THE NAKED CITY – Quizmania Rules!

THE NAKED CITY – Quizmania Rules!

Before we begin, we should immediately disclose our interest. The Naked City crew run a long running pub quiz in Sydney – one of hundreds which now fill numerous mid-week nights in pubs and clubs all over the metropolitan area. Just about everybody it seems to love trivia – be it your standard geography, history and sport, or some slightly more specialised and esoteric topics.

Pub quizzes are said to have originated sometime during the 70s in the UK, a country that now boasts some 20,000 plus quiz nights a week. These days it’s a worldwide phenomenon, fuelled by parlour games such as Trivial Pursuit, the endless stream of TV quiz shows, and that primeval communal instinct to join a group of your friends over a few drinks and common purpose.

Compared with other pub style entertainment like snooker and darts nights, noisy bands, dj’s and singer-songwriters, your average quiz night is positively benign. The consumption of alcohol is generally restrained although competition is often intense. This occasionally leads to some devious punters Googling the answers on mobiles (under the table or in the toilets) although a spirit of honesty normally prevails. Some trivia quizzes, especially those who offer large cash jackpot prizes, are targeted by professional touts – know-all, walking encyclopaedias who wait until the jackpot builds up and then descend, blowing the average player away.

These days most Sydney quizzes offer moderate prizes like bar tabs and modest cash jackpots so the touts are infrequent. They generally cater to the local neighbourhood crowd and teams of regular players who socialise on a weekly basis. Whilst winning is always a bonus, just participating and testing your knowledge of all things trivial is often the common incentive.

Whilst the more mainstream quizzes concentrate on subjects like popular music, TV shows, movies, geography and sport, others (like our own Texas Chainsaw Trivia at the Darlo Bar) often seek out the bizarre and the totally weird. The question often arises “what makes a good trivia question” and perhaps there is no definitive answer. The opportunity to make a calculated guess is always an attraction with multiple choice a common option. Getting players to think laterally or well outside of the square is always a challenge, especially as the night wears on and brains are numbed by another round of schooners.

Here are just a few of our own favourite trivia stumpers (answers below – don’t peek!). Take the challenge and if they tickle your fancy, maybe it’s time you hit the trivia trail on a Tuesday or Wednesday night.

1. Complete the phrase “A noisy noise annoys a noisy WHAT?”

2. True or false – Klaus Barbie invented the Barbie Doll?

3. What well known American once said “If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her?”

4. Which former British colony did Prince Charles once described as “Chinese Takeaway”? 

5. Romanian communist leader Nicolai Ceaucescu broke into what song just prior to his execution by firing squad in 1989? (a) Always Look On The Bright Side (b) The Internationale (c) Moon River 

(Answers – 1. “oyster” 2. Definitely false 3. Donald Trump. 4. Hong Kong 5. (b))

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