# Suggest "hard to google/text" questions or rounds for a table quiz. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950 "2008-09-17T03:42:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/1 "2008-09-17T03:42:50Z")
I am thinking of trying to organise a google-proof table quiz in a local pub. Texting and web surfing on mobile devices has ruined the table quiz IMHO. I was thinking of doing picture rounds, map rounds, song rounds and maybe visual puzzle rounds, any other suggestions for making it more google-proof, individual questions or types of questions? ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/2 "2008-09-17T04:03:34Z")
One technique is to have multiple choice questions with many choices, that are phrased in the negative. \* “Which of the following movies was NOT nominated for an Oscar for best song?” “Which of the following is NOT a breed of cattle?” “Which of the following countries does NOT have a green, white, and orange flag?” \* They can still be googled, but you basically have to google each of 10 choices one by one. (ETA: Okay, that last example might not work well in the OP’s pub…) ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/3 "2008-09-17T06:26:52Z")
You could bring physical items to identify, things like, “What brand of toothpaste is this?” with a little squeezed-out line of toothpaste on a plate (I actually had that one in a quiz once), or ‘name these three pasta shapes’. ---
**Author:** ![First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/First_Amongst_Daves)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/4 "2008-09-17T06:43:20Z")
Or pick questions whereyou get Google static. "What do the initials “URL” stand for?’ gets you pages of domain name registrar advertising if you Google it. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/5 "2008-09-17T06:55:36Z")
> [@First\_Amongst\_Daves](#): > > Or pick questions whereyou get Google static. > > "What do the initials “URL” stand for?’ gets you pages of domain name registrar advertising if you Google it. And yet the very top hit (indeed, the very first three words displayed in the search results) is the answer. ---
**Author:** ![First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/First_Amongst_Daves)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/6 "2008-09-17T08:25:43Z")
Damn. That has changed in the last year. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/7 "2008-09-17T09:26:33Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I am thinking of trying to organise a google-proof table quiz in a local pub. Texting and web surfing on mobile devices has ruined the table quiz IMHO. I was thinking of doing picture rounds, map rounds, song rounds and maybe visual puzzle rounds, any other suggestions for making it more google-proof, individual questions or types of questions? Be carefull with the song rounds, their are mobile phones that can identify a song by listening to it and checking it with a online database ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/8 "2008-09-17T17:39:28Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > Be carefull with the song rounds, their are mobile phones that can identify a song by listening to it and checking it with a online database I don’t know if this service is available yet in the Republic of Ireland but if it is I’ll maybe only play very short clips, once. ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/9 "2008-09-17T17:52:37Z")
Pictures or objects are a good way to go. Showing a picture of Harrison Ford and asking “Who is this?” is much harder to Google then “What actor played Han Solo?” Similarly, showing a kazoo and asking “Name this device?” is pretty hard to google. You can get whole series of questions this way. “Who is this?”, “What was the title of his first film?” “For what role did he win an Oscar?” “In what film did he play opposite this person (show a second person)?” etc… thwartme ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/10 "2008-09-17T18:37:23Z")
Well… there’s the classic riddle. “What do I have in my pocket?” ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/11 "2008-09-17T19:56:12Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I am thinking of trying to organise a google-proof table quiz in a local pub. Texting and web surfing on mobile devices has ruined the table quiz IMHO. Just specify a rule that such devices are forbidden, and anyone caught using one will be disqualified. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/12 "2008-09-17T20:49:56Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Just specify a rule that such devices are forbidden, and anyone caught using one will be disqualified. It wouldn’t work. These devices are ubiquitous and people won’t cease to use them for a few hours for the sake of a pub quiz. They just wouldn’t enter the quiz. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/13 "2008-09-17T21:27:51Z")
It works at our pub quiz/bar trivia. Any one using a cell phone during the game has their team DQ’d. Once you’re DQ’d, you have no chance of free beer (they give a way a pitcher a couple times a night) or the prizes at the end. Also, everyone points and laughs at you. Does your pub game not have any incentive? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/14 "2008-09-17T21:41:39Z")
Name two Agatha Christie books in which the narrator is the murderer: The murder of Roger Ackroyd; Ten Little Indians Peter Jackson made a cameo appearence in each of three Lord of the Rings films - describe each part briefly: Drunk walking through Bree; Spearman on walls of Helm’s Deep; Pirate sailing to attack Minas Tirith Apart from the knight, which chess pieces can jump over each other? The King and rook: when castling ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/15 "2008-09-17T21:57:52Z")
Pointless remark: I never liked the idea that knights are to be thought of as jumping over other pieces when they move. Thinking of each piece as a little dot in the center of its square, the straight-line path of a knight doesn’t jump _over_ anyone; rather, it just moves _between_ two squares. ---
**Author:** ![Typo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Typo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/16 "2008-09-17T22:02:39Z")
Spell esophagogastroduodenoscopy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/17 "2008-09-17T23:01:29Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I don’t know if this service is available yet in the Republic of Ireland but if it is I’ll maybe only play very short clips, once. Samsung Tocco does it. I’ve got one. 10sec sample is taken. It’s very very accurate. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/18 "2008-09-17T23:08:40Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > Samsung Tocco does it. I’ve got one. 10sec sample is taken. It’s very very accurate. Balls to that. I just don’t think I could get people not to use their phones for the duration. My mate was at a table quiz somewhere in town there recently and every single team got full marks. It was a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-hard-to-google-text-questions-or-rounds-for-a-table-quiz/463950/19 "2008-09-17T23:18:19Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Balls to that. I just don’t think I could get people not to use their phones for the duration. My mate was at a table quiz somewhere in town there recently and every single team got full marks. It was a joke. Yup. Last bar quiz I did every team tied for first. There were at least 15 teams and only 5 or 6 prizes. It was the lamest thing ever and we haven’t been back. Unfortunately you just can’t tell people not to use their cell phones anymore. To the current generation it’s like telling them not to wear pants.