Want something fun to do at your next party? Or for all of the RA’s that read this blog which according to my statistics is a lot, your next floor event! Why not turn it into a trivia night!
Tips for hosting trivia:
- Set up your venue properly- Make sure that there are a lot of tables and chairs for the groups to come together. Or if you are allowing two people to work together make sure to provide clip boards or a hard surface for people to work on.
- Decide on a theme- You can make your whole night a themed questions round one 90s movies round two 90s music etc. Or you can just make each round themed: round one Movies, round two sports, round three music etc. If you know your crowd have some fun with them and pick some topics they think they’ll know and them make sure you find hard questions!
- Determine the rules– Trivia nights are fraught with argumentative patrons thinking they have the correct answer. Decide in advance how many people can be on a team, how many points each question is worth, if phones are allowed to even be on during the game, MC has final say on all answers. Make sure these are determined before everyone walks in the door and make sure you let your guests know the rules before you begin.
- Create good questions– You want questions that will keep your audience engaged but also challenge them. Keep them guessing and have fun. I have included a selection of trivia questions below to help you out!
- Keep score– This is isn’t to hard as you can see below on the sheets I have provided each team can turn their score card in after each round. The MC can grade each one and keep them in a pile by team name or record each rounds score on a separate piece of paper.
- Keep a time limit– Each round should be set at a certain amount of time and a certain amount of time should be provided after each question. At the end of each round if you wish you can ask the audience if they’d like a question repeated.
- Who will MC– Whether the MC is the organizer or not one two people should be able to see the questions ahead of time and that’s it. The MC should be trustworthy enough not to let it slip and decisive enough to be able to tell contestants no you didn’t get it right what I say goes! The MC should also have a strong voice and wit to improvise during lulls.
- Set up the game– Set up the game so everyone is prepared for what will follow. Announce the game structure for example- This game will be played in 5 rounds of 10 questions each. Each question is worth 1 point and one round will be a musical round where I will play a song and you will have to guess the name of the song etc.
Below is sample trivia night sheets that you can download and print for free!
Sample Trivia Questions:
Popular Culture:
- What is the Pillsbury Doughboy’s formal name? Popping’ Fresh
- In what country and district does Katniss Everdeen Reside? District 12 of Panem
- In Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Holly Golightly must repeatedly visit a prisoner at Sing Sing and give him what? The “Weather Report” which was actually a coded message about a drug ring
- Which member of The Greatful Dead inspired an ice cream flavor? Jerry Gacia name is lent to Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia
- What is the name of the only Broadway show tun recorded by the Beatles? ‘Til There Was You’ from The Music Man
- What pint-sized chilean-born reality star has more than five million followers on Facebook? Nicole “Snooki” Pilozzi
- On Laverne & Shirely, Laverne had a ver peculiar diet. What was her favorite drink? Milk and Pepsi
- What was Frances Gumm’s stage name? Judy Garland
- What was the name of the character played by Ted Danson on the television comedy Cheers (1892-93)? Sam Malone
- What was Indiana Jones’s first name? Henry
- On Friends, Joey Tribbiani was cast on a soap opera which ended in his character dying and then being brought back with the brain of a woman. What soap was he on? Days of Our Lives
- Annette Funicello made her television debut on what afternoon show? Mickey Mouse Club
- What movie has won the most Academy Awards? It’s a three way tie- Titanic (1997), Ben Hur (1959), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) each won 11 Oscars
- On the Brady Bunch what did Mike Brady do for a living? He was an Architect
- Who is the voice of Darth Vader in the 1977 hit Star Wars? James Earl Jones
- What kind of car is used as a time machine in the Back to the Future movies? The Delorean
- What person has won over 2.5 million dollars on Jeopardy in 2004? Ken Jennings
