🏆 Family trivia night questions

Every answer checked 31 October 2026. Free, no sign-up, nothing to download.

Three rounds for a family trivia night, one for each age, all on the same three themes so everybody talks about the same things: animals, space and the fifty states, with a riddle to end each round. The answers stay folded away until the host opens them.

🐣 Little round: ages 6–8 (grades K–2)

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1.What gives a flamingo its pink color?
- A the warm sunshine
- B bathing in mud
- C the food it eats
2.What kind of space object is the Sun?
- A a moon
- B a star
- C a planet
3.Which part of the United States is Maryland in?
- A the Midwest
- B the South
- C the West
4.What does a skunk spray to keep other animals away?
- A cold water
- B sticky honey
- C a stinky liquid
5.Which planet is closest to the Sun?
- A Mercury
- B Venus
- C Earth
6.Which part of the United States is Arizona in?
- A the Northeast
- B the West
- C the Midwest
7.What plant do monarch caterpillars eat?
- A grass
- B clover
- C milkweed
8.What is the name of the galaxy we live in?
- A the Milky Way
- B the Big Dipper
- C the Andromeda Galaxy
9.Which part of the United States is North Carolina in?
- A the Midwest
- B the South
- C the West
10.I go up when the rain comes down. What am I?
- A 🌞 The sun
- B 🎈 A balloon
- C ☂️ An umbrella

🔑 Show the answers

C: the food it eats. Flamingo chicks hatch with white fluffy feathers and take years to turn pink. Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo
B: a star. The Sun is a hot, glowing ball of gas at the center of our solar system. Source: NASA Science
B: the South. The Census Bureau puts Maryland in the South, one of the four parts it uses. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census Regions and Divisions
C: a stinky liquid. Before it sprays, a skunk stomps its feet and lifts its tail as a warning. Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo
A: Mercury. Mercury is also the smallest planet, only a bit bigger than our Moon. Source: NASA Science
B: the West. The Census Bureau puts Arizona in the West, one of the four parts it uses. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census Regions and Divisions
C: milkweed. Grown-up monarch butterflies sip sweet nectar from many kinds of flowers. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
A: the Milky Way. A galaxy is a huge group of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity. Source: NASA Space Place
B: the South. The Census Bureau puts North Carolina in the South, one of the four parts it uses. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census Regions and Divisions
C: ☂️ An umbrella. A riddle: every clue fits only one of the three. a Peabody riddle

🦊 Middle round: ages 9–11 (grades 3–5)

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1.An elephant's trunk is its nose joined together with what?
- A its front teeth
- B its tongue
- C its upper lip
2.About how far is the Sun from Earth?
- A about 93 thousand miles
- B about 93 million miles
- C about 93 billion miles
3.What is the capital of Minnesota?
- A Providence
- B Tallahassee
- C Saint Paul
4.How far away can a male wild turkey's gobble be heard?
- A up to one mile
- B up to 10 feet
- C up to 100 miles
5.Which planet is the hottest in our solar system?
- A Mars
- B Mercury
- C Venus
6.What is the capital of Michigan?
- A Baton Rouge
- B Lansing
- C Helena
7.Besides hearing prey under the sand, what do a fennec fox's giant ears help it do?
- A stay warm
- B stay cool
- C dig burrows
8.In what year did astronauts first land on the Moon?
- A 1969
- B 1979
- C 1959
9.What is the capital of Mississippi?
- A Olympia
- B Jackson
- C Des Moines
10.I have teeth, but I never bite. What am I?
- A 🦈 A shark
- B 🪮 A comb
- C 🐊 A crocodile

🔑 Show the answers

C: its upper lip. A trunk has no bones; it is made mostly of muscle. Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo
B: about 93 million miles. That is about 150 million kilometers. Source: NASA Science
C: Saint Paul. Saint Paul is the capital of Minnesota, where its state government meets. Source: USA.gov, Minnesota
A: up to one mile. Wild turkeys can fly up to 54 miles per hour, though only for short trips. Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo
C: Venus. Mercury is closer to the Sun, but Venus's thick air traps heat. Source: NASA Science
B: Lansing. Lansing is the capital of Michigan, where its state government meets. Source: USA.gov, Michigan
B: stay cool. For its body size, the fennec fox has the biggest ears of any kind of dog or fox. Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo
A: 1969. Apollo 11's lander touched down on July 20, 1969. Source: NASA
B: Jackson. Jackson is the capital of Mississippi, where its state government meets. Source: USA.gov, Mississippi
B: 🪮 A comb. A riddle: every clue fits only one of the three. a Peabody riddle

🦉 Big round: ages 12 and up (grades 6 and up)

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1.When red pandas were first described in 1825, scientists placed them in which family?
- A the deer family
- B the squirrel family
- C the raccoon family
2.Which planet has the shortest day in the solar system?
- A Mercury
- B Jupiter
- C Saturn
3.What is the capital of Nevada?
- A Salt Lake City
- B Sacramento
- C Carson City
4.Cattle digest plants using a four-compartment stomach. What group of animals does that make them?
- A ruminants
- B marsupials
- C rodents
5.Why do we always see the same side of the Moon from Earth?
- A Earth's shadow hides the other side
- B it does not spin at all
- C it spins once per trip around Earth
6.What is the capital of Massachusetts?
- A Boston
- B Trenton
- C Montpelier
7.Ninety-five percent of alpacas belong to which type, known for crimpy, woolly fiber?
- A suri
- B vicuna
- C huacaya
8.What does a light-year measure?
- A a length of time
- B a distance
- C a brightness
9.What is the capital of Colorado?
- A Carson City
- B Cheyenne
- C Denver
10.I have a face and two hands, but no arms. What am I?
- A 🧤 A glove
- B 🕰️ A clock
- C 🐶 A dog

🔑 Show the answers

C: the raccoon family. Scientists linked them to raccoons partly because both have ringed tails. Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo
B: Jupiter. Jupiter spins around once in only about 9.9 hours. Source: NASA Science
C: Carson City. Carson City is the capital of Nevada, where its state government meets. The other two are capitals in the West too. Source: USA.gov, Nevada
A: ruminants. Their complex stomach turns tough plants into energy and building blocks for the body. Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo
C: it spins once per trip around Earth. Scientists say Earth and the Moon are tidally locked. Source: NASA Science
A: Boston. Boston is the capital of Massachusetts, where its state government meets. The other two are capitals in the Northeast too. Source: USA.gov, Massachusetts
C: huacaya. The other type, the suri, has straight fiber that hangs down in long locks. Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo
B: a distance. One light-year is about 6 trillion miles, how far light goes in a year. Source: NASA Science
C: Denver. Denver is the capital of Colorado, where its state government meets. The other two are capitals in the West too. Source: USA.gov, Colorado
B: 🕰️ A clock. A riddle: every clue fits only one of the three. a Peabody riddle

For the host

Give each age its own round and let the youngest go first. A grown-up can play the Big round against the kids' Middle one: same themes, fair fight.

Read each question and its three answers aloud, or press ▶ Play and Peabody reads them; a tap shows the answer, a line about it and where it comes from.
On a phone, pass it round: one question per team, a star for each right answer. On a laptop or a TV, press 📺 Big screen.
On paper, print the cards, one answer sheet per team and the key on its own page.

Where these questions come from

Each question was written by Peabody in its own words and checked against one page, named under its answer. The pages we used for these rounds:

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