On A Scale Of Homer To Sheldon How Smart Are You
- by Ben Sherlock
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Dr. Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory is a theoretical physicist with an astounding, nearly perfect IQ score of 187 (although he claims his IQ cannot be accurately measured by normal tests). He has a PhD and an ScD and possesses an eidetic memory. For all intents and purposes, he is the smartest character on television – a benchmark against which all successive geniuses must be judged. The Simpsons patriarch Homer Simpson, on the other hand, is the opposite of that. He’s the idiot against which other idiots are judged. Someone can be really, really stupid and still look smart next to Homer Simpson. With an IQ of 55, he is arguably the stupidest character in all of television. Homer’s IQ actually isn’t that low – it should be 105, slightly above that of an average person, as it was when he had that crayon removed from being lodged in his brain – but he’s found that life is easier as a fool. So, the spectrum of intelligence can be judged between the highs of Sheldon Cooper’s mind and the lows of Homer Simpson’s mind. But are you as smart as Sheldon Cooper or as dumb as Homer Simpson? Take this general knowledge quiz to find out!
What planet is Superman from?
The whole backstory of Clark Kent aka Superman is pretty tragic. He’s an alien whose home planet was destroyed a long time ago. His parents put him in a pod and sent him to be free and safe from the destruction. He ended up landing on Earth where our galaxy’s yellow sun gave him superhuman powers that he would eventually use to routinely save the world as a costumed crime fighter as an adult. But before all that, he was an alien who was born on a completely different planet, far off in outer space. So, what planet did Kal-El aka Clark Kent aka Superman come from?
Which country features a maple leaf on its flag?
This country may be really cold and its currency might be a little weird, but its people are very nice and we’ve gotten a lot of big celebrities from there. This is the country we have to thank for Seth Rogen, Justin Bieber (he’s not for everyone, but he does have a lot of fans), Bryan Adams, Wayne Gretzky, Alan Thicke, Jay Baruchel, Celine Dion – basically, a whole bunch of famous, talented people. The country is the butt of a lot of jokes on How I Met Your Mother. Which country is it?
What US state is nicknamed the Garden State?
Every single one of the 50 states in the United States has its own nickname. In fact, they all have a bunch of different nicknames – some old, some unofficial – but they all have at least one official one. There’s the Sunshine State, the Golden State, the Empire State, the Granite State. Every state has a name. One of them is the Garden State. Garden State is also the name of a Zach Braff movie set in this state. Which state is it?
Which Cuban revolutionary leader died in 2016?
In a brilliant episode of the original UK version of The Office where the characters are doing a pub quiz, David Brent answers “Fray Bentos” for the question of the long ruling Cuban revolutionary. Fray Bentos, of course, is an iconic British brand of tinned processed meat products. This communist leader is a very different thing. He promised he wouldn’t die until America was destroyed and then he died right after Donald Trump was elected, so make of that what you will. Who was the leader?
How many seasons of Friends were there?
It could very easily be argued that the ‘90s NBC sitcom Friends is the most popular TV series of all time. The show was about six twentysomething buddies living in New York City who are trying to figure out their lives and work toward their dream jobs, dream relationships, dream homes, and dream lives. Everyone can relate to it. That’s probably why it was such a huge success. But just how many seasons of the phenomenally successful show were there?
What is the tallest mountain in Japan?
Japan is a really beautiful country. They call it the Land of the Rising Sun. Its urban areas look really cool and slick and futuristic, like Tokyo – just a sumptuous, colorful, neon metropolis – and its rural areas are so calm and contemplative and quaint and gorgeous. Visiting Japan, the whole of Japan, should be on everybody’s bucket list. There’s a whole bunch of different mountains in Japan, both tall and relatively short. But what is the highest mountain in Japan?
Who wrote The Hunger Games trilogy?
The Hunger Games movies are among the most popular films of the past few years. They made Jennifer Lawrence a star and opened the world up to a whole new market of cinema: YA stories about a futuristic dystopia. The Hunger Games followed the similar YA series Twilight, but preceded Divergent and The Maze Runner. The books that The Hunger Games movies were based on are better than the films and they were written by a wonderfully talented writer – which one?
What is the most abundant gas in the Earth’s atmosphere?
We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. There’s also nitrogen and argon and neon and helium and methane and xenon and krypton and hydrogen and ozone in the atmosphere. That’s out of a table of elements that includes dozens and dozens of elements. Some of these aren’t elements – they’re a few glommed together to create something new. But either way, everything comes back to the elements. So, which of the gases is the most abundant in the Earth’s atmosphere?
What popular rock band’s name also refers to a medieval torture device?
This heavy metal band hails from Great Britain and they have a very distinctive visual style for the way they dress, their album covers, their live performances – they even have a gory mascot named Eddie the Head. This band is one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands of all time, as they’re reported to have sold over 100 million copies of their albums worldwide. Their name isn’t just their name – it also refers to a medieval torture device. What band is it?
What drug does Walter White manufacture?
Ever since it went off the air a few years ago, Breaking Bad has been considered to be the greatest TV series ever made. It stars Bryan Cranston in the role of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with lung cancer and turns to making drugs in order to pay for his healthcare and to provide for his family after he’s dead. He pairs up with one of his old students to do it. What drug do they make?
