Are you the one everyone turns to with pleading looks the moment the pub quiz takes a turn for the difficult?
If so, here’s another cracking chance to show exactly why you earned that reputation. It’s easy enough to bag points when the questions stick to common knowledge and pop culture, but when the round gets properly demanding, a team’s hopes usually rest on one person who happens to retain an absurd amount of random information.
This latest mix refuses to let you stay comfortable, jumping from tricky geography and hard science to classic music, sporting trivia, ancient history, and world literature. There’s plenty of variety packed in to keep you on your toes, meaning you won’t be able to rely on a single specialist subject to carry the day. Keep an honest count of your answers as you work through, and see whether you can pull off a full clean sweep worth shouting about.
1. Ecatepec is the second-largest city in which country?
A. Brazil
B. Mexico
C. Argentina
D. Peru
2. Which band had hits with ‘Close to Me’ and ‘The Lovecats’?
A. The Jam
B. The Cure
C. The Police
D. The The
3. Machu Picchu was built by which civilisation?
A. Incas
B. Huns
C. Mayans
D. Aztecs
4. Raspberry Beret was a 1985 hit for whom?
A. George Michael
B. Prince
C. Elton John
D. David Bowie
5. Which element has the atomic symbol Fe?
A. Tin
B. Copper
C. Chromium
D. Iron
6. In which year did the Spice Girls have their first hit with Wannabe?
A. 1995
B. 1998
C. 1997
D. 1996
7. Where would you find the hippocampus?
A. The kidneys
B. The spine
C. The lungs
D. The brain
8. Which Rolling Stones hit starts with ‘Please allow me to introduce myself’?
A. Sympathy for the Devil
B. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
C. Angie
D. Wild Horses
9. Who became Prime Minister of Canada in 2015?
A. Gilles Duceppe
B. Stephen Harper
C. Tom Mulcair
D. Justin Trudeau
10. Jazz musician Herbie Hancock is most associated with which instrument?
A. Keyboard
B. Drums
C. Saxophone
D. Trumpet
11. Leg theory cricket became a flashpoint in the Bodyline series between which teams?
A. Australia and New Zealand
B. England and South Africa
C. India and Pakistan
D. England and Australia
12. Edwin Starr had a hit in 1970 with which song?
A. War
B. Famine
C. Pestilence
D. Death
13. Mount Everest is approximately how tall?
A. 7,849 metres
B. 6,849 metres
C. 9,849 metres
D. 8,849 metres
14. Which Britpop group would you most associate with Gorillaz?
A. Pulp
B. Oasis
C. James
D. Blur
15. Which words appear in friendly letters on the front of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
A. Thumbs Up
B. Don’t Panic
C. Know Your Towel
D. Stay Safe
16. Birdland is a jazz-fusion standard first released by which band?
A. Haiku
B. Weather Report
C. Dave Matthews Band
D. Ayers Rock
17. Who is the Hindu god associated with death?
A. Pusan
B. Mitra
C. Yama
D. Varuna
18. ‘There’s talk on the street, it sounds so familiar’ is the first line of a hit for which band?
A. Dire Straits
B. The Beach Boys
C. The Eagles
D. The Four Seasons
19. My Heart Will Go On was a hit for which female artist?
A. Alanis Morissette
B. Madonna
C. Mariah Carey
D. Celine Dion
20. Club Tropicana was a 1983 hit for which band?
A. Culture Club
B. Bananarama
C. Wham!
D. Spandau Ballet
Answers
1. B. Mexico
2. B. The Cure
3. A. Incas
4. B. Prince
5. D. Iron
6. D. 1996
7. D. The brain
8. A. Sympathy for the Devil
9. D. Justin Trudeau
10. A. Keyboard
11. D. England and Australia
12. A. War
13. D. 8,849 metres
14. D. Blur
15. B. Don’t Panic
16. B. Weather Report
17. C. Yama
18. C. The Eagles
19. D. Celine Dion
20. C. Wham!
How did you get on? Tell us your score in the comments and see whether you’ve earned the bragging rights this time.
