Trivia Time – 20 questions on buildings

We know there are plenty of architecture fans out there! So who’s ready for Expat Living’s Weekly Quiz all about buildings? You can get together with a small group, have a glass of wine and try these out – or stick to Zoom, of course.

#1 What famous building would you find in the city of Agra?

#2 What’s the most widely used building material in the world?

#3 What’s the official residence of the UK Prime Minister?

#4 What building does the main character climb at the end of the 1933 film King Kong?

#5 At what angle does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean, 4, 11 or 26 degrees?

#6 Match the building-related song with the artist: “We Built This City”, “Hotel California”, “Wrecking Ball”, “Our House”; Miley Cyrus, Madness, Starship, Eagles

#7 Marina Bay Sands in Singapore is well known for the incredible swimming pool sitting across its cantilevered roof; how long is the pool? 50 metres, 150 metres or 318 metres?

#8 What is sometimes referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas”?

#9 What’s the architectural term for a large open space inside a building, usually topped by a glass roof to provide light?

#10 What renowned palace complex sits to the north of Tiananmen Square in Beijing?

#11 Which children’s TV show includes the lines “Can we fix it? Yes, we can!” in its theme song?

#12 The Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome is better known as what?

#13 What is the world’s largest office building by floor size? (Hint: it’s not a skyscraper.)

#14 Which iconic structure was criticised as “useless”, “monstrous”, “giddy” and “ridiculous” around the time of its completion in 1889?

#15 Who has been described as “the greatest American architect of all time”? (Initials: FLW)

#16 Globally, children spend around five billion hours a year playing with which product related to the theme of this quiz? 

#17 Which of these is not the nickname of a building in London: The Gherkin, The Dragonfly, The Walkie-Talkie, The Cheese Grater?

#18 Which structure held the title of the world’s tallest for 3,800 years?

#19 Today, the world’s tallest structure is the Burj Khalifa (828m); what city is it in?

#20 There is a bowling alley in the White House, true or false?

BONUS

What am I?
(If you can answer correctly on the first clue, you get 10 points, but you lose a point for each additional clue you require after that.)

I’m a famous building visited by more than 10 million people a year. (Though maybe not this year!) (10)
I was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. (9)
I’m located close to water. (8)
It took 14 years and 10,000 construction workers to build me. (7)
I’m covered in more than a million tiles. (6)
I was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. (5)
My designer was Jørn Utzon from Denmark. (4)
My design consists of a several sail-shaped shells. (3)
I’m located in an Australian city. (2)
I am the Sydney …. what? (1)

All the answers (no cheating!)

#1 Taj Mahal
#2 Concrete
#3 10 Downing Street (“Number 10”)
#4 The Empire State Building
#5 Four degrees (3.99, to be precise)
#6 “We Built This City”, Starship; “Wrecking Ball”, Miley Cyrus; “Our House”, Madness; “Hotel California”, Eagles
#7 150 metres
#8 Machu Picchu
#9 Atrium
#10 The Forbidden City
#11 Bob the Builder
#12 The Colosseum
#13 The Pentagon
#14 The Eiffel Tower
#15 Frank Lloyd Wright
#16 LEGO
#17 The Dragonfly
#18 The Great Pyramid of Giza
#19 Dubai
#20 True (Richard Nixon was a particularly keen bowler)

BONUS: Sydney Opera House

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Shamus Sillar

While he has worked as a magazine editor since 2003, Shamus also has a PhD in Roman History (useful!) and is a published author. He writes mostly on travel but also covers food, history, sport, trivia and more, across Expat Living’s publications and websites in Singapore and Hong Kong.