Think You're A Genius? Take This 60-Second Quiz And Find Out!

Why is it important to be a genius? Because it makes you a special, unique human being. It tells everybody that your brain is highly developed and your are on a level of thought that is superior to 99% of the dullards around you.

It's OK to not be a genius. Most of us aren't. That's probably a good thing. If we were all geniuses, who would serve elementary school kids their lunch, or hold that sign that says SLOW/STOP at road construction sites? Everybody has their place in the world, it's just that geniuses find a place that makes a difference on mankind...

...unless they don't. The problem with being a genius is that while you're incredibly smart, you are probably deficient in some other category. If that category happens to be common sense or work ethic, all of those brains don't amount to squat.

So, take this quiz and find out if you're a genius. Most of these are logic questions. You can go research their answers. We are more interested in how you think about the answer vs. what the actual answer is. And if it turns out you're a genius, please, get off your butt and go make the world a better place.

Question 1

Which of these two things was invented first? The record player or zippers?

These inventions came 14 years apart in the mid-to-late 1800s. While the digital world has made record players obsolete, we're still using zippers to keep our bags, pants and jackets closed. Which one of these two world changing inventions were introduced to people first?

Question 2

How old did the oldest living person ever get to before dying?

Jeanne Calment is the oldest person to have ever been verified by breaking the 120-year-old mark. The question is, how much longer did she keep going? It's amazing to think at somebody's 60th birthday, they weren't even halfway through their life yet. That's a lot of candles over the years.

Question 3

What makes a lead pencil work?

You immediately want to say led, but we'll let you know that's not the case. Back in the day, lead referred to the paint that was used on the pencil, not the actual residue you leave behind when you write on paper. So what is the "lead" in a "lead" pencil really made of?

Question 4

What is the proper name for the English horn?

When you were a kid an the music teacher taught you about the more exotic instruments in the orchestra, they probably pointed out the English horn to you, except there is no such thing as an English horn. French horn, yes, but what is the proper name of what is called the English horn?

Question 5

Which is further from New York City: Hawaii or Peru?

We'll narrow it down slightly. You're at the JFK Airport in New York City and want to fly as far as possible, but your only choices are Honolulu, Hawaii or Lima, Peru. Hopefully you've got plenty of time, because you'll be in the air for a while on your trip to which of the two places?

Question 6

Where is Chinese Chop Suey native to?

Yes, it was invented by Chinese people, but chop suey did not originate from inside of the borders of the Land of the Rising Sun. It actually was invented in America, but we'd like to know if you can tell us which Western state you believe this tasty dinner treat was invented.

Question 7

Cucumbers and tomatoes are not vegetables. So what are they?

They're staples of almost every person's garden and you'll find them among the vegetables in the produce section of the grocery store, but tomoatoes and cucumbers don't actually fall into the vegetable family. If they were to placed correctly, which section would they be in?

Question 8

Which of these bits of "word play" blows your mind more?

Which one of these language truths do you find more compelling? A) The word "natural" is actually a man-made creation, or B) Someone coined the term "to coin a term"... we'll give you a second to come back to earth. Which one of those facts really made you think?

Question 9

Who said "The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination?"

It's an interesting quote if you break it down. What is suggests is that your head could be completely full of useful information, but unless you can think of a creative way to use it, that knowledge is not important. We tend to agree as it seems geniuses do have a creative streak, generally speaking.

Question 10

What was the hottest temperature ever recorded?

It's been over 100 years since the hottest official temperature was eve recorded on Earth. It was on July 10, 1913 on a ranch in Death Valley, California, when the temperature got a point that it has never seen it's equal. What was it? And was it still horrible to experience because after all, it was a dry heat.

Question 11

Which of these two things was invented first? Penicillin or FM Radio

The 100th anniversary of both of these items will be coming up in the next decade and there's no doubt that both have had major impacts on the world. FM radio improved our communication skills like few other inventions while penicillin has cured millions of various ailments. So which came first?

Question 12

Is your answer to this question "No"?

Like a cat chasing its tail going in circles, this question is going to leave you pondering what Yes and No really mean. Does this question have a simple answer or does it have no answer? How can you answer this with any degree of accuracy? Is your answer to this question "No"?

Question 13

What's the answer to this mindbender?

This one will take you a couple seconds to think about, and your answer actually reveals a lot about you: If you have an old wooden boat and slowly, over the years, you replace pieces of wood until they have all been replaced, do you have a new boat or the same boat?

Question 14

If you stand behind a clock, is it still going clockwise?

The way our eyes and our mind perceive things are often very different. Toss in trying to label things with the English language and you create a world of paradoxes. Think about this question carefully. Is the clock still going clockwise if you're standing behind it?

Question 15

What would a room of mirrors look like if there was nothing inside to reflect except other mirrors?

You've probably been in a dressing room at a store that has multiple mirrors and have seen if you stand just right, you can make dozens of your reflections appear. So what if a room was nothing but mirrors? What would that look like if you were somehow be able to see from the inside?

Question 16

I always tell the truth, but that's a lie --- what does that mean?

Here's another one that on first glance seems like a mobius strip of infinity that you'll never be able to work yourself out of, but if you go deeper, there is an answer. Or, maybe there isn't. Maybe you're trying to convince yourself that there is some way to solve this. What's going on?

