Technology Trivia Quiz

Think you know Technology? Here are 50 Technology trivia questions with answers — then play them live against real players in the free Triviarena quiz app.

1. In British English, what is the common term used for a vacuum tube?
   • Thermionic valve
   • Electron pipe
   • Vacuum cylinder
   • Spark gap
   Answer: Thermionic valve
   In the UK, vacuum tubes are traditionally called thermionic valves (or simply valves) because they permit the one-way flow of electrons, similar to a water valve.
2. What does the "IP" stand for in the widely used networking model TCP/IP?
   • Internet Protocol
   • Internal Processor
   • Integrated Platform
   • Intranet Provider
   Answer: Internet Protocol
   In the TCP/IP networking model, IP stands for Internet Protocol, which defines how data is addressed and routed.
3. What are the components of an integrated circuit fabricated upon?
   • A large metal structure
   • A flexible plastic sheet
   • A thin, flat semiconductor wafer
   • A board made of woven fiberglass
   Answer: A thin, flat semiconductor wafer
4. In the Solaris operating system, what food-related term is often used for disk partitions?
   • Slices
   • Wedges
   • Portions
   • Bites
   Answer: Slices
   Solaris refers to partitions as 'slices', which is a conceptual reference to slicing a cake.
5. In digital electronics, what is a 'flip-flop' circuit primarily used for?
   • Storing a state or data
   • Cooling the processor
   • Increasing voltage
   • Converting AC to DC
   Answer: Storing a state or data
   A flip-flop is a bistable circuit with two stable states, allowing it to hold a state and store data in computer memory.
6. The trackball was invented as part of what type of military system?
   • Submarine sonar tracking
   • Encrypted radio communication
   • Automated missile guidance
   • Fire-control radar plotting
   Answer: Fire-control radar plotting
   The trackball was invented by Ralph Benjamin as part of a post-World War II-era fire-control radar plotting system.
7. Which 1960s US government-funded network was a primary precursor to the modern Internet?
   • ARPANET
   • CYCLADES
   • SAGE
   • NSFNET
   Answer: ARPANET
   The ARPANET, funded by the US Department of Defense, was one of the first packet-switched networks and led to the Internet.
8. For the first decade after their invention in 1962, what color were most practical LEDs?
   • Red
   • Green
   • Blue
   • White
   Answer: Red
   Early LEDs were limited in their color spectrum and were primarily red for the first ten years of their existence.
9. What underlying Linux kernel feature does Docker use to limit memory and CPU resources?
   • namespaces
   • cgroups
   • SELinux
   • iptables
   Answer: cgroups
   While namespaces provide isolation, Docker uses the Linux kernel's cgroups (control groups) to limit and allocate resources like CPU and memory.
10. In the audio format name MP3, what does the acronym "MPEG" stand for?
    • Moving Picture Experts Group
    • Musical Performance Encoding Grid
    • Media Playback Engine Generation
    • Master Processing Extension Group
    Answer: Moving Picture Experts Group
    MP3 stands for MPEG-1 (or MPEG-2) Audio Layer III, where MPEG is the Moving Picture Experts Group that designed the standard.
11. Along with HTML and JavaScript, what technology forms the cornerstone triad of the Web?
    • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
    • Extensible Markup Language (XML)
    • Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)
    • Active Server Pages (ASP)
    Answer: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
    HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the three foundational technologies used to build and design modern web pages.
12. Who invented the first practical light-emitting diode (LED) in 1962?
    • Nick Holonyak
    • Thomas Edison
    • Nikola Tesla
    • Shuji Nakamura
    Answer: Nick Holonyak
    Nick Holonyak invented the first practical visible-spectrum LED while working as a consulting scientist at General Electric.
13. In 2006, which company offered $1 million to improve its recommendation algorithm?
    • Netflix
    • Hulu
    • Amazon Prime
    • YouTube
    Answer: Netflix
    Netflix held the famous "Netflix Prize" competition, offering $1 million to anyone who could improve their Cinematch algorithm by 10%.
14. In blockchain technology, what is the very first block in a chain officially called?
    • Genesis block
    • Alpha block
    • Origin node
    • Prime ledger
    Answer: Genesis block
    The genesis block, also known as Block 0, is the first block upon which all subsequent blocks in a blockchain are built.
15. Who invented the Polaroid instant camera (1948)?
    • George Eastman
    • Steve Sasson
    • Oskar Barnack
    • Edwin Land
    Answer: Edwin Land
16. What object was the first webcam at Cambridge University pointed at?
    • A coffee pot
    • A vending machine
    • A water cooler
    • A printer
    Answer: A coffee pot
    First developed in 1991, the webcam was pointed at the Trojan Room coffee pot in the Cambridge University Computer Science Department.
