Hard Quiz Questions: 18 That Stump Most People

A hard round has one job: separate the table that has been coasting. These eighteen are difficult without being unfair — every answer is checkable, and none of them turn on a technicality.

Hard round one

1. What is the only letter not appearing in any US state name? — Q
2. Which country has a flag that is not rectangular? — Nepal
3. What is the smallest bone in the human body? — The stapes, in the ear
4. Which element has the highest melting point? — Tungsten
5. What is the longest river in Asia? — The Yangtze
6. How many time zones does Russia span? — Eleven

Hard round two

1. What is the study of fungi called? — Mycology
2. Which sea has no coastline? — The Sargasso Sea
3. What is a group of crows called? — A murder
4. Which planet has the shortest day? — Jupiter, at under ten hours
5. What does the Richter scale measure? — Earthquake magnitude
6. Which country produces the most coffee? — Brazil

Hard round three

1. How many keys does a standard typewriter QWERTY layout have in the top row? — Ten
2. What is the capital of Bhutan? — Thimphu
3. Which gas makes up most of Earth’s atmosphere? — Nitrogen
4. What is the square root of 289? — 17
5. Which language has the most native speakers? — Mandarin Chinese
6. What is the collective noun for a group of owls? — A parliament

If a hard round takes more than one question of arguing to settle, it was written badly — every answer here has a single, checkable source.