Office Trivia Questions and Answers
These office trivia questions and answers are made for team meetings, virtual happy hours, onboarding sessions and end-of-week socials. Nothing here touches politics, pay or anyone’s job, so your office trivia stays friendly for the whole team.
There are 32 questions in four rounds of eight: office inventions, workplace words and acronyms, tech and science at work, and a general knowledge break. Each round runs from easy to hard, so newer colleagues can join in early and the quiz fans get their moment later. About half the questions are multiple choice, and every answer has a fun fact to read out. That is what turns office trivia into a good team-building activity.
Read the questions out in a meeting, or press Host this quiz live and run the office trivia on phones with a shared screen.
Host these 32 Office trivia questions and answers as a live game
Players join from their phones with a QR code, no app. Scoring and the leaderboard are automatic. Free for up to 5 teams.
Inventions Around the Office
1.Around AD 105, the court official Cai Lun is traditionally credited with inventing paper in which country?
- AEgypt
- BChina
- CGreece
- DIndia
Show answer
Answer: China
Ancient Egyptians wrote on papyrus, which looks like paper but is made a different way. The English word "paper" comes from "papyrus."
2.Which brand of clear sticky tape did 3M engineer Richard Drew develop in 1930?
Show answer
Answer: Scotch Tape
The tape was made with cellophane. Drew had been testing a masking tape for car painters a few years earlier, and the brand name dates from that work.
3.Which office-building essential did Elisha Otis make safer with a brake that catches the cab if the cable snaps?
- AElevator
- BEscalator
- CRevolving door
- DFire escape
Show answer
Answer: Elevator
Otis showed off his safety elevator in a dramatic public demonstration at the New York Crystal Palace in 1854.
4.The first prototype of the computer mouse, built at the Stanford Research Institute in the 1960s, had a casing made from which material?
- AMetal
- BPlastic
- CWood
- DGlass
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5.Before phones stored our contacts, many desks held which rotating card file, first sold in 1958?
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6.In 1979, which pioneering program for the Apple II became the first spreadsheet for personal computers?
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Answer: VisiCalc
Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston built it in about two months, and its success helped push personal computers into the business world.
7.Which Scottish inventor patented an early fax-type "electric printing telegraph" in 1843, decades before the telephone?
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Answer: Alexander Bain
The first commercial fax service came in 1865, about eleven years before the telephone was invented.
8.Which US city's Home Insurance Building, finished in 1885, is often cited as the world's first skyscraper?
- ANew York
- BPhiladelphia
- CBoston
- DChicago
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Workplace Words & Acronyms
9.In an email, what did "CC" originally stand for?
- ACarbon copy
- BClient contact
- CCross check
- DClose call
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Answer: Carbon copy
The term dates from typed letters, when duplicates were made with carbon paper and the writer listed who received them.
10.What do the letters ETA stand for in a delivery update?
Show answer
Answer: Estimated time of arrival
Its counterpart, ETD, stands for estimated time of departure.
11.In business, what does "ROI" stand for?
- ARate of interest
- BRisk of insolvency
- CReturn on investment
- DReview of income
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Answer: Return on investment
One common way to work it out is gain from the investment minus its cost, divided by its cost.
12.In business jargon, what does "B2B" stand for?
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Answer: Business to business
Its sibling, B2C, means business to consumer, where a company sells directly to the general public.
13.What do the letters KPI stand for on a team dashboard?
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Answer: Key performance indicator
KPIs are used to judge how well an organisation, project, or activity is meeting its goals.
14.The English word "boss" was borrowed from "baas," meaning master. Which language did it come from?
- AGerman
- BDutch
- CFrench
- DSpanish
Show answer
Answer: Dutch
American English picked it up from the Dutch colonies of North America, and it is first recorded as "boss" in 1806.
15.The word "company" traces back to Latin roots meaning "with" and which everyday food?
Show answer
16.Parkinson's law says that work expands to fill what?
Show answer
Answer: The time available
C. Northcote Parkinson first published it as a satirical essay in The Economist on 19 November 1955.
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Tech, Science & Sound at Work
17.How many bits make up a byte on most modern computers?
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Answer: 8
Werner Buchholz is credited with coining the word in 1956 at IBM, spelling it with a "y" so it would not be mistaken for "bit."
18.Which two digits does binary code use to represent everything?
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Answer: 0 and 1
Binary suits computers because digital circuits can work with just two states using simple logic gates.
19.Which unit, named partly in honour of Alexander Graham Bell, is commonly used to measure how loud a sound is?
- AHertz
- BWatt
- CLumen
- DDecibel
Show answer
20.Which stimulant found in coffee beans and tea leaves powers many a morning meeting?
- ANicotine
- BCaffeine
- CSucrose
- DMelatonin
Show answer
21.What word for designing workspaces to fit the people using them comes from the Greek word "ergon," meaning work?
Show answer
Answer: Ergonomics
Polish scientist Wojciech Jastrzębowski brought the word into modern use in an essay published in 1857.
22.Vincent Connare designed which casual, handwriting-style typeface in 1994?
- AComic Sans
- BTimes New Roman
- CImpact
- DVerdana
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Answer: Comic Sans
Connare thought Times New Roman looked too formal in the speech bubbles of Microsoft Bob, but he finished his font too late to be included.
23.Willis Carrier's 1902 system for a Brooklyn printing company, built to stop humid summer air from warping paper, launched which comfort technology?
Show answer
Answer: Air conditioning
Humidity made the paper swell and shrink between colour passes through the press, which threw the printing out of alignment.
