General Knowledge

1. Where in the world would you expect to find a car with the vehicle registration code ‘V’?

Vatican City

2. In which children’s book did a spider called Charlotte and a pig called Wilbur appear?

Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White

3. Which Mexican artist produced works entitled ‘The Broken Column’ and ‘Diego and I’?

Frida Kahlo

4. How many sides has a heptadecagon?

17

5. What was the name of the character played by John Travolta in the film ‘Pulp Fiction’?

Vincent Vega

6. Which was the first James Bond film to feature Roger Moore in the title role?

Live and Let Die (1973)

7. ‘Suncrisp’, ‘Golden Russet’ and ‘Braeburn’ are all varieties of which fruit?

Apple

8. In which country would you find the coastal resort of Lara Beach?

Turkey

9. In which century was the first ‘Grand National’ horse race?

19th century (1839)

10. The letters of the word ‘allergy’ can be rearranged to form three other seven-letter words. Can you find all three of them?

Gallery, largely and regally

1. Who played the title character in the BBC series ‘Jonathan Creek’?

Alan Davies

2. Who succeeded Henry II as King of England?

Richard I/Richard the Lionheart

3. John Gosden and Mark Johnston are prominent names in which sport?

Horse racing (trainers)

4. The logo for which popular app consists of a white telephone in a white speech bubble on a green background?

Whatsapp

5. What was Baroness Thatcher’s middle name?

Hilda (Margaret Hilda Thatcher)

6. What is the name of the fourth book in the ‘Harry Potter’ series?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

7. Which is the first book of the Bible alphabetically?

Acts (of the Apostles – it could be argued that sometimes is is known with the word ‘the’ in front of it, which would make Amos the first – accept either or both as you see fit)

8. What is fifteen percent of two thousand?

300

9. Which film actor has commonly been nicknames ‘the Muscles from Brussels’?

Jean-Claude Van Damme

10. How many episodes of the UK version of ‘The Office’ were made?

14 (Two series of six episodes each plus two longer Christmas specials)

1. ‘Bright Eyes’ by Art Garfunkel was used in the soundtrack to which 1978 animated film?

Watership Down

2. Which UK airport has the IATA code GLA?

Glasgow International

3. In which country was the renowned cricketer Brian Lara born?

Trinidad and Tobago 

4. Which metal has the chemical symbol Pb?

Lead

5. According to the idiom, what do ‘birds of a feather’ do?

Flock together

6. What does the surname ‘Singh’ mean when translated into English?

Lion

7. Name all the members of the Jackson 5.

Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael

8. Lemurs are native to which island?

Madagascar

9. Which sport is featured in the 2003 film ‘Seabiscuit’?

Horseracing (Seabiscuit was the name of a champion US racehorse)

10. Who is older, Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn?

Jeremy Corbyn (Born 26th May 1949, Theresa May was born 1st October 1956)

1. Who was the shortest-serving UK Prime Minister of the 20th century?

Andrew Bonar Law (served for only 210 days)

2. Which is the only letter in Scrabble to have a value of five points?

K

3. After which Dutch explorer was the island state of Tasmania named?

Abel Tasman

4. What is the product of the number of playing cards in a pack and the number of minutes in an hour?

3120 (52 X 60)

5. Tobermory is the capital of which Scottish island?

Mull

6. Which London Underground line has the most stations?

District Line (60 stations)

7. ‘Hand on Your Heart’, ‘Wouldn’t Change a Thing’ and ‘Tears on My Pillow’ were all tracks on which 1990 studio album by Kylie Minogue?

Enjoy Yourself

8. Who wrote the books on which the series ‘Game of Thrones’ is based?

George R.R. Martin

9. What is the national currency of Trinidad and Tobago?

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar

10. How many football matches were played in total in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia?

64

1. Which actor portrayed Samuel Johnson, writer of the first dictionary, in Blackadder the Third?

Robbie Coltrane

2. What are the three given names of Prince George of Cambridge?

George Alexander Louis

3. Which English author created the priest-detective ‘Father Brown’?

G.K. Chesterton

4. “Man, it’s a hot one, like seven inches from the midday sun…” These are the opening lyrics of which 1999 hit?

