Free pub quiz: week of October 19, 2026
40 questions in 4 rounds and a tiebreaker, with answers. Free to use at your pub, club, school or party.
Present it or print the answer sheetsBlank answer sheets
Round 1: General knowledge
In what year was Google founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin?
Answer
1998
Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998. The company went public through an initial public offering in 2004.
Which Norse mythological weapon was forged by the dwarf brothers Eitri and Brokkr and wielded by the thunder god?
Answer
Mjölnir
Also accept: Mjollnir, Mjolnir, Mjǫllnir, Thor's hammer
In Norse mythology, Mjölnir is Thor’s hammer, forged by the dwarf brothers Eitri and Brokkr. It could devastate enemies and provide divine blessings.
What economic measure totals the market value of all final goods and services produced during a specific period?
Answer
Gross domestic product
Also accept: GDP
Gross domestic product is used to measure a country’s or region’s economic activity and compare national economic progress.
In what year was the Rosetta Stone found by a French officer during France's invasion of Egypt?
Answer
1799
The Rosetta Stone was found in July 1799 by French army officer Pierre-François Bouchard during France's invasion of Egypt.
Which 2003 Michael Lewis book follows a baseball team using statistics to compete on a tiny budget?
Answer
Moneyball
Also accept: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Michael Lewis’s 2003 book later inspired the 2011 film adaptation. Its subtitle is The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.
Which English playwright was attacked in print by Robert Greene in 1592 as an “upstart Crow”?
Answer
William Shakespeare
Also accept: Shakespeare
Robert Greene’s attack is the earliest surviving mention of Shakespeare’s work in the theatre. The phrase “upstart Crow” appeared in Greene’s Groats-Worth of Wit.
Which American rock band combined avant-garde experimentation with rock, worked at Andy Warhol’s Factory, and featured Nico on its debut album?
Answer
The Velvet Underground
Also accept: VU, Velvet Underground
Formed in New York City in 1964, the band became one of the most influential groups in underground, experimental, and alternative music.
What collective name is given to the principal Greek gods traditionally said to reside atop Mount Olympus?
Answer
Twelve Olympians
Also accept: Olympians, Olympian gods
The Twelve Olympians are the principal gods of the Greek pantheon, named for their traditional residence on Mount Olympus. Lists commonly include Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus.
Which Norwegian philosopher advocated antinatalism and explained humanity’s existential defenses in “The Last Messiah”?
Answer
Peter Wessel Zapffe
Also accept: Zapffe, Peter Zapffe, Wessel Zapffe
Peter Wessel Zapffe was a Norwegian philosopher known for pessimism, antinatalism, and his analysis of humanity’s attempts to escape existential reflection.
Which Czech writer had two novels adapted by Jiří Menzel, with one adaptation winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film?
Answer
Bohumil Hrabal
Also accept: Hrabal
Bohumil Hrabal was a major Czech writer whose novel Closely Observed Trains became the 1968 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film.
Round 2: History & geography
Which empire became history’s largest contiguous empire after Temüjin was proclaimed ruler of all Mongols in 1206?
Answer
Mongol Empire
Also accept: Great Mongol Empire, Mongol, Genghis Khan’s empire
The Mongol Empire emerged when Temüjin unified nomadic tribes and took the title Genghis Khan. At its height, it was the largest contiguous empire in history.
Which Scandinavian country is linked to Sweden by the Øresund Bridge?
Answer
Denmark
The Øresund Bridge and tunnel link Copenhagen in Denmark with Malmö in Sweden.
Which South African city is the country's largest and most populous?
Answer
Johannesburg
Also accept: Jo'burg, Joburg, Jozi
Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest and most populous city, followed by Cape Town and Durban.
In what year did the Pony Express begin its 18-month run carrying mail between Missouri and California?
Answer
1860
The Pony Express began operating in 1860 and lasted 18 months before the faster transcontinental telegraph replaced it.
Which lake, divided into Haut Lac, Grand Lac, and Petit Lac, is the largest lake on the Rhône's course and is shared by Switzerland and France?
