HFA College Trivia

From 1639 to 1853, Japan underwent a period of self-isolation called “sakoku,” meaning...

“Existential nihilism” is a philosophical belief that—

In the classical ballet format, there are strictly only how many positions?

_____ has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world.

“O” is the Roman numeral for zero.

In what year was the Berlin Wall taken down?

The meaning of the prefix hypo- is what?

What is the oldest known musical instrument?

In ancient Roman cities, the name of public gathering places was a ____

What are the two dots above the German letter Ü called?

The singing voice with the highest vocal range is a ______.

What is the name of this Japanese food?

The four Beatles are John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

This painting by Jacques-Louis David depicts the death of this Greek philosopher.

_______ is the technique of painting small dots in order to form an image.

“Philosophy” comes from the Greek word “philosophia,” meaning what?

The world’s oldest bookstore is in this historic city.

The Japanese language has six writing systems.

How much pressure do the strings in a grand piano exert on the frame?

The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters.

Macao, a Chinese city, was a colony of this European nation from 1557 until 1999.

What is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates?

Which character in “Hamilton” sings “The Room Where it Happens?”

This South American country was the first country to ban all McDonald’s franchises.

This game was invented in India before being adapted by the Muslim world.

According to Plato, what is knowledge?

Which U.S. president was in office during the 1929 Wall Street crash?

In 1974, 8,000 terra cotta warriors were discovered guarding the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in this Chinese city.

The Russian city of St. Petersburg was formerly known as Stalingrad.

In the Greek myth of Pandora's Box, what is it Pandora releases when she opens the box?

Which rock star wrote the music for “The Lion King?”

A sentence containing every letter in a language is called a _____.

What is considered the world’s oldest writing system?

What part of speech is "arduous?"

In German, “schadenfreude” means deriving joy from someone else’s _____.

Which one of these languages is NOT an official language of the United Nations?

Justin Trudeau is the current prime minister of France.

What is this painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch called?

In terms of legal borders, Portugal is currently the oldest country in Europe.

In Greek mythology, who is the titan that holds up Earth?

The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776

_________ is the formation of words that imitate the sounds associated with the actions they refer to.

Elvis Presley's estate in Memphis consists of a Colonial Revival architectural style. What is the name of his house?

Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian are all ______ languages.

________ is a branch of philosophy dedicated to art, beauty, and taste.

Who supposedly founded Rome with his brother Remus?

UMass alumna Keisha Turner was a stunt performer for this Marvel movie starring Chadwick Boseman.

The Mona Lisa is a painting made during the Renaissance Era.

The Russian language doesn’t use a Latin alphabet. It uses a ______ alphabet.

What is the name of Annie’s dog in the musical “Annie?”

Who was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

This UMass alumna won a 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, and is a former Poet Laureate of Mississippi.

Which of these landmarks is not located in France?

According to this myth, Benjamin Franklin said this should be America's national bird.

What is the name for a decorative strip of wood across the top of a wall?

What was the first national capital of the U.S.?

Montezuma ruled the Incan Empire.

In 1698, Russian emperor Peter the Great imposed a tax on ______.

What year was UMass Amherst founded?

What artist composed the two ballets Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker?

Which HFA College faculty member wrote the acclaimed novel “On Earth, We're Briefly Gorgeous?”

The famous novel “Don Quixote” was originally written in what language?

What was the last imperial dynasty in Chinese history?

______ is the most spoken language in the world.

Neil Armstrong was the first person in space.

The UMass Campus Center is an example of _________ architecture.

Barcelona is the capital of Spain.

_________ is a branch of philosophy concerned with the question of being.

This Latin dance also shares a name with a spicy sauce.

Who is regarded as the founder of modern linguistics?

What is the most commonly used letter in the English alphabet?

Who was the first African-American woman elected to Congress?

What was the name of the novel that earned author Alice Walker a Pulitzer Prize?

The dot over the letter “i” and “j” is called a ______.

The official name of Mexico is the United Mexican States.

Nicholas II was the last czar of the Russian Empire, having been abdicated in 1917.

This work of Japanese literature is considered to be the world’s first novel.

What is the longest-running Broadway show?

The Torah was originally written in what language?

Yemen, a country in the Middle East, takes its name from an Arabic word meaning “northerly.”