheese and toppings?Easy
- Pizza ✓
- Lasagne
- Risotto
- Focaccia
22. Which festival marks the end of Ramadan with feasting and celebration?Hard
- Eid al-Fitr ✓
- Eid al-Adha
- Hajj
- Ashura
23. What wet weather falls from clouds during a storm?Easy
- Rain ✓
- Hail only
- Snow
- Sleet
24. What natural light display is visible near the North Pole, caused by solar particles?Medium
- The Aurora ✓
- A rainbow
- A halo
- A sun dog
25. What is the scientific name for the flash of light produced during a thunderstorm?Hard
- Lightning ✓
- A sun dog
- Ball lightning only
- A corona
26. How is the Roman numeral for the number five written?Easy
- V ✓
- I
- X
- L
27. How is the Roman numeral for the number ten written?Easy
- X ✓
- V
- L
- C
28. What is the Roman numeral for the number 50?Medium
- L ✓
- C
- D
- M
29. Which country is generally credited with inventing paper money?Easy
- China ✓
- Italy
- England
- Egypt
30. What is a general rise in prices across an economy over time called?Medium
- Inflation ✓
- Deflation
- Recession
- Depression
31. What is the term for a sustained decline in the general price level of goods?Hard
- Deflation ✓
- Inflation
- Stagflation
- Recession
32. What is the record for the oldest verified human age ever reached?Easy
- 122 years ✓
- 110 years
- 115 years
- 130 years
33. What is the record for the longest human fingernails ever grown?Medium
- Over nine metres combined ✓
- About one metre
- About three metres
- About twenty metres
34. What is the record for the largest number of children born to one mother, historically recorded?Medium
- 69 children ✓
- 30 children
- 45 children
- 100 children
35. Which book is famous for cataloguing world records across every category?Hard
- The Guinness World Records ✓
- The Book of Lists
- The Almanac of Firsts
- The Ripley's Annual
36. What is the imaginary line where the date changes by a full day called?Medium
- The International Date Line ✓
- The Prime Meridian
- The Equator
- The Tropic of Capricorn
37. In many Western countries, what is customary to say after someone sneezes?Easy
- Bless you ✓
- Good luck
- Take care
- Well done
38. In Thailand, what respectful greeting involves pressed palms and a slight bow?Medium
- The wai ✓
- The namaste
- The salaam
- The kowtow
39. In India, which traditional greeting involves pressed palms held near the chest?Hard
- Namaste ✓
- The wai
- The salaam
- The kowtow
How to play these as a game
Trivia Tavern runs these as a live round: one person opens a room, everyone else joins with a five-character code, and answers are locked in on each player’s own phone with a clock running. Faster correct answers score more, and a match draws from the full general knowledge pool — around two hundred questions, of which the 39 above are a sample.
Two to eight players, about fifteen minutes for three rounds, and nobody needs to make an account to sit down.
Open a Trivia Tavern room