Playing Cards, US History & Trivia

Question 1

How many cards are in a standard deck of playing cards without jokers?

Correct answer: 52

A standard French-suited pack contains 52 playing cards: 13 ranks in each of four suits—hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. Jokers are additional cards and are not counted in the standard 52.

Question 2

Why did President Thomas Jefferson prefer writing to public speaking, and gave only two public speeches during his Presidency?

Correct answer: He had a speech defect

Jefferson reportedly had a weak voice and a speech impediment, so he preferred communicating through writing and delivered only his two inaugural addresses publicly as president.

Question 3

What candidate won the 2012 US Presidential Election?

Correct answer: Barack Obama

Barack Obama won the 2012 U.S. presidential election, defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney and securing a second term.

Question 4

The abbreviation 'etc.' comes from which Latin expression?

Correct answer: Et cetera

Etc. abbreviates the Latin expression et cetera, meaning 'and the rest.'

Question 5

In what year did Ray Kroc open his first McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois?

Correct answer: 1955

Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955. The McDonald brothers had opened their original restaurant in California in 1940.

Question 6

Which of these Indian languages is not part of the Indo-European language family?

Correct answer: Tamil

Tamil belongs to the Dravidian language family, while Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu are Indo-European languages.

Question 7

One of the following statements concerning black tea is wrong.

Correct answer: In Chinese, black tea is known as brown tea.

In Chinese, black tea is generally called “red tea,” referring to the reddish color of the brewed liquid, not “brown tea.”

Question 8

A statue of Charles Darwin sits in what London museum?

Correct answer: Natural History Museum

A seated statue of Charles Darwin stands in the central hall of London’s Natural History Museum.

Question 9

Which unit equals 1,000 grams?

Correct answer: Kilogram

A kilogram equals 1,000 grams. The prefix kilo- means one thousand in the metric system.

Question 10

Sunset Boulevard is perhaps one of the greatest movies made about the movies. It stars a very young handsome William Holden and the one and only Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a reclusive enigmatic silent film star. It also starred a famous director of the silent era, who played her butler/ex-husband. Can you pick him from the list?

Correct answer: Erich von Stroheim

Silent-era filmmaker Erich von Stroheim played Max von Mayerling, Norma Desmond’s butler and former husband, in Sunset Boulevard.