Monday, November 2, 2026

The tidbits, trivia answers and word pairs from Facts & Games on Monday, November 2, 2026. Play today’s games · All past days · All past tidbits

Six tidbits

Commonly confused words

affect vs. effect

affect: To influence or change something (a verb). effect: A result or outcome (a noun). Affect is usually the action; effect is the end result.

capital vs. capitol

capital: A city that is a seat of government; also money. capitol: The building where a legislature meets. The capitol has an o for its dome.

prescribe vs. proscribe

prescribe: To recommend or order a treatment or rule. proscribe: To forbid or ban. A doctor prescribes; a law proscribes.

apprise vs. appraise

apprise: To inform or tell someone. appraise: To judge the value or quality of. An appraiser puts a price on things.

disinterested vs. uninterested

disinterested: Impartial; having nothing to gain. uninterested: Not interested; bored. A good referee is disinterested but never uninterested.

Beatles trivia

1. At which Hamburg club did the Beatles begin their first residency in August 1960?Answer: The Indra. They moved to the larger Kaiserkeller that October.
2. In which London district are Abbey Road Studios?Answer: St John’s Wood. The famous zebra crossing is just outside the studio.
3. Before taking over the bass in 1961, what did Paul McCartney mainly play in the band?Answer: Rhythm guitar. He switched to bass after Stuart Sutcliffe left.
4. Who drummed with the band on its May 1960 tour of Scotland backing singer Johnny Gentle?Answer: Tommy Moore. Moore left soon afterward; Pete Best joined that August.
5. Which song shared a 1966 double A-side single with “Eleanor Rigby”?Answer: Yellow Submarine. Both songs also appear on Revolver.
6. Where were the Beatles, studying with the Maharishi, when they heard that Brian Epstein had died?Answer: Bangor, Wales. Epstein died in August 1967 while they were at a weekend retreat.
7. Which 1973 Ringo Starr album included contributions from all three other ex-Beatles?Answer: Ringo. John, Paul and George each contributed songs or playing.
8. Which George Harrison hit was ruled to have unconsciously copied the Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine”?Answer: My Sweet Lord. The US court case was decided in 1976.
9. Which former Moody Blues guitarist was a founding member of Paul McCartney’s Wings?Answer: Denny Laine. Laine stayed with Wings for its whole decade.
10. In which city did John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band make its live debut in 1969?Answer: Toronto. The show became the album Live Peace in Toronto 1969.
11. A 1977 live album captured the Beatles at which Hamburg club in December 1962?Answer: The Star-Club. The recordings were made on a home tape recorder.
12. What was the title of the Beatles’ first EP, released in 1963?Answer: Twist and Shout. It became one of the best-selling EPs in Britain.
13. In which year were the Beatles inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?Answer: 1988. They were inducted in the Hall’s third year of ceremonies.
14. The 1973 compilation nicknamed the “Red Album” covers which years?Answer: 1962–1966. The “Blue Album” covers 1967–1970.
15. Which album of John Lennon and Yoko Ono songs was released after his death, in 1984?Answer: Milk and Honey. It included the single “Nobody Told Me”.
16. Which song opens With the Beatles?Answer: It Won’t Be Long. John sings lead on the opener.
17. Which song closes Rubber Soul?Answer: Run for Your Life. John later said it was one of his least favourite songs.
18. Which song opens Beatles for Sale?Answer: No Reply. The album came out in December 1964.
19. Which Beatle bought Kenwood, a house in Weybridge, Surrey, in 1964?Answer: John Lennon. He lived there until 1968.
20. Which Beatle bought Friar Park, a Victorian mansion in Henley-on-Thames, in 1970?Answer: George Harrison. He lived there for the rest of his life.

Taylor Swift trivia

1. Which song closes the standard edition of Fearless?Answer: Change. “Change” was also used by NBC for the 2008 Olympics coverage.
2. Which song closes the standard edition of Red?Answer: Begin Again. “Begin Again” was released as a single in 2012.
3. Which song opens The Tortured Poets Department?Answer: Fortnight. It was also the album’s first single.
4. Which song is track 5 on Folklore?Answer: My Tears Ricochet. Fans treat track 5 as the most emotional song on each album.
5. Which song is track 5 on Lover?Answer: The Archer. “The Archer” came out as a promotional single.
6. Which song is track 5 on Speak Now?Answer: Dear John. It is one of the longest songs on the album.
7. Which song is track 5 on her 2006 debut album?Answer: Cold as You. It was co-written with Liz Rose.
8. Which single from her debut album has a title about setting a photo on fire?Answer: Picture to Burn. It was the album’s fourth single.
9. In which year did Taylor Swift release Speak Now?Answer: 2010. It came out in October 2010.
10. In which year did Taylor Swift release Reputation?Answer: 2017. It came out in November 2017.
11. Which 2008 EP did Taylor Swift release only at Walmart?Answer: Beautiful Eyes. It included alternate versions of early songs.
12. What kind of EP did Taylor Swift release in 2007?Answer: A Christmas EP. Sounds of the Season included “Christmases When You Were Mine”.
13. In which city did dancing Eras Tour fans set off a small seismic reading nicknamed the “Swift Quake” in 2023?Answer: Seattle. Seismologists compared it to a magnitude 2.3 earthquake.
14. In which city were three Eras Tour shows canceled in August 2024 because of a security threat?Answer: Vienna. Swift played London’s Wembley Stadium soon after.
15. Which actor, once her boyfriend, appears in the “I Can See You” video?Answer: Taylor Lautner. He joined her on stage in Kansas City in July 2023.
16. Which album won Taylor Swift her second Grammy for Album of the Year?Answer: 1989. It won at the 2016 Grammys.
17. Which of her films won the Grammy for Best Music Video in 2023?Answer: All Too Well: The Short Film. Swift wrote and directed it.
18. Which album cover shows Swift from behind, with a braid and a plaid coat?Answer: Evermore. The photo was taken in a winter forest.
19. Which album cover shows Swift in red lipstick under a wide-brimmed hat?Answer: Red. Her face is partly shaded by the hat.
20. Which song closes the standard edition of Evermore?Answer: Evermore. The title track features Bon Iver.

Football trivia

1. Who was named MVP of Super Bowl III?Answer: Joe Namath. Namath’s Jets upset the Baltimore Colts 16–7.
2. Who was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXII after rushing for three touchdowns?Answer: Terrell Davis. He played much of the game through a migraine.
3. Which team did the Pittsburgh Steelers beat in Super Bowl IX for their first title?Answer: Minnesota Vikings. Pittsburgh won 16–6 in New Orleans.
4. Which team did the San Francisco 49ers beat in Super Bowl XXIII?Answer: Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Montana led a late 92-yard winning drive.
5. Scott Norwood’s “wide right” field goal miss decided which Super Bowl?Answer: Super Bowl XXV. The Giants beat the Bills 20–19.
6. What jersey number did Barry Sanders wear for the Lions?Answer: 20. The Lions retired number 20.
7. What jersey number did Tom Brady wear?Answer: 12. He wore 12 with both the Patriots and the Buccaneers.
8. Which two teams share SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California?Answer: Rams and Chargers. The stadium opened in 2020.
9. Which team plays its home games at Bank of America Stadium?Answer: Carolina Panthers. The stadium is in Charlotte, North Carolina.
10. Which team’s helmets show a curved horn on each side?Answer: Minnesota Vikings. The Rams’ helmets show a ram’s curled horn.
11. Who coached the Philadelphia Eagles to their win in Super Bowl LII?Answer: Doug Pederson. The Eagles beat the Patriots 41–33.
12. Who coached the New York Giants to Super Bowl wins after the 1986 and 1990 seasons?Answer: Bill Parcells. Belichick was his defensive coordinator.
13. The lowest-scoring Super Bowl, LIII, ended 13–3. Which team lost?Answer: Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots won their sixth Super Bowl.
14. Which team’s 18–0 record ended with a loss in Super Bowl XLII?Answer: New England Patriots. The Giants won 17–14.
15. Which college did Tom Brady play for?Answer: Michigan. He shared the starting job at Michigan before the Patriots drafted him.
16. Which college did Jerry Rice play for?Answer: Mississippi Valley State. He set many small-college receiving records there.
17. Which college did Walter Payton play for?Answer: Jackson State. The Bears drafted him fourth overall in 1975.
18. Jim Brown played his whole NFL career for which team?Answer: Cleveland Browns. He led the league in rushing in eight of his nine seasons.
19. Seattle Seahawks fans are known together by which nickname?Answer: The 12s. The team retired the number 12 in their honor.
20. In which city was Super Bowl LIX played in February 2025?Answer: New Orleans. The Eagles beat the Chiefs at the Caesars Superdome.

Basketball trivia

1. Who was Finals MVP when the Lakers beat the Pacers in 2000?Answer: Shaquille O’Neal. It was the first of his three straight Finals MVP awards.
2. Who was Finals MVP when the Rockets won their first title in 1994?Answer: Hakeem Olajuwon. Houston beat the Knicks in seven games.
3. Who was Finals MVP when the Celtics beat the Lakers in 2008?Answer: Paul Pierce. It was Boston’s first title since 1986.
4. Who was Finals MVP when the Lakers beat the Celtics in 2010?Answer: Kobe Bryant. The Lakers won Game 7 in Los Angeles.
5. Which rookie started at center in Game 6 and won Finals MVP in 1980?Answer: Magic Johnson. Kareem was out injured, so Magic moved to center.
6. Which college did Allen Iverson play for?Answer: Georgetown. He played two seasons for coach John Thompson.
7. Which college did Dwyane Wade play for?Answer: Marquette. He led Marquette to the 2003 Final Four.
8. Which college did Karl Malone play for?Answer: Louisiana Tech. The Jazz drafted him 13th in 1985.
9. Which college did John Stockton play for?Answer: Gonzaga. Gonzaga is in his hometown of Spokane, Washington.
10. Steve Nash, a two-time MVP, grew up in which country?Answer: Canada. He was born in South Africa and raised in British Columbia.
11. Dikembe Mutombo came from which country?Answer: Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was born in Kinshasa, its capital.
12. Which team plays its home games at the Moda Center?Answer: Portland Trail Blazers. The arena opened in 1995.
13. Which team plays its home games at Scotiabank Arena?Answer: Toronto Raptors. The arena is shared with hockey’s Maple Leafs.
14. Who was the first overall pick in the 1985 NBA draft?Answer: Patrick Ewing. It was the first draft decided by a lottery.
15. Who was the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft?Answer: Tim Duncan. The Spurs won the lottery after a season of injuries.
16. Who was the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft?Answer: Anthony Davis. New Orleans took him after a national title at Kentucky.
17. Who coached the “Showtime” Lakers to four titles in the 1980s?Answer: Pat Riley. Riley later coached the Knicks and the Heat.
18. Who was the first NBA coach to win 1,000 games?Answer: Lenny Wilkens. Wilkens is in the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.
19. Which team won its only NBA title in 1977, led by Bill Walton?Answer: Portland Trail Blazers. Portland came back from 0–2 down to beat Philadelphia.
20. Which team won NBA titles in 1970 and 1973?Answer: New York Knicks. Willis Reed was Finals MVP both times.

Baseball trivia

1. Which team won the 1988 World Series?Answer: Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers beat the heavily favored A’s in five games.
2. Which team won the 1986 World Series?Answer: New York Mets. The Mets came back to win Game 6 and then Game 7.
3. Which team won the World Series in 1997, only its fifth season?Answer: Florida Marlins. The Marlins beat Cleveland in seven games.
4. Which team won the 2002 World Series?Answer: Anaheim Angels. It is the franchise’s only title so far.
5. Which team won the 2011 World Series after twice being one strike from elimination in Game 6?Answer: St. Louis Cardinals. David Freese tied the game and then won it.
6. Which team won the 1979 World Series with “We Are Family” as its theme song?Answer: Pittsburgh Pirates. Willie Stargell was the World Series MVP.
7. Which team won the 1985 World Series, an all-Missouri matchup?Answer: Kansas City Royals. It was nicknamed the I-70 Series.
8. Roberto Clemente came from which place?Answer: Puerto Rico. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
9. Fernando Valenzuela, whose 1981 season set off “Fernandomania”, came from which country?Answer: Mexico. He grew up in Etchohuaquila, Sonora.
10. David Ortiz came from which country?Answer: Dominican Republic. He was born in Santo Domingo.
11. At which university did Jackie Robinson letter in four sports?Answer: UCLA. He starred in baseball, football, basketball and track.
12. Who threw a no-hitter in his very first postseason start, in 2010?Answer: Roy Halladay. He had also thrown a perfect game that May.
13. Who hit three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series?Answer: Reggie Jackson. Each came on the first pitch he saw from a different pitcher.
14. Who hit three home runs in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series?Answer: Albert Pujols. Only Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson had done it before.
15. Who managed the Red Sox to their 2004 title?Answer: Terry Francona. He won another title with Boston in 2007.
16. Who managed the Cubs to their 2016 title?Answer: Joe Maddon. He had previously managed the Tampa Bay Rays.
17. Who managed the Giants to World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014?Answer: Bruce Bochy. He later won the 2023 title with Texas.
18. Who managed the Dodgers to World Series titles in 2020, 2024 and 2025?Answer: Dave Roberts. Roberts played for the Dodgers in the early 2000s.
19. Who was named MVP of the 2016 World Series?Answer: Ben Zobrist. His double in the 10th inning of Game 7 drove in the go-ahead run.
20. Who was the first player to hit 70 home runs in a season?Answer: Mark McGwire. He did it in 1998.

Hockey trivia

1. Which team won its first Stanley Cup in 1995 by sweeping the Red Wings?Answer: New Jersey Devils. Claude Lemieux was the playoff MVP.
2. Which team won the Stanley Cup in 1996, its first season after moving?Answer: Colorado Avalanche. The former Quebec Nordiques swept the Florida Panthers.
3. Which team won the 1999 Stanley Cup on Brett Hull’s triple-overtime goal?Answer: Dallas Stars. Buffalo fans argued Hull’s skate was in the crease.
4. Which team won the 2004 Stanley Cup?Answer: Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay beat Calgary in seven games.
5. Which team won the 2008 Stanley Cup, beating Pittsburgh?Answer: Detroit Red Wings. Pittsburgh won the rematch the next year.
6. Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy when Vegas won the Cup in 2023?Answer: Jonathan Marchessault. He was one of Vegas’s original 2017 players.
7. Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy when Florida won the Cup in 2025?Answer: Sam Bennett. He led the playoffs with 15 goals.
8. Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy when Colorado won the Cup in 1996?Answer: Joe Sakic. He scored 18 goals in those playoffs.
9. Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy when Chicago won the Cup in 2015?Answer: Duncan Keith. The defenseman scored the Cup-winning goal in Game 6.
10. Teemu Selänne came from which country?Answer: Finland. He was nicknamed “The Finnish Flash”.
11. Nicklas Lidström came from which country?Answer: Sweden. He spent his whole NHL career with Detroit.
12. Jaromír Jágr was born in what is now which country?Answer: Czech Republic. He was born in Kladno, then in Czechoslovakia.
13. Which team plays its home games at Amerant Bank Arena?Answer: Florida Panthers. The arena is in Sunrise, Florida.
14. Which team plays its home games at PPG Paints Arena?Answer: Pittsburgh Penguins. It replaced the old Civic Arena in 2010.
15. Which team plays its home games at T-Mobile Arena?Answer: Vegas Golden Knights. The arena is on the Las Vegas Strip.
16. Which NHL team shares Ball Arena with basketball’s Denver Nuggets?Answer: Colorado Avalanche. The arena opened in 1999.
17. Who was the first overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft?Answer: Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh won a lottery held after the 2004–05 lockout.
18. Who was the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft?Answer: Taylor Hall. Edmonton took him ahead of Tyler Seguin.
19. Who was the first overall pick in the 1984 NHL draft?Answer: Mario Lemieux. Pittsburgh chose him from the Laval Voisins.
20. What number did Gordie Howe wear for most of his career?Answer: 9. Wayne Gretzky chose 99 because 9 was taken on his junior team.

Soccer trivia

1. With which Brazilian club did Pelé spend almost all of his career?Answer: Santos. He played for Santos from 1956 to 1974.
2. Which club plays its home games at the Allianz Arena?Answer: Bayern Munich. The arena’s outside panels can light up in different colors.
3. Which Glasgow club plays its home games at Ibrox?Answer: Rangers. Celtic’s home ground is Celtic Park.
4. Which club plays its home games at St James’ Park?Answer: Newcastle United. The stadium stands on a hill in the middle of Newcastle.
5. Which club plays its home games at the Parc des Princes?Answer: Paris Saint-Germain. The stadium is in western Paris.
6. Which club plays its home games at the Johan Cruyff Arena?Answer: Ajax. The Amsterdam stadium was renamed after Cruyff in 2018.
7. Which Lisbon club plays its home games at the Estádio da Luz?Answer: Benfica. Its name means “Stadium of Light”.
8. Which club won the 2015–16 Premier League despite 5,000-to-1 odds?Answer: Leicester City. Claudio Ranieri was their manager.
9. Who was the first player to win the Ballon d’Or three years in a row?Answer: Michel Platini. He won it in 1983, 1984 and 1985.
10. Which Dutch striker won the Ballon d’Or in 1988, 1989 and 1992?Answer: Marco van Basten. An ankle injury cut his career short.
11. Which German won the Ballon d’Or in 1972 and 1976?Answer: Franz Beckenbauer. Rummenigge won it in 1980 and 1981.
12. Which English winger won the first Ballon d’Or, in 1956?Answer: Stanley Matthews. He was 41 years old at the time.
13. Which Portuguese forward won the Ballon d’Or in 1965?Answer: Eusébio. Figo won it in 2000.
14. Which country hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup?Answer: Canada. The U.S. beat Japan in the final in Vancouver.
15. Which country hosted the 2019 Women’s World Cup?Answer: France. The final was played in Lyon.
16. Which two countries co-hosted the 2023 Women’s World Cup?Answer: Australia and New Zealand. It was the first Women’s World Cup with 32 teams.
17. Which country won the delayed Euro 2020, played in 2021?Answer: Italy. Italy beat England on penalties at Wembley.
18. Which country won Euro 1992 after being called in as a late replacement?Answer: Denmark. Denmark took the place of Yugoslavia.
19. Which Italian club is nicknamed “I Giallorossi” for its yellow and red colors?Answer: Roma. Its city rival Lazio plays in sky blue.
20. Which club plays its home games at De Kuip in Rotterdam?Answer: Feyenoord. De Kuip means “the Tub”.

Movies trivia

1. Which film won Best Picture for 1959?Answer: Ben-Hur. It won 11 Oscars, a record at the time.
2. Which film won Best Picture for 1988?Answer: Rain Man. Dustin Hoffman also won Best Actor.
3. Which film won Best Picture for 1993?Answer: Schindler’s List. It was filmed mostly in black and white.
4. Which film won Best Picture for 2012?Answer: Argo. Ben Affleck directed and starred in it.
5. Which musical won Best Picture for 1964?Answer: My Fair Lady. Rex Harrison won Best Actor as Henry Higgins.
6. Who played Adrian, Rocky Balboa’s shy girlfriend, in Rocky (1976)?Answer: Talia Shire. She is the sister of Francis Ford Coppola.
7. Who voiced Princess Fiona in Shrek (2001)?Answer: Cameron Diaz. Mike Myers voiced Shrek and Eddie Murphy voiced Donkey.
8. Who voiced Woody in Toy Story (1995)?Answer: Tom Hanks. Tim Allen voiced Buzz Lightyear.
9. Who voiced Elsa in Frozen (2013)?Answer: Idina Menzel. Kristen Bell voiced her sister, Anna.
10. Who played Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic (1997)?Answer: Kate Winslet. Gloria Stuart played the older Rose.
11. Who played Thelma in Thelma & Louise (1991)?Answer: Geena Davis. Susan Sarandon played Louise.
12. Who played Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984)?Answer: Linda Hamilton. She returned for Terminator 2 in 1991.
13. In Toy Story (1995), what is the name of the boy who owns Woody?Answer: Andy. Sid is the toy-wrecking boy next door.
14. In The Wizard of Oz (1939), which city is Dorothy trying to reach?Answer: The Emerald City. She hopes the Wizard there can send her home to Kansas.
15. In The Godfather (1972), what does a movie producer find in his bed?Answer: A horse’s head. It was a warning to give Johnny Fontane a role.
16. In Jaws (1975), what is the name of the shark hunter played by Robert Shaw?Answer: Quint. Richard Dreyfuss played the scientist Hooper.
17. What is the name of Han Solo’s Wookiee co-pilot in Star Wars?Answer: Chewbacca. He was played by Peter Mayhew.
18. Which studio made Shrek (2001)?Answer: DreamWorks. Shrek won the first Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
19. Who composed the music for The Godfather (1972)?Answer: Nino Rota. Its “Love Theme” became one of the best-known film tunes.
20. Who composed the score for Disney’s The Lion King (1994)?Answer: Hans Zimmer. It won him an Oscar; Elton John wrote the songs.

