History Quiz Simple Questions

I was teaching a lesson on "Questions for asking about Historical Events" (Time Zones 3, Unit 7, Grammar p.68-69).  I was searching for some very easy history trivia questions that my students might now.  This was the best I could find on short notice.

It's available at the link above from https://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/support-files/history-quiz.pdf

I also made a copy in my own google drive. 



There are a few arguable facts here.  (The thing about Nero fiddling is a famous anachronism) , and there are some spelling and punctuation mistakes as well.  But I decided to overlook these, and I found it worked relatively well in my classroom.

In my class, I cut up the questions and answers.  I put the students into teams, and then had them try to match the questions and answers in their teams.  Then we played the Doraemon PowerPoint game as feedback. (drive, slides, pub) 



(I'm posting this on the blog to keep track of the material I've used.  I also am indexing it with my TESOL worksheets, and Past Simple Questions indexes).

20 Questions Speaking Lessons

(TESOL Worksheets--Speaking, Listening, Questions)

Google Drive Folder HERE
Failed Game Transcript: docs, pub
1st Game Transcript: docs, pub
2nd Game Transcript: docs, pub
3rd Game Transcript: docs, pub
Video Playlist HERE
Failed Game Video HERE
1st Game Video HERE
2nd Game Video HERE
3rd Game Video HERE

[This is partly inspired by A Framework for Task Based Learning by Jane Willis, who suggests that you record and transcribe native speakers doing a task and use that as an example before the students themselves do the task.  I've used these videos for lessons on question formation, and also on lessons for general conversation.  I was at one point planning to do more with these transcripts, and devise materials based around some of the vocabulary and re-occurring grammar structures--some sort of slideshow or vocabulary cards.  But I never got around to it.  I might go back to these someday in the future if I have time.  But for the moment, I've just been using the transcript by itself to draw the students' attention to grammar and vocabulary in the classroom.]

Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/4bVge1pwfQ4

Mary: First question

Doug: Is it alive?

Mary: No,

Doug: Is it something I would find outside?

Mary: Yes

Doug: Mmm. Is it something that moves?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something made of glass?

Mary: Can I say sometimes?  Sometimes.

Doug: Is it something also made of concrete?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Is it…

Mary: Sometimes.

Doug: Is it something you live in?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something you put things in?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something...hmmm...is it something you…

Mary: Sorry, maybe not glass.

Doug: Can we start over? Alright, let’s do another one. Let’s-- I’ve asked a lot of shitty [realizes he just said a bad word, stops to correct himself] poor questions. Alright, alright, reset.

Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/qWqRbbZgeTM

Doug: [Is it] alive?

Mary: No

Doug: Is it something you’d find outside?

Mary: Yes

Doug: Is it something that you put things in?

Mary: No

Doug: Is it something that is made of wood?

Mary: Sometimes.

Doug: Is it something that moves?

Mary: No. Oh, sometimes.

Doug: Is it something… is it something that is painted?

Mary: Sometimes.

Doug: Is it something that has been around for at least 100 years.

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Is it something that has been around for 500 years.

Mary: No

Doug: Is it…

Mary: How many questions have we done?

Doug: Is it something that...is it something that I would pass on my way to work?

Mary: Possibly, yeah. So, yes.

Doug: Is it something, uh, I could go inside?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Is...

Mary: Maybe you have 7 questions.

Doug: Is it something, uh, is it something I go in to make money?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it… Hmmm… Is it something I would go to if I was sick?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something I can spend money in?

Mary: No.

Doug: Hmm. Is it...something I can park a car in?

Mary: In? No.

Doug: Is it something I can park a car on?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something I can park a car…[laughs] I’m joking...Is it something I can...Is it something I can see from the roof of this building?

Mary: You could. Maybe.  

Doug: Hmmm. 

Mary: Take a guess.

Doug: Is it aaaa building?

Mary: No. Is he allowed to guess then?

Joel: Yeah.

Mary: One guess.

Doug: One guess. Uhh.  Is it a bridge?

Mary: No

Doug: Ahh. What was it?

Mary: Playground

Doug: [Laughs] A playground! Nice. Alright, now it’s your turn?

Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/oFVi1yRBiHI

Doug: (unintelligible) Nice, okay.

Joel: Okay.

Doug: Ummm….okay. 

Mary: Is it alive?

Doug: Yes.

Mary: Okay. Is it an animal?

Doug: No.

Mary: Is it a plant?

Doug: No.

Mary: Okay. Is it a boy? Or a man? Is it male? That’s my question.

Doug: Yes.

Mary: Yes. Um, is he famous?