- Which sitcom about the dysfunctional Bundy family ran from 1987-1997? Married with Children
- Which Presidential drama began in 1999 and ran until 2006 and featured actors like Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, and John Spencer? The West Wing
- Which weekly television series on NBC was the first to air completely in color in 1959? Bonaza
- The popular 1970s television series Laverne & Shirley took place in which American city? Milwaukee
- What late night comedy sketch show first aired in 1975? Saturday Night Live
- Which 1939 move based on a book featured Judy Garland? The Wizard of Oz
- In 1995, the first ever completely computer generated film debuted, what was it? Toy Story
- What was Elvis Presley’s first hit in 1956? Heartbreak Hotel
- What style of music that emerged in the 1970s featured themes of heavier and louder music and anti-establishment lyrics? Punk Rock
- Elvis Presley’s hip gyrations on which show caused much controversy in 1956? The Milton Berle Show
- Which popular musician bought ATV Music and every Beatles song for $47 million in 1985? Michael Jackson
- What was the new style of rock music that arose in the early to mid 1990s through bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and others? Grunge, Alternative Rock
- Who won the first American Idol Contest in 2002? Kelly Clarkson
Random:
- What does RSVP Mean? Repondez, s’il vous plait
- Who invented the gasoline-powered automobile? Karl Benz or Gottlieb Daimler are both credited.
- In the sequence “2,3,5,7,11,13” what is the next number? 17, these are in ascending order, the lowest prime numbers
- What American city boasts the longest continuous habitation by Europeans? St. Augustine, Florida Founded in 1565
- When was soda first sold in a can? 1938
- When was the first Wright Brothers airplane flight? 1903
- What Percentage of the world’s freshwater is in the frozen ice mass of Antartica? 70%
- What is the best-selling board game on earth? Monopoly
- What was the first planet to be discovered using a telescope? Uranus
- What ingredient in fresh milk is eventually devoured by bacteria, causing the sour taste? Lactose
International:
- What American-born man became prime minister and president of Ireland? Eamon de Valera
- What American became trimester of Israel? Gold Meir
- What is the largest lake in the world? The Caspian Sea
- Which nation was the first to give women the right to vote? New Zealand in 1893
- The Galapagos Islands belong to what country? They comprise a province of Ecuador
- Where is the largest oil field in the world? Gnawer field in Saudi Arabia
- Which river is the longest in the world? The Nile
- Which lake is the largest in Africa? Lake Victoria
- What country has the largest population? China (more than 1.3 million)
- What country has the smallest population? Vatican City-State (800 residents)
- What year did the Berlin Wall come down? 1989
- Who was the first elected president in Russia? Boris Yeltsin, in June 1991
- What was the name of the dynasty that ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917? The Romanovs
- What is the highest waterfall in the world? Angel Falls, on the Carrao in Venezuela at 3,212 feet
- What is the worlds largest desert? The Sahara
- What is the tallest building in the world? Dubai’s Burj Khalifa
- In what country are the remains of the ancient city of Petra? Jordan
- What symbol appears on the Canadian flag? Red Maple Leaf
- What organization elects the 15 judges of the World Court? The United Nations
- What 1938 pact caused Winston Churchill to utter: “We have sustained a defeat without a war”? The Munich Pact
The United States:
- What branch of the U.S. military researched frisbees? U.S. Navy
- How many presidents have been sons of presidents? Two, George H.W. Bush and John Quincy Adams
- How many presidents have arrived at the White House with a Ph.D? One, Woodrow Wilson
- What state was purchased during Seward’s Folly? Alaska
- What year did Alaska become a state? 1959
- One American president was a former prisoner of war. Name him: Andrew Jackson
- Which state was the first to ratify the Constitution? Delaware
- Which of the thirteen original states was the last to ratify the constitution? Rhode Island
- What is the largest liken North America? Lake Superior
- Which Great Lake is the deepest? Lake Superior
- Which go the Great Lakes does not border on Canada? Lake Michigan
- Who was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives? Jeanette Rankin
- When did women get the right to vote in U.S. National elections? August 18, 1920
- What was the first coeducational college in the United States? Oberlin College in 1833