What temperature is the same number of degrees in both Celsius and Fahrenheit?
Degrees in either Celsius or Fahrenheit are generally the two ways that we measure heat. Celsius is more European, whereas Fahrenheit is the American way of doing it – the titles of both Ray Bradbury’s dystopian science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 and Michael Moore’s searing political documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 reflect that. The formulas for conversion are this: °F = (°C * 9/5) + 32 and °C = (°F - 32) * 5/9. What temperature is the same number of degrees in both Celsius and Fahrenheit?
Who was George W. Bush’s Vice President?
George W. Bush was the US President for two terms between 2001 and 2009. Shortly after his inauguration, 9/11 happened, so that’s the defining mark of his Presidency. The response to it, the fears, the doubts, the conspiracies – that’s how Bush will be remembered. The Vice President of the United States under the Bush administration often called himself “the Darth Vader of the Bush administration,” so make of that what you will. The angry, irrational, powerful, evil one? Who was Bush’s VP?
Which of these stars did NOT get their start on Saturday Night Live?
Created in the 1970s by Lorne Michaels as a springboard for the comic talent of half the staff of the National Lampoon, Saturday Night Live is a sketch and variety series that has been a staple of NBC since it first began. The show is like a breeding ground for comedic talent, with so many hilarious stars getting the beginning of their career in show business on the show. Which of these comedy stars did NOT get their start on SNL?
What is the most populous city in the world?
The most populous city in the entire world has an astounding population of more than 24 million people. That’s a crazy number! A few are close behind it, but this mega city in one of the four direct controlled municipalities of what happens to be most populous country in the world will probably maintain the top spot for a long time. It’s been settled and established since around the year 4000 BC, so it’s been around a long time. What is the most populous city in the world?
Which literary icon lives in West Egg?
In the Roaring Twenties, a young writer named F. Scott Fitzgerald really captured the culture and the society and the feeling of the times when he wrote what has since come to be considered the Great American Novel. The lovesick yet absurdly wealthy lead character, who is described by the narrator as “the single most hopeful person I’ve ever met,” owns a mansion in a fictional neighborhood in upstate New York called West Egg. Which iconic literary character is it?
What city is the baseball team the Mariners from?
The baseball team the Mariners are among the very few teams in Major League Baseball to have never won a World Series. There are far better teams, like the Yankees, who have won tons of World Series, and then there’s the Mariners, who have yet to win a single one. This city in Washington state is near to the site of a train that derailed recently during the testing of a high speed railway that broke the speed rules and ended up flying from the track onto a busy highway. What city is it?
What element is diamond made of?
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, as they say. This is not necessarily true, but people do enjoy them. They are said to be the strongest and hardest material on the planet, which is probably why they are used to symbolize a joining of two people who are in love as an engagement ring and then a wedding ring. Diamonds are a beloved staple of the human race: Rihanna songs and James Bond movies are named after them. The obsession is inexplicable, apart from that they look nice. But what chemical element are they made of?
What Shakespeare play is The Lion King based on?
Adaptation is a pretty loose term. Sometimes a screenwriter adapting a text into a movie can take the themes of the original story and then go somewhere completely different with it. For example, the Reese Witherspoon movie Freeway is a modernized retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story, and it’s really interesting if you bear that in mind when you’re watching it. The Lion King is a Disney cartoon about animals in Africa, but it’s also a loose adaptation of a Shakespeare play. Which one is it?
Which musical artist popularized the moonwalk dance move?
This pop singer, often dubbed the King of Pop, made the moonwalk dance move – the move where you walk backwards but make it looks like you’re walking forwards – one of the most popular and commonly done dance moves on the planet. This artist is one of the best selling musical artists of all time. He’s also responsible for the highest selling album of all time, Thriller. He died in 2009, but his legacy will live on forever. Who is he?
Which Beatle was assassinated in 1980?
This is a really wild story. A celebrated legend in the world of music, one of the Beatles, was minding his own business one day in New York City. He gave a fan an autograph and then got on with his day. Just like any other day – until that same fan came back to shoot him in the back later that very same day. He died, but his legacy has lived on ever since. Which of the Beatles was it?
What was Muhammad Ali’s original name?
Muhammad Ali is one of the most respected and celebrated sports figures in history. But he was not born with that name. He changed his original name (which he called his “slave name”) to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam. In his latest Netflix special, Dave Chappelle speaks about the struggles of black people, and how it was easier for Caitlyn Jenner to change her gender than for Muhammad Ali to change his name. What was his name originally?
Which group carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks?
The 9/11 terrorist attacks, which were carried out on September 11, 2001, are now the benchmark for a terrible tragedy. The world has never been the same since that fateful day, and it probably never will be. There’s the pre-9/11 world and the post-9/11 world. The attacks were the work of a terrorist group founded by the infamous Osama bin Laden, who was finally killed by Navy SEALs a decade after the attacks. What’s the name of the terrorist group?
What was the first NBA team that Michael Jordan played for?