Television trivia

1. Which sitcom starred an alien named Mork from the planet Ork?Answer: Mork & Mindy. Robin Williams first played Mork in a guest spot on Happy Days.
2. What did the name of the sitcom alien ALF stand for?Answer: Alien Life Form. ALF crash-landed with the Tanner family after his home planet, Melmac, blew up.
3. Which Good Times character made “Dy-no-mite!” a catchphrase?Answer: J.J. Evans. Jimmie Walker played J.J., the family’s eldest son.
4. On Sanford and Son, what business did Fred Sanford run?Answer: A junkyard. Redd Foxx played the junk dealer in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.
5. Who narrated The Wonder Years as the grown-up Kevin Arnold?Answer: Daniel Stern. Fred Savage played the young Kevin on screen.
6. Bob Saget played Danny Tanner on which sitcom?Answer: Full House. The Tanner family lived in San Francisco.
7. On which game show are contestants told to “come on down”?Answer: The Price Is Right. Announcer Johnny Olson made the call famous.
8. Which 1980s series starred Tom Selleck as a private eye in Hawaii?Answer: Magnum, P.I.. Thomas Magnum lived on the estate of an unseen writer, Robin Masters.
9. Detective Lennie Briscoe was a longtime character on which crime drama?Answer: Law & Order. Jerry Orbach played Briscoe for twelve seasons.
10. Which actor played Fox Mulder on The X-Files?Answer: David Duchovny. Gillian Anderson co-starred as his skeptical partner, Dana Scully.
11. On How I Met Your Mother, what is the name of the friends’ favorite bar?Answer: MacLaren’s Pub. The bar was downstairs from Ted’s apartment.
12. Which word does Sheldon Cooper shout after pulling a prank on The Big Bang Theory?Answer: Bazinga. Jim Parsons played Sheldon in all twelve seasons.
13. Which cook hosted The French Chef on public television?Answer: Julia Child. The show began on Boston’s WGBH.
14. On The Munsters, what was the name of Herman Munster’s wife?Answer: Lily. Yvonne De Carlo played Lily Munster.
15. Who created and hosted The Twilight Zone?Answer: Rod Serling. Serling also wrote many of the show’s episodes.
16. Angela Lansbury played mystery writer Jessica Fletcher on which series?Answer: Murder, She Wrote. Jessica lived in the seaside town of Cabot Cove, Maine.
17. What is the name of the Connecticut town where Gilmore Girls is set?Answer: Stars Hollow. Lorelai and Rory Gilmore lived there.
18. Which NBC drama followed the Pearson family and its “Big Three” siblings?Answer: This Is Us. The show jumped between the siblings’ childhood and adult lives.
19. Who created the Muppets?Answer: Jim Henson. Henson also performed Kermit the Frog.
20. Which sitcom starred Ray Romano as a sportswriter on Long Island?Answer: Everybody Loves Raymond. Ray’s parents lived right across the street.

Fantasy trivia

1. Who played Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy?Answer: Adam Driver. Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa.
2. Which bounty hunter delivers the frozen Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt?Answer: Boba Fett. Fett carried Han from Cloud City to Jabba’s palace.
3. What is the real name of the Mandalorian’s small green companion, nicknamed Baby Yoda?Answer: Grogu. His name was revealed in The Mandalorian’s second season.
4. Who played Spock in the 2009 Star Trek film?Answer: Zachary Quinto. Leonard Nimoy also appeared as an older Spock.
5. What is the Vulcan technique of joining two minds called?Answer: Mind meld. Spock uses it to share thoughts and memories.
6. In Dune, Paul takes the Fremen name Muad’Dib. What kind of desert animal is a muad’dib?Answer: A mouse. The Fremen admire the little desert mouse for surviving in the deep desert.
7. What does the Nostromo’s crew call the ship’s computer in Alien?Answer: Mother. Its full name is MU-TH-UR 6000.
8. In Predator, how does Dutch hide from the Predator’s heat vision?Answer: He covers himself in mud. The cool mud masks his body heat.
9. In The Matrix, which crew member betrays Morpheus to the Agents?Answer: Cypher. He makes a deal to be plugged back into the Matrix.
10. Who played Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films?Answer: Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen broke two toes kicking an Orc helmet in The Two Towers.
11. Which Dwarf joins the Fellowship of the Ring?Answer: Gimli. Gimli is the son of Glóin, one of Bilbo’s companions in The Hobbit.
12. What form does Harry Potter’s Patronus take?Answer: A stag. It matches the Animagus form of his father, James.
13. Who teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts in Harry’s first year at Hogwarts?Answer: Professor Quirrell. Voldemort was hiding on the back of Quirrell’s head.
14. What is the Hulk’s human name?Answer: Bruce Banner. Mark Ruffalo plays Banner in the Marvel films from The Avengers on.
15. What is Black Widow’s real name?Answer: Natasha Romanoff. Scarlett Johansson played her in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
16. Who played the title role in Matt Reeves’s The Batman?Answer: Robert Pattinson. Zoë Kravitz co-starred as Selina Kyle.
17. What is the name of Superman’s home planet?Answer: Krypton. His father sent him to Earth just before the planet exploded.
18. What gadget does the Doctor carry in place of a weapon?Answer: The sonic screwdriver. It first appeared in the late 1960s.
19. In Game of Thrones, what is the name of Jon Snow’s white direwolf?Answer: Ghost. Ghost was the runt of the litter the Stark children found.
20. What do the Ghostbusters warn each other never to do with their proton streams?Answer: Cross them. Egon says crossing the streams would be very bad.

