40 Bonfire Night quiz questions and answers

Bonfire Night and Autumn · Easy · answers included

Forty questions for the first week of November: the Gunpowder Plot, fireworks and the traditions that go with them, plus a handful on autumn itself. Pitched so the whole room can play, which makes it a good opener for a quiz night on or around the fifth.

Planning the season? Halloween quiz questions · Christmas quiz questions

1. 1.On which date is Bonfire Night celebrated in the UK?

   • 5 November
   • 31 October
   • 11 November
   • 1 November
   Show answer

   5 November

2. 2.In which year did the Gunpowder Plot take place?

   • 1605
   • 1588
   • 1666
   • 1603
   Show answer

   1605

3. 3.Which king were the Gunpowder Plot conspirators trying to kill?

   • Charles I
   • Henry VIII
   • William III
   • James I
   Show answer

   James I

4. 4.Which building did the plotters plan to blow up?

   • The House of Lords
   • The Tower of London
   • Westminster Abbey
   • St Paul's Cathedral
   Show answer

   The House of Lords

5. 5.Who is generally regarded as the leader of the Gunpowder Plot?

   • Thomas Percy
   • Guy Fawkes
   • Robert Catesby
   • Francis Tresham
   Show answer

   Robert Catesby

6. 6.What is the effigy traditionally burned on a Bonfire Night bonfire called?

   • A wicker man
   • A scarecrow
   • A guy
   • A jack
   Show answer

   A guy

7. 7.What did children traditionally ask passers-by for while showing off their home-made effigy?

   • A penny for the guy
   • Trick or treat
   • A shilling for the fire
   • Pennies from heaven
   Show answer

   A penny for the guy

8. 8.The rhyme 'Remember, remember the fifth of November' continues with which words?

   • Gunpowder, treason and plot
   • Bonfires burning bright
   • Fireworks lighting the sky
   • Guy Fawkes and his lot
   Show answer

   Gunpowder, treason and plot

9. 9.Which East Sussex town is famous for the UK's biggest Bonfire Night celebrations?

   • Hastings
   • Lewes
   • Rye
   • Brighton
   Show answer

   Lewes

10. 10.Which ginger cake made with oatmeal and black treacle is traditionally eaten on Bonfire Night in Yorkshire?

    • Lardy cake
    • Eccles cake
    • Battenberg
    • Parkin
    Show answer

    Parkin

11. 11.Which hard, dark toffee is a Bonfire Night tradition in the north of England?

    • Fudge
    • Treacle toffee
    • Tablet
    • Nougat
    Show answer

    Treacle toffee

12. 12.Which element gives fireworks a red colour?

    • Copper
    • Sodium
    • Barium
    • Strontium
    Show answer

    Strontium

13. 13.Which element gives fireworks a green colour?

    • Strontium
    • Barium
    • Sodium
    • Lithium
    Show answer

    Barium

14. 14.Which metal gives fireworks a blue colour?

    • Calcium
    • Sodium
    • Copper
    • Magnesium
    Show answer

    Copper

15. 15.In which country was gunpowder invented?

    • China
    • India
    • Persia
    • Greece
    Show answer

    China

16. 16.Which handheld firework fizzes with sparks and is used to write in the air?

    • A Catherine wheel
    • A Roman candle
    • A rocket
    • A sparkler
    Show answer

    A sparkler

17. 17.Which spinning firework is named after a saint said to have been sentenced to die on a wheel?

    • Roman candle
    • Catherine wheel
    • Jumping jack
    • Banger
    Show answer

    Catherine wheel

18. 18.Which false name did Guy Fawkes give when he was arrested?

    • John Smith
    • Thomas Wright
    • John Johnson
    • James Stuart
    Show answer

    John Johnson

19. 19.In which city was Guy Fawkes born?

    • London
    • Leeds
    • York
    • Durham
    Show answer

    York

20. 20.The plot was uncovered after an anonymous letter was sent to which peer?

