Rules/TermsTrivia Questions & Answers
25 rules/terms trivia questions, each with the correct answer and a short explanation.
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Each question reveals the answer and a quick explanation below it.
1. In cricket, what term describes a bowler taking three wickets with three consecutive deliveries?
Answer: Hat-trick. A hat-trick in cricket means three wickets on three successive balls, mirroring the term's use across multiple sports.
2. In tennis, what is the score called when both players reach 40-40 in a game?
Answer: Deuce. Deuce is the term for 40-40; a player must then win two consecutive points to claim the game.
3. In rugby union, how many points is a penalty kick worth when successfully converted?
Answer: 3. A successfully kicked penalty goal scores 3 points in rugby union, the same value as a drop goal.
4. In cricket, what term describes when a bowler takes three wickets on three consecutive deliveries?
Answer: Hat-trick. A hat-trick in cricket means a bowler dismisses three batters on three successive balls, a rare and celebrated feat.
5. In tennis, what is the name of the tiebreak scoring system used when a set reaches 6-6 in most Grand Slams?
Answer: Standard tiebreak. A standard tiebreak is played to 7 points (win by 2) when a set reaches 6-6, determining the set winner.
6. In American football, what is the maximum number of players a team can have on the field during a play?
Answer: 11. Each team fields exactly 11 players per play; having 12 or more results in a penalty for too many men on the field.
7. In golf, what term refers to completing a hole two strokes under par?
Answer: Eagle. An eagle is scored when a golfer completes a hole in two fewer strokes than par, while an albatross is three under.
8. In rugby union, how many points is a try worth under the laws established after 1992?
Answer: 5. A try was increased from 4 to 5 points in 1992 under World Rugby laws, incentivizing attacking play.
9. In cricket, a 'googly' is a deceptive delivery bowled by which type of bowler?
Answer: Right-arm leg-spin bowler. A googly is bowled by a right-arm leg-spin bowler and turns the opposite direction to a standard leg-break, deceiving the batsman.
10. In tennis, what is the term for winning a set 7–5 after the score reaches 6–6 without a tiebreak being played?
Answer: Advantage set. An advantage set continues past 6–6 until one player leads by two games, unlike a tiebreak set which uses a tiebreaker at 6–6.
11. In American football, what specific penalty results in the offense losing a down in addition to yardage?
Answer: Intentional grounding. Intentional grounding carries a loss of down plus a 10-yard penalty or loss of yards to the spot of the foul.
12. In basketball, the 'three-second rule' restricts offensive players from remaining in which area?
Answer: The key (paint). An offensive player cannot remain in the free-throw lane (the key/paint) for more than three consecutive seconds.
13. Which golfer coined the term 'birdie' after hitting what he called 'a bird of a shot' in 1899 at Atlantic City?
Answer: Ab Smith. Ab Smith is credited with first using 'birdie' in 1899 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, when he described his one-under-par shot as a 'bird of a shot.'
14. What is the maximum number of clubs a golfer is allowed to carry in their bag during a round?
Answer: 14. The Rules of Golf limit a player to a maximum of 14 clubs during any stipulated round; exceeding this incurs penalty strokes.
15. In basketball, the 'triple-double' stat requires reaching double figures in three categories. Points and rebounds are two — what is the third?
Answer: Assists. A triple-double is most commonly defined as reaching 10 or more in points, rebounds, and assists in a single game.
16. In golf, a score of two strokes under par on a hole is called what?
Answer: Eagle. An eagle is two strokes under par on a single hole; a birdie is one under, and an albatross (or double eagle) is three under.
17. In tennis, what is the term for winning a set 6-0, leaving the opponent scoreless?
Answer: Bagel. A 6-0 set in tennis is colloquially called a 'bagel' because the zero resembles the shape of a bagel.
18. In rugby union, a 'maul' differs from a 'ruck' primarily because the ball is carried by whom?
Answer: A player off the ground. In a maul the ball is held by a standing player, whereas in a ruck the ball is on the ground and players may not handle it.
19. In basketball, the 'triple-double' milestone counts points, rebounds, and which third statistic?
Answer: Assists. A traditional triple-double requires double figures in points, rebounds, and assists, though other stat combinations are technically possible.
20. Which country first introduced 'neutral zone infraction' as a distinct penalty separate from offside in the NFL rulebook?
Answer: United States. The NFL, exclusively a U.S. league, codified the neutral zone infraction as distinct from offside — it applies when a defender causes an offensive player to move before the snap.
21. In cricket's Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, what does the system primarily calculate to set revised targets?
Answer: Resources remaining. The DLS method calculates each team's 'resources' (combination of wickets and overs remaining) to set or revise rain-affected targets fairly.
22. In cricket, what term describes a bowler dismissing three batsmen with three consecutive deliveries?
Answer: A hat-trick. A hat-trick in cricket refers to a bowler taking three wickets with three successive legal deliveries.
23. In tennis, what is the term for winning a set 7-5 or better without a tiebreak, specifically when the final game breaks serve?
Answer: A break of serve. Winning the decisive final game of a set by breaking the opponent's serve is called a break of serve, ending sets like 7-5 or 6-4.
24. In basketball, what rule states an offensive player cannot remain in the paint for more than three consecutive seconds?
Answer: The three-second rule. The three-second rule prohibits offensive players from standing in the key (paint) for more than three consecutive seconds.
25. In golf, what is the maximum number of clubs a player is allowed to carry in their bag during a round?
Answer: 14. The Rules of Golf permit a maximum of 14 clubs in a player's bag during a round; exceeding this incurs a two-stroke penalty per hole.
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