- Who was the first woman sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice? Sandra Day O’Connor
- Who was the first black Supreme Court Justice? Thurgood Marshall
- What is the southernmost state in the United States? Hawaii
- Whose face is featured on a two-dollar bill? Jefferson
- Who gave the shortest presidential inaugural speech? Washington
- Which president had two bear cubs for pets on the South Lawn? Jefferson
Animals:
- What is the world’s largest fish? Whale Shark
- What is the world’s smallest fish? Sumatran Paedocypris
- What fish is the fastest swimmer? Sailfish (60mph)
- What is the largest living Animal on land or sea? The Blue Whale
- What is the largest land animal? The African Elephant
- Where are panda’s found in the wild? China
- What is the largest living rodent? The Capybara
- Which bird is the fastest flyer? The Peregrine Falcon
- What is the worlds largest living bird? The Ostrich
- What is the world’s smallest living bird? The Bee Hummingbird
Sports:
- What team did Jackie Robison first play for? Brooklyn Dodgers
- One basketball team won eight consecutive NBA championships? The Boston Celtics 1959-1966
- Only one NBA Player has ever averaged fifty points a game for a complete season. Who was it? Wilt Chamberlain
- Who holds the record for most lifetime points in the NBA? Kareem Abdul Jabbar
- What team has won the most NCAA championship in men’s basketball? UCLA has 11 championships (University of Kentucky is second with 7)
- Who was fighting in the fight known as the “Thrilla in Manila”? MMuhammad Ali- Joe Frazier in 1975
- Where was the game of golf invented? Scotland
- Who has won more Masters tournaments than any other golfer? Jack Nicklaus, with 6 masters victories
- Which team won the infamous “Heidi Bowl”? The Oakland Raiders beat the New York Jets
- In what round of the 1979 NFL draft wa Joe Montana drafted by the San Francisco 49ers? In the third round
- Which national Hockey League team has won the most Stanley Cup championships? The Montreal Canadiens with 23 NHL Championships
- Who holds the most scoring records in the NHL? Wayne Gretzky
- What was the first sport televised in the U.S.? Baseball
- What sport has a hooker in a scrum? Rugby
- Who was the only college football player to win the Heisman Trophy twice? Archie Griffin
- What sport is the most common cause of eye injuries in the U.S.? Baseball
- What 1990 championship sporting event attracted a TV audience of one billion people? The World Cup Finals
- In 1990 two major league greats made baseball history by becoming the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back homers in an MLB game. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.
- Presidential ceremonial pitches have been a tradition in MLB since opening day of the 1910 season. Who was the first president to throw out a ceremonial first pitch? William Howard Taft. Since 1910 every president except Jimmy Carter has thrown at least one ceremonial first pitch
- hough Wimbledon is a pretty big deal today, the very first tournament was scheduled in 1877 as a fundraiser for England’s preferred sport of the day. Name that sport: Croquet
Questions you can ask that have multiple answers that your guests would have to guess for a point each:
- Which eleven states seceded from the Union during the civil war? South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee
- Name the six states that do not provide their governors with an official residence. Arizona, California, Idaho, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont
- List the Great Lakes in order of size? Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario
- What countries does the Nile pass through on it’s way to the Mediterranean sea? Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt
- The Mississippi River forms one of the borderlines of ten different states. Can you name them? Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana
- List the Oceans in order of size. Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic
- Name all of the presidents Forest Gump meets in the film: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon
- Name Donald Duck’s nephews: Huey, Louie, and Dewey
- Name the presidents portrayed on Mount Rushmore. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thedore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln
- Name all seven Dwarfs from Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? Dopey, Sneezy, Grumpy, Happy, Bashful, Doc, and Sleepy
Need more trivia questions? Check out these options below:
