Kick-Ass Quiz Questions Please

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It's been asked on here before, but there are never enough great quiz questions. By "great" I mean not too difficult and can certainly be got right by an educated guess.

For example: "Formed during World War 2, whose motto is "Apres Moi le Deluge"? - You think WW2, you translate, and you ask yourself who made big floods...

Another classic is the question about which country banned hang gliding in 1980 for fear its citizens might escape? Not many countries would do that, chances are an educated guess gets you East Germany. Simple but again you can make an educated guess.

As you can imagine, "What's the capital of [insert random country] just doesn't cut it.

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Jasandjules said:

What formula do you use to calculate the volume of a sphere?

Whose last words were "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance"?

Do you have categories?

Yes I do have categories, but two of the rounds will be General Knowledge and a third will be "Classic Trivia" so there's scope for many subjects.

There's a TV, Film and Radio round as well.

As to those two questions, well I might rework the first into something people can work out, the second one is a nice quote but not "work-outable" and I've never heard of him.

Thanks though.

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bigandclever said:

I like number ones ...

How many toes has a dog got?
How many keys on a standard piano?
If you hit every segment on a dart board, what does it add up to?

I like the last one. That's going in for sure. I make it 675

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Thanks to all so far.

I won't keep hopping back to say thanks every few posts, but I will read every reply right up to the date of the quiz.

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MrAndyW said:

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men on the moon.
What was the name of the guy who stayed orbiting the moon in command module ?

A. Michael Collins.

That one I knew :-)

<----- points to username

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Thanks again everyone!

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The Moose said:

MrAndyW said:

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men on the moon.
What was the name of the guy who stayed orbiting the moon in command module ?

A. Michael Collins.

He lives about a mile from me

Really? Wow. Do you know him?

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Johnny Raydome said:

Can't believe we haven't had this one yet:


What was the name of the dog that found the World Cup Trophy in 1966?

Yes, it's an interesting question but just not the sort I'm after. You either know it or you don't, there is no way to make an intuitive guess.

Thanks for taking the time to post up the question though, I appreciate everyone who has taken the trouble.

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blearyeyedboy said:

Before he became a household name, Henry Ford ran another automotive company called the Henry Ford Company.

After falling out with his financial backers, Henry Ford left to form a new company we know today as Ford.

The Henry Ford Company continued to make cars, but clearly needed a new name. What's it now known as instead?

Interesting.

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I've been to the pub, and it was me who started the thread!

Some great questions here. Thanks all.

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StevieBee said:

Gargamel said:

StevieBee said:

Enjoying this thread but can't help feel we should all be in a pub!

Anyway....

Which County has the longest coast line in the UK?

Cornwall.

Well, depending on which source you refer to, it's Essex! But it's one of those questions that always sparks a bit of an argument as Cornwall and also Kent get close.

Prior to 1963, it was certainly Essex as the county went quite a bit further into London than it does today.

I like this question, and have heard it before but I also think the answer is a dubious and therefore doesn't make the cut.

As to the cricket one, I'd already put that in. Wikipedia has it as 10, with "handled the ball" now obsolete.

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miniman said:

Very few people twigged this General Knowledge round.

Funnily enough I asked a round called "Knowledge of Generals" a few years ago. Similar questions. Better still, I correctly identified Bo and Luke Duke as cousins, not brothers :-)

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Wiccan of Darkness said:

This is one of the contentious questions I hate about pub quizzes. Taking the question at face value, the answer is Matilda, daughter of Henry I and was declared heir presumptive. She did reign in her own right, (1141) but the throne was seized by Stephen (1135-1141 and 1141-1154). After Stephens death, Matilda's son Henry was crowned Henry II (1154-1189)

Matilda reigned but was never coronated, nor was 9 day Jane. Mary I was the first to be crowned Queen in her own right, Matilda was the first to reign, but was never crowned. The way the question is worded, the answer is Matilda.

Worry not, it won't get asked in any quiz of mine :-)

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mattyn1 said:

Ok.... so what does NICAM stand for?

For the kids and speedy answers please....

What do cows drink?

What do you put in a toaster?

Near Instantaneous Companded Audio Mulitplex. Nope, I didn't look it up. A few years working in the master control room at Television Centre (1983-86) and you learn a thing or two about being a nerd.

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Just for the record, there aren't going to be any questions about the length of a roof on a BMW.

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Well it's been very kind of everyone to submit questions, I've used a few and would like to thank everyone.

If I'm honest, and I hope nobody minds the honesty, not many were genuinely "kick-ass". I don't wish to appear ungrateful but I opened up the topic with what I consider a truly kick-ass question.

The reason I like it is because with a bit of thought and deduction you can make a very good guess and you'd probably be right.

I asked:

"Formed during World War 2, whose motto is "Apres Moi le Deluge"?

A little bit of simple French translation and some consideration of WW2 would get many people to the answer. Importantly though, those who get it right will be chuffed and those who don't will go "Oh yeah... we should have got that".

The same question, badly worded wouldn't be anywhere near as good: "What's the motto of the Dambusters squadron?" Few would know. If they didn't know they'd almost certainly not make a correct guess, and when told the answer they'd just accept it and forget about it.

Of course 100 questions like that can't be found, and this thread really did generate a few I used directly, or reworded a little.

Cheers all.

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Legend83 said:

Willing to share what your final quiz looked like? (With answers)

Absolutely, but not until Friday as you never know who is reading :-)

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gothatway said:

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"Formed during World War 2, whose motto is "Apres Moi le Deluge"?

I thought it was pretty well known - but why isn't it "Apres Nous le Deluge" ? (That's a genuine question, not a quiz one !)

I think it's referring to the squadron as a singular rather than the planes/pilots being plural.

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Tyre Smoke said:

To be honest OP, it was hardly 'kick-ass'. It was quite a simple question to work out.

A lot of questions will be a lot harder than others depending on where you are and who your audience is.

For example, I was in a quiz in a pub in Northern Ireland and the question came up "Where was Margaret Thatcher born?" All my team turn as one to me...."Above her father's grocer's shop in Grantham, Lincolnshire." Simple, I thought. Not, apparently to a group of people who grew up in Ulster.

I'm immediately accused of being a 'ringer' in the team

Fair comment, but it's the fact it can be worked out is what I like about it. Many of the questions on here are of the "either know it or you don't" variety and I don't think they make a fun quiz.

I want my winning team to get 90%+ right and even the last placed ones to be around 60% to 70%. People like getting questions right.

Perhaps I shouldn't have said "kick ass" but I did give an example of what I meant.

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PhilboSE said:

Here's a question the OP might like, because if you don't know the answer you can apply some thought and might get lucky. I tend to agree that these types of question are the most enjoyable in a quiz. I know sweet FA about football (geddit?!) so any football related questions I just switch off because there is no way I will get the answer. Give me something I can engage my brain about, and I'll be much happier. (For the record, I love Only Connect).

In the books by Enid Blyton, what was Noddy's job?

Now THAT is a good question.