Help me with trivia questions, on certain subjects
January 27, 2023 7:43 PM Subscribe
I am involved with setting up a trivia game for a group I am involved in. So, I turn to you for help with questions (and answers, of course).
This is for a group of Democrats in New Mexico. So, we are interested in questions focused on government, history, politics, New Mexico, and any other relevant or progressive topics.
Most active members are age 60+, but we are trying to broaden our appeal.
This is for a group of Democrats in New Mexico. So, we are interested in questions focused on government, history, politics, New Mexico, and any other relevant or progressive topics.
Most active members are age 60+, but we are trying to broaden our appeal.
Best answer: Are you able to use visual clues? If so, I _love_ trying to identify countries based on map drawings. For example, you could have a map of Eastern Europe or Africa or the Middle East with all countries outlined, and one colored in to identify, or several countries numbered and have the question be the number of a country to be identified.
posted by amtho at 8:59 PM on January 27, 2023
posted by amtho at 8:59 PM on January 27, 2023
Best answer: Depending on how much y'all want to argue the minutiae of the answer, you could ask "Name a president of the United States before George Washington." (answer)
posted by Paragon at 10:33 PM on January 27, 2023
posted by Paragon at 10:33 PM on January 27, 2023
Best answer: Q: How many World Championships has the US Ambassador to Belize won?
A: Michelle Kwan has won 5 world titles in figure skating.
---
Q: The title of this Pulitzer Prize-winning book is taken from the speech given by Eleanor Roosevelt at the 1940 Democratic National Convention.
A: No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
---
Q: Ron Chernow won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of this Founding Father.
A: George Washington
---
posted by Constance Mirabella at 11:16 PM on January 27, 2023
A: Michelle Kwan has won 5 world titles in figure skating.
---
Q: The title of this Pulitzer Prize-winning book is taken from the speech given by Eleanor Roosevelt at the 1940 Democratic National Convention.
A: No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
---
Q: Ron Chernow won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of this Founding Father.
A: George Washington
---
posted by Constance Mirabella at 11:16 PM on January 27, 2023
Best answer: Maybe something about the transcontinental railroad: the who, the where, or the when.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:37 AM on January 28, 2023
posted by SemiSalt at 4:37 AM on January 28, 2023
Best answer: Which animated character said, “Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, Maestro. There’s a new Mexico?”
Answer
posted by nouvelle-personne at 4:43 AM on January 28, 2023
Answer
posted by nouvelle-personne at 4:43 AM on January 28, 2023
Best answer: Which animated character said, “Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, Maestro. There’s a new Mexico?”
Or, which animated character said “I shoulda taken a left turn at Albuquerque?”
That should be a gimme, so maybe a nice easy starter.
My mom’s lived in Santa Fe forever and is a strident progressive. I’ll try and see if the knows any NM political trivia and check back in.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:22 AM on January 28, 2023
Or, which animated character said “I shoulda taken a left turn at Albuquerque?”
That should be a gimme, so maybe a nice easy starter.
My mom’s lived in Santa Fe forever and is a strident progressive. I’ll try and see if the knows any NM political trivia and check back in.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:22 AM on January 28, 2023
Best answer: Q: A magnet high school in Santa Fe is named after this African leader.
A: Nelson Mandela.
posted by box at 6:15 AM on January 28, 2023
A: Nelson Mandela.
posted by box at 6:15 AM on January 28, 2023
Best answer: I've been playing online trivia since right after the pandemic started. We meet once or twice a month, and each team comes up with a category, so at this point, I have written a lot of trivia questions. (We used to play bar trivia together, but online trivia has really been great since several people moved out of state, and we also use the time to catch up.)
I think the key to writing good questions is to have a narrow category. It's hard for me to get excited about or come up with questions for "politics," but tell me "women in New Mexico politics," and I'll get right on it. Your question actually made me decide to write a "Vietnam War" category. Some of the categories I've really enjoyed writing (not appropriate for your question, but to give you examples) have been Muppets, feet, and the devil, which included a lot of place names. In case you're wondering, the Cairo toe (link not for the squeamish) is the oldest known prosthetic. I have never had trouble coming up with enough questions no matter what the category - I always end up with more than I can use so I have to eliminate some. (The idea about narrowing down topics comes from Robert Pirsig's experience with his students in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. He had a student who was really blocked - I think her original topic was her state - but she was able to get going when she moved to writing about a specific building in her city starting with a specific brick. I used his ideas when I taught writing, but I find they also work for trivia.)
Since you asked for questions related to politics though, here's my category on First Ladies:
1. Which First Lady disliked the term “first lady” and wouldn’t let her staffers use it because it sounded like a prize racehorse?
