We Gathered All These Pub Quiz Questions. Who Can Answer Them All?

The pub quiz has been a classic British past-time since the 1970's. Before that, pub quizzes were played alongside billiards and darts in select pubs across England but were not widely scheduled or organized in the manner that they are today. In 1976, Tom Burns and Sharon Porter organized three leagues with thirty two teams in southern England in order to draw crowds into pubs on quiet nights. Burns and Porter gathered questions, developed weekly quizzes, and sent them in sealed envelopes to hosting pubs. Afterwards, the duo collected the results and drew up leaderboards and league tables. This cheap method of entertainment was an immense hit and expanded to include over ten thousand teams by the 1980's. Today pub quizzes are a weekly past time in tens of thousands of bars worldwide, with an annual event known as the Great British Pub Quiz Challenge. Countless books, board games, and even television game shows have emerged from this phenomenon in the past three decades.

We have gathered all of the best pub quiz questions out there and meticulously organized them for you below. Do you have what it takes become the pub quiz champion? Prove it by correctly answering all of these questions.

Question 1

U.S. Literature

Who wrote The Old Man And The Sea? This Pulitzer Prize winning short novel was published in 1951 and tells the story of Cuban fisherman down on his luck, and a fishing trip in which he pursues a monstrous catch. Following its publication in Life magazine, five million copies of the issue were sold in two days alone. The Old Man And The Sea has since been adapted for two movies and a miniseries.

Question 2

U.S. Literature

What year was Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" written? This classic anti-slavery novel was written by Stowe, an abolitionist and school teacher, while living in Brunswick, Maine. It became the best selling work of fiction of the century, and was second only to the Bible in overall book sales. Despite its massive U.S. sales upon publication, it sold over three times the amount in Great Britain in the same year.

Question 3

U.S. Literature

What is the name of Ralph Ellison's only completed novel? Ralph Ellison was born on March 1st, 1913, and completed only one novel in the course of his lifetime. Ellison was named after the transcendentalist US philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was a big influence on his father. Ellison attended the Tuskegee Institute, an all-black university located in Alabama, which was founded by Booker T. Washington. Ellison regarded T.S. Elliot, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce as his biggest influences.

Question 4

U.S. Literature

Who wrote The U.S.A. Trilogy? This trilogy of great US novels was written between 1930 and 1936. Its titles were The 42nd Parallel, 1919, and The Big Money. Despite being a composition of three distinct novel, this trilogy was first published as a single volume under the title "U.S.A.". In 1946, a limited illustrated edition of the U.S.A. Trilogy was published in which 350 copies were signed by the author.

Question 5

U.S. Literature

The poet H.D.'s initials stand for what? This US poet was born in 1886 and is an influential and often overlooked modernist contemporary of Ezra Pound, Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, and T.S. Eliot. This poet also became friends with Sigmund Freud in the 1930's and developed a strong interest and understanding of sexuality and human psychology. Do you think you can search through all your lit trivia and remember what the initials H.D. stand for?

Question 6

History

Who was King of England during the Great Fire of London? The Great Fire of London was a massive fire that swept through the City of London over a five day period. It destroyed over 13,000 homes, which may have accounted for all but an eighth of the population of the city's homes. The temperature of the fire reached at least 2,280 °F, and the toll of lost lives is still unknown.

Question 7

History

Who published the first edition of Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte DArthur? This Arthurian work was a novel length interpretation and reworking of French and English tales about the legendary King Arthur. The original title was "The Whole Book of King Arthur and His Noble Knights of the Round Table", as it focuses upon the knights of King Arthur's Round Table more than Arthur himself.

Question 8

History

Which famous book was published in London on April 25th, 1719? This book is generally considered to be the first novel that was written in English. It received four different editions of publication in 1719, and is now one of the most widely printed, sold, and published books in history. Its well known author was not only a writer and trader, but worked as a spy, lending his services to the English Government in order to secure release from prison.

Question 9

History

Who was the first woman elected to the British House of Commons? Not only was this woman the first women elected to British House of Commons, but was the first woman in the world to hold a cabinet position. This woman was arrested and sentenced to follow the fate of the same men in her situation, for her role in the Easter Rising, but was spared due to her gender and was instead committed to life in prison. While in prison in 1918, she was elected to the constituency of Dublin St Patrick's.

Question 10

History

What was the name of Hokkaido before 1869? Hokkaido is the second largest island in Japan and is located in the northern section of the country and is only about 43 kilometers from Russia. The largest city on Hokkaido is now the capital city of Sapporo, which is the fifth largest city in Japan. The first recorded mention of Hokkaido is thought to have been in 720, in the Nihon Shoki, the second oldest book of classic Japanese history existing.

