Pub Quiz Questions and Answers

Pick a pack, print it, and use the separate answer sheet for marking. Rounds are sorted by category and difficulty.

Pack 1Pack 2Pack 3

Round 1: General Knowledge

  1. How many sides does a British 50p coin have? (Easy)
  2. What is the fear of spiders called? (Easy)
  3. Which colour do you get by mixing blue and yellow paint? (Easy)
  4. What is a group of crows called? (Medium)
  5. What is the currency of Switzerland? (Medium)
  6. How many squares are on a standard chessboard? (Medium)
  7. How many keys does a standard modern piano have? (Medium)
  8. Which board game features Mayfair and Park Lane? (Medium)
  9. Who wrote the Discworld series of novels? (Medium)
  10. On what date in 1971 did the UK switch to decimal currency? (Hard)

Round 2: History

  1. In which year did the First World War begin? (Easy)
  2. Who was the British Prime Minister for most of the Second World War? (Easy)
  3. In which year did the Berlin Wall fall? (Medium)
  4. Who was the last Tudor monarch? (Medium)
  5. Which famous nurse was known as 'The Lady with the Lamp'? (Medium)
  6. What was the name of the 1588 fleet sent by Spain to invade England? (Medium)
  7. In which year did the Great Fire of London start? (Medium)
  8. In which year was the Act of Union that joined England and Scotland into Great Britain? (Hard)
  9. D-Day, the Allied landings in Normandy, took place on which date? (Hard)
  10. Which British monarch was on the throne when the Battle of Waterloo was fought? (Hard)

Round 3: Geography

  1. Which is the largest continent by area? (Easy)
  2. What is the capital of Japan? (Easy)
  3. In which English county is Stonehenge? (Medium)
  4. Which strait separates England from France at its narrowest point? (Medium)
  5. Which river flows through Cairo? (Medium)
  6. What is the highest mountain in Wales? (Medium)
  7. Apart from Northumberland, which English county borders Scotland? (Hard)
  8. Which English city was known to the Romans as Aquae Sulis? (Hard)
  9. Which sea lies between Italy and the Balkan peninsula? (Hard)
  10. What is the most northerly point of mainland Britain? (Hard)

Round 4: Science

  1. What is the chemical symbol for gold? (Easy)
  2. Which planet is known as the Red Planet? (Easy)
  3. What is the chemical symbol for potassium? (Medium)
  4. What is the most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere? (Medium)
  5. Who discovered penicillin in 1928? (Medium)
  6. What is the name of the closest star to Earth? (Medium)
  7. Which unit is used to measure electrical resistance? (Medium)
  8. What is the name of the boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing can escape? (Hard)
  9. Which British scientist discovered the structure of DNA with James Watson in 1953? (Hard)
  10. Which element did Marie Curie name after her homeland? (Hard)

Round 5: Sport

  1. In which sport would you perform a slam dunk? (Easy)
  2. What colour jersey does the leader of the Tour de France wear? (Easy)
  3. What is the name for a score of zero in tennis? (Medium)
  4. What is the highest checkout in darts finishing on a double? (Medium)
  5. In which sport might you see a 'Fosbury flop'? (Medium)
  6. In which year did England win the FIFA World Cup? (Medium)
  7. What is the maximum break possible in snooker without fouls or free balls? (Medium)
  8. Which English football club is nicknamed 'The Toffees'? (Hard)
  9. How many players are on a netball team on court? (Hard)
  10. What is the diameter of a basketball hoop, in inches? (Hard)

Round 6: Music

  1. Which band released the album 'Definitely Maybe' in 1994? (Easy)
  2. How many strings does a standard guitar have? (Easy)
  3. Which Scottish instrument has a chanter and drones? (Easy)
  4. Which Band Aid single was released in 1984? (Medium)
  5. Which band's 1973 album is 'The Dark Side of the Moon'? (Medium)
  6. What nationality was the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? (Medium)
  7. Which singer-songwriter released the album '21' in 2011? (Medium)
  8. What was the Beatles' first UK single, released in 1962? (Hard)
  9. Which composer wrote the opera 'Peter Grimes'? (Hard)
  10. Which Birmingham band was fronted by Ozzy Osbourne? (Hard)

