The Art of Building a Good Quiz

During this lockdown period, the Pub Quiz has thrived. Whether it’s on Zoom with friends and family, or joining a livestream, people across Britain have embraced quizzes. I am a big quiz fan and have enjoyed both formats. Last week however, it was my turn to write the quiz. Not as easy as I thought… The first challenge is reaching a balance. Too easy and it’s patronising. Too hard and people give up. Navigating this dilemma is the first challenge for the ‘Quiz Setter.’ Then, there is the challenge of not favouring anyone in particular. For example, if you are doing a quiz with another family who have no interest in cricket, a full round on the West Indies Test side from the 1970s might not be appropriate. Knowing your audience is helpful.

So, what makes a good quiz question?

Let’s start with the components of a bad question. The first example is the ‘numerical guess’ question, such as, ‘How many oranges would it take to fill the Grand Canyon?’

Even with multiple choice answers, it is a silly question, with little joy of the challenge. Irrespective of how many oranges are required, it is a futile fact and not in the realms of logical reasoning. The second example of a poor question is the “you either know it, or, you don’t” type. It is important to include a certain number of these questions which reward exceptional knowledge. However, when a quiz is filled with this type of question, it becomes a lucky dip. get to the correct answer, and if you know your 1990s films, you may also find the answer, and finally, you could work it out through the origins of the word: ‘Fer’ translated to French is iron, and ‘equine’ pertains to horses, meaning the whole thing is ‘the study of iron horses’ which logically sounds like the sort of thing that a train could have been called. A question like this leaves doors open for the partnership between logic and the application of your knowledge.

I am a firm believer that good questions should give the players a chance, even if they don’t immediately know the answer. If the question is about English monarchs, a reference to the time-period, House (Plantagenet, Tudor etc.) or other historical context could enable the players to use reasoning to crack the question. This gives people more than one route into answering, even if it’s simply an educated guess. I asked Dr Cromarty what he liked in a quiz question: “A good question is one which people kick themselves for not being able to get an answer, which, deep down, they knew that they could have.” I recall one such question from his House Quiz from this year: “Ferroequinology is a common hobby, but is better known by which name, also the title of a 1996 film?” with the answer being ‘Trainspotting’. It is an excellent quiz question. If you happen to be familiar with the term ‘Ferroequinology,’ you will

Simon O’Hagan, the writer of quizzes for ‘The Independent’, goes so far as to say that in his ideal quiz ‘nobody would actually know the answer to any question.’ By this, he does not mean that he wishes everyone to get everything wrong but, instead, he wants people to enjoy working it out.

The process of crafting a quiz is a fun one, and I wish you luck if, and when, it is your turn!

Freddie Coughlin, T, 5 th