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50 free Roots Miniseries trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
ABC was so nervous about Roots that it burned off all eight episodes on consecutive nights to get it over with, and 100 million people watched the finale. This Roots trivia covers Alex Haley's novel, the 1977 cast from LeVar Burton to Ben Vereen, the production decisions, the awards, the sequels Roots: The Next Generations and Roots: The Gift, and the 2016 remake. Every answer is sourced, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
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Q 01On which network did Roots first air in January 1977?
ABC
The network ran it over eight consecutive nights, partly to limit the damage if it flopped.
Q 02Over how many consecutive nights was Roots originally broadcast?
Eight
The BBC later screened it in six parts, the version used on home video until 2016.
Q 03How many Primetime Emmy nominations did Roots receive?
37
It won nine, plus a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award.
Q 04Roughly how many viewers watched the final episode of Roots?
100 million
An average of 80 million watched each of the last seven episodes.
Q 05In which year was Alex Haley's novel Roots published?
1976
The miniseries followed just a year later, in January 1977.
Q 06In which country is Kunta Kinte born at the start of Roots?
The Gambia
He is born in 1750 to Omoro, a Mandinka warrior, and his wife Binta.
Q 07What is the name of Kunta Kinte's home village?
Juffureh
The real Gambian town became a tourist destination after the book; a mosque and school named for Haley opened there in 1999.
Q 08To which ethnic group does Kunta Kinte belong?
Mandinka
He bonds with a Yoruba wrestler on the slave ship and clings to his Mandinka and Islamic heritage in Virginia.
Q 09What is Kunta doing when he is captured by slave hunters?
Fetching wood for a drum
He wanted to make a drum for his younger brother Lamin.
Q 10What Christian name does plantation owner John Reynolds force on Kunta?
Toby
Kunta is whipped until he says the name; Fiddler then uses his real name for the first time.
Q 11In which Virginia county is the Reynolds plantation?
Spotsylvania
Haley's research turned up a 1768 Spotsylvania deed transferring a slave named Toby between the Waller brothers.
Q 12What does Fiddler tell Kunta after the whipping, using his real name for the first time?
"There will be another day"
The older slave had been assigned to teach Kunta English and the ways of servitude.
Q 13What does the name Kizzy mean in Kunta's native language?
Stay put
Kunta chose it hoping his daughter would never be sold away, which is exactly what later happens.
Q 21How old was LeVar Burton when he was cast in Roots?
19
He was an undergraduate at the University of Southern California, having earlier trained for the priesthood.
Q 22Who played the older Kunta Kinte?
John Amos
He was best known as James Evans Sr. on Good Times.
Q 23Which poet played Kunta's grandmother Nyo Boto?
Maya Angelou
Cicely Tyson played Kunta's mother Binta in the same opening episode.
Q 24Who played Chicken George?
Q 14Who secretly teaches Kizzy to read and write?
Missy Anne
The skill leads to her downfall when she forges a travel pass for Noah.
Q 15Why is Kizzy sold away from the Reynolds plantation?
She forged a pass for a runaway
Dr. Reynolds sells both her and Noah separately, despite his reputation for compassion.
Q 16What does Kizzy do at her father's grave?
Scratches out Toby and writes Kunta Kinte
She promises him that his descendants will one day be free.
Q 17How does Kizzy's son George earn his nickname?
Expertise in cockfighting
An older slave named Mingo teaches him the trade starting in 1824.
Q 18Where is Chicken George sent to train birds for a British owner?
England
He leaves behind Kizzy, his wife Tildy and sons Tom and Lewis, returning in 1861.
Q 19Where does the family finally settle at the end of the miniseries?
Henning, Tennessee
Haley himself lived in Henning as a child, and the sequel picks up there in 1882.
Q 20Which Emmy category was LeVar Burton nominated in for playing young Kunta?
Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance
The 19-year-old USC student had never acted professionally before.
Ben Vereen
The Tony winner for Pippin appeared in three episodes.
Q 25Who played the adult Kizzy?
Leslie Uggams
Madge Sinclair played her mother Bell; Olivia Cole played Matilda.
Q 26Which Bonanza star played plantation owner John Reynolds?
Lorne Greene
Familiar white TV actors were cast as slaveholders to reassure nervous audiences.
Q 27Which Brady Bunch actor played Dr. William Reynolds?
Robert Reed
The Waltons' Ralph Waite played the slave ship's third mate and The Rifleman's Chuck Connors played Tom Moore.
Q 28Which character was invented for the series to ease white viewers' discomfort?
A conscience-stricken slave ship captain
Ed Asner played Captain Davies, who does not appear in Haley's novel.
Q 29Who was the executive producer of Roots?
David L. Wolper
Stan Margulies produced; four directors shared the eight episodes.
Q 30Which composer scored only the first episode of Roots?
Quincy Jones
Gerald Fried wrote the rest, and both men won Emmys for that opening instalment.