Sample pickA comparison that uses the word "like" or "as" is called what?
Trivia Questions for 9th Graders, in Five Subject Rounds: how it works
A question is already on the card. Read it aloud, tap the choice the class settles on, then press Check answer for the right one and a line on why. These 137 trivia questions for 9th graders come in five subject rounds: algebra and geometry, biology, earth science, world history, and literature and grammar.
Run it as five subject rounds
Press Topic and pick a round: Algebra and geometry (29 questions), Biology (26), Earth science (26), World history (28) or Literature and grammar (28). The algebra follows the high school Common Core standards, with factoring, the quadratic formula and systems of equations, and keeps some grade 8 geometry as review. Common Core lists no science or history content, so those rounds follow what a first-year course usually teaches.
Bell ringer, review game or scored quiz
For a bell ringer, open Question of the day: one question, the same for everyone. For a review game, split into teams, stay in Practice mode and let each team talk before you tap. The reason shows under the answer, with a link to its source. For a score, press Exam mode, then Start the exam: 20 questions, marked topic by topic. Print question sheet and Print answer key put a round on paper.
Tips
Hand out scratch paper for Algebra and geometry. Solving x² - 5x + 6 = 0 is quick on paper and slow in the head.
Teaching one subject? Pick its Topic before you print, and the sheet stays on that subject.
Wrong answers wait under Missed. Clear them together the day before a test.
Questions and answers
Are these really 9th grade level?
The math and grammar were matched to the Common Core documents: high school algebra such as the discriminant and perpendicular slopes, and the grades 9 to 10 language standards on parallel structure and semicolons. Of the 137, 28 are easy review, 76 are medium and 33 are hard, such as the value of 2⁻³.
What is in each subject round?
Algebra and geometry runs from slope to the volume of a cone. Biology covers cells, DNA, Mendel's peas and classification. Earth science covers plate tectonics, tides, eclipses and rocks. World history goes from Mesopotamia to the storming of the Bastille. Literature and grammar mixes Homer, Shakespeare and Poe with comma splices and dangling modifiers.
How do I know the answers are right?
Each one was checked on September 19, 2026 by reading the sentence that states it. The math, the biology and most of the earth science come from OpenStax textbooks; the history and literature come from Wikipedia articles. The source is linked under every answer, and the arithmetic was worked by hand. Records, populations and living people are left out.
Two angles of a triangle measure 35° and 65°. What is the third angle?OpenStax Prealgebra 2e, section 9.3
Two angles whose measures add up to 90° are called what?OpenStax Prealgebra 2e, section 9.3
Two linear equations graph as parallel lines. How many solutions does the system have?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 5.1
Two triangles are similar. What must be true of their matching angles?OpenStax Prealgebra 2e, section 9.3
What are the solutions of x² - 5x + 6 = 0?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 7.6
What is the area of a circle with a radius of 3 units, in terms of π?OpenStax Prealgebra 2e, section 9.5
What is the slope of any horizontal line?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 4.4
What is the slope of any vertical line?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 4.4
What is the slope of the line through the points (1, 2) and (3, 10)?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 4.4
What is the slope of the line y = 3x - 5?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 4.5
What is the U-shaped graph of a quadratic equation such as y = x² called?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 10.5
What is the value of 2⁻³?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 6.7
What is the value of 7⁰?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 6.5
What is the volume of a cylinder with radius 2 and height 5, in terms of π?OpenStax Prealgebra 2e, section 9.6
What is √50 in simplest form?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 9.2
When you multiply both sides of an inequality by a negative number, what must you do?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 2.7
y varies directly with x, and y = 12 when x = 3. What is y when x = 5?OpenStax Elementary Algebra 2e, section 8.9
Biology 26
A solution with a pH below 7 is described as what?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 2.2
An organism that has two different alleles for a gene is described as what?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 8.2
Glycolysis, the first step in breaking down glucose, happens in which part of the cell?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 4.2
Gregor Mendel worked out the basic laws of inheritance by breeding which plant?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 8.1
In DNA, which base pairs with adenine?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 9.1
In photosynthesis, the oxygen a plant gives off comes from splitting which molecule?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 5.2
In the system of classification, which level is the broadest?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 12.1
In which part of the chloroplast does the Calvin cycle take place?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 5.3
The limb bones of a human, a dog, a bird and a whale share one layout from a common ancestor. What are such parts called?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 11.3
Mitochondria make which molecule, the cell's main energy carrier?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 3.3
On which cell structure are proteins built during translation?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 9.4
Plants and phytoplankton, which make food by photosynthesis, fill which role in a food chain?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 20.1
To which class of biological molecules do most enzymes belong?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 4.1
Two pea plants that are both heterozygous for a trait are crossed. What fraction of offspring should show the recessive trait?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 8.2
