TermsTrivia Questions & Answers
57 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. Which sport uses terms like 'love', 'deuce', and 'ace'?
Answer: Tennis. Love, deuce, and ace are all tennis scoring terms.
2. In golf, what term describes one stroke under par on a hole?
Answer: Birdie. A birdie is a score of one stroke under par.
3. In soccer, what is it called when one player scores three goals in a match?
Answer: Hat-trick. Scoring three goals in a game is a hat-trick.
4. In golf, what is the term for two strokes under par on a hole?
Answer: Eagle. An eagle is two strokes under par.
5. In which sport would you compete in a 'peloton'?
Answer: Cycling. A peloton is the main group of riders in cycling.
6. What is the term in cricket for a bowler dismissing three batsmen with consecutive deliveries?
Answer: Hat-trick. Three wickets in three balls is a cricket hat-trick.
7. In which sport is the term 'birdie' used?
Answer: Golf. Birdie is a golf scoring term for one under par.
8. In rugby, what is the formation called where players bind together to contest the ball after a stoppage?
Answer: Scrum. A scrum restarts play with packs binding to contest the ball.
9. In cricket, what is the term for a score of zero by a batsman who is dismissed?
Answer: Duck. A batsman dismissed for zero is out for a duck.
10. In golf, what is the term for three strokes under par on a single hole?
Answer: Albatross. Three under par on a hole is an albatross (double eagle).
11. What is the term for scoring zero in a game of darts when you bust over the target?
Answer: Bust. Going over the needed score is called a bust in darts.
12. What is the playing area in cricket where the bowler and batsman face off called?
Answer: Pitch. The central strip in cricket is called the pitch.
13. In tennis, what is the term for a serve that the opponent cannot touch?
Answer: Ace. An ace is a legal serve that the receiver fails to touch, winning the point outright.
14. In cricket, a batsman dismissed without scoring a single run is said to be out for a 'duck.' What is a 'golden duck'?
Answer: Out for 0 first ball faced. A golden duck refers specifically to being dismissed on the very first ball a batsman faces without scoring.
15. In basketball, what is the name for a play where a player passes to a teammate who catches it mid-air and scores before landing?
Answer: Alley-oop. An alley-oop is a lob caught in the air and finished before the receiver lands.
16. In golf, what is the term for hitting the ball with a deliberate left-to-right curve (for a right-handed player)?
Answer: Fade. A controlled left-to-right ball flight for a right-hander is called a fade.
17. What does a boxer winning by 'TKO' achieve?
Answer: A technical knockout. TKO stands for technical knockout, where the referee or corner stops the fight.
18. In tennis, what is the term for winning a game by taking the first four points without losing one?
Answer: To love. Winning a game with the opponent on zero is winning it 'to love'.
19. In American football, what is the name of the play where the quarterback fakes a handoff and keeps the ball?
Answer: Play-action. A play-action fakes a run to draw defenders before the quarterback passes or keeps it.
20. In cricket, what is the term for the fielding position directly behind the batsman on the off side, near the wicketkeeper?
Answer: Slip. Slip fielders stand beside the wicketkeeper to catch edges off the bat.
21. In tennis doubles, what is the standard tactic where both partners move toward the net called?
Answer: Both up. When both partners advance to the net it is the aggressive 'both up' formation.
22. In motorsport, what is the name of the area where cars stop for tyre changes during a race?
Answer: The pit lane. Cars make service stops in the pit lane during a race.
23. In golf's match play format, what does it mean to be 'dormie'?
Answer: Leading by as many holes as remain. Dormie means a player leads by exactly the number of holes left, so cannot lose.
24. In cricket, a batsman scoring between 90 and 99 runs without reaching a century is said to have been dismissed in the 'nervous' what?
Answer: Nineties. The 'nervous nineties' is the well-known cricket term for a batsman dismissed between 90 and 99 runs, just short of a century.
25. In golf, the term 'albatross' refers to completing a hole in how many strokes under par?
Answer: Three. An albatross (also called a double eagle) means completing a hole in three strokes under par, such as a hole-in-one on a par-4.
26. In cricket, what term describes a delivery that moves away from a right-handed batsman after pitching due to seam movement?
Answer: Outswinger. An outswinger moves away from a right-handed batsman through the air or off the seam, making it harder to drive through the off side.
27. In golf, what term describes a score of three under par on a single hole?
Answer: Albatross. An albatross (also called double eagle in the US) is the term for scoring three strokes under par on a single hole, an extremely rare achievement.
28. In cricket, a 'Chinaman' delivery is bowled by which type of bowler?
Answer: Left-arm wrist-spinner. A Chinaman is a left-arm wrist-spinner's delivery that turns away from a right-handed batsman, the opposite of a normal left-arm orthodox delivery.
29. What term describes a rugby union penalty awarded when a player is tackled and teammates bind incorrectly over the ball?
Answer: Ruck. A ruck is formed when the ball is on the ground and players from both teams bind around it; infringing on a ruck leads to a penalty against the offending side.
30. In basketball, a 'triple-double' requires a player to reach double figures in three statistical categories; which three count?
Answer: Points, rebounds, assists. A triple-double is officially recorded when a player achieves at least 10 in each of points, rebounds, and assists in a single game.
31. In cricket, what is the name for the fielding position located directly behind the batsman on the leg side close to the wicket?
Answer: Leg slip. Leg slip is positioned just behind the batsman on the leg side, close to the wicket, mirroring the traditional slip position on the off side.
32. In golf, what does the term 'stimpmeter' measure on a putting green?
Answer: Ball roll distance per unit of stroke. A stimpmeter measures green speed by calculating how far a golf ball rolls after being released from a standardized ramp at a set angle.
