The Big Smoke Events Quiz - Free Questions & Answers
Build your own quiz for your next virtual party with our free rounds!
Virtual quizzes, Zoom trivia nights and online games have united the nation and provided light relief during these past months, allowing families and friends spreading across the country to reconnect. After a year in the virtual quiz business we think it fair that The Big Smoke can proudly call itself a Quiz-Master.
Since the start of lockdown we’ve run over 50 weekly BYOB trivia nights which had a number of returning players every week (very competitive bunch who still come to dominate the leaderboard) and hundreds of personalised ones for companies.
In these past months we’ve gained valuable knowledge and skills, but also a “bottomless” virtual library of quiz rounds - which we are now making available to you!
It's time to boost your general knowledge, upgrade your facts, and get the skills you need in order to run your own epic virtual quiz. Fast, furious and competitive - the key to a successful virtual pub quiz is:
Keep it short, 45minutes to an hour,
Make sure there’s a variety of categories
Add a competitive element to keep the engagement high.
We usually had 6 rounds, each containing 8 questions and ending with a live leaderboard which showed the top 10 players and the whole event lasted no longer than an hour. Our quizzes contain a variety of categories and are highly interactive as they range from food and drinks, to picture and music rounds - a valuable activity you can adapt to be family friendly!
We have collected the best of our years quiz questions and put them into a virtual quiz book - so you can run your very own ‘pub’ style quiz for your friends and family. Our virtual quiz book is just a click away - for just £10 we will send you a collection of 25 rounds each containing 8 questions + fun facts to wow your friends.
We’ve put together a free taster for your next Zoom party! enjoy 5 rounds of interactive, social and challenging trivia - all you need to do is decide a prize for the winner to get everyone fired up and competitive!
Round 1 - General Knowledge
What colour is found on 75% of the world’s flags?
White
Red √
Blue
Black
Fun fact: Vexillology is the scientific study of flags and related emblems. It seeks to understand and explain the important part played by flags in the modern world.
2. Which seaside is home to the longest pier in the UK?
Southend-on-Sea √
Brighton
Bournemouth
Blackpool
Fun fact: Parts of the town were featured in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger.
3. In 1995, the first ever item sold on eBay went for $14.83, what was it?
A cracked fish tank
A broken laser pointer √
A DIY tool kit
A children's picture Bible without any pictures
Fun fact: Some of the craziest items sold include a grilled cheese sandwich with what was believed to be a portrait of the Virgin Mary, Justin Bieber’s hair and the meaning of life
4. Which country invented gin?
UK
Italy
France
Holland √
Fun fact: The English discovered gin while fighting the Dutch War of Independence in the 17th century and brought the spirit back with them.
5. Name the composer behind the soundtracks of The Lion King, Inception and Pirates of the Caribbean?
Hans Zimmer √
Yann Tiersen
Ennio Morricone
Lin Manuel Miranda
Fun fact: As of April 2012, the musical version of The Lion King is the highest grossing Broadway show of all time, having grossed $853.8 million
6. Which technique did Vincent van Gogh use to paint his “Sunflowers"?
Dry brushing
Impasto √
Action painting
plein-air painting
Fun fact: In less than 10 years, he painted almost 900 paintings but only sold 1 in his lifetime
7. How many Michelin stars does Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London currently hold?
3
4
7 √
8
Fun fact: Although he's been awarded 16 Michelin stars throughout his career, he currently holds seven. His signature restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London, has held 3 stars since 2001, making it London's longest-running three Michelin-starred restaurant
8. Which European city hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics?
Berlin √
London
Athens
Rome
Fun fact: The 1936 Olympics were held in a tense, politically charged atmosphere. The Nazi Party had risen to power in 1933, two years after Berlin was awarded the Games, and its racist policies led to international debate about a boycott of the Games
Round 2 - Sport
In what year was the first London Marathon held?
1981 √
1985
1989
1991
Fun fact: It was the idea of John Disley and Chris Brasher, who had recently taken part in the New York Marathon.
2. The multiple Olympic-medal winning runner Usain Bolt was born in
England
Jamaica √
USA
France
Fun fact: He is the most successful athlete of the World Championships. Bolt is the first athlete to win four World Championship titles in the 200 m
3. In which sport can you get a birdie, a bogey or a hole-in-one?
Croquet
hockey
Golf √
basketball
Fun fact: Golf is one of the two only sports to be played on the moon on February 6, 1967 by Alan Bartlett. Javelin is the other sport that was reportedly played on the moon.
4. In baseball, a batter is out if the umpire calls
one strike
two strikes
three strikes √
four strikes
Fun fact: A batter is out for illegal action when he hits a ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter's box.
5. How many players are there in a netball team?
5
6
7 √
9
Fun fact: Netball was invented in 1895 in England, where it was originally an adaption of basketball to tackle the clothing restrictions of women
6. Which tennis player got disqualified from the US Open for hitting a judge with a tennis ball?
Pablo Carreno Busta
Novak Djokovic √
Rafael Nadal
Serena Williams
Fun fact: The Serbian tennis star seemingly accidentally struck one of the line judges with a ball in frustration during his last-16 match against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta.
