Passing a less than salubrious drinking establishment in a less than salubrious suburb of Manchester some years ago, the quest for thirst quenching ale led this correspondent into his first experience of that bastion of British popular culture, the pub quiz. Inside, a motley crew of locals were huddled around small round pub tables whispering to themselves in urgent consultation. The only question which sticks in the memory was:
Question number fourteen - What do you get if you cross a bear, a dog and a monkey? The answer, it transpires, is Chewbacca. Some years later, and by now a veteran of the pub quiz culture, another fond memory was the reaction of the numerous middle-aged husbands, to the petite barmaid's overly vocal response to a teaser in the nature section:
How many times a year does a penguin mate? The answer is once, but the lingering memory in a rural part of Oxfordshire is one barmaid's answer - "Lucky B......." Welcome to the British pub quiz, as effective a social leveller as it is a binder of community spirit. It is however a dying breed, as information is so readily available on the Internet, thereby opening the road to cheating. Here are three questions for quizmasters that should keep the hardiest illegal surfer in check.
General Pub Quiz Questions - Geography
One of the strengths of a pub quiz, especially in rural areas, is the diversity of knowledge between contestants. A business executive who travels the world might be sharing a table with a farmer who could win Mastermind on milking practices, so it is important to have a really difficult question to trip up a know-all who is showing up the rest. One of the better geography questions comes in three parts: which capital city has the most vowels in its name, which country is it in and, for a bonus point, how do you pronounce/spell it? The answer is Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, or WaGuDooGoo.
General Pub Quiz Questions - Spelling
Spelling is another important area of education on the decline, with the advent of the digital age, where much less is written down than before, even less chanced to publication without a spell checker, but there are those who pride themselves on their spelling ability. Spelling questions often cause furious debate among the teams, and one question which separates the men from the sheep and will run and run is: How do you spell diarrhoeia?
General Pub Quiz Questions - Mathematics
It is common to find bar staff past and present, and usually the landlord among the participants. The ultimate maths question involves some (very pleasant) research and is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Prior to the quiz and over a favourite pint, order an obscure and rarely-requested liqueur from the top shelf and note the price. The ensuing maths question should ask the teams to calculate the price of a pint, gin and tonic and said liqueur. Each team should have experience of the first two, and the guesses for the liqueur can lead to some fun banter, especially when barmaids and landlords get it wrong and can be accused of overcharging.
The British pub quiz is a light-hearted affair and not to be taken too seriously, but is an excellent insight into everyday British social life it you get the chance. Enjoy!
Paul Bradbury - Author of Hvar: An Insider's Guide to Croatia's Premier Island, and Lebanese Nuns Don't Ski
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