The Saga Magazine September pub quiz

Language lovers, the sport of kings and island life feature in this month’s quiz.

Illustration of a light bulb and question marks

By Marcus Berkmann | Published - 2 Sep 2026

Question 1

What piece of luggage takes its name from the French for ‘carry cloak’? It is also used for terms in which two separate words combine to make a new one.

Question 2

What name was given to the notorious court of law that sat in the Palace of Westminster and enabled Charles I to impose his will on those who opposed him?

Question 3

Which letter is traditionally the code name for the head of MI6, the secret intelligence service?

Question 4

What is the shortest distance over which flat races are run under the English rules of horse racing?

Question 5

What did the Greeks call ‘a long haired star’?

Question 6

Which building in Buckinghamshire was David Lloyd George the first Prime Minister to use?

Question 7

Which book of the Old Testament contains the two censuses of the Israelites after their exodus?

Question 8

Which vessel bore the designation NCC 1701 on its hull?

Question 9

In which sport are the measurements three metres and ten metres of significance?

Question 10

There are several towns in the US called Lynchburg. One in Tennessee has a plant that manufactures a world-famous product. What is it?

Question 11

Their names are Phyllis, Peter and Bobbie. In which work of fiction, later a famous film, can you find these three youngsters?

Question 12

Cleopatra legendarily killed herself with an asp. How was the snake secretly delivered to her?

Question 13

According to a report by the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (who sound like fun), which is less hygienic: greeting someone with a kiss on the cheek or with a handshake?

Question 14

Who consulted the Witch of Endor in a moment of danger?

Question 15

What is the PO box number for Wembley Stadium? (Clue: it has four digits.)

Question 16

If you were on holiday on the islands of São Miguel, Flores or Pico, spending euros and bathing in the Atlantic, which group of islands would you be visiting?

Question 17

In Edward Lear’s poem The Owl and the Pussycat, who performed the marriage ceremony?

Question 18

Which small country is believed to have the lowest birth rate in the world, for entirely predictable reasons?

Question 19

The leaves of which fruit tree provide food for silkworms?

Question 20

According to a poll taken in 2009, Englishmen are the second worst lovers in the world. The men from which European country just beat them to the top spot, as they so often do?

1. Portmanteau 2. The Star Chamber 3. C 4. Five furlongs 5. A comet ('Aster kometes') 6. Chequers 7. Numbers 8. The Starship Enterprise 9. Diving 10. Jack Daniels 11. The Railway Children 12. In a bowl of fruit (figs, specifically) 13. A handshake 14. King Saul (in The Bible) 15. 1966 16. The Azores 17. The turkey who lived on the hill 18. Vatican City 19. Mulberry 20. Germany