33. In cricket, what term describes a delivery that turns from off to leg for a right-handed batsman after pitching?
Answer: Leg-break. A leg-break spins from off to leg (for a right-hander) after pitching, the standard wrist-spinner's stock delivery.
34. In cricket, what is the term for a delivery that pitches outside leg stump and passes over or hits the stumps?
Answer: Chinaman. A Chinaman is a left-arm unorthodox spin delivery that turns from outside leg to off for a right-handed batsman.
35. In cricket, what term describes when a batsman is dismissed without scoring and the entire team scores zero runs?
Answer: King pair. A 'King pair' specifically refers to a batsman being dismissed first ball in both innings of a match for zero runs.
36. In cricket, what term describes when a batsman is dismissed without scoring a single run?
Answer: Golden duck. A 'golden duck' is when a batsman is out for zero on the very first ball they face; a 'diamond duck' is out without facing a ball.
37. In football (soccer), a 'bicycle kick' is also commonly known by what other name?
Answer: Overhead kick. A bicycle kick — striking the ball backwards over the head while airborne — is also called an overhead kick; a scorpion kick is a distinct technique.
38. In cricket, what is it called when a bowler takes three wickets with consecutive deliveries?
Answer: Hat-trick. A hat-trick in cricket refers to a bowler dismissing three batters on three successive balls.
39. In cricket, a batsman is dismissed 'LBW' — what does that abbreviation stand for?
Answer: Leg Before Wicket. LBW stands for Leg Before Wicket, a dismissal when the ball hits the batter's body and would otherwise have hit the stumps.
40. In cricket, which fielding position is placed directly behind the batsman on the leg side, close to the wicket?
Answer: Square leg. Square leg is positioned at a roughly 90-degree angle on the leg side, level with the batsman's crease and relatively close to the pitch.
41. In golf, what term describes completing a hole in one stroke fewer than a birdie (i.e., two strokes under par)?
Answer: Eagle. An eagle is a score of two strokes under par on a hole; an albatross (double eagle) is three under par, while a condor is four under par and extremely rare.
42. In golf, what is the term for completing a hole in one stroke under par?
Answer: Birdie. A birdie is one stroke under par for a hole; an eagle is two under, and a bogey is one over.
43. In cricket, a 'Chinaman' delivery is bowled by a left-arm wrist-spinner. What does it turn like relative to a right-handed batsman?
Answer: Off-break. A Chinaman turns into the right-handed batsman from the off side, behaving like an off-break despite being bowled with a wrist-spin action by a left-armer.
44. In tennis, what term describes winning a set 6–0, conceding no games to the opponent?
Answer: Bagel. A 6–0 set is colloquially called a 'bagel' in tennis because the zero resembles a bagel's shape.
45. In golf, what name is given to a score of three under par on a single hole?
Answer: Albatross. Three under par on one hole is called an albatross (also known as a double eagle in North America).
46. In golf, what is the name for a score of two strokes under par on a single hole?
Answer: Eagle. An eagle is the term for completing a hole in two strokes fewer than par; three under par is an albatross (or double eagle).
47. In golf, what term describes a score of two strokes under par on any given hole?
Answer: Eagle. An eagle is the term for completing a hole in two strokes fewer than the designated par for that hole.
48. In cricket, what fielding position is located directly behind the batsman on the leg side, square to the wicket?
Answer: Square leg. Square leg is positioned at roughly 90 degrees to the batsman on the leg side, neither fine nor deep.
49. In cricket, what term describes a delivery that pitches outside leg stump and misses the off side of the bat, hitting the stumps?
Answer: Yorker. A yorker is a delivery aimed at the batsman's feet/base of the stumps, making it extremely difficult to play; the other options are spin or swing variants.
50. In rugby union, a team that wins all three matches in a Six Nations weekend to prevent any opponent scoring is awarded what bonus?
Answer: A Triple Crown medal. The Triple Crown is awarded to a Home Nations team (England, Scotland, Wales, or Ireland) that beats all three other Home Nations in a single Six Nations tournament.
51. In cricket, a bowler who takes three wickets in three consecutive deliveries has achieved what feat?
Answer: A hat-trick. A hat-trick in cricket is when a bowler dismisses three batters on three consecutive legal deliveries, in the same or across matches.
52. In basketball, what term describes a shot attempted from beyond half-court that beats a quarter-ending buzzer and counts?
Answer: Buzzer beater. Any legal field goal attempt that releases before the buzzer sounds counts regardless of distance; this is generically called a buzzer beater.
53. In American football, what offensive formation uses no tight ends and five wide receivers?
Answer: Spread. The spread formation deploys five wide receivers with no tight ends, maximizing horizontal spacing to stress defenses across the field.
54. In tennis, what is the name for the serve technique where the ball is hit directly into the net on the second serve, losing the point?
Answer: Double fault. A double fault occurs when a player misses both their first and second serves, awarding the point to the opponent.
55. In cricket's Laws, what specific fielding position is stationed directly behind the wicket on the leg side?
Answer: Square leg. Square leg is positioned directly square (at 90 degrees) on the leg side of the batsman, behind the wicket relative to the bowler.
56. In golf, what is the term for completing a hole in two strokes under par?
Answer: Eagle. An eagle is the term for completing a hole in two strokes under par; an albatross is three under par.
57. In golf, what name is given to a score of three strokes under par on a single hole?
Answer: Albatross. An albatross (also called a double eagle in the US) means completing a hole in three strokes fewer than par, e.g. a hole-in-one on a par-4.
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