64 trivia questions for middle school with answers

Questions for 11- to 14-year-olds, a section for each grade: ancient worlds and the moving Earth in 6th, cells and the Middle Ages in 7th, atoms, Newton's laws and the Constitution in 8th, each with math and word questions. Easy ones make a warm-up; hard ones stretch a strong class. Every science and history answer links to its source, and every math answer shows the working. Printed without the answers, the set makes a review sheet for the class.

64 questions · Trivia questions for middle school with answers · answers included

Updated 26 Oct 2026

6th grade

1
Mesopotamia, one of the first civilizations, grew up between which two rivers?

easy

Answer
The Tigris and the Euphrates.
The name Mesopotamia means the land between rivers.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia?oldid=1377417093
2
Which modern country covers most of ancient Mesopotamia?

medium

Answer
Iraq.
Southwestern Iran lies just beyond it.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia?oldid=1377417093
3
What is the wedge-shaped writing first used in Mesopotamia called?

medium

Answer
Cuneiform.
It is the earliest known writing system, first used for the Sumerian language.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuneiform?oldid=1381622586
4
What was the formal picture writing of ancient Egypt called?

easy

Answer
Hieroglyphics, or hieroglyphs.
Later Egyptian scripts, and in the end the Phoenician alphabet, grew out of it.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_hieroglyphs?oldid=1380056832
5
For which pharaoh was the Great Pyramid of Giza built as a tomb?

hard

Answer
Khufu, also called Cheops.
He ruled in the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza?oldid=1378503482
6
For how long was the Great Pyramid the tallest building made by people?

hard

Answer
More than 3,700 years.
It stood 146.6 meters (481 feet) tall when it was finished.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza?oldid=1378503482
7
Which great river flows north through Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea?

easy

Answer
The Nile.
Its two main branches, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, meet at Khartoum in Sudan.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile?oldid=1368885921
8
In which Greek city-state did democracy develop around the 6th century BC?

medium

Answer
Athens.
Only free adult men who were citizens could take part.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy?oldid=1381585373
9
In honor of which god were the ancient Olympic Games held?

medium

Answer
Zeus.
They were held at Olympia, a sanctuary of Zeus.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_Games?oldid=1381347616
10
How often were the ancient Olympic Games held?

easy

Answer
Every four years, a span called an Olympiad.
The Greeks used Olympiads to count years.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_Games?oldid=1381347616
11
In which year did the Western Roman Empire fall?

hard

Answer
476 AD.
The Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantine Empire, lasted until 1453.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire?oldid=1381821886
12
Which dynasty built the best-known sections of the Great Wall of China?

medium

Answer
The Ming dynasty.
The Ming ruled China from 1368 to 1644.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China?oldid=1374512030
13
What was the supercontinent called that later broke apart into today's continents?

medium

Answer
Pangaea, also spelled Pangea.
It began to break apart about 175 million years ago.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangaea?oldid=1376395143
14
Which scientist put forward the theory of continental drift in 1912?

hard

Answer
Alfred Wegener.
He wrote that the continents had once been joined in one land mass.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangaea?oldid=1376395143
15
Which part of Earth's core is liquid: the inner core or the outer core?

medium

Answer
The outer core.
The inner core is solid.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_structure_of_Earth?oldid=1381120404
16
Tectonic plate boundaries are convergent, divergent or which third kind?

hard

Answer
Transform.
At a transform boundary, plates slide past each other.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics?oldid=1381934246
17
A car travels 150 miles in 3 hours at a steady speed. How fast is it going?

easy

Answer
50 miles per hour.
150 ÷ 3 = 50 miles each hour.
18
What is 25% of 80?

easy

Answer
20.
25% is one quarter, and 80 ÷ 4 = 20.
19
Write the ratio 12 to 18 in its simplest form.

medium

Answer
2 to 3.
Divide both numbers by 6, their greatest common factor.
20
What is the area of a triangle with a base of 10 cm and a height of 6 cm?

medium

Answer
30 square centimeters.
Half of base times height: ½ × 10 × 6 = 30.
21
What is the message or lesson about life that a story carries called?

medium

Answer
Its theme.
The plot is what happens; the theme is what the story says about life.

7th grade

22
What is the basic unit of every living thing?

easy

Answer
The cell.
Most cells are so small they can only be seen under a microscope.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(biology)?oldid=1381480880
23
Which part of a cell is nicknamed "the powerhouse of the cell"?

easy

Answer
The mitochondrion, or mitochondria for more than one.
It makes ATP, the cell's source of chemical energy.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondria?oldid=1380451286
24
Which cells have no nucleus: prokaryotes or eukaryotes?

hard

Answer
Prokaryotes, such as bacteria.
Eukaryotes, the cells of animals and plants, keep their DNA in a nucleus.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(biology)?oldid=1381480880
25
Which gas do plants give off during photosynthesis?

easy

Answer
Oxygen.
It comes from splitting water.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis?oldid=1379238357
26
In photosynthesis, light energy is turned into which kind of energy?

medium

Answer
Chemical energy, stored in sugars.
Plants store it in sugars and starches and use it later.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis?oldid=1379238357
27
In mitosis, one cell divides into how many new cells?

medium

Answer
Two, each with the same chromosomes.
The two daughter cells are genetically identical.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitosis?oldid=1380696988
28
Which plant did Gregor Mendel grow to work out the rules of heredity?

medium

Answer
The pea plant.
He followed seven traits, such as seed color and plant height.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Mendel?oldid=1376806037
29
Gregor Mendel is remembered as the founder of which science?

medium

Answer
Genetics.
His work was recognized only after his death.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Mendel?oldid=1376806037
30
Which English king sealed Magna Carta in 1215?

