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160 free General Knowledge trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
83 free bar trivia questions with answers, written the way a good quiz night runs: a bit of history, a bit of science, geography, food and drink, sport, film, music and art, with nothing in common except that each one is worth knowing. The first rounds are gentle enough that nobody at the table is left out; the later rounds bring the stingers about the longest-running Broadway show, the only bone not connected to any other, and which planet actually has the most moons. It works as a full pub quiz, a warm-up round for your own trivia night, or a game to argue over at happy hour, in the car or after dinner. If you want one set of ultimate trivia questions that covers everything, start here. Every question is short, has four options and comes with an explanation that gives you something to talk about before the next one. Every answer has been checked against a real source and each question shows where it came from, so a bar-room dispute can be settled on the spot.
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Q 01What is the chemical symbol for gold?
Au
Gold's chemical symbol 'Au' comes from the Latin word 'aurum', meaning 'shining dawn' or 'gold'.
Q 02Which is the longest river in South America?
Amazon River
The Amazon River is not only the longest in South America but is also considered the largest by discharge volume globally.
Q 03In what year did the French Revolution begin?
1789
The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, is often cited as the beginning of the French Revolution, a period of major social upheaval.
Q 04Who wrote the dystopian novel '1984'?
George Orwell
George Orwell's dystopian novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' popularized terms like 'Big Brother' and 'Thought Police,' serving as a warning against totalitarianism.
Q 05Which color is not an additive primary of light?
Yellow
The primary colors of light, also known as additive primary colors, are red, green, and blue (RGB), which can be combined to produce all other colors, including yellow (red + green).
Q 06Which country is known as the Land of the Rising Sun?
Japan
Japan is famously known as the "Land of the Rising Sun," a name derived from its geographical position to the east of mainland Asia.
Q 07Which ancient civilization built the pyramids at Giza?
Egyptian
The ancient Egyptians constructed the iconic pyramids at Giza, serving as tombs for pharaohs and other important figures.
Q 08Who wrote the play "Romeo and Juliet"?
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, and his tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" is one of his most famous works.
Q 09Which artist painted "The Starry Night"?
Vincent van Gogh
"The Starry Night" is an oil on canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh.
Q 10Which organ is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body?
Heart
The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood through the circulatory system, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the body.
Q 11Who is credited with inventing the light bulb?
Thomas Edison
Historians list several inventors of incandescent lamps before Edison, including Britain's Joseph Swan, but Edison's 1879 design was the first practical one thanks to a better filament, a higher vacuum and a whole electrical distribution system to power it.
Q 12How often are the Olympic Games held?
Every 4 years
The Olympic Games are a major international multi-sport event, occurring every four years.
Q 13From which country does sushi originate?
Japan
Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish of prepared vinegared rice, usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of ingredients.
Q 21What is the highest mountain in Africa?
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa.
Q 22Who is widely credited with inventing the telephone?
Alexander Graham Bell
Bell patented the first practical telephone in 1876 and co-founded AT&T in 1885. Both his mother and his wife were deaf, which shaped his lifelong work on speech and hearing.
Q 23Which ocean lies between Europe and America?
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean in the world, separating Europe and Africa from the Americas.
Q 14Which of these is a string instrument?
Violin
The violin is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family in regular use, and its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths.
Q 15In Greek mythology, who was the king of the gods?
Zeus
Zeus, the sky and thunder god, ruled from Mount Olympus. He was the child of Cronus and Rhea, married to Hera, and his Roman equivalent is Jupiter.
Q 16Which large flightless bird, the world's second-tallest after the ostrich, is endemic to Australia?
Emu
The emu is the world's second-tallest bird after the ostrich, reaching up to 190 cm. The cassowary is also found in Australia, but only in the far north-eastern rainforests, and it is bulkier rather than taller.
Q 17What is the capital city of Canada?
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada, located in the eastern part of Southern Ontario.
Q 18What is the force that pulls objects towards the center of the Earth?
Gravity
Gravity is a fundamental force of nature that attracts any two objects with mass. On Earth, it causes objects to fall towards the ground.
Q 19Who wrote "Pride and Prejudice"?
Jane Austen
Jane Austen published Pride and Prejudice in 1813, and its opening line about a single man in possession of a good fortune is one of the most quoted in English.
Q 20What element has the chemical symbol K?
Potassium
The chemical symbol K stands for Potassium, derived from the Latin word "kalium".
Q 24Which planet is known for its Great Red Spot, a high-pressure storm that has been raging for centuries?
Jupiter
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is the largest anticyclonic storm in the Solar System, a high-pressure region wider than Earth.
Q 25What is the currency of Japan?
Yen
The Japanese Yen is the official currency of Japan and the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market.
Q 26Which country is famous for the tango dance?
Argentina
Tango grew up in the 1880s on both banks of the Río de la Plata, and in 2009 UNESCO inscribed it on the intangible heritage list jointly for Argentina and Uruguay.
Q 27What is the chemical formula for water?
H2O
The chemical formula for water is H2O, meaning each molecule of water contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.
Q 28Who is generally credited with inventing the printing press?
Johannes Gutenberg
Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith, is credited with inventing the movable-type printing press around 1440, revolutionizing the spread of information.
Q 29What is the largest organ of the human body?
Skin
Skin is the body's largest organ, with up to seven layers of ectodermal tissue guarding the muscles, bones and organs beneath. Human skin is structurally very similar to pig skin.
Q 30Who wrote the novel "The Great Gatsby"?
F. Scott Fitzgerald
"The Great Gatsby" is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, widely regarded as a classic of American literature.