Fry and Vorderman Top Choices For Celebrity Quiz Team
Politics and sport named as the nation’s weakest subjects
They are the seemingly simple questions that have become a staple of the popular pub quiz, but for the first time, a new research study has pinpointed the top ten frequently asked general knowledge questions that leave Brits baffled.
The research, which was specially commissioned to launch digital channel Dave’s new website
http://www.joindave.co.uk, asked 3,000 adult respondents from across the UK to answer 20 of the most common posed pub quiz questions.
To compile the top ten brainteasers, a multiple choice format provided five potential answers for each question and the results were then listed according to the percentage of correct and incorrect answers given.
The survey found that eight in ten Brits have attended a pub quiz at least once and reveals which subjects are likely to inspire confidence or induce intellectual panic. A huge 70% of respondents claim ‘entertainment’ to be their best subject, followed by ‘history’ (28%) and ‘geography’ (27%). ‘Sport’ and ‘politics’ were deemed the weakest subjects with 20% and 13% of the votes.
The top ten frequently asked questions that leave Brits baffled are as follows:
1. Who holds the UK record for the most amount of Christmas number ones?
Correct 9.50% Incorrect 90.50%
Most popular answer: Cliff Richard 63.83%
Correct answer: The Beatles (with 4)
2. What is Paul McCartney’s middle name?
Correct 12.03% Incorrect 87.97%
Most popular answer: John 38.53%
Correct answer: Paul
3. Name the world’s largest desert?
Correct 12.17% Incorrect 87.83%
Most popular answer: Sahara 62.53%
Correct answer: Antarctica
4. What car did Rodney and Delboy drive in Only Fools and Horses?
Correct 15.10% Incorrect 84.90%
Most popular answer: Robin Reliant 71.43%
Correct answer: Reliant Regal Supervan
5. Which man-made landmark can be seen from space?
Correct 16.50% Incorrect 83.50%
Most popular answer: Great Wall of China 72.53%
Correct answer: None
6. How many countries make up Great Britain?
Correct 22.43% Incorrect 77.57%
Most popular answer: Four 65.80%
Correct answer: Three
7. Who scored for England in the 1966 World Cup final?
Correct 24.13% Incorrect 75.87%
Most popular answer: Geoff Hurst and Bobby Charlton 34.57%
Correct answer: Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters
8. In Dallas, who shot JR Ewing?
Correct 25.60% Incorrect 74.40%
Most popular answer: Sue Ellen Ewing 44.63%
Correct answer: Kristin Shepherd
9. The Canary Islands were named after which animal?
Correct 26.53% Incorrect 73.47%
Most popular answer: Canaries 62.63%
Correct answer: Dogs
10. Who is the Deputy Leader of Labour Party?
Correct 29.83% Incorrect 70.17%
Most popular answer: John Prescott 32.73%
Correct answer: Harriet Harman
The full 20 questions and all correct answers can be found at
joindave.co.uk
In an ironic twist, entertainment and in particular music questions, caused the most bemused head scratching, with a whopping 90% failing to guess which artist holds the title for the most UK No.1’s. 63% incorrectly believed the record to be held by Cliff Richard - even though that honour falls to 60’s pop sensations, The Beatles. Paul McCartney’s real name also provoked debate, with 87% failing to know the right answer - 38% incorrectly guessed the singer’s middle name to be John, even though he began life in Liverpool as James Paul McCartney.
The British public were also way off the mark when asked to name the world’s largest desert. 87% got the question wrong, with over 62% plumping for the Sahara when, in fact, Antarctica is the correct answer. In addition, 72% suggest that the Great Wall of China is the only man made landmark visible from space, but this in fact is a popular posed ‘trick’ question. NASA officially state that the structure can’t be seen by the unaided eye.
Closer to home, it seems geography skills need sharpening, with an incredible 77% getting the next question wrong. 65% are clueless as to how many different countries make up Great Britain, believing the correct answer to be four, even though Northern Ireland is only considered a component of the United Kingdom (meaning Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales).
Supposedly straightforward sporting questions also proved to be persistent puzzlers – 56% of the nation could not name the correct two English goal scorers in the 1966 World Cup with 34% forgetting Martin Peters and opting for Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore, despite this being the only time that England has championed the tournament.
Telly knowledge fairs no better with the identity of Dallas legend JR Ewing’s mystery assailant remaining unknown to 74% of those questioned. While the Who Shot JR? plot proved to be one of the world’s highest rated TV episodes of all time back in 1980, JR’s long suffering wife Sue Ellen still appears as the most favourable choice of gunwoman with 44% of votes, even though her sister Kristin was the person that actually pulled the trigger.
From the often confusing world of politics, John Prescott was the most popular answer given by 32% as being the current Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, despite having left the role over 12 months ago. Whilst this is incorrect, the question confused many, with 70% getting the answer wrong. Harriet Harman was elected to the position in 2007 and is commonly considered to fill the role, but was actually appointed as Chair for the Labour Party – leaving the position of Deputy Leader vacant.
The poll also threw up a couple of questions that give rise to the most debate. The two most hotly contested questions were Who Discovered America? and How many moons does the earth have? Popular historical argument has always pointed to Christopher Columbus as the responsible pioneer and 79% backed that theory. Some text books, however, are quick to dismiss this theory and instead claim Juan Ponce De Leon as the actual discoverer of America. The number of Earth moons also caused conflict up and down the country, with 79% of those questioned confident that there is only one, but many leading astronomers claim there to be a second moon, named Lilith.
Due to their inconclusive answers, the above two questions weren’t added to the final list.
Dave comedian Marcus Brigstocke said, “As a quiz fanatic myself, even I reached brain freeze with some of these. Pub quizzes might be part of British culture, but that doesn’t mean to say we’re actually any good at them! Plenty of practise is at hand however – the new Dave website pub quiz section will, I’m hoping, help banish any embarrassing errors in intellect!”
Respondents were also questioned on the celebrities they consider the ideal candidates to fill a pub quiz team, with trivia host Stephen Fry emerging as favourite (with 44.4%). Stephen was joined by Countdown brainbox Carol Vorderman (38.3%), television news anchor Sir Trevor McDonald (31.8%), and chat show hosts Michael Parkinson (27%) and Jonathan Ross (22%) respectively. Unsurprisingly, those deemed ineffective as quiz contributors were golden couple David and Victoria Beckham (4.8% and 2.7%), supermodel Kate Moss (3.4%) and glamour girl Jordan (5.9%).
Celebrities in general didn’t rate highly on the knowledge credentials; teachers (62%), journalists (53%) and cab drivers (35%), the latter notorious for useless information gathering, were deemed the most worthy career types to include on a team. Languishing in the low IQ stakes alongside celebrities (12.5%) were builders (14.4%) and mechanics (11.3%).
The findings were revealed as Dave launch a new online portal at joindave.co.uk, with brand new features such as a bar full of pub quizzes, a viewing room containing footage from some of Dave’s best loved shows, and the Davepedia, a fact finding generator filled with catchy quotes and information segments.
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