How to write great quiz questions

Start with the answer

Good quiz writers work backwards. Pick an interesting answer first, a fact that surprises or delights, then write the question that leads to it. A question like “Which planet has a storm bigger than Earth that has lasted for centuries?” is more fun than “What is the largest planet?”, even though both point at Jupiter.

12 rules

1. One idea per question. If you need “and” in the question, it's probably two questions.
2. Keep it short. On a big screen, 20 words is plenty. People read at different speeds.
3. Avoid negatives. “Which is NOT…” questions test reading, not knowledge.
4. Make every option plausible. A silly option is a wasted option; four real candidates make people think.
5. Keep options similar in length. The longest, most detailed option is usually the right one, and players know it.
6. Avoid “all of the above”. It rewards test-taking tricks.
7. Give a way in. A good question has a hint inside it that a thoughtful player can work from, even without knowing the fact.
8. Climb the difficulty. Start easy so everyone gets points, then build to a few that only the best will get.
9. Match the room. A Bollywood question lands differently with a team of 22-year-olds than with their leadership.
10. Check every fact twice. One wrong answer on a big screen loses the room's trust for the rest of the quiz.
11. Avoid facts that go stale. “The current world record is…” goes stale; “In 2023…” doesn't.
12. Read it aloud. If it's awkward to say, it's awkward to read.

Test before you host

Try every question on one person who didn't write it. If they misread it, rewrite it. If they get it instantly, it might be too easy for the finale. In QG Playground, the fact check in Create with Granny flags questions it couldn't verify, and after each session the report shows which questions almost nobody got right, which are often the badly worded ones.

Question types beyond multiple choice

Mix up the question types. Type answer questions test real recall. Ranking questions (“put these in order”) create great reveals. A word cloud between rounds gives everyone a breather and a laugh.