Smooth – Santana

5. BHD is the IATA code for which UK airport?

George Best Belfast City Airport

6. Who stood in as host on the first episode of Have I Got News For You following Angus Deayton’s departure in 2002?

Paul Merton

7. How much is the purchase price of Old Kent Road in the London version of Monopoly?

£60

8. Who is the alter-ego of Sir Percy Blakeney?

The Scarlet Pimpernel

9. Who was the sixth wife of Henry VIII?

Katharine Parr

10. In which century was William Shakespeare born?

16th century (1564)

To download the quiz as a PDF contestant question paper, please click on the grey link below:

1. Who held the post of US president at the time of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II?

Dwight D. Eisenhower (June 2nd 1953)

2. In which English county is Blenheim Palace?

Oxfordshire

3. How many cards are there in the original version of the board game Cluedo?

21 cards (6 suspects, 6 weapons and 9 rooms)

4. What is the name of the machine, commonly referred to as a ‘lie detector’, which measures reactions such as blood pressure, pulse and respiration of an individual in response to questions asked?

Polygraph

5. Which English scientist and atheist wrote the best-selling 2006 book ‘The God Delusion’?

Richard Dawkins

6. What was the first name of the founder of the pharmaceutical business ‘Beecham’s’?

Thomas (Beecham)

7. Which comes first: Mothers’ Day in the UK or Mothers’ Day in the USA?

UK (In the UK it is the fourth Sunday in Lent, usually falling in March or April. In the US it is the second Sunday in May).

8. A vehicle with the national registration code ‘PK’ would originate from which country?

Pakistan

9. Who is attributed with the famous quote “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”?

Mahatma Gandhi

10. How many hours are there in a leap year?

8784 (24 X 366)

1. Which American actress was born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra?

Meg Ryan

2. Only 1 British Prime Minister has been assassinated. Who was it?

 Spencer Perceval

3. Andrea, Caroline, Sharon and Jim make up which band?

The Corrs

4. How many bones are there in a shark’s body?

None (A shark’s skeleton is made up entirely of cartilage)

5. Which beer markets itself as “The King of Beers”?

Budweiser

6. Which countryside animal would the French refer to as ‘un hérisson’?

A hedgehog

7. In which country would you find Zavratnica Bay?

Croatia

8. Which author created the character Paddington Bear?

Michael Bond

9. In which sport could you win the Davis Cup?

Tennis

10. Which artist painted “Lobster Telephone” in 1936?

Salvador Dali

1. How many golden stars feature on the flag of the European Union?

Twelve

2. In which world city would you find Maracanã Stadium?

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

3. Which word can come after ‘dream’, ‘steam’ and ‘life’ to form other words?

Boat

4. How many times did Pete Sampras win the Wimbledon Men’s Singles title?

Seven (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000)

5. “I think I’m gonna be sad, I think it’s today…” These are the opening lyrics to which 1965 hit?

Ticket to Ride – Beatles

6. Emerald is the traditional birthstone associated with which month of the year?

May

7. Of which US state is Harrisburg the capital?

Pennsylvania

8. In which ‘James Bond’ film did Daniel Craig first play the starring role?

Casino Royale (2006)

9. Which author wrote the original ‘Poldark’ series of books?

Winston Graham

10. How many miles long is the River Nile: a) 2,258 miles (3,634 km), b) 3,258 miles (5,243 km) or c) 4,258 miles (6,853 km) long?

c) 4,258 miles long (6,853 km)

1. When referring to a cash machine, what does ‘ATM’ stand for?

Automated Teller Machine

2. In which group were England in the 2018 FIFA World Cup?

Group G (alongside Belgium, Tunisia and Panama)

3. In which decade was Donald Trump born?

1940s (born 14th June 1946)

4. Who was the 2018 Wimbledon Women’s Singles champion?

Angelique Kerber

5. How many sides has a pentacontagon?

50 (A fifty-sided polygon)

6. In which country was Amal Clooney born?

Lebanon

7. What was the first name of the character played by Alison Steadman in the hit sitcom ‘Gavin and Stacey’?

Pam

8. Who was the first ever winner of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’?

Paul Potts

9. Which word can come before ‘lion’, ‘bike’ and ‘warehouse’ to make names for other things?

Mountain

10. Which was the first product to be launched by Henry J Heinz and L Clarence Noble in 1869?

Horseradish (https://www.heinz.co.uk/Our-Company/About-Heinz/Heinz-Story)

1. How many days are there in the second six months of the year, from the beginning of July to the end of December?

184 (31 in July, 31 in August, 30 in September, 31 in October, 30 in November and 31 in December)

2. The now-abandoned Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is within which modern-day country?

Ukraine

3. Which nationality is the tennis player Marin Čilić?

Croatian

4. In which year did Channel 4 begin transmission in the UK?

1982

5. Of which African country is Khartoum the capital?

Sudan

6. What is the correct spelling of the French fish dish ‘Bouillabaisse’?

Bouillabaisse (pronounced (approximately) bwee-ah-bess)