Answer
Lake Geneva
Also accept: Lac Léman, Le Léman, Lac de Genève, Lake Leman, Leman, Léman
Lake Geneva is shared by Switzerland and France and is divided into three sections based on its geological formation. It is also the largest lake on the Rhône's course.
In what year did the First Crusade begin, after Pope Urban II urged an armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem?
Answer
1096
Also accept: 1095
The First Crusade began in 1096 after Pope Urban II's call at the Council of Clermont the previous year. Its campaigns continued until 1099.
Which Scottish city has a castle on an extinct volcano and hosts the world’s largest arts festival every August?
Answer
Edinburgh
Also accept: City of Edinburgh
Edinburgh Castle stands on Castle Rock, the plug of an extinct volcano, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival.
Which New York town hosted the first women's rights convention in 1848 at its Wesleyan Chapel?
Answer
Seneca Falls
Also accept: Seneca Falls, New York, Seneca Falls, NY
The Seneca Falls Convention took place in the Wesleyan Chapel of Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19–20, 1848.
What nickname was given to a late-1932 Australian Army operation using Lewis guns against crop-damaging birds?
Answer
Emu War
Also accept: Great Emu War
The Emu War was an Australian Army operation to cull emus damaging farmland in Western Australia. The soldiers’ machine-gun campaign was largely ineffective.
Which ancient Silk Road city, once the Great Seljuk capital, survives as four walled cities in an archaeological park?
Answer
Merv
Also accept: Merw, Merve Oasis, Marv, Mary
Merv was a major Central Asian city and the capital of the Great Seljuk Empire. Its archaeological park preserves four walled cities built and abandoned across different historical periods.
Round 3: Screen, stage & page
Which Beatles album was their last recording project and has a famous cover showing them crossing a zebra crossing?
Answer
Abbey Road
Also accept: The Beatles' Abbey Road, The Beatles’ Abbey Road, Beatles Abbey Road
Abbey Road was the Beatles’ eleventh studio album and the last one they recorded. Its cover became one of the most famous and imitated images in music history.
What narrative poem follows a grieving lover visited by a talking bird that repeatedly says “nevermore”?
Answer
The Raven
Also accept: The Raven poem, Raven
Edgar Allan Poe’s poem depicts a distraught lover mourning Lenore as a mysterious raven repeatedly answers him with “nevermore.”
Which Stanley Kubrick film follows astronauts and the sentient HAL 9000 to Jupiter to investigate an alien monolith?
Answer
2001: A Space Odyssey
Also accept: 2001, A Space Odyssey, 2001 A Space Odyssey
This 1968 film was directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, who co-wrote it with Arthur C. Clarke. It is renowned for scientifically accurate spaceflight, pioneering effects, and classical music.
Which Hitchcock film won Best Picture despite its director missing out on the Oscar for Best Director?
Answer
Rebecca
Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture, while Hitchcock was nominated for Best Director but did not win.
What nickname did Lester Young give Billie Holiday?
Answer
Lady Day
Also accept: Ladyday
Lester Young, Holiday’s friend and music partner, gave her the nickname “Lady Day.”
What fictional Southern English country estate is owned by Maxim de Winter in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca?
Answer
Manderley
Manderley is the fictional estate at the center of Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel Rebecca. It is often associated with Cornwall and is destroyed by fire at the novel’s end.
Which Scottish actress won an Academy Award for playing a corporate attorney in Michael Clayton and became famous as the White Witch?
Answer
Tilda Swinton
Also accept: Katherine Matilda Swinton, Katherine Swinton
Tilda Swinton won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton and gained mainstream recognition as the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia.
In what year was Kendrick Lamar's album To Pimp a Butterfly released?
Answer
2015
To Pimp a Butterfly was Kendrick Lamar’s third studio album, released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records.
Which animated film about creating a ninth-century illuminated manuscript was directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey?