Question 11

Pop Culture

What is the name of the TV series following the lives of the Pritchett family? This sitcom premiered in 2009 and follows the live of the various members of the Pritcett family, who are the immediate relatives of Jay Pritchett, played by Ed O'Neill of "Married with Children" fame. This show also stars Sofía Vergara Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Ariel Winter, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, and Sarah Hyland. The first five seasons of this show each won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy.

Question 12

Pop Culture

Who plays the character George Costanza in the classic show Seinfeld? This iconic Seinfeld character is the best friend of Jerry Seinfeld. He originally appears as a fairly intelligent, but awkward and anxious, real estate agent, but becomes more dim-witted as the show progresses. Despite this, George's intelligence recovers, and excels, in a certain episode in which it is revealed that his intelligence is merely hampered by his inability to divert his focus from a certain task.

Question 13

Pop Culture

Who sang the hit song "Hello"? This 2015 song was from this artist's third album. This song was a commercial success as well as a critically acclaimed track. This song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and held its place at the top for ten weeks. It was this artist's second number one in the United Kingdom. The music video for this song reached a billion views on youtube in 88 days, setting the all time record.

Question 14

Pop Culture

What was the highest grossing film of 2017? 2017 was a smash year at the box office for film. It saw the release of Spiderman Homecoming, The Fate of the Furious, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Despicable Me 3, Wonder Woman, and Thor Ragnorak, all of which made over 820 million dollars. This year, Wolf Warrior 2, a Chinese film, became the first film listed in the worldwide top 100 box office that was not a Hollywood movie.

Question 15

Pop Culture

Who released the best-selling album worldwide in 2013? This album was released only five weeks before the end of the year, but sold an unbelievable four million copies, and went on to become the fastest selling record on Amazon UK. This album also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, which was this artists third album to do so. The next highest selling album of the year released the same month and came in at a close 3.8 million record sales.

Question 16

Sports

Who is the oldest boxer to ever win a world championship at 49 years old? Boxing generally has a higher peak age than many other sports. It is not uncommon for boxers to hold world championship belts in their mid 30's, a stage at which most athletes are already hanging up the gloves. This boxer in particular, however, pushed the limits of age and the human body and not only broke the previous record by winning a world championship at 46, but went on to beat his own record two more times at 48 and 49.

Question 17

Sports

In which sport would you hear the phrases "stone" and "house"? Sports all come with their own terminology and jargon. From touchdown to try, and shuttlecock to puck. The world governing body for this sport has recorded an estimated 1,500,000 players, and officially added a wheelchair accessible version in 2006. Evidence suggests that this sport has been played as early as 1551 in Scotland, and the modern name for this sport appeared on written record in the early to mid 1600's.

Question 18

Sports

How many inches is the diameter of a basketball hoop? Basketball was invented in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts by Canadian - American gym teacher Dr. James Naismith, who also wrote the original rule book. The highest governing body is known as FIBA, which stands for Fédération internationale de basket-ball, or the International Basketball Federation. The sport was originally played with a soccer ball, with the modern basketball added later on. What is the diameter of the hoop that this ball is thrown through?

Question 19

Sports

What country won the 1930 World Cup? The FIFA World Cup has been held yearly since 1930, the first year it was played, except for 1942 and 1946 due to the Second World War. The 2018 World Cup Champion was France, who beat Croatia in the final in Russia. The most successful team is Brazil, which has won five separate World Cup victories. Who won the World Cup championship in its first year awarded?

Question 20

Sports

In what year was the NHL founded? The National Hockey League is the largest professional ice hockey body in the world. Its six original teams, known as the Original Six, were the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Black Hawks, the Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, which all still exist today. Only the Montreal Canadians and the Toronto Maple Leafs were actually members of the NHL upon its creation, with the others added later on.

Question 21

Geography

In which country is Mount Kilimanjaro located? This mountain is the tallest mountain on its continent and has three volcanic cones, known as "Kibo", "Mawenzi", and "Shira". It is approximately 16,100 feet tall, and rises approximately 19,340 feet above sea level. The origin of the name is generally unknown, but it has been in use since at least 1860. In 1936, Ernest Hemingway published a famous story titled "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" which has since been made into a movie.

Question 22

Geography

What is the name of the Great Lake not listed here: Superior, Erie, Ontario, and Michigan. The great lakes are the largest source of fresh water on Earth, and expand over 244,106 square km in North America. The great lakes formed from glacier ice sheets around 14,000 years ago, and have therefore been of great importance to countless ecosystems and populations, both animal and human. The Great Lake Megalopolis refers to the metropolitan areas surrounding the Great Lakes, including the cities of Chicago and Toronto.

