How it works
What is a dead drop, and which agent named her artificial leg Cuthbert? These spy trivia questions stick to real espionage: the words of the trade, the ciphers, and dated cases from the Spartans to the Cold War.
Read the full guide
Spy trivia questions and answers, multiple choice
Every question has four choices and a reason. Tradecraft and spy words asks what a mole, a cut-out and a numbers station are. Ciphers and code machines runs from the Spartan scytale to Enigma and the one-time pad.
Real cases, round by round
Spies before 1900 has Walsingham, the Culper Ring's code for a lady and the Great Game. The world wars covers Operation Mincemeat, the Twenty Committee and Garbo. The Cold War has a hollow nickel, a tunnel under Berlin and a cat.
- At a mystery party, play Tradecraft and spy words first, so guests know a dead drop from a brush pass.
Questions and answers
What are some easy spy trivia questions?
What do spies call a secret spot where items are left for another agent? Which country's secret police was the Stasi? By which stage name is Margaretha Zelle better known? The answers are a dead drop, East Germany and Mata Hari.
What is tradecraft in espionage?
Tradecraft is the techniques, methods and technologies of spying. Dead drops, cut-outs and brush passes are examples: each lets two people pass something on without being seen to meet, or without meeting at all.
Who invented the Enigma machine?
Arthur Scherbius, a German electrical engineer, who patented his rotor cipher machine and sold it under the name Enigma. Poland first broke its cipher in December 1932, through Marian Rejewski of the Polish Cipher Bureau.
How were the answers checked?
Each was read on October 14, 2026 in the English Wikipedia article linked beside it, 72 articles in all. No film, novel series or game is asked, no living person is an answer, and weapons and methods of harm are left out.