Big Quiz Book: 1001 Brain Busting Trivia Questions

cover image National Geographic Kids, 2021. ISBN: 9780008408961. (Age: 8+)

Twenty years ago, while hanging out the washing, I had an idea for a quiz for students in Year 5 and 6 that would be about Australia and Australians and be made freely available online so students all over Australia could participate to develop their information literacy, their digital literacy and communication skills. The Quizzard of Oz was a huge success both online and off when I eventually offered it on CD so schools weren't tied to my timeframe of marking 150 quizzes each Monday night!

When the name and concept were hijacked and patented by an app company, the quiz eventually morphed into Backpack Bear (because I didn't have the means to fight a legal battle) and to this day, students are demonstrating their love of these sorts of trivia contests by eagerly competing.

So this new publication from the ever-popular NatGeoKids is the perfect addition to any teacher's or family's collection if they want to tap into this fascination. Arranged in 9 categories (covering geography, history, creatures, science and technology, space, sport, music and the arts and food) there are 69 separate quizzes of multiple choice or true-false questions (including answers and a lot of fun facts) as well as a monster tie-breaker. While participants might guess at the answers, there is also scope to investigate them thoroughly and perhaps discover a whole lot more about the topic at the same time.

Properly credited, the questions could become the basis of a new quiz set by a teacher to occupy students during this time of lockdown, encouraging both the student and their family to get involved in the research, or for those what-do-I-do-when-I'm-finished? moments as an alternative to the 'read a book" answer. I know from my experience the hours it can take to build quizzes with questions so to have 1001 on tap would be very welcome. And a link to the Nat Geo Kids' website would be a bonus as there are even more quality activities there. Suddenly, staying at home is looking very entertaining!

Barbara Braxton