The Saga Magazine March pub quiz - A poet, a playwright and a Plantagenet king

Put your general knowledge to the test with our 20 brain-teasers.

Illustration of a light bulb and question marks

By Marcus Berkmann | Published - 3 Mar 2026

Question 1

Which famous American, who was never US President, appears on the $100 note?

Question 2

What kind of fish becomes the dish gravlax when it is served raw but cured in sugar, salt brandy and dill?

Question 3

Which non-religious group was founded in 1953 by the Reverend Chad Varah?

Question 4

There are now countless versions of Monopoly. In Bibleopoly, for instance, Old Kent Road becomes Philippi and Mayfair becomes Jerusalem. But in Gayopoly, which square has replaced the Jail? Think laterally…

Question 5

Nottingham Forest Football Club based their club colours on his group’s garments. He gave his name to a biscuit, a beard and, since 2007, the trophy at the France vs Italy rugby union match. Who is he?

Question 6

Who was the first Plantagenet king of England?

Question 7

Which now-retired fashion designer is married to the playwright Sir David Hare?

Question 8

After lightning struck the Apollo 12 spacecraft and the entire computer system went down, what familiar advice was given to the astronauts by mission control?

Question 9

In EastEnders, what fictional Tube station is just up the road from Albert Square?

Question 10

After his death by drowning, which English poet’s preserved heart was kept by his wife for 30 years, wrapped in a copy of a poem he had written?

A Knightsbridge underground station sign — Getty

Question 11

What is the name of the Benjamin Britten opera based on a Herman Melville story about a man press-ganged into the Navy?

Question 12

Which head of the MGM animation studios at the time of Hanna and Barbera and Tex Avery was despised by his staff, not least for his habit of claiming credit for their work when accepting awards?

Question 13

What, in London, links Deveraux, Flint, Bell, Wakefield, Cradle, Bloody, White, Brick and Martin?

Question 14

Where in England is the Holy Thorn tree that some say sprung from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea?

Question 15

Which successful stage musical opened in Beijing in 2008 under the title ‘The People Who Are Unhappy’?

Question 16

Which stroke was banned in competition by the Amateur Swimming Association between 1936 and 1947?

Question 17

Four herbs are mentioned in the refrain of the ballad Scarborough Fair. Which of those did not also appear in the 1960s children’s TV series The Herbs?

Question 18

What is the only capital city in the world that begins with the letter I?

Question 19

And what’s the only world capital city that begins with Z? In each case, we are referring to their names as commonly used in English.

Question 20

"When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how I managed to survive at all… Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." What writer, who died in 2009, penned those words?

Answers

1. Benjamin Franklin 2. Salmon 3. The Samaritans 4. The Closet 5. Giuseppe Garibaldi 6. Henry II 7. Nicole Farhi 8. Turn it off, then turn it back on again. (They did, and it worked) 9. Walford East 10. Percy Bysshe Shelley 11. Billy Budd 12. Fred Quimby 13. They are all towers in the Tower of London 14. Glastonbury 15. Les Misérables 16. The butterfly 17. Thyme 18. Islamabad 19. Zagreb 20. Frank McCourt