medium

Answer
King John.
He sealed it at Runnymede, near Windsor, to make peace with rebel barons.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta?oldid=1381090004
31
What does Magna Carta mean in Latin?

medium

Answer
Great Charter.
A charter is a written grant of rights.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta?oldid=1381090004
32
How was the Black Death mainly spread?

medium

Answer
By flea bites.
The bacterium that caused it is called Yersinia pestis.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death?oldid=1377102371
33
About what share of Europe's people died in the Black Death?

hard

Answer
30% to 60%.
Up to 50 million people died between 1346 and 1353.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death?oldid=1377102371
34
In which country were most of the silks traded along the Silk Road made?

easy

Answer
China.
The Silk Road was a web of trade routes linking East and West.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road?oldid=1379074984
35
Who invented the printing press around 1440?

easy

Answer
Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith.
Printed books became cheaper, and more people learned to read.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press?oldid=1379445153
36
If 3 notebooks cost $4.50, how much do 5 notebooks cost?

medium

Answer
$7.50.
One notebook costs $4.50 ÷ 3 = $1.50, and 5 × $1.50 = $7.50.
37
What is −6 × −4?

easy

Answer
24.
A negative times a negative is positive.
38
What is the probability of rolling a 3 on a fair six-sided die?

easy

Answer
1/6.
One face out of six shows a 3.
39
What is the circumference of a circle 10 cm across? Use 3.14 for pi.

medium

Answer
31.4 cm.
Circumference = pi × diameter = 3.14 × 10.
40
Solve: 2x − 5 = 11.

medium

Answer
x = 8.
Add 5 to both sides to get 2x = 16, then divide by 2.
41
"The wind whispered through the trees" gives the wind a human action. What is this called?

medium

Answer
Personification.
Wind cannot whisper; only people can.
42
"Her smile was sunshine" compares two things without "like" or "as". What is it?

easy

Answer
A metaphor.
With "like" or "as" it would be a simile: her smile was like sunshine.

8th grade

43
Which two particles make up the nucleus of an atom?

medium

Answer
Protons and neutrons.
Electrons move around the nucleus.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom?oldid=1377869405
44
What decides which element an atom belongs to?

medium

Answer
The number of protons.
Any atom with 11 protons is sodium; any with 29 is copper.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom?oldid=1377869405
45
Which Russian chemist made the first widely accepted periodic table, in 1869?

medium

Answer
Dmitri Mendeleev.
He left gaps for elements no one had found yet.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table?oldid=1381469771
46
What are the rows of the periodic table called?

medium

Answer
Periods; the columns are groups.
Elements in the same group tend to behave alike.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table?oldid=1381469771
47
Newton's first law: a moving object keeps going at the same speed in a straight line unless what happens?

medium

Answer
It is acted upon by a force.
This is also called the law of inertia.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion?oldid=1381438402
48
Newton's second law: force equals mass times what?

medium

Answer
Acceleration.
F = ma.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion?oldid=1381438402
49
How fast does light travel in a vacuum?

hard

Answer
299,792,458 meters per second.
That is about 700 million miles per hour.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light?oldid=1381043372
50
In which city was the US Constitution written in 1787?

easy

Answer
Philadelphia, at Independence Hall.
The Constitutional Convention met from May 25 to September 17, 1787.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States?oldid=1381340946
51
Into which three branches does the Constitution divide the federal government?

medium

Answer
Legislative, executive and judicial.
Congress makes laws, the president carries them out, and the courts judge cases.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States?oldid=1381340946
52
What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called?

easy

Answer
The Bill of Rights.
They protect freedoms such as speech and religion.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights?oldid=1378725217
53
How much did the United States pay France for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803?

medium

Answer
$15 million.
That is about $18 for each square mile.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase?oldid=1381659052
54
Which president sent Lewis and Clark to explore the West?

easy

Answer
Thomas Jefferson.
He wanted the new territory mapped and a route to the Pacific found.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition?oldid=1381521726
55
On which date did Abraham Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation?

medium

Answer
January 1, 1863.
It declared enslaved people in the Confederate states free.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation?oldid=1380105817
56
About how many words long is Lincoln's Gettysburg Address?

hard

Answer
271 words.
He read it in less than two minutes.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address?oldid=1380682271
57
Which amendment to the Constitution made slavery illegal?

medium

Answer
The Thirteenth Amendment.
It was ratified on December 6, 1865.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution?oldid=1380708217
58
A right triangle has legs of 3 and 4. How long is the longest side?

medium

Answer
5.
Pythagorean theorem: 3² + 4² = 9 + 16 = 25, and the square root of 25 is 5.
59
What is the slope of the line y = 3x + 2?

medium

Answer
3.
In y = mx + b, the slope is m.
60
Write 4,500,000 in scientific notation.

hard

Answer
4.5 × 10⁶.
Move the decimal point six places to the left.
61
What is 2³ × 2²?

hard

Answer
32, or 2⁵.
Multiplying powers of the same base adds the exponents: 3 + 2 = 5, and 2⁵ = 32.
62
What is the volume of a cylinder with a radius of 2 cm and a height of 5 cm? Use 3.14 for pi.

hard

Answer
62.8 cubic centimeters.
pi × r² × h = 3.14 × 4 × 5 = 62.8.
63
When the audience knows something a character does not, what kind of irony is it?

hard

Answer
Dramatic irony.
In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows Juliet is not really dead.
64
Calling a strong friend "a real Hercules" refers to a well-known story. What is that called?

medium

Answer
An allusion.
An allusion points to a famous person, place or story without explaining it.

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