1990s Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- Which egg-shaped virtual electronic pet, originating in Japan, became a worldwide phenomenon in 1996?
- A. Furby
- B. Tamagotchi
- C. Game & Watch
- D. Digimon
- Which American TV series, centered on a group of six friends in New York, first aired in 1994?
- A. Seinfeld
- B. Ally McBeal
- C. Will & Grace
- D. Friends
- Which major political event took place in South Africa in 1994, marking the end of apartheid?
- A. Namibia's independence
- B. The country's reunification
- C. The end of a civil war
- D. Nelson Mandela's election as president
- Which hugely popular British princess died in a car accident in Paris in August 1997?
- A. Queen Elizabeth II
- B. Princess Anne
- C. Sarah Ferguson
- D. Princess Diana
- Which search engine, founded in 1998 by two Stanford students, became the world's leading internet search engine?
- A. Yahoo!
- B. AltaVista
- C. Lycos
- D. Google
- Which cult Quentin Tarantino film, released in 1994, weaves together several intersecting stories in the Los Angeles underworld?
- A. Reservoir Dogs
- B. Pulp Fiction
- C. Jackie Brown
- D. True Romance
- Which French music television channel, launched in 1992, broadcast music videos around the clock and launched many presenters' careers?
- A. Canal+
- B. M6
- C. MCM
- D. MTV France
- Which platform video game series, starring a fast blue hedgehog, became Sega's mascot during the 1990s?
- A. Mario
- B. Sonic
- C. Crash Bandicoot
- D. Rayman
- Which European treaty, signed in 1992, created the European Union and laid the groundwork for the future single currency?
- A. The Treaty of Rome
- B. The Maastricht Treaty
- C. The Treaty of Amsterdam
- D. The Treaty of Lisbon
- Which video game heroine, an adventurer archaeologist introduced in 1996, was played on screen by Angelina Jolie?
- A. Lara Croft
- B. Samus Aran
- C. Jill Valentine
- D. Chun-Li
- Which virtual pet, launched by Bandai in 1996, took over school playgrounds?
- A. The Tamagotchi
- B. The Furby
- C. Nintendogs
- D. The Giga Pet
- Which club won the very first Champions League title for a French team, in 1993?
- A. Paris Saint-Germain
- B. AS Monaco
- C. Girondins de Bordeaux
- D. Olympique de Marseille
- What was the name of the pager launched by France Télécom in the 1990s, hugely popular with teenagers?
- A. The Bi-Bop
- B. The Tatoo
- C. The Tam-Tam
- D. The Kobby
- Which online auction site was founded in 1995 in California, with its first item sold being… a broken laser pointer?
- A. eBay
- B. Amazon
- C. Alibaba
- D. Craigslist
- Which state was dissolved in December 1991, giving rise to fifteen independent countries?
- A. Yugoslavia
- B. Czechoslovakia
- C. The USSR
- D. East Germany
- Which twin towers, completed in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, were the tallest in the world until 2004?
- A. The Jin Mao Towers
- B. The Sears Towers
- C. The Burj Towers
- D. The Petronas Towers
- Which 1991 conflict pitted a US-led international coalition against Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait?
- A. The Falklands War
- B. The Afghanistan War
- C. The Gulf War
- D. The Six-Day War
- Which very bright comet was visible to the naked eye for several months in 1997?
- A. Hale-Bopp
- B. Halley
- C. Shoemaker-Levy 9
- D. NEOWISE
- Which brand of trainers with huge platform soles, worn by the Spice Girls, was all the rage in the late 1990s?
- A. Buffalo
- B. Converse
- C. Dr. Martens
- D. Kickers
- Which 1997 film became the first in history to gross over a billion dollars?
- A. Jurassic Park
- B. The Lion King
- C. Titanic
- D. Men in Black
Answer key — 1990s Quiz
- B. TamagotchiThe Tamagotchi, launched in Japan in 1996 by Bandai, became a global phenomenon, requiring owners to feed and care for their virtual creature.
- D. FriendsFriends, first aired in 1994, followed the daily lives of six friends in New York and became one of the most popular sitcoms in history.
- D. Nelson Mandela's election as presidentIn 1994, Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president in the country's first multiracial elections, officially marking the end of apartheid.
- D. Princess DianaPrincess Diana died in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris on 31 August 1997, sparking an enormous wave of grief worldwide.
- D. GoogleGoogle, founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford graduate students, went on to dominate the global search engine market.
- B. Pulp FictionPulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino and released in 1994, marked 1990s cinema with its non-linear storytelling and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
- C. MCMMCM (Musique Clip Music), launched in 1992, was one of the leading French music channels of the decade, alongside MTV.
- B. SonicSonic the Hedgehog, first appearing in 1991 on the Sega Mega Drive console, became the brand's emblem and Mario's great rival.
- B. The Maastricht TreatyThe Maastricht Treaty, signed in February 1992, officially created the European Union and set the convergence criteria leading to the euro.
- A. Lara CroftThe heroine of 'Tomb Raider', she was one of the first female video game leads to become a worldwide success.
- A. The TamagotchiThis small Japanese electronic egg had to be fed, cared for and cleaned, or else it would 'die'.
- D. Olympique de MarseilleMarseille beat AC Milan 1-0 in Munich thanks to a header from Basile Boli.
- B. The TatooIt received numbers to call back or short coded messages. The Tam-Tam (SFR) and Kobby (Bouygues) were rivals; the Bi-Bop was a street-use phone.
- A. eBayFounder Pierre Omidyar was surprised anyone would buy a broken item: the buyer collected broken laser pointers!
- C. The USSRGorbachev resigned on 25 December 1991. Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic states are among the fifteen republics that became independent.
- D. The Petronas TowersAt 452 m and linked by a skybridge, they were overtaken by Taipei 101.
- C. The Gulf WarOperation "Desert Storm" liberated Kuwait within weeks. The burning oil wells blazed for months.
- A. Hale-BoppHale-Bopp remained visible to the naked eye for about 18 months, a record.
- A. BuffaloThese platforms could be over 10 cm high. They made a notable comeback in 2020s fashion.
- C. TitanicJames Cameron's film also won 11 Oscars, a record it shares with Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.