Throughout history, people have always asked questions.
Now, we may not have all the answers (and sometimes even The Question is unknown), but we do know a few.
That’s why quizzes were invented - to see who could remember more about irrelevant matters of geography, history and culture. And today, a quiz is the surest way of determining how dumb that guy (or girl) you’re flirting with actually is. After all, anyone who doesn’t know the exact amount that Sherlock Holmes paid for his precious violin isn’t worth it, right?
Even if you don’t have fifty-five shillings to spare, these sites may be worth a look.
http://www.coolquiz.com/
Fun is the word that aptly describes a quizzer’s experience at Coolquiz.com. This is a quiz site that wants Netizens to enjoy quizzing, which probably explains the heavy cartoon-based layout.
The site is basically divided into three slots - “General Trivia”, “Cool Diversions” and “Entertainment”, and these are easy to navigate. You can take a test to prove that you are a geek; you can also test your knowledge about movie posters, trivia, celebrities and just about anything else under the sun. Do not miss the IQ and “Geek Quotient” sections - they have some interesting questions for those of you who like to read between the lines.
If you’re a serious quizzer, don’t bother going here. But if you’re a fun-loving kind of person and want to prove it, this is quite a cool site.
http://www.quizsite.com/
This site should have actually been called mega-quizsite.com, since it has numerous quizzes on various topics. These topics include the mundane Science, History, Movies and Geography, amongst others, and go on to include The Universe, Television, Comics and Biographies. Though the look of the site is not visually exciting, it has enough quizzes to keep you going for a few days. You can also “donate” a quiz, and add to the content for the site.
So, if any of you feel that you belong on Mastermind, you should get cracking with this site first.
http://www.quizbox.com/builder/
Here’s a site that’s like a one-stop shopping center - it teaches you how to build and create your own quiz on the Web without any programming skills. Plus, it has loads of quizzes for you to solve.
The site helps you build your own quiz site, edit the quizzes, update them and maintain them. The design is simple and easily navigable, so even the most computer-phobic person should be able to achieve this. Now for the existing quizzes: this site has it all - romance, autos, business and finance, pets, hobbies, issues and causes (yes, you got that right, causes!), military, seniors, movies, music - the list just keeps going on and on and on…
Don’t miss the games section - it has some pretty useless quizzes for those who just cannot live without one. There is one really surreal one entitled “I’m in your house. Do you know where I am?”
http://www.uselessknowledge.com/quiz.shtml
This has to be the biggest collection of totally trivial stuff that you’re ever going to find on the Web. And yes, the name is justified.
First up, we suggest that you go to the “Vocabulary Builder” section, where you can browse through the quotations directory and learn a little about etymology (that’s the study of word origins, stupid). It also has a “totally useless” chat room and a “totally useless” joke center. Try taking the “totally tuff” quiz (if you are regular quizzer, it shouldn’t be very tuff, wot say?).
There’s also an add-on facility for all those who love to goof off at the office. If you’re surfing on the sly, you can easily fool your boss by using the “The Boss Is Coming!” link that takes you to the New York Times. Handy, eh?
Cheat, quiz, and learn to gather fruitless information - this site is really something else.
http://www.brain.com/
This site, unlike most of the others, has more to do with traditional memory and IQ testing than with quizzing. Don’t give this site a miss - you can test your memory, speed, IQ and concentration powers using the free tests provided by the site.
There are methods described to train your brain which involve your diet, computer software and unique board games. Interested already? Well, the site gives you the option of buying several of these products online (including games, music, electronics, books and preparatory tests), before you take the final plunge into the competitive world of high IQs. Do visit the “ThinkFast” and “MyLife Zone” segments - these are particularly interesting as far as EQ goes.
This site definitely does not cater to quizzes in the traditional sense but, if you think that you are smart enough to crack difficult trivia, logic, vocabulary or a language quiz, this is the site to visit. But a word of advice, prepare beforehand for the tests or your scores will give you nightmares.
http://www.quizbrain.com/movie.html
Here’s another site which is not very exhaustive in its content, but has enough quizzes to keep you busy. The site provides quiz dough on subjects like sports, travel, business, movie, news and wildlife.
Besides these channels, it features a section for the young adults called “Qwiz Kids”. Then, to add a lighter side to it, there is a trivia section packaged as “PickBrain Online Quiz” and also the time-bound “QuizBrain Quotient” segment. The site also lets you host your own quiz on the Web.
http://www.funtrivia.com/
A trivia site that comes really close to Uselessknowledge.com, this one’s huge in terms of quizzes. If you want to know how many people die of diarrhoea every year or how long an ant lives, you simply have to visit this site!
The site is not all that well laid-out, but is easy to navigate. It also promises over 12,000 trivia games in 343 categories (that’s even more than we can handle!) The site has one more unique feature - a messaging service that tells you which quizzers are online, perfect for a quiz party online!
If you plan to visit this site frequently, you’d better get yourself an account- you also get a few benefits like creating your own quiz, ranking quizzes, and setting up chat rooms.
http://www.joblo.com/indianasev.htm
If you think you should be directing movies instead of Steven Spielberg, visit this site - it’s dedicated to movies!
There are quizzes on every category possible - science fiction, horror, action, crime, murder mystery, high school comedies, comic book and sports movies. If you’re in love with a particular star , you can even test your knowledge about their lives, parents, spouses, roles, dogs, cats - just about anything to do with movies and the people who star in them.
Some of the quizzes have intrigue value more than knowledge value. For example, one crime trivia quiz features a question that asks you which movie should have never been made! If that doesn’t get you interested enough to view this site, we don’t know what else will.
http://funtestiq.com/
Here’s a question for you. The topics under which the questions in most sites are clubbed are pretty standard, right? Wrong! Go to this site and see for yourself - the quiz categories may not be very varied, but they can be packaged in different ways.
This site has some amazing categories, such as “Wild Guesses”, “WiseCracks” and “Opening Lines”. It caters to pop psychology in its “Personality” section, which tests your ability to kiss well and your popularity level. Any budding Casanovas out there?
Finally, this site also has sections devoted to riddles, puzzles, polls and games.
And that’s about it for this time. See you soon!
This article was first published on 28 Feb 2001.