7. Who did Cassius Clay beat to win his first world heavyweight boxing title?
George Foreman
Joe Frazier
Sonny Liston √
Mike Tyson
Fun fact: Chess boxing is a new and upcoming sport in Berlin and London. How it works, is players alternate between one round of chess and one round of boxing until a winner is declared either by checkmate, knockout, or technical stoppage.
8. Where did the game of Chess originate?
Russia
Persia
Arabia
India √
Fun fact: The longest chess game theoretically possible is 5,949 moves
Round 3 - Music round
(make sure you’ve downloaded the playlist and your players volume is up! You will also need to share your sound here if you have not already!)
Which prison did Johnny Cash famously sing about in his 1955 song? (Folsom Prison Blues)
Folsom √
2. In Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now you can listen to ‘Flight Of The Valkyries’ by?
Richard Wagner √
Giuseppe Verdi
Richard Strauss
Johannes Brahms
3. Who sang this song? (Good vibrations)
The beach boys √
4. What’s the title of this song? - Radiohead
Creep √
5. Which song begins with the line, “I thought love was only true in fairy tales”?
I’m a believer √
6. What’s the name of this american dj? (Levels)
Avicii
7. What’s the name of this band?
MGMT √
Tame Impala
Oasis
Pavement
8. “Another day of sun” features in which musical movie adaptation?
La la land √
Round 4 - Food & Drinks
1. Which vegetable can be oyster, chestnut or shitaki?
Mushrooms √
Fun fact: A single Portabello mushroom can contain more potassium than a banana.
2. Which fish is the main ingredient of Scotch Woodcock?
Mackerel
Anchovy √
Tuna
Salmon
3. Which of the following is not a favourable adjective when discussing wine?
fat √
flinty
leggy
vigorous
Fun fact: We’ve been told for years that old wines are the best wines. Some wines taste better when well-aged, but when it comes to the health aspects young red wines contain higher tannin levels than any other type of wine.
4. What is couscous made from?
Semolina √
Cornmeal
Rice Flour
Legume Flour
Fun fact: Couscous is a Berber transitional North African dish of semolina
5. Where does the fish pie Coulibiac originate?
Turkey
Thailand
Russia √
Lebanon
Fun fact: The word became from old Russian verb – 'kulebyachit', that means to make with hands, to shape, to bend and to knead. Pies are always have been loved in Russia
6. Mirin is an essential condiment used in which country's cuisine?
Sri Lanka
Japan √
China
Thailand
Fun fact: It is a kind of rice wine similar to sake, but with less alcohol
7. What were created by Forrest Mars in 1936 and described as 'energy balls’?
Mars bars
Smarties
Maltesers √
Chocolate truffles
Fun fact: They were aimed at slimming women.
8. What is 'Ail' in French and 'Ajo' in Spanish? Type in
Garlic √
Fun fact: The psychological term for fear of garlic is alliumphobia.
Round 5- Geography round
Scotland is home to the world's tallest hedge. In metres, how tall is it?
25m
30m √
35m
37m
Fun fact: Recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the highest hedge in the world, the Meikleour Beech Hedge was planted in 1745
2. Where would you find the Valley of the Kings?
Turkey
Egypt √
Jordan
India
Fun fact: the Gates of the Kings, is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, rock-cut tombs were excavated for the pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom
3. How many rooms are there in the Palace of Versailles?
2,200
2,300 √
2,500
2,700
Fun fact: The Hall of Mirrors, the most famous room in the Palace, was built to replace a large terrace designed by the architect Louis Le Vau, which opened onto the garden.
4. What percentage of the Earth's surface is water-covered?
61%
67%
71% √
79%
Fun fact: the oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth's water.
5. Which country is home to Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat?
Brazil
Venezuela
Argentina
Bolivia √
Fun fact: Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni is considered one of the most extreme and remarkable vistas in all of South America, if not Earth.
6. What is the only planet not named after a God?
Earth √
Fun fact: Earth is the only planet in our solar system not named after a Greco-Roman deity. The name used in Western academia during the Renaissance was Terra Mater, the Latin for “earth mother”
7. The flag of which country depicts the image of an eagle devouring a snake?
Brazil
Mexico √
Colombia
Cuba
Fun fact: Mexico City is sinking at a rate of about 10 inches a year as the city pumps draw water from the lake that supports it.
8. How many 'official' lakes are there in the Lake District?
10
15
16 √
18
Fun fact: the largest being Windermere. Only one, Bassenthwaite Lake, is officially a lake by name, the others are meres or waters
If you loved running this then why not download more of our trivia questions here for just £10. We have 2x rounds for each of our favourite pub quiz categories (including General Knowledge, Food & Drink, Sports, Music, Picture Rounds, Films, Arts & Literature) to help you get started on your quest to become the ultimate quiz master!
The Big Smoke Events - Virtual Quiz Book
10.00
After running a year of ‘pub quiz’ style virtual trivia events we have put together a user friendly guide of how to run your very own. This pack includes:
Tips & Tricks on how to run the BEST Quiz
Followed by 2x rounds for each of our favourite pub quiz categories (including General Knowledge, Food & Drink, Sports, Music, Picture Rounds, Films, Arts & Literature) to help you get started!
£1 from each purchase will go to Mind Charity who we will continue to support.
We hope you enjoy it and GOOD LUCK - in becoming the ultimate quiz master!