Broadway trivia

1. Who originated the role of Anna Leonowens in The King and I?Answer: Gertrude Lawrence. Deborah Kerr played Anna in the 1956 film.
2. Who originated the role of the King of Siam in The King and I?Answer: Yul Brynner. He played the role thousands of times over his career.
3. Who originated the role of “Professor” Harold Hill in The Music Man?Answer: Robert Preston. He also starred in the 1962 film.
4. Who originated the role of the Emcee in Cabaret in 1966?Answer: Joel Grey. He won a Tony and later an Oscar for the role.
5. Who originated the role of Velma Kelly in Chicago in 1975?Answer: Chita Rivera. Gwen Verdon played Roxie Hart.
6. Who originated the role of Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun?Answer: Ethel Merman. Bernadette Peters won a Tony in the 1999 revival.
7. Who originated the role of Javert in Les Misérables on Broadway?Answer: Terrence Mann. Colm Wilkinson played Jean Valjean.
8. Who won a Tony for playing Dolly Levi in the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly!?Answer: Bette Midler. She won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.
9. Which musical won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Musical?Answer: Dear Evan Hansen. Ben Platt won Best Actor in a Musical.
10. Which musical won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Musical?Answer: The Band’s Visit. It won 10 Tonys.
11. Which musical won Best Musical at the Tony Awards held in 2021?Answer: Moulin Rouge!. The ceremony was delayed by the pandemic.
12. Which musical won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Musical?Answer: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. One actor played all eight members of a family who die in turn.
13. Which musical won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Musical?Answer: Once. Its actors play the instruments on stage.
14. “Wait for It” comes from which musical?Answer: Hamilton. Aaron Burr sings it.
15. “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” opens which musical?Answer: Oklahoma!. Curly sings it offstage as the curtain rises.
16. “Hello, Young Lovers” comes from which musical?Answer: The King and I. Anna sings it to the King’s wives.
17. “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” comes from which musical?Answer: Gypsy. Mama Rose sings it at the end of Act One.
18. “Don’t Rain on My Parade” comes from which musical?Answer: Funny Girl. Barbra Streisand introduced it in 1964.
19. “Popular” is sung by which character in Wicked?Answer: Glinda. She sets out to give Elphaba a makeover.
20. The Music Man is set in which fictional Iowa town?Answer: River City. Harold Hill arrives there selling band instruments.

U.S. History trivia

1. Which future state’s 1777 constitution was the first in America to ban adult slavery?Answer: Vermont. Vermont was then an independent republic; it became the 14th state in 1791.
2. Which battle was fought in January 1815, after the peace treaty ending the War of 1812 had been signed?Answer: Battle of New Orleans. News of the Treaty of Ghent had not yet reached America.
3. Which Wampanoag leader, called King Philip by the English, led a 1675–76 war against New England colonists?Answer: Metacom. He was the son of Massasoit, who had allied with the Pilgrims.
4. Which colony did Thomas Hooker help found in 1636?Answer: Connecticut. He led settlers from Massachusetts to Hartford.
5. Whose presidency is known as the “Era of Good Feelings”?Answer: James Monroe. Party fighting faded after the War of 1812.
6. Which trail carried settlers from Missouri to the Pacific Northwest in the 1840s?Answer: Oregon Trail. The trip took about five months by wagon.
7. Which group of pioneers was trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846–47?Answer: The Donner Party. Only about half of them survived.
8. Who was the first woman to run for president of the United States, in 1872?Answer: Victoria Woodhull. Women could not yet vote in most of the country.
9. Which scholar co-founded the NAACP in 1909 and edited its magazine, The Crisis?Answer: W. E. B. Du Bois. He was the first Black American to earn a Harvard PhD.
10. Which educator founded the Tuskegee Institute and wrote Up from Slavery?Answer: Booker T. Washington. He became its first leader in 1881.
11. Who was the first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet?Answer: Frances Perkins. She was Franklin Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor.
12. Which president ordered the desegregation of the U.S. armed forces in 1948?Answer: Harry S. Truman. He did it with Executive Order 9981.
13. What was the 1961 failed invasion of Cuba by U.S.-trained exiles called?Answer: The Bay of Pigs. It took place in April 1961.
14. Who was the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize?Answer: Theodore Roosevelt. He won in 1906 for helping end the Russo-Japanese War.
15. What was the name of the first U.S. space station, launched in 1973?Answer: Skylab. Three crews lived aboard it.
16. Which was the last Apollo mission to land on the Moon?Answer: Apollo 17. Its astronauts left the Moon in December 1972.
17. Who was the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington?Answer: Bayard Rustin. A. Philip Randolph had first proposed the march.
18. Who was the first U.S. Attorney General?Answer: Edmund Randolph. He was appointed by George Washington in 1789.
19. Which city hosted the 1876 Centennial Exposition?Answer: Philadelphia. It celebrated 100 years since the Declaration of Independence.
20. Which 1964 naval clash led Congress to expand U.S. involvement in Vietnam?Answer: The Gulf of Tonkin incident. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that August.