Michael Jordan was the best. He was the best of the best. Any time there’s a great new basketball player, they say, “Well, he’s good, but he’s no Michael Jordan.” Back in the mid-1980s, when Jordan got his first job on an NBA team, he was already making history. That year, he became the only rookie in NBA history to have led a team in four different types of statistics (those being points, assists, rebounds, and steals). So, what was the team that started it all?
Who does Harry Potter marry at the end of the series?
The Harry Potter franchise is one of the most unbelievably popular and beloved franchises across the entire media industry. The books have sold millions of copies, the movies grossed billions of dollars, and hell, the video games even did great business. Thanks to a bunch of different factors, everyone on Earth fell in love with the story of this young wizard boy and his adventures at boarding school. But which character does Harry Potter marry at the end of the series?
Who founded Facebook?
Facebook was one of the first ever social network websites in the world. It was founded by a guy when he was in college, along with some other people who got ripped off along the way. This was all portrayed the movie The Social Network, which was directed by the great David Fincher of Fight Club and The Game, where this founder of the site was played by the actor Jesse Eisenberg. What’s the name of the guy who founded Facebook?
What island do lemurs come from?
Lemurs come from a beautiful tropical island that is best known for being featured as the title for an animated movie franchise that’s set there. It’s about a bunch of privileged zoo animals who have spent their lives being sheltered from danger and pampered who end up on a desert island in the middle of nowhere, where they have to live in the wild for the first time ever. The most beloved characters from the franchise are lemurs. What’s the island?
What horse won the 1973 Triple Crown?
It could be argued that race horses and other sporting animals don’t get the respect that they deserve as athletes. Of course, people do. They get showered with praise and sponsorship deals and they’re treated as icons and celebrated figures, but that’s not true of animals. This particular horse is one of the only animal athletes to be remembered by widespread audiences. In 1973, this horse became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. So, which horse is it?
Which of these cinematic icons debuted first?
These four characters are among the most legendary and iconic in the history of cinema. Rocky Balboa is the classic underdog boxer who has taken on some of the most formidable foes in the world. Indiana Jones travels the globe with his bullwhip and fedora, finding long lost ancient artifacts and fighting Nazis. Ellen Ripley kicks xenomorph ass in outer space and keeps coming back to tell the tale. Darth Vade is the most infamous and feared villain of all time. Which one appeared on our screens first?
What movie has the subtitle “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb?”
This black and white Cold War satire directed by Stanley Kubrick is a timeless comedy classic starring Peter Sellers in multiple roles. The movie is usually only known by its main title, since it’s a lot shorter and snappier, but its full title is ______ or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. See, it has a second, alternative title. But no one refers to it by using this title. What is the name of the movie?
What was the Soviet Union’s version of the CIA?
During the Cold War, a lot of Americans (more or less all of them, actually) were worried that the Soviet Union would be taking over at some point and they’d have to learn to speak Russian and live under an oppressive communist regime. That didn’t end up happening, thanks to the CIA, but it very almost did, courtesy of the Soviet Union’s very own CIA esque intelligence service. What was the name of the Soviet Union’s version of the CIA?
What is the main ingredient in falafel?
Falafel is one of the most wonderful food inventions to have come from the Middle East. It goes great in a toasted pita bread and some salsa. It is also often mixed together with salads and vegetables and hot sauces and, well, pretty much any kind of sauce. The food comes in deep fried balls and falafel can be made in various different ways, but the main ingredient in it is always one particular food. What is that main ingredient?
What role did Hillary Clinton have in Barack Obama’s administration?
Hillary Clinton has enjoyed long stints in the White House. For starters, she was the First Lady of the United States when her husband Bill Clinton was the President (and even stayed with him through his sordid scandal). But then she was also added to Barack Obama’s administration when he became the President and took over from Bush. She had a very important job within this Cabinet for all those years. So, what role did Hillary Clinton have in Barack Obama’s administration?
Who is Tony Soprano’s therapist?
The Sopranos was a different kind of gangster TV show. It wasn’t all guns and action and murder and tough guys. It was mostly that, but it was also deep and contemplative and interesting and artistic and psychological. A huge plot point involved Tony Soprano’s regular visits to his therapist, who was played by one of the many actors from the movie Goodfellas who joined the cast of the violent HBO drama. What is the name of Tony Soprano’s therapist?
Who directed Inception?
Remember Inception? It was everyone’s favorite movie for a whole summer. The movie was strikingly original in its style, its ideas, its concepts, its story – it was just an all round terrific piece of cinema. Inception was directed by the same guy who did The Dark Knight, Interstellar, and Dunkirk, among others. He’s an auteur, one of the few directors working today who can do original, unique, quirky movies and turn them into blockbusters that rival even the biggest franchises. Who is he?
Which country has taken in the most Syrian refugees?
The Syrian refugee crisis is easily the worst humanitarian crisis happening in the world right now. There’s a terrible humanitarian crisis going on in China at the moment and there’s always the problems in Africa to consider, but it’s pretty obvious that nothing is worse than the refugee crisis in Syria. Countries all over the world have responded to the crisis by offering aid to Syria and taking in some of its refugees. Which country has taken in the most?