7. The adjective ‘vespine’ is used to describe which creature?

Wasp

8. Who wrote the controversial 1955 novel ‘Lolita’?

Vladimir Nabokov

9. In which US state is McCarran International Airport?

Nevada (serves Las Vegas)

10. Which was the first James Bond film to star Daniel Craig in the title role?

Casino Royale (2006)

1. In which US city was the sitcom ‘Frasier’ set?

Seattle

2. What is the national currency of China?

Renminbi

3. Where on the body would you wear an epaulette?

On the shoulder (an ornamental piece, usually on the coat of a military uniform)

4. Which type of nut is used to flavour ‘Nutella’ chocolate spread?

Hazelnut

5. Which famous detective lived at 56B Whitehaven Mansions?

Hercule Poirot

6. Which UK airport has the IATA code LBA?

Leeds Bradford Airport

7. What was the year 1989 in Roman Numerals?

MCMLXXXIX

8. Name all of Disney’s ‘Seven Dwarfs’.

Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey

9. How many differently coloured sets of residential properties are there in a game of Monopoly?

Eight

10. Which is taller: Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s Cathedral?

St Paul’s Cathedral (365 ft (111m) tall, Westminster Abbey is 225 feet (69m) tall)

1. What is six-fourteenths of 112?

48

2. What is the name of the actress who played Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ‘Friends’?

Lisa Kudrow

3. What is the chemical formula for ozone?

O₃

4. In which year did Theresa May become Prime Minister?

2016

5. How many moons does the planet Venus have?

None

6. “Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.” These are lyrics taken from which 1983 song?

Let’s Dance – David Bowie

7. What is the name of the former director of the FBI who was sacked by President Trump in May 2017 over his handling of the inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s emails?

James Comey

8. What is the capital of Vietnam?

Hanoi

9. Who was the mother of Henry VIII?

Elizabeth of York

10. Are there more calories in a McVitie’s Jaffa Cake (standard size) or a McVitie’s digestive biscuit (plain, not chocolate)?

Digestive biscuit (Jaffa Cake 46, digestive biscuit 71 – You can use the company’s nutrition selector here)

1. If someone uses the letters MRCVS after their name, which profession do they have?

Vet (Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons)

2. What is seven-eighths of 216?

189

3. Who wrote the award-winning novel ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’, which has now been adapted into both a film and a play?

Mark Haddon

4. Who has been the Channel 4 show Countdown’s resident lexicographer and etymologist in ‘Dictionary Corner’ since 1992?

Susie Dent

5. Name two of Liza Minelli’s former husbands.

Two of: David Gest, Mark Gero, Jack Haley Jr. or Peter Allen

6. What is the name of the character played by Tom Cruise in the ‘Mission Impossible’ films?

Ethan Hunt

7. Which is the largest island in the Inner Hebrides?

Skye

8. What is the name of the character played by Halle Berry in the ‘X-Men’ film series?

Storm/Ororo Munroe

9. Which is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates?

Abu Dhabi

10. The letters of the word ‘restrain’ can be rearranged to form four other words. Can you list three of them?

Three of: retrains, strainer, terrains and trainers

1. Which British author created the Wombles?

Elisabeth Beresford

2. What was the full name given on Marilyn Monroe’s birth certificate?

Norma Jean Mortenson (She was later baptised as Norma Jean Baker)

3. Rosalind, Orlando and Touchstone are characters in which of William Shakespeare’s plays?

As You Like It

4. The internal angles of a triangle will always total how many degrees?

180°

5. How many tournament grass courts are there at Wimbledon All England Club?

18

6. Which European country has the longest coastline?

Norway (58,133km)

7. Which British band had hits in the 1980s with ‘Perfect’ and ‘Find My Love’?

Fairground Attraction

8. How long is a rugby union match, excluding stoppage time?

80 minutes

9. Name the horse that won the 2018 Grand National.

Tiger Roll

10. Zymology is a science concerned with the study of fermentation. True or false?

True

1. Who held the post of Chancellor of Germany between October 1998 and November 2005?

Gerhard Schröder

2. Which star sign is Charles, Prince of Wales?

Scorpio (born 14th November 1948)

3. What question did the ‘Bells of Old Bailey’ ask in the nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’?

When will you pay me?

4. What in the national flower of the Netherlands?

Tulip

5. Which is the larger: five-sevenths of 287 of or three-eighths of 456?

five-sevenths of 287 (5/7 of 287 = 205, 3/8 of 456 = 171)

6. In which year was the horse Shergar kidnapped for ransom by the IRA?

1983

7. What was the name of the fictional woodcarver who created the puppet ‘Pinocchio’ in Carlo Collodi’s story?

(Mister) Geppetto

8. “Looking from a window above, its like a story of love. Can you hear me?” These are the opening lyrics to which 1982 hit?

