Round 1
Famous April Fools pranks
Four questions on the French name for the day and some of the best-known pranks.
- Pick answer
- Short answer
April Fools' Day Trivia - A Fun Quiz Competition!
Seven April Fools' Day questions on famous pranks and hoaxes, including the BBC spaghetti harvest, Burger King's Left-Handed Whopper and Google's MentalPlex. Mostly multiple choice and short answer, plus one match, one order and one sort.
- 7questions
- 2rounds
- 5minutes
- Phonesplayers join with a code
- Zoom, Teamsor in the room
The rounds
Round 2
Match, order and sort
Three hands-on questions: match pranks to their makers, put them in date order and sort real events from hoaxes.
- Match pairs
- Put in order
- Categorise
All questions and answers
Every question, grouped by round. Answers stay hidden until you tap.
Round 1: Famous April Fools pranks4 questions
Question 1 · Pick answer
What is April Fools' Day called in France?
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Answer:
Poisson d'Avril
Fun fact: Pranksters traditionally stick paper fish on people's backs. The 'April fish' is said to stand for a young, easily caught fish, meaning a gullible person.
Question 2 · Short answer
What did the BBC report growing on trees in a famous 1957 April Fools’ prank?
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Answer:
Spaghetti
Also accepted: Spaghetti trees, Pasta, Noodle, Noodles
Fun fact: Richard Dimbleby narrated the three-minute Panorama report, which showed a family in southern Switzerland harvesting spaghetti after the 'virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil'.
Question 3 · Short answer
What fast food chain announced a ‘Left-Handed Whopper’ in 1998?
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Answer:
Burger King
Fun fact: The full-page USA Today ad claimed the condiments had been rotated 180 degrees for left-handed customers. Burger King admitted the joke the next day.
Question 4 · Short answer
What mind-reading search feature did Google ‘launch’ as an April Fools' prank in 2000?
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Answer:
Google MentalPlex
Also accepted: MentalPlex
Fun fact: MentalPlex is regarded as Google's first April Fools' hoax. Its joke error messages included 'Query is unclear. Try again after removing hat, glasses and shoes.'
Round 2: Match, order and sort3 questions
Question 5 · Match pairs
Match the digital prank to its creator:
Show answerHide answer
Answer:
- Google Nose (Smell Search) → Google
- Netflix Live (Watching Nothing Happen) → Netflix
- Flying Penguins → BBC
- Taco Liberty Bell → Taco Bell
Fun fact: Netflix Live (2017) was about 48 minutes of Will Arnett narrating mundane office footage such as a photocopier and a parallel-parking attempt, then marked 'Canceled' on 1 April.
Question 6 · Put in order
Put these famous April Fools’ pranks in order:
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Answer:
- Spaghetti Tree Hoax (BBC) - 1957
- Taco Bell’s Liberty Bell Prank - 1996
- Google’s MentalPlex Search - 2000
- YouTube Rickrolling Everyone - 2008
Fun fact: For the 2008 Rickroll, every 'featured video' link on YouTube's front page led to Rick Astley's 1987 hit 'Never Gonna Give You Up'.
Question 7 · Categorise
Sort these into "Real Events" or "April Fool’s Hoaxes".
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Answer:
- Real Events: Moon Landing, Fall of the Berlin Wall, Titanic Sinking
- April Fool’s Hoaxes: Spaghetti Tree Hoax, Taco Liberty Bell, Flying Penguins
Fun fact: Taco Bell's 1996 hoax claimed it had bought the Liberty Bell to pay down the national debt, and the National Park Service held a news conference to say it was not for sale.
How to host
Copy it
Press View and claim to open the slides, then make your own copy.
Customise it
Add team names, a prize and any questions of your own.
Present it
Start the quiz on your big screen or share your screen.
Share the join code
Players join on their phones and play live.
Questions people ask
How long does the quiz take?
About 5 minutes for all 7 questions.
Can kids play?
Yes. This quiz is written for all ages.
Can we play remotely?
Yes. Share your screen on Zoom or Teams and put the join code in the chat. Everyone answers on their own device.
Can I change the questions?
Yes. Once you have your own copy, every question is yours to edit.
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