Absurd Laws 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
- In the UK, it is technically illegal to die in which very official public building?
- A. The Tower of London
- B. The Palace of Westminster (Parliament)
- C. King's Cross Station
- D. The British Museum
- In Milan (Italy), an old municipal regulation still in force legally obliges citizens to do what in public spaces?
- A. Smile at all times (except at funerals and hospitals)
- B. Let pigeons pass on the pavement
- C. Tip street musicians
- D. Wear a hat in the sun
- In Eraclea, a commune near Venice in Italy, which childhood beach activity is totally banned under penalty of a fine?
- A. Collecting shells
- B. Playing with bat and ball
- C. Building sandcastles or digging holes
- D. Listening to music
- In the State of Vermont (USA), an old somewhat sexist law stipulates that a married woman must obtain written permission from her husband to...?
- A. Cut her hair
- B. Wear false teeth
- C. Open a book
- D. Buy a broom
- In Australia, in the State of Victoria, it was once illegal to change a light bulb at home without which qualification?
- A. A municipal DIY permit
- B. A safety certificate
- C. A master's degree in physics
- D. A certified electrician's licence
- In the French village of Sarpourenx, what unusual municipal order was issued by the mayor in 2008 as a protest?
- A. Drinking wine at lunch is compulsory
- B. It is forbidden to die without having reserved a cemetery plot
- C. Dogs must wear nappies
- D. Cars must drive in reverse
- In Germany, what do you risk if you run out of petrol on the Autobahn (motorway)?
- A. A heavy fine and penalty points
- B. Nothing — the breakdown truck is free
- C. Permanent confiscation of the vehicle
- D. Obligation to push the car to the exit
- In the State of Florida, if you tie an elephant to a street parking meter, what must you pay according to the law?
- A. A flat 'large vehicle' fine
- B. Nothing — it's free for pachyderms
- C. A hay tax
- D. The normal parking rate as for any car
- In the State of New York, what wacky action between two people on a rooftop is theoretically punishable by death (a law never enforced)?
- A. Kissing while wearing hats
- B. Throwing snowballs or hurling a bucket of water at each other
- C. Playing tennis without a net
- D. Having a giant barbecue
- In Switzerland, if you live in an apartment, which noisy activity is strongly discouraged or forbidden in the building rules after 10 pm?
- A. Sweeping the floor
- B. Flushing the toilet or taking a shower
- C. Opening the fridge
- D. Watching TV without headphones
- In the UK, the 1986 'Salmon Act' makes it illegal to handle which animal 'in suspicious circumstances'?
- A. A hedgehog
- B. A sheep
- C. A salmon
- D. A swan
- In Sweden, a government agency must approve first names. Which name was refused to parents in 1996, sparking a famous legal battle?
- A. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116
- B. Superman
- C. Volvo
- D. Ikea
- In Barcelona, which outfit can earn you a fine of up to 300 euros if worn in the city-centre streets?
- A. Swimwear or a bare chest
- B. Denim shorts
- C. A backwards cap
- D. Flip-flops
- In Western Australia, a 1946 law still on the books bans owning more than 50 kg of what without authorization?
- A. Coffee
- B. Potatoes
- C. Sugar
- D. Flour
- In Arizona, a famous law forbids letting which animal sleep in a bathtub?
- A. A donkey
- B. A snake
- C. A horse
- D. A coyote
- In the town of Chico (California), which offence carries an official fine of 500 dollars?
- A. Detonating a nuclear weapon within the city limits
- B. Walking backwards
- C. Playing the banjo at night
- D. Wearing two hats
- In 1954, the mayor of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Vaucluse, France) issued a municipal decree banning what within his commune?
- A. Selling foreign wine
- B. Tractor horns
- C. Flying saucers flying over or landing
- D. Growing maize
- In which country was strong beer banned until 1 March 1989, a date now celebrated as 'Beer Day'?
- A. Norway
- B. Finland
- C. Iceland
- D. Ireland
- Which country has required since the 1960s that there be a nuclear shelter place for each of its residents?
- A. Sweden
- B. Finland
- C. Switzerland
- D. Japan
- In which country can you be fined for driving shirtless?
- A. Thailand
- B. Spain
- C. Greece
- D. Portugal
Answer key — Absurd Laws Quiz
- B. The Palace of Westminster (Parliament)Parliament has the status of a royal palace. According to legal legend, anyone who dies there is automatically entitled to a state funeral at the Crown's expense.
- A. Smile at all times (except at funerals and hospitals)This law dates from the Austro-Hungarian era, intended to force the population to put on a show of joy.
- C. Building sandcastles or digging holesThe municipality considers that holes and large sandcastles impede the free movement of emergency services and pedestrians along the beach.
- B. Wear false teethThis quirky 19th-century law is of course no longer enforced, but still sleeps in the State's archives.
- D. A certified electrician's licenceA strict electrical safety law banned any non-professional from touching the wiring, under penalty of a $10 fine.
- B. It is forbidden to die without having reserved a cemetery plotWith the village cemetery full and the State refusing an extension, the mayor issued this absurd order with a touch of dark humour: 'Offenders will be severely punished.' Hard to punish a ghost!
- A. A heavy fine and penalty pointsOn the Autobahn, stopping due to running out of fuel is considered avoidable negligence that endangers other road users travelling at over 150 km/h.
- D. The normal parking rate as for any carAn old regulation stipulates that if a circus or pack animal is parked on a paid public space, the owner must feed the meter or risk receiving a Denver boot on the animal's foot.
- B. Throwing snowballs or hurling a bucket of water at each otherA delirious 19th-century law stipulated that throwing someone (or heavy projectiles) from the top of a building was a murderous act of insanity punishable by death.
- B. Flushing the toilet or taking a showerNoise pollution is taken very seriously by our Swiss neighbours.
- C. A salmonThe official wording ('handling salmon in suspicious circumstances') was actually aimed at poaching and the resale of stolen fish.
- A. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116The parents claimed this unpronounceable name was 'an artistic act' and was pronounced 'Albin'.
- A. Swimwear or a bare chestFed up with tourists strolling down the Ramblas in swimming trunks, the city adopted a civility bylaw: beachwear stays on the beach.
- B. PotatoesThe 'Marketing of Potatoes Act' created a board to control the entire potato market.
- A. A donkeyIn 1924 a dam burst and flooded a valley: a donkey asleep in an abandoned bathtub was swept away for miles, forcing the town to pay for its rescue.
- A. Detonating a nuclear weapon within the city limitsAdopted in the mid-1980s as a symbolic anti-nuclear gesture, this bylaw sets a laughably small fine for a crime of unimaginable gravity.
- C. Flying saucers flying over or landingAmid a wave of UFO sightings, Mayor Lucien Jeune decreed that any 'aircraft known as a flying saucer or flying cigar' landing in his vineyards would be impounded immediately.
- C. IcelandThe 1915 prohibition was lifted for wine and spirits, but not for beer, considered too tempting.
- C. SwitzerlandOwners must build one or pay a fee for a place in a public shelter.
- A. ThailandProper attire is required at the wheel, including for scooter riders.