Answer
The Secret of Kells
Also accept: Brendan and the Secret of Kells, Secret of Kells
This 2009 Irish-French-Belgian animated film follows Brendan and Aidan as they work to complete the Book of Kells. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
What was the title of the first bootleg recording to make Dylan’s illicit recordings commercially available?
Answer
Great White Wonder
Also accept: The Great White Wonder, GWW
Great White Wonder was the first bootleg recording, featuring Dylan material from 1961 and seven Basement Tapes songs. Its release helped create an illicit-recording industry.
Round 4: Science, sport & food
Which active volcano is famous for its 1980 eruption, massive debris avalanche, and mile-wide horseshoe-shaped crater?
Answer
Mount St. Helens
Also accept: Lawetlat'la, Loowit, Louwala-Clough, Mount Saint Helens, Mt. St. Helens, Mt Saint Helens
The May 18, 1980 eruption reduced the summit by more than 1,300 feet and left a one-mile-wide horseshoe-shaped crater.
Which racket sport is played in singles or doubles and features four Grand Slam tournaments?
Answer
Tennis
Tennis can be played individually or in teams of two, with players striking a felt-covered rubber ball over a net. Its four Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.
Which 2015 Ridley Scott film stars Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars after his crew evacuates?
Answer
The Martian
Also accept: Martian
The Martian is Ridley Scott's 2015 science-fiction survival film, adapted from Andy Weir's 2011 novel. Matt Damon plays astronaut Mark Watney, who is left behind on Mars.
Which German city hosts the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and four Max Planck Institutes beside its university?
Answer
Heidelberg
Heidelberg is a major German scientific hub, home to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, four Max Planck Institutes, and Heidelberg University.
Which discontinued Olympic team event saw the United States win all three medals in 1904 and three British teams fill the 1908 podium?
Answer
Tug of war
Also accept: Tug-of-war, Tug o' war
Tug of war was an Olympic team event from 1900 through 1920. In 1904, the United States won all three medals, while British teams swept the 1908 podium.
Which Michael Pollan book examines industrial, organic, and self-foraged food chains while critiquing American eating habits?
Answer
The Omnivore's Dilemma
Also accept: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
Published in 2006, this nonfiction book follows food from its sources to four meals and examines environmental and animal-welfare consequences.
Which traditional bread-making method uses naturally occurring yeast and lactobacillus bacteria to leaven bread?
Answer
Sourdough
Also accept: sourdough bread
Sourdough relies on fermentation by wild yeast and lactobacillus bacteria. The process produces lactic acid, creating its characteristic sour taste and helping the bread keep longer.
Which Tennessee city helped discover tennessine and served as a major Manhattan Project production site?
Answer
Oak Ridge
Also accept: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Oak Ridge, TN
Oak Ridge was established in 1942 as a Manhattan Project production site. Its scientific institutions later contributed to the discovery of tennessine, named for Tennessee in 2016.
Which Puerto Rico radio observatory, its 305-metre dish set in a sinkhole, collapsed in 2020?
Answer
Arecibo Telescope
Also accept: Arecibo, Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo radio telescope
At neutron-star density, Earth’s entire mass would fit inside a sphere about 305 metres in diameter, roughly the size of the Arecibo Telescope.
Which newspaper organized the Tour de France in 1903 to boost its sales?
Answer
L'Auto
Also accept: Auto, L’Auto, L'Auto-Vélo, Auto-Vélo, L’Équipe
The Tour de France was first organized in 1903 as a way to increase circulation for L'Auto, the ancestor of L'Équipe.
Tiebreaker: closest answer wins
Approximately what percentage of Africa did Europeans control as late as the 1870s during the Scramble for Africa?
Answer
10 %
Also accept: 10%, 10 percent
As late as the 1870s, European powers controlled approximately 10% of Africa, mainly in coastal territories.
How many heavens became the most popular value in Jewish cosmology, reflecting the visible planets, Sun, and Moon?
Answer
7 heavens
Also accept: seven, seven heavens, 7 heavens
Seven heavens became the most popular value in Jewish cosmology, although some traditions described three or other numbers. The idea likely derives from seven visible heavenly bodies.