40 trivia questions for seniors
Questions on classic songs and films, famous people, history, food, places and holidays for an activity group or a family visit. Read one aloud, give the group time to talk it over, then reveal the answer.
Updated
Music
Freddie Mercury is associated with which band?
easy
Queen
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)?oldid=1363286202#1980%E2%80%931982%3A_The_Game%2C_Hot_Space_and_stadium_tours
Which four musicians comprised the Beatles?
easy
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles?oldid=1365620680
Who wrote and first recorded Jolene?
medium
Dolly Parton
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jolene?oldid=1362915604
Which Fleetwood Mac album was released on 4 February 1977?
medium
Rumours
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumours_(album)?oldid=1365838700
Which composer continued writing music after becoming profoundly deaf?
easy
Beethoven
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven?oldid=1366046655#Deafness
Christmas
Who wrote the song White Christmas?
easy
Irving Berlin
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_(song)?oldid=1359049579
Who wrote Jingle Bells?
easy
James Lord Pierpont
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingle_Bells?oldid=1365209071
In what year was A Christmas Carol first published?
easy
1843
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol?oldid=1359601371
Which miser is the central character of A Christmas Carol?
easy
Ebenezer Scrooge
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol?oldid=1359601371
Which 1823 poem strengthened modern depictions of Santa?
medium
A Visit from St. Nicholas
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus?oldid=1365103587
Film and television
Which actor stars alongside Kate Winslet in Titanic?
easy
Leonardo DiCaprio
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(1997_film)?oldid=1366054107
Which 1941 film was directed, produced by, and starred Orson Welles?
medium
Citizen Kane
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Kane?oldid=1365058577
Which television detective lives at 221B Baker Street in many adaptations?
easy
Sherlock Holmes
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes?oldid=1365649282#Honours
History
What was discovered in Egypt in 1922 by Howard Carter?
medium
The tomb of Tutankhamun
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_of_the_tomb_of_Tutankhamun?oldid=1363813832
Who became South Africa’s first Black president in 1994?
easy
Mandela
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela?oldid=1365645914
What name is given to the cultural rebirth that began in Italian cities?
easy
The Renaissance
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance?oldid=1365516125
Which city hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896?
medium
Athens
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics?oldid=1357065985
Inventions and discovery
Which brothers built and flew the first successful powered airplane?
easy
The Wright brothers
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers?oldid=1363216710
Who demonstrated in 1796 that cowpox infection conferred immunity against smallpox?
medium
Edward Jenner
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox_vaccine?oldid=1362191119
How did penicillin first reveal itself to Alexander Fleming?
medium
The mould killed the bacteria
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_of_penicillin?oldid=1364421317#Background
Sport
What is a score of zero games called in tennis?
easy
Love
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_scoring_system?oldid=1365214798#Tiebreak_scoring
By what nickname is Muhammad Ali widely known?
easy
The Greatest
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali?oldid=1364290636
Which athlete won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics?
medium
Owens
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Owens?oldid=1363329522
What happens when a golfer scores one under par on a hole?
medium
A birdie
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par_(score)?oldid=1341770659#Birdie
Food and drink
What dairy product is churned to make butter?
medium
Cream
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter?oldid=1362175857
What are the two main ingredients in a basic meringue?
medium
Egg whites and sugar
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meringue?oldid=1347156286
Which vegetable is traditionally used to make sauerkraut?
easy
Cabbage
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut?oldid=1365304663
Which part of a cinnamon tree becomes the spice?
medium
The inner bark
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon?oldid=1362542331
Animals and nature
Which animal builds dams that reshape streams?
easy
Beaver
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver?oldid=1365293999#Infrastructure
Geography
Which mountain is the highest above sea level?
easy
Mount Everest
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest?oldid=1365907460
Which nation has a maple leaf on its flag?
easy
Canada
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada?oldid=1360679590
Which river passes through Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade?
medium
The Danube
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube?oldid=1364618141#Geography
General knowledge
What do the letters RSVP ask an invited guest to do?
medium
Please respond
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSVP?oldid=1365198805
What is the dot-and-dash communication system called?
easy
Morse code
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code?oldid=1364531517#Operator-led_change_from_graphical_to_audible_code
Which number has no Roman numeral in the classical system?
medium
Zero
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_numerals?oldid=1365177558#Zero
Art
Which museum in Paris houses the Mona Lisa?
easy
The Louvre
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre?oldid=1362298616#Management%2C_administration%2C_partnerships
Who painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512?
easy
Michelangelo
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel_ceiling?oldid=1361379409
Which artist designed the melting clocks in The Persistence of Memory?
easy
Salvador Dalí
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persistence_of_Memory?oldid=1365591625
Halloween
Who recorded the novelty song Monster Mash?
medium
Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Mash?oldid=1352369377
U.S. states
Which mountain in Alaska is the highest peak in North America?
easy
Denali
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denali?oldid=1365843900
Plan the round and team scores
8 turns × 60 seconds = 8 minutes of play, plus instructions and breaks.
60
These are adjustable house rules. Pause whenever the group needs more time.
Team 1: 0
Team 2: 0
Use this set with a group
Read a prompt, allow thinking time, then invite an answer or a pass. For a timed round, choose a turn length before starting. A host can keep the printed answers out of view until the round ends.