Round 7: Film & TV

  1. Which toy cowboy is the hero of Toy Story? (Easy)
  2. In The Lion King, what is the name of Simba's father? (Easy)
  3. Which British secret agent has the code number 007? (Easy)
  4. What is the name of the Rovers pub in Coronation Street? (Easy)
  5. Which time-travelling character flies the TARDIS? (Easy)
  6. Who played Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army? (Medium)
  7. Which 1997 film became the first to earn over $1 billion worldwide at the box office? (Medium)
  8. Which film director made 'Psycho' and 'The Birds'? (Hard)
  9. Which actor has played both Gandalf and Magneto? (Hard)
  10. Which sitcom featured the Meldrews? (Hard)

Round 8: Food & Drink

  1. Which country does pizza originally come from? (Easy)
  2. What is tofu made from? (Easy)
  3. Which fruit is used to make marmalade? (Easy)
  4. What kind of pastry is used to make profiteroles? (Medium)
  5. What is the main ingredient of a traditional Bakewell tart's filling? (Medium)
  6. What is the main ingredient of the Welsh dish laverbread? (Medium)
  7. What is the traditional filling of a Cornish pasty? (Medium)
  8. What is the national dish of Scotland? (Medium)
  9. Which British chef is known for the restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray? (Hard)
  10. Which Scottish soup is made from smoked haddock, potatoes and onions? (Hard)

Answer sheet – Pack 2

Round 1: General Knowledge

  1. 7 – The 50p is an equilateral curve heptagon, so it has seven sides.
  2. Arachnophobia – Arachnophobia comes from the Greek word for spider, arachne.
  3. Green – Blue and yellow are primaries that combine to make green.
  4. A murder – A group of crows is traditionally called a murder.
  5. Swiss franc – Switzerland is not in the eurozone and uses the Swiss franc.
  6. 64 – A chessboard is an 8 by 8 grid, giving 64 squares.
  7. 88 – A standard piano has 52 white keys and 36 black keys.
  8. Monopoly – They are the two most expensive properties on the London Monopoly board.
  9. Terry Pratchett – Sir Terry Pratchett published over 40 Discworld novels.
  10. 15 February – Decimal Day was Monday 15 February 1971.

Round 2: History

  1. 1914 – The First World War began in July 1914 and ended in November 1918.
  2. Winston Churchill – Churchill became Prime Minister in May 1940 and led Britain until July 1945.
  3. 1989 – The border crossings opened on 9 November 1989.
  4. Elizabeth I – Elizabeth I died in 1603 and the crown passed to the Stuart James VI of Scotland.
  5. Florence Nightingale – She earned the nickname caring for soldiers in the Crimean War.
  6. The Spanish Armada – The Armada was defeated by the English navy and storms.
  7. 1666 – The fire began in a bakery on Pudding Lane in September 1666.
  8. 1707 – The Acts of Union of 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain.
  9. 6 June 1944 – Over 150,000 Allied troops landed on 6 June 1944.
  10. George III – George III reigned until 1820, though his son acted as Prince Regent from 1811.

Round 3: Geography

  1. Asia – Asia covers about 30% of Earth's land area.
  2. Tokyo – Tokyo became the capital in 1868, replacing Kyoto.
  3. Wiltshire – Stonehenge stands on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.
  4. Strait of Dover – The Strait of Dover is about 21 miles wide.
  5. Nile – The Nile flows north through Egypt into the Mediterranean.
  6. Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) – Snowdon stands 1,085 metres high in Snowdonia (Eryri).
  7. Cumbria – Cumbria and Northumberland are the only English counties on the Scottish border.
  8. Bath – Aquae Sulis was named after the Roman baths and the goddess Sulis.
  9. Adriatic Sea – The Adriatic separates Italy from Croatia, Albania and neighbours.
  10. Dunnet Head – Dunnet Head in Caithness lies slightly further north than John o' Groats.

Round 4: Science

  1. Au – Au comes from aurum, the Latin word for gold.
  2. Mars – Iron oxide (rust) in its soil gives Mars its red colour.
  3. K – K comes from kalium, the Neo-Latin name for potassium.
  4. Nitrogen – Nitrogen makes up about 78% of the air.
  5. Alexander Fleming – Fleming noticed mould killing bacteria at St Mary's Hospital, London.
  6. The Sun – The Sun is a star; Proxima Centauri is the next closest.
  7. Ohm – The ohm is named after German physicist Georg Ohm.
  8. Event horizon – Not even light can escape from inside the event horizon.
  9. Francis Crick – Rosalind Franklin's X-ray images were crucial to Watson and Crick's model.
  10. Polonium – Marie Curie named polonium after Poland, where she was born.

Round 5: Sport

  1. Basketball – A slam dunk is when a player forces the ball down through the hoop.
  2. Yellow – The leader wears the maillot jaune, or yellow jersey.
  3. Love – Zero in tennis is called love.
  4. 170 – Treble 20, treble 20 and bullseye make the 170 'big fish'.
  5. High jump – Dick Fosbury won Olympic gold with the backwards technique in 1968.
  6. 1966 – England beat West Germany 4–2 at Wembley in the 1966 final.
  7. 147 – Fifteen reds with blacks, then all the colours, makes 147.
  8. Everton – The nickname is said to come from a toffee shop near Everton's early ground.
  9. 7 – Each netball team has seven players on court.
  10. 18 – The rim is 18 inches in diameter.

Round 6: Music

  1. Oasis – Definitely Maybe was Oasis's debut album.
  2. 6 – A standard guitar has six strings; a bass usually has four.
  3. Bagpipes – The chanter plays the melody while the drones hold a constant note.
  4. Do They Know It's Christmas? – Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wrote it to raise money for famine relief.
  5. Pink Floyd – It spent over 900 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart.
  6. Austrian – Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756.
  7. Adele – 21 became one of the best-selling albums of the century.
  8. Love Me Do – Love Me Do reached number 17 in the UK chart.
  9. Benjamin Britten – Peter Grimes premiered in London in 1945.
  10. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham in 1968.

Round 7: Film & TV

  1. Woody – Woody is voiced by Tom Hanks in the films.
  2. Mufasa – Mufasa is killed by his brother Scar.
  3. James Bond – James Bond was created by Ian Fleming in 1953.
  4. The Rovers Return – The Rovers Return has featured since the first episode in 1960.
  5. The Doctor – Doctor Who first aired on the BBC in 1963.
  6. Arthur Lowe – Dad's Army followed the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard.
  7. Titanic – Titanic was directed by James Cameron.
  8. Alfred Hitchcock – Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, London, in 1899.
  9. Ian McKellen – Sir Ian McKellen played both roles in the 2000s.
  10. One Foot in the Grave – Richard Wilson played the grumpy Victor Meldrew.

Round 8: Food & Drink

  1. Italy – Modern pizza developed in Naples.
  2. Soya beans – Tofu is made by curdling soya milk.
  3. Oranges – Marmalade is traditionally made with bitter Seville oranges.
  4. Choux – Choux pastry puffs up with steam to make hollow buns.
  5. Almond frangipane – A Bakewell tart has jam under an almond frangipane filling.
  6. Seaweed – Laverbread is made from laver seaweed.
  7. Beef, potato, swede and onion – Cornish pasties have protected status in the UK.
  8. Haggis – Haggis is celebrated every Burns Night on 25 January.
  9. Heston Blumenthal – The Fat Duck is known for its experimental cooking.
  10. Cullen skink – Cullen skink comes from the town of Cullen in Moray.

Printable quiz packs

Each pack has several themed rounds with questions marked easy, medium or hard, followed by an answer sheet with short explanations, so the quizmaster can settle arguments. Use the Print button for a clean printout without the website around it.

Tips for running a pub quiz

  • Mix easy and hard questions in every round so everyone stays involved.
  • Read each question twice and give a set time to answer.
  • Swap answer sheets between teams for marking.
  • Add a picture or music round for variety.
  • Keep a tie-breaker question ready (for example “How many…?” closest wins).

Frequently asked questions

Are the pub quiz questions free to use?

Yes, for pub, school, club and charity quiz nights.

How many questions are in a pack?

Each pack has several rounds of questions across different categories, plus a full answer sheet.