# What wrong answers have you found in Trivial Pursuit? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 2, 2001, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688 "2001-08-02T20:11:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![shadowofneo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@shadowofneo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shadowofneo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/41 "2013-04-19T06:52:23Z")
the whole games wrong, Whats Trivial About it, and there is no pursuit due to the fact you’re stuck in your house playing the game ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/42 "2013-04-22T15:10:21Z")
> [@averagechlo](#): > > last night my older sister and i were playing trivial pursuit and in the blue geography questions it asked > "what is the capital of thailand’ > now we all know that bangkok is the answer but for some reason the card said ‘Kuala lumpur’ which is malaysia’s capital my sister didnt let me have the wedge but i was positive i was right. That’s bizarre. I’ve never heard of that mistake. Of course, I didn’t even know Trivial Pursuit was still around. But tell your sister that I – someone who has lived in Bangkok for a very long time and has also spent time in Kuala Lumpur – said you were absolutely correct and should have gotten the wedge. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/43 "2013-04-22T23:22:55Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Here’s one I’ve seen. “What actor has portrayed the same character on television for the longest period of time?” Their answer? “Kelsey Grammer.” I’m almost positive the real answer is Carol O’Connor. One thing I do know is that Kelsey Grammer is wrong. > > You find any? I had a feeling James (Marshall Matt Dillon) Arness was right up there, and that O’Connor was nowhere close. Wiki informs us that Arness and Grammer are tied for the lead. However, run-time years reported by the _Cheers_ and _Frazier_ articles seems to indicate well over 20 years combined for the Frazier character, so I’m not sure how to call it. Richard Belzer may now be in his 21st season as detective Munch. O’Connor’s Archie Bunker had a combined 13-year run from two shows. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/44 "2013-04-22T23:32:57Z")
> [@Zoff](#): > > This was years ago so I’m not sure if the question was from the Genus Edition or some other. > > Q: Who is the lead singer of The Who? > A: Pete Townshend > > As a fan of The Who I thought this was completely unacceptable. I agree. Roger Daltry was undoubtedly the group’s lead singer. He was also the lead roughneck- although only 5"7" at most Wiki informs us he routinely settled business disagreements with other group members by beating them up, once going so far as to knock Townshend out cold (and Townshend had to have been at least 6" taller). It got so bad the other three kicked Daltry out of the group, not letting him return until he promised to discontinue his assaultive behavior. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/45 "2013-04-27T01:09:06Z")
> [@colonial](#): > > He was also the lead roughneck- although only 5"7" at most Wiki informs us he routinely settled business disagreements with other group members by beating them up, once going so far as to knock Townshend out cold (and Townshend had to have been at least 6" taller). It got so bad the other three kicked Daltry out of the group, not letting him return until he promised to discontinue his assaultive behavior. They must have written the question during that brief period. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/46 "2013-04-27T04:14:33Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > …Anyway, in science and nature one read “what is one tenth of a bel?” The answer is of course a decibel. The problem is that decibels are a logarythmic scale of pressure measured in pascals. There is no such thing as a bel, centibel, kilobel, whatever. There is only the decibel. A bel (B) it is a seldom used logarithmic unit. A more commonly used unit is the decibel, which is one tenth of a bell and indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified reference level. Examples are gain and loss of electrical signals in electronic equipment and levels of sound. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities. A decibel (dB) it is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified reference level. Examples are gain and loss of electrical signals in electronic equipment and levels of sound. A ratio in decibels is the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities multiplied by ten. A decibel is one tenth of a bel, a seldom-used unit. You can convert decibel [dB] \<—\> bel \*\* at: [http://www.translatorscafe.com/cafe/units-converter/sound/calculator/decibel-[dB]-to-bel-[B]/](http://www.translatorscafe.com/cafe/units-converter/sound/calculator/decibel-%5BdB%5D-to-bel-%5BB%5D/) ---
**Author:** ![patrolman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e79b87/32.png) [@patrolman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/patrolman)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/47 "2014-08-15T15:07:50Z")
One that infuriated me years ago (I can’t remember which edition, but it wasn’t one of the more esoteric ones), when my correct answer was rejected for not matching what was on the card, concerned the conflation of two songs. I can’t remember the exact wording of the question, but in effect it asked: - Q. What does the 1930’s song of the same name invite you to come on and hear? A. ‘The Lullaby of Broadway’ Wrong! ‘The Lullaby of Broadway’ invites one to “come on _along and listen to_” said tune; it is ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’ which entreats the listener to “come on and hear” it. N.B. It’s possible I’ve got this the wrong way around, and that the lyric in the question is from ‘The Lullaby of Broadway’ while the incorrect answer given is ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/48 "2014-08-15T15:19:26Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > The courts, though, ruled in favor of the TP dudes, stating that facts are not protected by copyright. That’s an outrage. Facts may not be covered by copyright, but made-up crap should be! Which reminds me of the time a few years ago when I convinced my family to play Trivial Pursuit, despite their protests that many of the questions would be out of date. As it happened, the very first card drawn from the deck read: **“What Russian city used to be named St. Petersburg?”** :smack: ---
**Author:** ![masterful1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@masterful1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterful1)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/49 "2014-11-18T15:56:05Z")
The question was, “what is the longest non-mechanical race.” The answer was “the tour de france.” Since when is a bicycle not a mechanical device?!! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/50 "2014-11-18T17:06:43Z")