What is an organism's set of observable traits called?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 8.2
What is the movement of water across a membrane from low to high solute concentration called?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 3.5
What is the process of copying a gene's DNA into messenger RNA called?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 9.3
What is the protein coat that surrounds a virus called?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 17.1
What is the shape of a DNA molecule?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 9.1
What is the two-part system of scientific names, such as Homo sapiens, called?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 12.1
When muscle cells run short of oxygen, which process lets them keep making a little ATP?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 4.4
Which base appears in RNA in place of thymine?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 9.1
Which kind of cell division produces gametes such as eggs and sperm?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 7.2
Which kind of cell has no nucleus?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 3.2
Which mechanism of evolution did Charles Darwin describe?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 11.1
Which organelle carries out photosynthesis in a plant cell?OpenStax Concepts of Biology, section 3.3
Earth science 26
About how long ago did an asteroid impact help wipe out the dinosaurs?Wikipedia: Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event
Along rift zones such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, what are tectonic plates doing?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.2
At first and last quarter moon the Sun partly cancels the Moon's pull, and tides run lower than usual. What are they called?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 4.6
Dinosaurs lived during which era of geologic time?Wikipedia: Mesozoic
During which phase of the Moon can a solar eclipse happen?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 4.7
Earth's crust is largely made up of oceanic basalt and which continental rock?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.2
Earth's magnetic field is generated by moving material in which layer?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.1
The extra-high tides at new moon and full moon, when the Sun and Moon line up, are called what?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 4.6
Heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere keep a planet from losing heat to space. What is this called?Wikipedia: Greenhouse effect
How have scientists mapped the layers deep inside Earth?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.1
In 1908 an object from space exploded in the air and flattened a vast stretch of forest near which Siberian river?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.5
In 1912 Alfred Wegener proposed which idea about the continents?Wikipedia: Continental drift
On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, which mineral is rated 1, the softest?Wikipedia: Mohs scale
The San Andreas Fault in California is the boundary between the North American Plate and which other plate?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.2
Sandstone and limestone are examples of which kind of rock?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.2
What do scientists measure to find the age of a rock by radioactive dating?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 7.3
What is it called when one tectonic plate is forced down under another?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.2
What is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, where clouds form, called?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.3
What is the point on Earth's surface directly above the place where an earthquake starts?Wikipedia: Epicenter
What mainly causes the ocean tides?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 4.6
Which effect, caused by Earth's rotation, makes winds curve to the right in the Northern Hemisphere?Wikipedia: Coriolis force
Which kind of eclipse can be seen from the entire night side of Earth?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 4.7
Which layer of Earth lies between the crust and the core?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.1
Which seafloor feature often marks a subduction zone?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.2
Which supercontinent began to break apart about 175 million years ago?Wikipedia: Pangaea
Which theory explains how Earth's crust is broken into slabs that slowly move?OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 8.2
World history 28
Athenian democracy developed around the 6th century BC. What does the Greek word "democracy" literally mean?Wikipedia: Athenian democracy
The Aztec capital Tenochtitlan stood on the site of which modern city?Wikipedia: Tenochtitlan
The Black Death swept across Europe in which century?Wikipedia: Black Death
The Code of Hammurabi, one of the oldest surviving sets of written laws, comes from which city's empire?Wikipedia: Code of Hammurabi
Constantinople fell in 1453 to which empire?Wikipedia: Fall of Constantinople
In 1517, whose Ninety-five Theses set off the Protestant Reformation?Wikipedia: Ninety-five Theses
In which country did the Industrial Revolution begin?Wikipedia: Industrial Revolution
In which country did the Renaissance begin?Wikipedia: Renaissance
In which year did the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire lose his throne?Wikipedia: Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March in which year?Wikipedia: Assassination of Julius Caesar
Machu Picchu was built high in the Andes by which civilization?Wikipedia: Machu Picchu
Mansa Musa, famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, ruled which West African empire?Wikipedia: Mansa Musa
Mesopotamia, home of the first cities, lay between which two rivers?Wikipedia: Mesopotamia
On July 14, 1789, revolutionaries in Paris stormed which fortress and prison?Wikipedia: Storming of the Bastille
The Peloponnesian War was fought between Athens and which rival?Wikipedia: Peloponnesian War
What is the wedge-shaped writing of ancient Sumer called?Wikipedia: Cuneiform
