Fantasy films give quiz-makers a ready-made vocabulary of houses, rings and dragons. These ten fantasy movie trivia questions travel from Hogwarts to the Shire, each answered with a note and checked against a named source. Use them at a family film night, or as a round in a trivia quiz online with friends.
The questions
- Which young wizard goes to Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione?
- What sport do Harry Potter and his friends play on broomsticks?
- What is the name of the ring-bearing hobbit in The Lord of the Rings?
- Which creature, once a hobbit called Sméagol, is obsessed with the One Ring?
- What is the name of the house-elf who loves socks in Harry Potter?
- Which Hogwarts house is Draco Malfoy in?
- What is the name of the half-giant gamekeeper at Hogwarts?
- What is the name of the wizard prison in Harry Potter, guarded by Dementors?
- What is the name of the bank run by goblins in Harry Potter?
- What is the name of the dragon in The Hobbit?
The answers, with a note on each
- Harry Potter. The eight films made over 7.7 billion dollars at the box office.
- Quidditch. Real-life teams now play with brooms between their legs.
- Frodo. The three films were shot back-to-back in New Zealand.
- Gollum, created by Andy Serkis, a pioneer of motion-capture acting.
- Dobby. In the story, Harry frees him by tricking Lucius Malfoy.
- Slytherin, whose emblem is a serpent and whose colours are green and silver.
- Hagrid, whose first name is Rubeus.
- Azkaban. Sirius Black is the first person known to escape it.
- Gringotts, which is guarded by a dragon deep in its vaults.
- Smaug, who was voiced and motion-captured by Benedict Cumberbatch.
How hard is the set?
Questions 1 to 4 are for any viewer. Questions 5 to 8 are medium and divide the fans from the rest. Questions 9 and 10 are for those who read the books. To keep a family table happy, give younger players the first four and let them ask the next one themselves.
How do you use it on the night?
Make this the big round of a trivia night with a costume theme: it is the one most guests will want to answer in character.
What makes fantasy trivia so loved?
The worlds are so detailed that fans carry maps in their heads. A table can argue for ten minutes over which house is strongest, and every voice is heard. A quizmaster who lets the argument run, and then reads the note, turns a wrong answer into a story. The details of fantasy are what fans love, and they reward a patient host.
How do you stage a wizard night?
Sort guests into houses with a hat, make potions from fruit juice and serve snacks with fantastic names. Score each house across three rounds. Ask a child to be the Sorting Hat. A night with a theme gives the quiz a spine, and the costumes do half the work for you.
What follow-up questions work?
Ask which actor played Gandalf, where the One Ring must be destroyed and which Hogwarts film introduces the Triwizard Tournament. They are in the same bank, and a table of fans will take the second round with relish. If you have time, ask each person to name the book they would take to a desert island.
Whose wizards are these?
Hogwarts, Middle-earth and the people in them belong to their authors and studios. I mention them to ask and answer quiz questions, and nothing more.Ahmed Moaz builds Boardit, a free browser game site.