Jackie Kennedy
2. Within 2, what is the greatest number of former First Ladies to be alive at one time?
10; it happened twice in the late 1800s
3. Who was the first First Lady who was able to vote at the time her husband was in office?
Edith Wilson
4. Which First Lady was the only one to speak an Asian language and spoke to her husband in Mandarin when she didn’t want people to understand them?
Lou Hoover
5. Who was the first First Lady to wear pants in public?
Pat Nixon
6. Which First Lady lived the longest (to date)?
Bess Truman (97; 1885-1982)
7. Which First Lady held weekly press conferences where only women reporters were allowed in order to make sure they stayed on staff at their newspapers?
Eleanor Roosevelt
8. Who was the first First Lady to be married more than once?
Martha Washington
9. Which First Lady survived the Chicago Fire?
Mary Todd Lincoln
10. How many advanced degrees does Jill Biden have (meaning degrees after high school)?
Four: Bachelor's, 2 master's, 1 doctorate
Bonus question:
Which first lady was featured as an amateur detective in a series of mystery novels written by her son?
Eleanor Roosevelt
posted by FencingGal at 6:56 AM on January 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
I think the key to writing good questions is to have a narrow category. It's hard for me to get excited about or come up with questions for "politics," but tell me "women in New Mexico politics," and I'll get right on it. Your question actually made me decide to write a "Vietnam War" category. Some of the categories I've really enjoyed writing (not appropriate for your question, but to give you examples) have been Muppets, feet, and the devil, which included a lot of place names. In case you're wondering, the Cairo toe (link not for the squeamish) is the oldest known prosthetic. I have never had trouble coming up with enough questions no matter what the category - I always end up with more than I can use so I have to eliminate some. (The idea about narrowing down topics comes from Robert Pirsig's experience with his students in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. He had a student who was really blocked - I think her original topic was her state - but she was able to get going when she moved to writing about a specific building in her city starting with a specific brick. I used his ideas when I taught writing, but I find they also work for trivia.)
Since you asked for questions related to politics though, here's my category on First Ladies:
1. Which First Lady disliked the term “first lady” and wouldn’t let her staffers use it because it sounded like a prize racehorse?
Jackie Kennedy
2. Within 2, what is the greatest number of former First Ladies to be alive at one time?
10; it happened twice in the late 1800s
3. Who was the first First Lady who was able to vote at the time her husband was in office?
Edith Wilson
4. Which First Lady was the only one to speak an Asian language and spoke to her husband in Mandarin when she didn’t want people to understand them?
Lou Hoover
5. Who was the first First Lady to wear pants in public?
Pat Nixon
6. Which First Lady lived the longest (to date)?
Bess Truman (97; 1885-1982)
7. Which First Lady held weekly press conferences where only women reporters were allowed in order to make sure they stayed on staff at their newspapers?
Eleanor Roosevelt
8. Who was the first First Lady to be married more than once?
Martha Washington
9. Which First Lady survived the Chicago Fire?
Mary Todd Lincoln
10. How many advanced degrees does Jill Biden have (meaning degrees after high school)?
Four: Bachelor's, 2 master's, 1 doctorate
Bonus question:
Which first lady was featured as an amateur detective in a series of mystery novels written by her son?
Eleanor Roosevelt
posted by FencingGal at 6:56 AM on January 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Which New Mexico county party misspelled the name of their party on the sign outside their county headquarters?
To the surprise of no one, that would be the Otero County Republicans*,
who misspelled “Republican” on their shiny new headquarters sign a few years back.
*Home of Couy “Cowboys for Trump”, and “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat” Griffin. I’ve got a photo of it somewhere. It was hilarious watching them try to make excuses for it on Facebook.
posted by MexicanYenta at 7:33 AM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
To the surprise of no one, that would be the Otero County Republicans*,
who misspelled “Republican” on their shiny new headquarters sign a few years back.
*Home of Couy “Cowboys for Trump”, and “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat” Griffin. I’ve got a photo of it somewhere. It was hilarious watching them try to make excuses for it on Facebook.
posted by MexicanYenta at 7:33 AM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Which territorial governor wrote a best selling novel during his tenure?
Lew Wallace
lots of interesting facts about Gen Lew Wallace's tenure, he was a Civil War general, writer, artist and minister to the Ottoman Empire.
posted by readery at 5:11 PM on January 29, 2023
Lew Wallace
lots of interesting facts about Gen Lew Wallace's tenure, he was a Civil War general, writer, artist and minister to the Ottoman Empire.
posted by readery at 5:11 PM on January 29, 2023
Response by poster: I like the Lew Wallace question the best, followed by the cartoons. Thank you, all.
posted by NotLost at 10:52 PM on February 1, 2023
posted by NotLost at 10:52 PM on February 1, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
A: George Clinton
posted by Ultracrepidarian at 7:47 PM on January 27, 2023 [3 favorites]