Question 23

Geography

What is the Eastern most region of Spain? This autonomous region sits on the Iberian Peninsula, and is made up of four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. This region was formed in approximately 988 AD. This region is diverse in climate and features a mixture of Mediterranean, Oceanic, and Alpine environments, with temperatures varying between 14 and 40 degrees Celsius. It has 580 kilometers of coastline as well as vast mountain ranges, forests, and plains. What is its name?

Question 24

Geography

What is the name of the area in Central America that breaks the Pan-American highway, making it impossible to drive from North to South America? This stretches from Yaviza, Panama to Turbo, Colombia and is 106 Kilometers long. The Pan American highway is a road network stretching 30,000 km and covers the entirety of North, South, and Central America besides this point.

Question 25

Geography

What structure in North America was formerly the highest free standing building in the world? This communication and observation tower is 1,815.3 feet tall and was built in 1976. It was the tallest free standing structure in the world until Burj Khalifa took over in 2007. In 1995 this structure was named as one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World. It attracts over two million international visitors a year and is the signature aspect of its cities iconic skyline.

Question 26

Quotes

Who wrote: "Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." The quote challenge is a staple of pub trivia. It is features in many different formats including audio rounds featuring recordings of the speakers as well as the more traditional format. Statements and speeches of iconic, historical, political, or popular culture value stand out so strongly in the minds of many that they are worthy of a place in any pub quiz challenge. Who said this quote?

Question 27

Quotes

Who said: "The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast." The quote challenge is a staple of pub trivia. It is features in many different formats including audio rounds featuring recordings of the speakers as well as the more traditional format. Statements and speeches of iconic, historical, political, or popular culture value stand out so strongly in the minds of many that they are worthy of a place in any pub quiz challenge. Who said this quote?

Question 28

Quotes

Who wrote "No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear." The quote challenge is a staple of pub trivia. It is features in many different formats including audio rounds featuring recordings of the speakers as well as the more traditional format. Statements and speeches of iconic, historical, political, or popular culture value stand out so strongly in the minds of many that they are worthy of a place in any pub quiz challenge. Who said this quote?

Question 29

Quotes

Who said "I live in a queendom, ruled by a womb-iverse." The quote challenge is a staple of pub trivia. It is features in many different formats including audio rounds featuring recordings of the speakers as well as the more traditional format. Statements and speeches of iconic, historical, political, or popular culture value stand out so strongly in the minds of many that they are worthy of a place in any pub quiz challenge. Who said this quote?

Question 30

Quotes

Who wrote: "I talk about the gods, I am an atheist. But I am an artist too, and therefore a liar. Distrust everything I say. I am telling the truth.” The quote challenge is a staple of pub trivia. It is features in many different formats including audio rounds featuring recordings of the speakers as well as the more traditional format. Statements and speeches of iconic, historical, political, or popular culture value stand out so strongly in the minds of many that they are worthy of a place in any pub quiz challenge. Who said this quote?

Question 31

General Knowledge

Who played James Bond in "Dr. No"? This classic spy film was based upon the novel Dr. No by Ian Fleming. This film was made on a budget of just over $1.1 million, and grossed $59.5 million. Dr. No was directed by Terence Young and produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Ursula Andress plays the iconic Bond girl, Honey Ryder, who makes a living diving for sea shells.

Question 32

General Knowledge

How many moons does Venus have? The planet Venus is the second closest planet to the sun. Its surface is covered by a layer of reflective clouds of sulfuric acid, which prevents the surface of the planet from being seen from space. It is believed that there may have been water on Venus in the past. It is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty, fertility, prosperity and love. The goddess Venus is the counterpart to the Greek mythological figure Aphrodite.

Question 33

General Knowledge

Who was Liza Minnelli's mother? Liza Minnelli, the celebrated American singer, dancer, and actress, was born to renowned director Vincente Minnelli and which celebrity? Liza Minnelli began singing in nightclubs at a very young age, and had performed in Las Vegas, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City by the age of 19. She has acted in twenty stage productions, twenty two different films or TV shows, and has won an Academy Award, a Tony, and a Grammy.

Question 34

General Knowledge

Emerald is a birthstone associated with which month of the year? This precious gem is a particular variety of Beryl, a mineral made up of beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate. Its English name comes from the Vulgar Latin name, esmaralda or esmaraldus, which derives from the Greek name, σμάραγδος, which means green gem. The green colour of emeralds is a result of small amount of chromium or vanadium in the stones.

Question 35

General Knowledge

Which type of pasta is shaped like a corkscrew? This Southern Italian macaroni is generally made without the use of eggs and is widely sold in yellow, green, and red color. It is most often eaten with tomato sauces and mozzarella or Parmesan cheese. Its nickname "corkscrew" pasta is also a loose English translation of its Italian name. This pasta is also known by the names cellentani, amori, and spirali.

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