    • Lord Monteagle
    • Lord Salisbury
    • Lord Burghley
    • Lord Essex
    Show answer

    Lord Monteagle

21. 21.Which film features a masked vigilante called V who wears a Guy Fawkes mask?

    • V for Vendetta
    • The Mask
    • Watchmen
    • Zorro
    Show answer

    V for Vendetta

22. 22.Which royal bodyguard ceremonially searches the cellars of the Palace of Westminster before the State Opening of Parliament?

    • The Yeomen of the Guard
    • The Household Cavalry
    • The Metropolitan Police
    • The Grenadier Guards
    Show answer

    The Yeomen of the Guard

23. 23.How many barrels of gunpowder are the plotters said to have hidden under Parliament?

    • 36
    • 12
    • 100
    • 6
    Show answer

    36

24. 24.In the UK, the clocks go back an hour on the last Sunday of which month?

    • October
    • September
    • November
    • March
    Show answer

    October

25. 25.What is the autumn celebration in churches and schools that gives thanks for the crops called?

    • Candlemas
    • Whitsun
    • Harvest festival
    • Shrove Tuesday
    Show answer

    Harvest festival

26. 26.What are the shiny brown seeds of the horse chestnut tree used for in a playground game?

    • Conkers
    • Acorns
    • Beech nuts
    • Hazelnuts
    Show answer

    Conkers

27. 27.Which tree produces acorns?

    • Beech
    • Ash
    • Sycamore
    • Oak
    Show answer

    Oak

28. 28.What is the full moon nearest the autumn equinox called?

    • The harvest moon
    • The blue moon
    • The hunter's moon
    • The wolf moon
    Show answer

    The harvest moon

29. 29.Roughly when is the autumn equinox in the Northern Hemisphere?

    • Around 21 June
    • Around 21 December
    • Around 22 September
    • Around 1 November
    Show answer

    Around 22 September

30. 30.Leaves change colour in autumn as which green pigment breaks down?

    • Carotene
    • Melanin
    • Chlorophyll
    • Haemoglobin
    Show answer

    Chlorophyll

31. 31.Which fork-tailed bird leaves the UK each autumn to spend the winter in Africa?

    • The robin
    • The blackbird
    • The magpie
    • The swallow
    Show answer

    The swallow

32. 32.Which hibernating animal often shelters in bonfire piles, so they should be checked before lighting?

    • Hedgehog
    • Squirrel
    • Badger
    • Fox
    Show answer

    Hedgehog

33. 33.Which flower is worn in the UK in the run-up to Remembrance Day on 11 November?

    • Rose
    • Daffodil
    • Lily
    • Poppy
    Show answer

    Poppy

34. 34.Which American holiday falls on the fourth Thursday of November?

    • Thanksgiving
    • Labor Day
    • Independence Day
    • Memorial Day
    Show answer

    Thanksgiving

35. 35.Which firework is a tube that shoots out a series of coloured balls, one after another?

    • Catherine wheel
    • Sparkler
    • Banger
    • Roman candle
    Show answer

    Roman candle

36. 36.According to the Firework Code, what should you never do once a firework has been lit?

    • Watch it from a safe distance
    • Stand well back
    • Go back to it
    • Keep pets indoors
    Show answer

    Go back to it

37. 37.Which vegetable is traditionally wrapped in foil and baked in the embers of a bonfire?

    • Corn on the cob
    • A carrot
    • A potato
    • An onion
    Show answer

    A potato

38. 38.Before the plot, Guy Fawkes had fought for which country's army in the Low Countries?

    • France
    • Spain
    • England
    • Portugal
    Show answer

    Spain

39. 39.The Gunpowder Plotters wanted which religion restored in England?

    • Protestantism
    • Catholicism
    • Puritanism
    • Methodism
    Show answer

    Catholicism

40. 40.What is the simple firework that just explodes with a loud bang called?

    • A rocket
    • A fountain
    • A mine
    • A banger
    Show answer

    A banger