U.S. Presidents trivia

1. Who was the 11th president?Answer: James K. Polk. Polk served from 1845 to 1849.
2. Who was the 19th president?Answer: Rutherford B. Hayes. Hayes served from 1877 to 1881.
3. Who was the 34th president?Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower served from 1953 to 1961.
4. Who was the 36th president?Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson served from 1963 to 1969.
5. Who was the 41st president?Answer: George H. W. Bush. Bush served from 1989 to 1993.
6. Who was John Adams’s vice president?Answer: Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson had come second in the 1796 election.
7. Who was Andrew Jackson’s second vice president?Answer: Martin Van Buren. Van Buren succeeded Jackson as president in 1837.
8. Rosalynn was the wife of which president?Answer: Jimmy Carter. They were married for 77 years.
9. Grace was the wife of which president?Answer: Calvin Coolidge. She had been a teacher at a school for deaf children.
10. Pat was the wife of which president?Answer: Richard Nixon. Her given name was Thelma.
11. Peacefield, in Quincy, Massachusetts, was the home of which president?Answer: John Adams. His son John Quincy Adams later lived there too.
12. Lawnfield, in Mentor, Ohio, was the home of which president?Answer: James A. Garfield. Garfield ran his 1880 campaign from its front porch.
13. Which president’s library and museum is in Little Rock, Arkansas?Answer: Bill Clinton. It opened in 2004.
14. Which president’s library is at Southern Methodist University in Dallas?Answer: George W. Bush. It opened in 2013.
15. Which president ran a men’s clothing store in Kansas City before politics?Answer: Harry S. Truman. The haberdashery failed in the early 1920s.
16. Which president moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in 1939, a change nicknamed “Franksgiving”?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Congress later fixed the date as the fourth Thursday of November.
17. Who was the 23rd president?Answer: Benjamin Harrison. Harrison served from 1889 to 1893, between Grover Cleveland’s two terms.
18. Who was the first president to work in the Oval Office?Answer: William Howard Taft. It was built in 1909 as part of an expanded West Wing.
19. Fala, a Scottish terrier, belonged to which president?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. A statue of Fala stands beside FDR at his memorial in Washington.
20. Which future president gave the 1952 “Checkers” speech, named after his family’s dog?Answer: Richard Nixon. He was then the Republican candidate for vice president.

Geography trivia

1. What is the capital of Laos?Answer: Vientiane. It sits on the Mekong River, across from Thailand.
2. What is the capital of Costa Rica?Answer: San José. Managua is the capital of neighboring Nicaragua.
3. What is the capital of Honduras?Answer: Tegucigalpa. San Salvador is the capital of El Salvador.
4. What is the capital of Latvia?Answer: Riga. Riga is the largest city in the three Baltic states.
5. What is the capital of Estonia?Answer: Tallinn. Helsinki lies just across the Gulf of Finland.
6. What is the capital of Lithuania?Answer: Vilnius. Kaunas served as a temporary capital between the world wars.
7. What is the capital of Slovenia?Answer: Ljubljana. Its symbol is a dragon.
8. What is the capital of Albania?Answer: Tirana. Durrës is its main port.
9. What is the official capital of Tanzania?Answer: Dodoma. Dar es Salaam is still its largest city.
10. What is the capital of Madagascar?Answer: Antananarivo. Port Louis is the capital of nearby Mauritius.
11. What is the capital of Qatar?Answer: Doha. It lies on the coast of the Persian Gulf.
12. What is the capital of Jordan?Answer: Amman. Aqaba is Jordan’s only seaport.
13. What is the capital of Vermont?Answer: Montpelier. It is the least populous state capital.
14. What is the capital of Kentucky?Answer: Frankfort. Louisville is the state’s largest city.
15. What is the capital of Washington State?Answer: Olympia. It lies at the southern tip of Puget Sound.
16. What is the capital of Pennsylvania?Answer: Harrisburg. It sits on the Susquehanna River.
17. What is the longest river entirely in Canada?Answer: Mackenzie River. It flows north into the Arctic Ocean.
18. Which river flows through Dublin?Answer: Liffey. The Shannon is Ireland’s longest river.
19. Which river flows through Seoul?Answer: Han River. The Nakdong is South Korea’s longest river.
20. Which U.S. state is nicknamed the Show-Me State?Answer: Missouri. The nickname suggests a no-nonsense, prove-it attitude.