Which Byzantine emperor ordered Roman law to be collected into a single code and rebuilt the Hagia Sophia?Wikipedia: Justinian I
Which emperor of India's Maurya dynasty is credited with an important role in spreading Buddhism across Asia?Wikipedia: Ashoka
Which English king was made to agree to Magna Carta in 1215?Wikipedia: Magna Carta
Which network of trade routes linked China with the Mediterranean world?Wikipedia: Silk Road
Which philosopher was the tutor of Alexander the Great?Wikipedia: Alexander the Great
Which pope called the First Crusade in 1095?Wikipedia: First Crusade
Which stone slab, found in Egypt in 1799, gave scholars the key to reading hieroglyphs?Wikipedia: Rosetta Stone
Which teenage peasant girl helped France lift the siege of Orléans during the Hundred Years' War?Wikipedia: Joan of Arc
Who became the first emperor of a united China in 221 BC?Wikipedia: Qin Shi Huang
Who founded the Mongol Empire?Wikipedia: Genghis Khan
Who was the first emperor of Rome?Wikipedia: Augustus
Whose expedition, begun in 1519, was the first to sail all the way around the world?Wikipedia: Magellan expedition
Literature and grammar 28
A comparison that uses the word "like" or "as" is called what?Wikipedia: Simile
A standard line of iambic pentameter is five iambic feet in a row. How many syllables is that?Wikipedia: Iambic pentameter
A traditional Japanese haiku has three phrases. What is its pattern of sound units?Wikipedia: Haiku
"The ball was thrown by Maya" is written in which voice?Wikipedia: Passive voice
Charles Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities" is set in London and which other city?Wikipedia: A Tale of Two Cities
"Deafening silence" and "bittersweet" are examples of which figure of speech?Wikipedia: Oxymoron
How many lines does a sonnet have?Wikipedia: Sonnet
In "My brother, a talented drummer, plays every weekend", what is the phrase between the commas called?Wikipedia: Apposition
In "Romeo and Juliet", what are the names of the two feuding families?Wikipedia: Romeo and Juliet
In a play, what is a speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud while alone on stage?Wikipedia: Soliloquy
In Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven", which single word does the bird keep repeating?Wikipedia: The Raven
In the "Odyssey", Odysseus spends ten years trying to get home to which island?Wikipedia: Odyssey
In the "Odyssey", what kind of creature is Polyphemus?Wikipedia: Polyphemus
In the sentence "Swimming is good exercise", the word "swimming" is which verb form used as a noun?Wikipedia: Gerund
In which Italian city is Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" set?Wikipedia: Romeo and Juliet
Joining two complete sentences with only a comma is which error?Wikipedia: Comma splice
The Old English poem "Beowulf" opens with the hero fighting which monster?Wikipedia: Beowulf
"She likes hiking, swimming and to ride bikes" breaks which rule of style?Wikipedia: Parallelism (grammar)
"Walking to school, the rain soaked my bag." What is wrong with this sentence?Wikipedia: Dangling modifier
What is a hint early in a story about events that will happen later called?Wikipedia: Foreshadowing
What is the main character of a story called?Wikipedia: Protagonist
Which Greek poet is credited with the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey"?Wikipedia: Odyssey
Which punctuation mark can join two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction?Wikipedia: Semicolon
Which Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes follows a man who decides to become a knight?Wikipedia: Don Quixote
Who wrote "The Canterbury Tales" in Middle English?Wikipedia: The Canterbury Tales
Who wrote the 1818 novel "Frankenstein"?Wikipedia: Frankenstein
"The wind whispered through the trees" is an example of which literary device?Wikipedia: Personification
The words for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so are which kind of conjunction?Wikipedia: Conjunction (grammar)
How this list was compiled: Written for this site by the editors; nothing was copied from another list. Every question, wrong choice and explanation is our own wording. The algebra and geometry, the biology and most of the earth science were checked on 2026-09-19 against the OpenStax textbook section (https://openstax.org) named and linked beside the question, from Elementary Algebra 2e, Prealgebra 2e, Concepts of Biology and Astronomy 2e: the section text was fetched, and the sentence that states the rule or the fact was read before the question was kept. The arithmetic in every math answer was then worked by hand. The rest of the earth science, the world history, and the literature and grammar were checked on 2026-09-19 against the English Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org) named and linked beside the question: the article text was fetched on 2026-09-18 or 2026-09-19, and the sentence that states the fact was read before the question was kept. Every extra claim in an explanation was checked the same way. The level was checked against the Common Core State Standards documents (https://www.corestandards.org), read on 2026-09-19: the algebra follows the high school Algebra standards (factoring a quadratic, the quadratic formula, systems of linear equations), with grade 8 exponents, scientific notation, the Pythagorean Theorem and the volume of cylinders and cones kept as review, and the grammar follows Language standards L.9-10.1a (parallel structure), L.9-10.2a (semicolons) and L.9-10.5a (figures of speech such as oxymoron). Common Core lists no content for science or history, so those topics are an editor's judgment of what an introductory high school course covers. Questions were reworded or dropped when the source did not state the fact plainly: a question calling Athens the birthplace of democracy was replaced, because the article says Athens was not the first; a date of about 1440 for Gutenberg's press was removed; a question on an iron and nickel core was replaced, because the textbook hedges; a dramatic irony question was dropped; and the dinosaur extinction follows the article's 66 million years, not the textbook's older 65 million. Left out on purpose: living people, records, populations and anything else that changes. No question repeats one in another trivia set on this site. Levels are an editor's judgment within 9th grade work. Licence: own work