Another question from the '80s Edition has to do with Timothy Dalton’s final appearance as James Bond. The answer is _Licence Revoked_, the film’s title during production, rather than _Licence to Kill_. Again, I accept either answer if I’m asking. I’m guessing that the cards were published before _Licence to Kill_ and _Batman_ were released. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/51 "2014-11-19T16:34:28Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > That’s an outrage. Facts may not be covered by copyright, but made-up crap should be! > > Which reminds me of the time a few years ago when I convinced my family to play Trivial Pursuit, despite their protests that many of the questions would be out of date. As it happened, the very first card drawn from the deck read: > > **“What Russian city used to be named St. Petersburg?”** > > :smack: Tampa? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/52 "2014-11-19T17:31:17Z")
The only one I remember being wrong is wrong only on a technicality: “Did Great Britain boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics?” The given answer is “No”, but technically, Great Britain did boycott. True, there were British athletes there, but “officially” they competed as “independent athletes” under the Olympic flag, and a “neutral” song was played at medal ceremonies (e.g. when Daley Thompson won the decathlon). They did enter the stadium together behind a sign saying “Great Britain”, but that was more for Soviet propoganda purposes than anything else; it was not an “official IOC recognition” that Great Britain had set a delegation. (Not every “western” country that attended did this; Australia, for example, did not officially boycott.) ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/53 "2014-11-19T21:25:12Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > Not Trivial Pursuit, but another trivia game asked the (paraphrased) question, “What is the real name of Batman’s enemy, ‘The Penquin.’” According the the game, it was “Stinky Potwhistle.” Not being aware of spoiler questions at the time, this puzzled me, and put me right off the game. May just have been a mistake. Stinky _Print_whistle was the everyday identity of Captain Marvel’s enemy Ibac, who had the “powers” of **I** van the Terrible, Cesare (I presume) **B** orgia, **A** ttila the Hun, and **C** aligula. To beat him, Cap would have to trick him into pronouncing his name (e.g., “I back down to no one!”). More plausibly done, IMO, than to trick somebody into “klptzyxm”. Penguin, of course, was Oswald Cobblepot. One card from one edition of TP I remember put North Korea into Southeast Asia. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/54 "2014-11-19T21:31:03Z")
A few years ago, I encountered the following question in a game of Trivial Pursuit (paraphrased as best as I can recall); “What song did members of Congress sing while gathered on the steps of the Capitol Building in September 2001?” The correct answer, as anyone who recalls those days of patriotic fervor in the wake of 9/11 knows, is “God Bless America”. The answer blank on the card, however, read; [QUOTE=Trivial Pursuit 5th Edition] _p_ [/QUOTE] Just like that. A single lowercase p, italicized, with no punctuation. I wonder how many other games played by other people throughout the country were ruined by that misprint. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/55 "2014-11-20T03:46:03Z")
A related question I’ll piggyback here. I recall hearing in the 1980s that the Canadian version had a question omitted from game sets in the US. Something about Ronald Reagan’s wife already being pregnant when they got married, but I don’t remember which wife it was. Did that really appear in the Canadian sets? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/56 "2014-11-20T05:17:53Z")
I remember one that caused a shouting match during the game. I don’t recall the exact wording, but it was something like ‘Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, was named for the consort of which king?’ The correct answer is William IV, and the main street of Adelaide, _King William Street_, is named for him. The incorrect answer on the card was George IV. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/57 "2014-11-20T05:20:48Z")
Googled it for you, Sam. > **[A Game That Turned Nixon Into a Factoid (Published 2010)](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/weekinreview/06murphy.html?_r=0)** > > Trivial Pursuit changed cocktail party conversation and even provided the swizzle sticks. [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19840518&id=37haAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XFkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5417,905009](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19840518&id=37haAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XFkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5417,905009) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/58 "2014-11-20T05:34:40Z")
While I’m aware that Ecuador is a country named for its line of latitude, the omission of Twentyador (a.k.a. Twentynorthador) has always outraged me. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/59 "2014-11-20T09:10:11Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Googled it for you, Sam. > > [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/weekinreview/06murphy.html?\_r=0](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/weekinreview/06murphy.html?_r=0) > > [The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19840518&id=37haAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XFkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5417,905009) Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![ScatteredFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@ScatteredFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScatteredFrog)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2019, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688/60 "2019-01-09T18:57:03Z")
Sorry/not sorry for the necrobump, but… A friend of mine has sixty mis-printed cards in his Genus Edition. The problem: the answers on the backs of the cards are the answers to the _wrong questions_! You can actually tell because the cards have tiny numbers at the bottom, and they should be the same on both sides – they’re not. Off the top of my head, I remember one question was, “What were the names of the warring factions in _West Side Story_?” Flip the card over, and the answer: “The Beach Boys.” Which…if you’re a Beach Boys fan, sadly rings VERY true! The best, though: “From what two words did the meat product Spam take its name?” The answer: “Leon Trotsky” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wrong-answers-have-you-found-in-trivial-pursuit/74688.md?page=4)