Doug: Yes.

Mary: Mmm. Is he in movies?

Doug: I don’t think so.

Mary: Okay. Umm… Is he alive now?

Doug: Yes.

Mary: [To herself] Ew. Wasted question. Um, okay. Is he in the government?

Doug: No.

Mary: Is he in politics?

Doug: I don’t think so.

Mary: Mmm. Is he an athlete?

Doug: No. 

Mary: 10 more questions. Umm… Is he young?

Doug: No-o

Mary: Mmm. Is he someone I know?

Doug: Yes.

Mary: Can I ask my question now? Is it Joel?  Is it [laughs] Joel?

Doug: [Laughs] Well I wish it would have been. Uh, no.  You don’t know him personally, but you know that person--you know of him.

Mary: Oh.

Doug: Yeah.

Mary: Umm. Hmm. Does he live in Vietnam?

Doug: No.

Mary: Does he live in the United States?

Doug: Yes. 

Mary: Is he an artist?

Doug: No.

Mary: I can’t remember if he was famous.

Doug: Very famous.

Mary: Umm… He lives in the United States? 

Doug: [nods] Mm-hmm

Mary: Not in politics or sports. Is he an artist?

Doug: Not an artist. Not in politics now. I don’t think. 

Mary: Okay. 

Doug: I don’t think. 

Mary: Does he live in the West Coast? Or the Western half of the United States?

Doug: I don’t--, I’m not sure, where he exactly lives.  It’s okay.

Mary: Can I ask a new question if he doesn’t know? Okay.  Um… Has he been on TV?

Doug: Countless times.

Mary: Uh…

Doug: S--, Countless times.  

Mary: I don’t know. Is…., I don’t really know famous people. Um… 

Doug: Mega famous

Mary: Does he have another character he plays? Or is it just him?

Doug: It’s just him. 

Mary: Um…, Was he famous at an early age?

Doug: No. 

Mary: I can only think of Donald Trump. Um… Oh! What? Is it Donald Trump?

Doug: No. One more guess. So close.

Mary: Really? Ronald Reagan?

Doug: D’oh! No! Barack Obama.

Mary: Oh. 

Doug: Sorry. Yeah he, uh--

Mary: That’s better than Trump.

Doug: Way better than Trump. But the question about the--, I don’t think he’s in politics now. I think he’s retired.

Mary: Oh!

Doug: Yeah, it’s tough. 

Mary: Okay.

Doug: Yeah, sorry.

Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/XmtRULp1_qU

Mary: Okay.

Doug: Is it alive?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Hmm. Is it an animal?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Does it live in the desert?

Mary: No.

Doug: Does it live in the jungle?

Mary: No.

Doug: Hmm. Does it live in cold places?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Is it scary?

Mary: Sometimes.

Doug: Does it fly?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it a reptile?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it a mammal?

Mary: No. 

Doug: Is it a marsupial?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is--

Mary: I was trying to think if it was a mammal.

Doug: Is--

Mary: I don’t think so.

Doug (Talking to him himself): Ahh… hmm. It’s not a bird, it’s not a…. (to Mary) Is it an amphibian?

Mary: [Laughs] No. Um…

Doug: Does it have a duckbill?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it… Does it live in the ocean?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Ahh… Umm… Is it a predator?

Mary: No.

Doug: Not a mammal?

Mary: Maybe it’s an amphibian?

Doug: Hmm. Hmm. Does it look like a snake?

Mary: No.

Doug: Hmm.

Mary: You have five more questions.

Doug: Yes, okay.

Mary: I think it …

Doug (talking at the same time): Does it…

Mary: … I don’t know.

Doug: Uh, does it have tentacles?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Does it have eight tentacles?

Mary: (pauses to think) Oh, ah, maybe sometimes.

Doug: Is it an octopus?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it a squid?

Mary: No. (laughs) I think they’re tentacles.

Doug: Ah, is it a jellyfish?

Mary: Mm-Hmm.

Doug: Oh, high-five.

Mary: Okay, thanks.

Doug: Ah, I’m not sure what kind of an animal a jellyfish is technically.  I think it’s a… Joel?

Mary: I don’t know.

Joel: Yes, it’s a...it’s an invertebrate, right?

Doug: Invertebrate?

Mary: Ah, okay.

Joel: So that means it’s not a mammal, fish…

Doug: Not a mammal, fish

Joel: ...uh, amphibian…

Doug: It escapes all those classifications. Nice.

Mary: Ugh, sorry. 

Doug: That’s okay. I was playing on things. So, oh yeah, so we’re doing another round? Or...