Ready for adventure?

It all begins one otherwise ordinary day when Gandalf and thirteen dwarves drop by Bilbo’s hobbit-hole. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit takes Bilbo far away from his comfortable hole and over the Misty Mountains to adventure. Relive favorite episodes from this beloved tale in our new Hobbit Quiz. For instance, what was it the dwarves insisted on doing before telling Bilbo about their plans?

Everyone’s talking Tolkien

The life story of linguist and author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, the subject of our new quiz, has recently been adapted for the screen as the movie Tolkien. We haven’t seen the movie yet, but we are happy to assume without evidence that our quiz paints a picture of the man that is paradoxically far more vivid and visceral than any mere celluloid representation could hope to achieve. We begin with Tolkien’s grandfather, who pursued a business beginning with ‘B’.

Welcome to the
Curiosities Trivia Quiz

Start the quiz Start the ‘quick’ version

The world has never been short of wonders, of strange and curious things. In this quiz, we look at ten curiosities of varying significance. Many of the facts embodied here shed a slanting light on people or subjects celebrated for altogether different reasons. Others are notable in different ways. See how many you know.

Curiosities quiz frontispiece: Radiograph-like image of a 6-fingered hand