17. In which year was the technology company Intel founded?
    • 1965
    • 1968
    • 1971
    • 1981
    Answer: 1968
    The provided text explicitly states that Intel was founded on July 18, 1968.
18. The word "podcast" is a portmanteau of "broadcast" and the name of which device?
    • iPhone
    • iPod
    • Walkman
    • Zune
    Answer: iPod
    The term was coined in 2004 by combining the words 'iPod' and 'broadcast'.
19. Which of these terms describes a situation in which several processes block each other without making any progress?
    • Deadlock
    • Fork Bomb
    • Starvation
    • Race Condition
    Answer: Deadlock
20. What key feature distinguishes a modern "smart grid" from a traditional electrical grid?
    • Two-way communication and data flow
    • Exclusive use of renewable energy
    • Complete removal of physical wires
    • Direct current (DC) transmission
    Answer: Two-way communication and data flow
    Unlike older grids that only send power one way, smart grids use two-way communication to monitor and manage electricity flow efficiently.
21. What animal is Mitu, the official mascot of the technology company Xiaomi?
    • White rabbit
    • Red panda
    • Golden monkey
    • Blue bird
    Answer: White rabbit
    Xiaomi's mascot is Mitu, a white rabbit character often depicted wearing a traditional Ushanka hat with a red star or the company's logo.
22. Which data formats are most commonly used to transmit data in RESTful web APIs?
    • JSON and XML
    • HTML and CSS
    • CSV and TSV
    • YAML and TOML
    Answer: JSON and XML
    RESTful APIs typically transmit their data payloads using either JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) or XML formats.
23. Where was the first major two-phase AC power plant built using Nikola Tesla's system?
    • Niagara Falls
    • Hoover Dam
    • Grand Coulee Dam
    • The Tennessee Valley
    Answer: Niagara Falls
    Based on Tesla's advice, Westinghouse Electric built a massive two-phase AC generating system at Niagara Falls.
24. In online gaming communities, what common term is used to describe network latency?
    • Glitch
    • Bug
    • Lag
    • Ping
    Answer: Lag
    Lag is the popular term used by gamers to describe the noticeable delay between an input and the game's visual or auditory response.
25. What popular SaaS revenue model offers basic features for free while charging for upgrades?
    • Shareware
    • Open-source
    • Paywall
    • Freemium
    Answer: Freemium
    The freemium model provides a free base tier of service to attract users, while reserving premium features for paying customers.
26. The popular Linux distribution Ubuntu is built upon the architecture of which other OS?
    • Fedora
    • Arch Linux
    • Debian
    • CentOS
    Answer: Debian
    Ubuntu is a Linux distribution based on Debian's architecture and infrastructure.
27. What is the name of the official wireless stylus accessory designed for the Apple iPad?
    • Apple Pen
    • Apple Pencil
    • Magic Marker
    • Smart Stylus
    Answer: Apple Pencil
    Apple's proprietary wireless stylus for the iPad is officially branded as the Apple Pencil.
28. What notorious view count freeze did YouTube finally patch in August 2015?
    • 301+
    • 999+
    • 10,000
    • 1 Million
    Answer: 301+
    For years, YouTube's system would pause a video's public view count at 301+ while it verified that the views were legitimate.
29. The Paul Allen-funded Stratolaunch aircraft holds the historical record for the largest what?
    • Payload weight
    • Wingspan
    • Passenger capacity
    • Jet engine size
    Answer: Wingspan
    The Stratolaunch aircraft, designed to carry rockets to high altitude, became the largest aircraft in history by wingspan upon its first flight.
30. How many satellites must a GPS receiver have in its line of sight to determine a location?
    • Four
    • Two
    • Six
    • Eight
    Answer: Four
    A satellite navigation device requires an unobstructed line of sight to at least four satellites to accurately determine geographic coordinates.
31. In computer science, what is a group of four bits—half of a standard byte—playfully called?
    • A crumb
    • A nibble
    • A morsel
    • A chew
    Answer: A crumb
    A four-bit quantity is often called a "nibble" (or nybble), continuing the food-based pun of a "byte" (bite).
32. In 2023, Spotify removed thousands of tracks to combat artificial streaming from what?
    • Online bots
    • Hacked smart speakers
    • Malware viruses
    • Cryptocurrency miners
    Answer: Online bots
    Spotify removed tens of thousands of songs due to 'artificial streaming', where online bots were used to artificially inflate listening statistics.
33. Which major e-commerce company was launched by Jeff Bezos in 1995?
    • Alibaba
    • Amazon
    • Shopify
    • Rakuten
    Answer: Amazon
    Jeff Bezos launched Amazon in 1995, originally starting it as an online bookstore before expanding into a global marketplace.
34. What is the name of the highly sophisticated spyware discovered in 2021 that infects smartphones?
    • Pegasus
    • Stuxnet
    • WannaCry
    • Heartbleed
    Answer: Pegasus
    Pegasus is a powerful spyware capable of infecting iOS and Android devices via zero-day exploits without user interaction.