Only You – Yazoo (Also covered by many other artists)

9. What was the name of the Labrador retriever who featured in the Australian soap ‘Neighbours’ between 1987 and 1993?

Bouncer

10. Name two other names that have been used professionally by the American rapper Sean Combs.

Two of: Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy, Diddy, Love and Brother Love

1. ‘Honey Ryder’ was a ‘Bond Girl’ played by which actress?

Ursula Andress (Dr. No)

2. Which type of angle is greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees?

Obtuse

3. What links the following words: colour, fall and log?

They can all be preceded by the word ‘water’ to make other words

4. The artist Frida Kahlo was born in which country?

Mexico

5. What does DVD stand for?

Digital Versatile Disc (formerly digital video disc)

6. Which actress and comedienne played Zainab Khan (previously Masood) in EastEnders?

Nina Wadia

7 Baku is the capital of which country?

Azerbaijan

8. Which country won the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest?

Portugal

9. Which UK high street store went into administration on 26th November 2008?

Woolworths

10. In which year did Yuri Gagarin become the first human to travel into space?

1961 (12th April)

1. In which year was Halley’s Comet last visible from Earth?

1986

2. What is the capital of the US state of Wyoming?

Cheyenne

3. From which language does the word ‘futon’ originate?

Japanese

4. What is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet?

Epsilon

5. Which actress played Lady Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey?

Michelle Dockery

6. Who was the original UK host of the ITV game show ‘The Price is Right’?

Leslie Crowther

7. Which word is used for a period of play in a game of polo, each of which lasts for between seven and seven-and-a-half minutes?

Chukka

8. In which Hawaiian city was Barack Obama born?

Honolulu

9. In which year did Tony Blair become Prime Minister of the UK?

1997

10. Which London Underground line has the most stations?

District Line (60 stations)

1. In rugby union, a bonus point is awarded to a team that scores at least how many tries in a match?

Four

2. Which is the fifth planet from the sun?

Jupiter

3. What is a ‘falchion’?

A type of sword

4. Who had a UK number one hit for four weeks in 1960 with ‘My Old Man’s A Dustman’?

Lonnie Donegan

5. According to the book of Genesis, who was the eldest son of Jacob?

Reuben

6. What is the square root of 1,521?

39

7. Which was the highest-grossing film of 2017 worldwide?

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

8. Which actor’s film roles have included Ben Braddock in ‘The Graduate’ and Bernie Focker in ‘Meet the Fockers’?

Dustin Hoffman

9. Who wrote the 1886 gothic novella ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’?

Robert Louis Stevenson

10. In which year did ‘Big Ben’ first chime?

1859 (https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/ – You may decide to give points for those who answer this within 5/10 years or guess the correct decade)

1. Which was the first single by Queen to reach number one in the UK charts?

Bohemian Rhapsody

2. Which star sign is Queen Elizabeth II?

Taurus (born 21st April 1926)

3. In which county would you expect a website ending with the extension .cy to be based?

Cyprus

4. What is the name of the mouse who is Dumbo’s only friend in the 1941 Disney animated film?

Timothy Q. Mouse

5. In which year was Donald Trump born?

1946

6. How many players may be on the court during a game of basketball?

Ten (Five from each team)

7. Which was the first flavoured crisp to be introduced commercially in the UK, other than salt?

Cheese and Onion (By Golden Wonder in 1962 – Smiths introduced Salt ‘n’ Vinegar in 1967)

8. How many degrees does each numbered section of a dartboard measure?

18° (20 sections and 360° ÷ 20 = 18°)

9. In which European country would you find the town of Duffel?

Belgium

10. Who was the first Tudor monarch?

Henry VII

1. What does ‘AC’ stand for when used on a button on a calculator?

All Clear

2. How many yards are there in a mile?

1760

3. In which Shakespearean play does the character of Malvolio appear?

Twelfth Night

4. What name is given to a Champagne bottle four times the size of a standard 750ml bottle?

Jeroboam

5. David Lloyd George was a Prime Minister who represented which political party?

Liberal

6. Which team won Super Bowl LII, the final of which was played on February 4th, 2018?

Philadelphia Eagles

7. Who performed the theme music to the 2015 James Bond film ‘Spectre’?

Sam Smith (Writing’s on the Wall)

8. Which American actress provides the voice of Bart Simpson?

Nancy Cartwright

9. Who is the lead singer of Irish rock band ‘The Script’?

Danny O’Donoghue

10. CANINE CODING is an anagram of which popular ITV show?

Dancing on Ice