Question 17

What month and year was the US Constitution signed?

It's one of top two or three documents related to the foundation of the United States of America and the governmental system upon which it still rests. People love to use the phrase "Constitutional Right" but do they - and more importantly you - know when you were able to start using that phrase?

Question 18

Who said, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

This goes in line with that old saying that if you want to really learn something, you need to learn how to teach it to somebody else. This bit of advice above makes us realize that most of our high school math teachers must known have known how to do math either, because there was nothing simple about that!

Question 19

Would you rather know when you will die or how you will die?

This caveat of the question is that you can't do anything about it, so it's not like you're going to stop that heart disease or you can just take a taxi the day the bus goes off the cliff. No, you have to live with this knowledge and can do nothing to change your fate. So which do you choose?

Question 20

Which of these two things was invented first: Bar codes in grocery stores or the first Apple computer?

We know them as Macs now, but their first computer was named after their company: Apple. When did this world-changing invention occur? Was it before or after grocery stores started using the electronic check-out system of bar codes on products? Wasn't mid-1970s technology great?

Question 21

What are we going to find in your Internet history?

Nobody would have been able to understand this question 30 years ago, but if we could go through your browser history for the last year, or you could make sure nobody ever sees it, but you have to give up using the Internet for a year, which one would you pick?

Question 22

James Woods or Steve Martin....who has the higher IQ?

They're both popular actors who qualify as geniuses according to standard IQ tests, but one of these two men has scored 20 points higher than the other. It makes you wonder why they went into acting and didn't go into science or something that you need to brilliant for.

Question 23

Would you rather know a new language or play a musical instrument?

You can pick whichever language and whichever instrument you want in this example. If we could wave a magic wand and you would suddenly be able to play a musical instrument flawlessly or you would be fluent in any foreign language, which one would be the right choice for you?

Question 24

Define your greed-to-luck ratio for us...

You have a choice to make. We can either give you a 99% chance of winning $50,000 or a 50% chance of winning of winning $500,000 which one makes the most sense? Do you think most people would choose the same? Is this question about being lucky or being greedy?

Question 25

Which of these two things was invented first: Spin clothing dryer or Electric Razor?

Here's a bit of a tricky one since they were only two years apart and both happened during a boom in the late 20s/early 30s when companies were cropping up to try and make life easier for people as we moved from an agricultural to a manufacturing society. So which do you think came first?

Question 26

Would your rather always be a little too cold or a little too hot?

And there is nothing you can do to make things better for yourself. If you're cold, the sweater isn't going to help anything and if you're hot, you can't just turn on the air conditioning. You are going to be in this state for the rest of your life, so which one is it going to be?

Question 27

Who said, "The person who won't read has no advantage over the person who can't read."

We like this saying because it also speaks to the idea of genius. You could be the smartest person in the world, but if you're not using it for anything, you are about as useful as the dumbest person in the world. Who does the world have to thank for that little piece of wisdom listed above?

Question 28

Which is further from Paris: South America or Japan?

You're standing at the airport in Paris and you've got a pocketful of money and nothing but time your hands. You want to go as far as possible, but your only options are Johannesburg, South America or Tokyo, Japan. If you want to go as far as possible, which flight are you picking?

Question 29

Which of these two things was invented first? Electronic cigarettes or pocket calculators?

While the e-cig craze seems like it only started in the last decade, the cigarette replacement has been around for nearly 50 years. The pocket calculator has been around either seven years longer or shorter than e-cigs. Which one of these inventions was introduced to the world first?

Question 30

What was the coldest temperature ever recorded?

The lowest natural temperature ever directly recorded at ground level on Earth was at the Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica in 1983. Ironically, it was recorded in July, which most of us in the northern hemisphere recognize as one of the warmest months. How cold did it get that day?

Question 31

How tall did the tallest man ever measure?

Robert Wadlow was the tallest man to ever live. Like other giants, he had a pituitary gland issue in that it secreted too much of the chemicals needed for growing and then never stopped. Just how big did the tallest man of all time, who sadly died at only 22 years old, get at his tallest?

Question 32

What was the largest litter of puppies ever born?

Don't ever get a Neopolitan mastiff if you're not looking for a big litter of puppies. In 2004, one of this breed from the UK named Tia gave birth to a huge litter. Sadly, one was stillborn and three didn't make it through the first week, but it's still a crazy amount of pups. Just how many were there?

Question 33

Which is further from Madrid: Mexico City or Los Angeles?

You've had a great week in Spain, you're standing at the airport in Madrid and you decide that you're going to continue the vacation and want to go as far as possible, but you only have enough money to bring you to either Los Angeles, California, or Mexico City, Mexico. Which location is further away?

Question 34

Who said, "No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar."

It's a very true statement. Even if you've never lied about anything big, have you ever been caught in saying the wrong details of the story because you just didn't remember what you said the first time and subsequently created new facts? This quote drives the point home that never will work.

Question 35

Which Modern Family child is a genius in real life?

Modern Family features two college-aged sons that we've seen grow up over the years. Manny is presented as brilliant and a lover of the arts. Luke is presented as more simple and not too concerned about complexity. One of these actors has been a certified genius since childhood. Which character does he play?

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