Trivia for Seniors – 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
- How many French francs was one euro worth when the single currency arrived in 2002?
- A. About 6.56 francs
- B. Exactly 5 francs
- C. About 10 francs
- D. Exactly 1 franc
- On an old rotary telephone, how did you dial a number?
- A. By tapping the handset
- B. By pressing buttons
- C. By talking to an operator
- D. By turning the dial one digit at a time
- On 18 June 1940, from London, who called on the French to keep fighting, on BBC radio?
- A. Jean Moulin
- B. Winston Churchill
- C. General de Gaulle
- D. Marshal Leclerc
- Which French skier won all three alpine skiing events at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics?
- A. Luc Alphand
- B. Guy Périllat
- C. Jean-Claude Killy
- D. Léo Lacroix
- Which 1966 film, starring Bourvil and Louis de Funès, was the biggest hit in French cinema for more than forty years?
- A. La Grande Vadrouille
- B. Le Corniaud
- C. The Great Escape
- D. Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez
- What were the dancers who accompanied Claude François on stage called?
- A. Les Claudettes
- B. Les Françoises
- C. Les Clodettes
- D. Les Cloclettes
- Which 1985 film by Coline Serreau tells the story of three bachelors forced to look after a baby?
- A. Les Ripoux
- B. Trois hommes et un couffin
- C. La Chèvre
- D. Le Père Noël est une ordure
- In which Paris venue did the Beatles play a long run of concerts in January 1964?
- A. The Zénith
- B. The Olympia
- C. Bercy
- D. La Cigale
- Complete the French proverb: ‘A rolling stone…’
- A. … wears down the path
- B. … ends at the bottom
- C. … makes a noise
- D. … gathers no moss
- Which exam, abolished in 1989, once marked the end of primary school in France?
- A. The end-of-year diploma
- B. The brevet des collèges
- C. The baccalauréat
- D. The certificat d'études
- Which famous ballpoint pen, with a transparent body, has been sold since 1950?
- A. The Bic Cristal
- B. The Parker 51
- C. The Waterman
- D. The Reynolds
- How many cards are in the deck used to play belote, a classic French card game?
- A. 40
- B. 52
- C. 54
- D. 32
- Which French striker scored 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup, a record never beaten?
- A. Michel Platini
- B. Raymond Kopa
- C. Just Fontaine
- D. Jean-Pierre Papin
- Why do many French people still call the refrigerator ‘un frigidaire’?
- A. It is the device's scientific name
- B. It was the name of a very widespread brand
- C. It's a word invented by a comedian
- D. It was the name of a village
- In which year did French television start broadcasting in colour?
- A. 1950
- B. 1967
- C. 1975
- D. 1984
- Which pink chewing gum, launched in France in 1958, came with a little transfer to stick on your skin?
- A. Hollywood
- B. Malabar
- C. Carambar
- D. Globo
- Which garment, popularised in the 1960s by British designer Mary Quant, caused a scandal before becoming a symbol of freedom?
- A. Bell-bottom trousers
- B. The miniskirt
- C. The bikini
- D. Jeans
- Which French ocean liner, launched into service in 1962, was the longest in the world at the time?
- A. The France
- B. The Normandie
- C. The Queen Mary
- D. The Titanic
- Which very petite French singer was nicknamed ‘the Little Sparrow’?
- A. Dalida
- B. Juliette Gréco
- C. Barbara
- D. Édith Piaf
- On 21 July 1969 (in the middle of the night in Europe), roughly how many people around the world watched the first steps on the Moon on TV?
- A. About 50 million
- B. About 10 million
- C. About 2 billion
- D. About 600 million
Answer key — Trivia for Seniors
- A. About 6.56 francsThe official rate was 6.55957 francs to 1 euro.
- D. By turning the dial one digit at a timeYou put your finger in the digit's hole, turned the dial to the stop, then let go: it spun back, sending pulses down the line.
- C. General de GaulleFew French people heard the appeal live, but it became the symbol of the Resistance.
- C. Jean-Claude KillyDownhill, giant slalom and slalom: Killy won everything on home snow, a feat achieved only twice in history.
- A. La Grande VadrouilleMore than 17 million people went to see this house painter and this orchestra conductor helping British airmen.
- C. Les ClodettesFormed in 1966, the Clodettes danced in sequined costumes to carefully rehearsed routines, something new on television at the time.
- B. Trois hommes et un couffinStarring Roland Giraud, Michel Boujenah and André Dussollier, the film drew more than 10 million viewers in France and won three César awards.
- B. The OlympiaFor nearly three weeks, the Beatles played the Olympia, sharing the bill with Sylvie Vartan and Trini Lopez.
- D. … gathers no mossA stone that keeps rolling never gets covered in moss: someone who constantly changes job or place builds nothing up.
- D. The certificat d'étudesCreated in 1866, the ‘certif’ included a dictation, arithmetic problems, history, geography…
- A. The Bic CristalLaunched by Marcel Bich, who dropped the ‘h’ from his name for the brand, the Bic Cristal has become the best-selling pen in the world, with more than 100 billion sold.
- D. 32From a standard pack, the 2s to the 6s are removed, keeping only the 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace.
- C. Just FontaineIn Sweden, France finished third, led by Just Fontaine and Raymond Kopa.
- B. It was the name of a very widespread brandFrigidaire was an American brand so famous that its name became a common noun, as did ‘frigo’.
- B. 1967On 1 October 1967, the second channel switched to colour using the French SECAM system.
- B. MalabarIts mascot, a strongman in a striped vest, accompanied generations of schoolchildren.
- B. The miniskirtMary Quant reportedly named it after her favourite car, the Mini.
- A. The France316 metres long, the France sailed from Le Havre to New York in five days.
- D. Édith PiafBarely 1.47 m tall, Édith Piaf had a huge voice.
- D. About 600 millionIt was one of the biggest audiences in television history. In France, the first steps took place at about 3.56 am: many families stayed up, and some children were woken up for the occasion.