35. Which part of a computer stores data permanently?
    • RAM
    • hard drive
    • Graphics memory
    • processor
    Answer: hard drive
36. What are directories in a computer file system more commonly known as?
    • Folders
    • Bins
    • Packets
    • Archives
    Answer: Folders
    Directories are widely referred to as folders, a metaphor used in graphical user interfaces to represent grouped files.
37. Proposed space-based solar power satellites would beam energy back to Earth using what?
    • Microwave transmitters
    • Fiber optic tethers
    • Concentrated lasers
    • Magnetic resonance
    Answer: Microwave transmitters
    Space-based solar power proposals involve large satellites with photovoltaic panels that use microwave transmitters to beam power to terrestrial receivers.
38. In XHTML, unlike older HTML, what strict rule applies to empty tags like <br>?
    • They must be closed
    • They must be uppercase
    • They require a script attribute
    • They must be completely omitted
    Answer: They must be closed
    XHTML requires all tags to be closed, meaning empty tags like <br> must be written as <br /> or closed with a regular end-tag.
39. What animal inspired the design of Boston Dynamics' commercially successful robot Spot?
    • Dog
    • Cheetah
    • Spider
    • Horse
    Answer: Dog
    Spot is a four-legged, canine-inspired robot that became Boston Dynamics' first commercially available product.
40. What term described the rate at which struggling dot-com startups spent their existing capital?
    • Burn rate
    • Churn rate
    • Bounce rate
    • Run rate
    Answer: Burn rate
    A startup's 'burn rate' measures how fast it spends its venture capital before generating positive cash flow.
41. Which experimental material uses defect-free filaments as highly elastic artificial muscles?
    • Shape memory alloys
    • Electroactive polymers
    • Carbon nanotubes
    • Pneumatic tubes
    Answer: Carbon nanotubes
    Elastic carbon nanotubes lack defects, allowing them to deform elastically and store massive amounts of energy.
42. What feature allows a network switch to provide electrical power to devices like VoIP phones?
    • Direct Attach Copper (DAC)
    • Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
    • Power over Ethernet (PoE)
    • Content-Addressable Memory
    Answer: Power over Ethernet (PoE)
    Power over Ethernet (PoE) enables a switch to supply power to connected devices, eliminating the need for separate power supplies.
43. Which major tech company acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock in November 2006?
    • Google
    • Yahoo
    • Meta
    • Apple
    Answer: Google
    Google purchased YouTube just over a year after the video-sharing platform was founded.
44. Which country launched the world's first national commercial 5G network in 2019?
    • South Korea
    • United States
    • Japan
    • China
    Answer: South Korea
    South Korea was the first country to deploy a full national commercial 5G network on April 3, 2019.
45. What two words were combined to create the technology term "pixel"?
    • Picture and Element
    • Photography and Cell
    • Phosphor and Illumination
    • Pixel and Electron
    Answer: Picture and Element
    The word pixel is a combination of "pix" (an abbreviation for pictures) and "el" (for element).
46. What are the short, one-to-four-week development cycles used in agile frameworks called?
    • Sprints
    • Marathons
    • Relays
    • Hurdles
    Answer: Sprints
    In Agile, development work is broken down into short, iterative time frames called sprints or iterations.
47. Which Nintendo console was the first to include built-in NFC technology for its Amiibo figures?
    • Wii U
    • Nintendo Switch
    • GameCube
    • Nintendo 64
    Answer: Wii U
    The Wii U GamePad was the first Nintendo console controller to include built-in NFC technology for scanning Amiibo figures.
48. Why did Apple sue Microsoft over the release of Windows 2.03 in 1987?
    • It included a computer mouse
    • It used overlapping windows
    • It had a trash can icon
    • It used a graphical desktop
    Answer: It used overlapping windows
    Windows 2.03 changed its interface from tiled windows to overlapping windows, prompting Apple to file a copyright infringement lawsuit.
49. How do scammers primarily use audio deepfake technology in modern financial fraud?
    • Generating fake cryptocurrency
    • Overloading bank phone networks
    • Decrypting secure passwords
    • Cloning voices of trusted individuals
    Answer: Cloning voices of trusted individuals
    Scammers use audio deepfakes to clone the voices of executives or relatives, tricking victims into transferring money or giving up sensitive information.
50. Why do mRNA vaccines lack the ability to alter a vaccinated person's genomic DNA?
    • They are made of synthetic plastic
    • The body rejects foreign DNA
    • They lack a carbon backbone
    • They never enter the cell nucleus
    Answer: They never enter the cell nucleus
    mRNA fragments are translated in the cytoplasm and never enter the cell nucleus, where the body's genomic DNA is stored.