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Question Time: A Journey Round Britain’s Quizzes
Which major UK retailer has the same name as Odysseus's dog in Greek mythology?
In the original version of the Band Aid hit 'Do They Know It's Christmas?', who sang the opening line?
Which is the only US state whose name can be typed on a single row of a QWERTY keyboard?
Travel writer and quiz fan Mark Mason decided to combine two of his greatest loves by setting off on a tour of Britain's quizzes. From a pub quiz in Edinburgh to a charity quiz in Hampshire, from a corporate quiz in Birmingham to a journalists' quiz in Parliament, he finds answers aplenty while asking some questions of his own. Just what is it that attracts us to these tests of our knowledge? What are the ingredients of the perfect quiz question? And which is the only English city whose official name begins with H?
The only travel book ever to discuss Winston Churchill's use of language and reveal Donald Duck's middle name, QUESTION TIME is an affectionate tribute to Britain and one of its most cherished institutions - the quiz.
In the original version of the Band Aid hit 'Do They Know It's Christmas?', who sang the opening line?
Which is the only US state whose name can be typed on a single row of a QWERTY keyboard?
Travel writer and quiz fan Mark Mason decided to combine two of his greatest loves by setting off on a tour of Britain's quizzes. From a pub quiz in Edinburgh to a charity quiz in Hampshire, from a corporate quiz in Birmingham to a journalists' quiz in Parliament, he finds answers aplenty while asking some questions of his own. Just what is it that attracts us to these tests of our knowledge? What are the ingredients of the perfect quiz question? And which is the only English city whose official name begins with H?
The only travel book ever to discuss Winston Churchill's use of language and reveal Donald Duck's middle name, QUESTION TIME is an affectionate tribute to Britain and one of its most cherished institutions - the quiz.
- GenresNonfictionTrivia
224 pages, Hardcover
Published December 5, 2017
1 person is currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Mark Mason
87 books30 followersMark Mason's previous non-fiction includes The Importance of Being Trivial, Walk the Lines, The Bluffer's Guide To Football and The Bluffer's Guide To Bond. He is also the author of three novels, and has written for most British national newspapers (though never about anything too heavy), and magazines from The Spectator to Four Four Two. He lives in Sussex with his partner and son.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 5, 2017
Mark Mason is better known for his travel books, but he is also a huge fan of quizzes. He did not take a lot of persuading to combine both interests and travel back and forwards across the UK to find the best quizzes in the country. It was also a quest to see if he could find that most perfect thing, the essential elements of the perfect quiz question.
Which comic strip took its title from the names of a French theologian and an English political philosopher?
People have been known to actually earn a living from quizzing, either by participating in the plethora of TV shows or by travelling from pub to pub answering the questions on the quiz machines. He meets quizzers old and new, those that frequent the TV circuits and those are happy sitting in a pub calling out the questions. He joins journalists fighting for prestige and credibility by winning the annual parliamentary quiz, travels to the Beaulieu in the New Forest to see the Quizfest UK and attends a corporate quiz in heart of England.
Who is the only person ever to receive an Oscar Nomination for acting in a Star Wars film?
I do love a good quiz, ideally, one that has a balance of straightforward questions and some that really make you think, but I don't want to sit down to one of those where you struggle to comprehend what the question actually is, let alone what it is asking. Mason is obviously a big quiz addict, something that is very obvious when you read this. Being a talented writer he has woven together the art of quizzing with a social and contemporary history of the parts of the country he visits. It was quite a lot of fun, my head is now even more crammed with random facts than normal and it was a pleasure to read. And if you want to know what the answers to the two questions posed are then you'll need to read the book!
Which comic strip took its title from the names of a French theologian and an English political philosopher?
People have been known to actually earn a living from quizzing, either by participating in the plethora of TV shows or by travelling from pub to pub answering the questions on the quiz machines. He meets quizzers old and new, those that frequent the TV circuits and those are happy sitting in a pub calling out the questions. He joins journalists fighting for prestige and credibility by winning the annual parliamentary quiz, travels to the Beaulieu in the New Forest to see the Quizfest UK and attends a corporate quiz in heart of England.
Who is the only person ever to receive an Oscar Nomination for acting in a Star Wars film?
I do love a good quiz, ideally, one that has a balance of straightforward questions and some that really make you think, but I don't want to sit down to one of those where you struggle to comprehend what the question actually is, let alone what it is asking. Mason is obviously a big quiz addict, something that is very obvious when you read this. Being a talented writer he has woven together the art of quizzing with a social and contemporary history of the parts of the country he visits. It was quite a lot of fun, my head is now even more crammed with random facts than normal and it was a pleasure to read. And if you want to know what the answers to the two questions posed are then you'll need to read the book!
April 15, 2018
As a big supper quiz fan (a sub-type more laid back than a pub quiz but more stretching than just watching someone else do it on tv and throwing the occasional answer at the screen), I loved this book. Full of brilliant random facts as well as some neat observations of middle-aged life, it’s the perfect loo book for me!
May 25, 2022
Loved this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone else who loves a good quiz or two, like my friend Colin who I used to work with - he’s been on a few quizzes on telly, actually! Full of interesting random facts, therefore my kind of book!
June 9, 2019
Excellent exploration of the cultural obsession with quizzing and drowning in superb trivia.
August 27, 2020
Glorious encomium to knowledge and quizzing. Very readable.
February 21, 2021
As a quiz lover, I really enjoyed this - helped by having first hand knowledge if several of the locations visited too. Well written and sharing lots of new knowledge in an entertaining way.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews