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Hard general knowledge quiz
Twelve questions where your first instinct is usually wrong.
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General knowledge · 12 questions
Hard music quiz
A challenger round. Everyone knows the hits, so this digs into the trivia behind them.
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Question 1 of 12
Tough question
Before they were famous, which band started out as The Quarrymen?
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- 1. Before they were famous, which band started out as The Quarrymen?
- A. The Beatles (answer)
- B. The Rolling Stones
- C. The Kinks
- D. The Who
John Lennon formed The Quarrymen in Liverpool in 1956. - 2. What was Elvis Presley's middle name?
- A. Aaron (answer)
- B. Lee
- C. Wayne
- D. Ray
His birth certificate spelled it Aron; later documents used Aaron. - 3. Which artist holds the record for the most Grammy Award wins?
- A. Beyonce (answer)
- B. Taylor Swift
- C. Stevie Wonder
- D. Quincy Jones
Beyonce passed the previous record in 2023 and now holds more than 30. - 4. What is the best-selling studio album of all time worldwide?
- A. Thriller - Michael Jackson (answer)
- B. Back in Black - AC/DC
- C. The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
- D. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
Thriller has sold an estimated 70 million copies worldwide. - 5. What was the first music video ever played on MTV in 1981?
- A. Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles (answer)
- B. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
- C. Money for Nothing - Dire Straits
- D. Thriller - Michael Jackson
A fitting choice: the song is about new technology replacing the old. - 6. What is singer Sting's real name?
- A. Gordon Sumner (answer)
- B. Paul Hewson
- C. David Evans
- D. Reginald Dwight
Paul Hewson is Bono, David Evans is The Edge and Reginald Dwight is Elton John. - 7. Which famous guitarist played the solo on Michael Jackson's Beat It?
- A. Eddie Van Halen (answer)
- B. Slash
- C. Jimmy Page
- D. Steve Vai
He recorded it in a single take and asked for no payment. - 8. In which year did the Live Aid concerts take place?
- A. 1985 (answer)
- B. 1984
- C. 1986
- D. 1989
The twin concerts in London and Philadelphia raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia. - 9. Which Beatles album features While My Guitar Gently Weeps?
- A. The White Album (answer)
- B. Abbey Road
- C. Revolver
- D. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
George Harrison wrote it, and Eric Clapton played the lead guitar uncredited. - 10. The aria Nessun Dorma, made famous by Pavarotti, comes from which opera?
- A. Turandot (answer)
- B. Carmen
- C. La Boheme
- D. Aida
Pavarotti's version became the BBC's theme for the 1990 football World Cup. - 11. Which instrument does Lizzo famously play, sometimes on stage mid-song?
- A. Flute (answer)
- B. Clarinet
- C. Trumpet
- D. Saxophone
Her flute has its own name, Sasha Flute, and its own following. - 12. Which singer is famous for a vocal range spanning five octaves?
- A. Mariah Carey (answer)
- B. Whitney Houston
- C. Celine Dion
- D. Adele
She can also hit whistle register notes, among the highest a human voice can reach.
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