24.In June 1974, a supermarket in Troy, Ohio, scanned the first barcoded item in a commercial sale. What kind of product was it?
- AToothpaste
- BSoup
- CChewing gum
- DRazor blades
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Teamwork & Trivia Break
25.How many players from one basketball team are on the court at the same time?
- A4
- B5
- C6
- D7
Show answer
Answer: 5
The first goals were peach baskets nailed to an elevated track when James Naismith invented the game in 1891.
26.In a relay race, what object do runners pass from one teammate to the next?
Show answer
Answer: Baton
The hand-off has to happen while both runners are moving inside a marked exchange zone.
27.At what temperature in degrees Celsius does water freeze under standard pressure?
- A0
- B4
- C10
- D32
Show answer
Answer: 0
When Anders Celsius proposed his scale in 1742, it was upside down, with 0 for boiling water and 100 for freezing.
28.Which is the largest of Earth's oceans?
Show answer
Answer: Pacific Ocean
It covers about a third of the planet’s surface, and Ferdinand Magellan named it the "peaceful sea."
29.What is the longest bone in the human body?
- ATibia
- BHumerus
- CFibula
- DFemur
Show answer
30.Which continent is the second largest by area, after Asia?
- ANorth America
- BAntarctica
- CAfrica
- DSouth America
Show answer
31.Which rope-pulling team contest was part of the Summer Olympics from 1900 to 1920?
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32.Which human-made structure is often wrongly said to be visible to the naked eye from the Moon?
Show answer
Answer: Great Wall of China
The myth is older than spaceflight: in 1754 an English antiquary wrote that the wall could be seen from the Moon.
How to host an office trivia night at work
Choose your office trivia question set
Open this office trivia in the editor with the Host this quiz live button. Keep all four rounds or pick one or two, and edit any question so the office trivia fits your team.
Open a room for your office trivia
Start the room and share your screen, or use a big display in the meeting room. Each office trivia room has its own QR code and link, and you control the pace.
Colleagues join on their phones
Players scan the QR code or open the link in a browser on their phones. There is no app and no sign-up, so office trivia can start as soon as everyone has joined.
Present one question at a time
Use presenter mode to show each question, then press the space bar to move on. Teams answer on their phones or buzz in, which keeps office trivia quick in a busy meeting.
Let scoring run itself
Scoring is automatic and the leaderboard updates after every question. The free plan covers up to 5 teams for an office trivia session, and Pro covers up to 300 teams per room.
Run this office trivia night on phones and a big screen
Players join from their phones with a QR code, no app. Scoring and the leaderboard are automatic. Free for up to 5 teams.
Office trivia for team meetings, remote teams and socials
Team meetings and onboarding
Open a meeting with one round of office trivia. Eight questions take about ten minutes and get new joiners talking. Mix people from different teams and keep the difficulty easy for onboarding sessions, so nobody feels tested.
Remote and hybrid teams
Office trivia works well on a video call because everyone answers on their own phone. Share the screen, use teams of three or four, and pick the tech and science round for a good mid-call boost.
Socials and team-building events
For a Friday social, play the full set of office trivia, about an hour. Split the group into mixed teams, add a small prize, and finish with the general knowledge break so everyone can score.
Office trivia team names
A funny name sets the mood for any office trivia session. These workplace-safe office trivia team names are clean and original, so they suit team meetings and socials. Choose one as it is or twist it to fit your department.
- Quiz Whizzes Out of Office
- The Reply-All Gang
- Meeting Could Have Been an Email
- Trivia Tornado
- Ctrl+Alt+Defeat
- The Coffee Machine Crew
- Spreadsheet Smarties
- Mute Yourself
- Circle Back to the Answer
- The Sticky Notes
- Brainstorm Troopers
- Fact Checkers Anonymous
- Coffee Then Answers
- The Wi-Fi Warriors
- Out of Office but In to Win
Frequently asked questions
What are good office trivia questions for work?
Good office trivia questions are friendly, quick to answer and unrelated to anyone’s job performance. Everyday office inventions, workplace words and general knowledge work well because every colleague has a fair chance.
Where can I find free office trivia questions with answers?
You can use the 32 free office trivia questions on this page. Each answer comes with a fun fact and a source link, and you can print the page or host it live for free with up to 5 teams.
How do you run office trivia at work?
Split people into small mixed teams, show one question at a time, and reveal answers after each round. To host office trivia live, open a room, share your screen, and let colleagues answer on their phones.
How long should an office trivia game last?
Thirty to forty-five minutes suits most office trivia events. This set has four rounds of eight questions, so you can play one round in about ten minutes or use all four for a longer social.
How many questions should office trivia have?
For a meeting, 8 to 10 questions is plenty. For a full team social, 30 or more questions work well. This office trivia set has 32 questions, so you can split it however your schedule allows.
What are the best office trivia categories?
The best office trivia categories are ones nobody needs a specialist job for: office inventions, workplace words, general science and technology, and everyday knowledge. This office trivia uses all four as its rounds.
Can I play office trivia online with a remote team?
Yes. Share the screen on your video call and have everyone join the office trivia from their own phones. Players need no app and no sign-up, and scoring is automatic, which suits remote and hybrid teams.
What are some funny office trivia team names?
Try names such as The Reply-All Gang, Mute Yourself or The Coffee Machine Crew. Keep office trivia team names light and workplace-safe, and avoid jokes about real colleagues. See the full list above.
How many teams can join an office trivia game?
Aim for teams of three or four people. On TriviaBeam, one office trivia room supports up to 5 teams on the free plan and up to 300 teams on Pro, which is enough for a whole company.
Can I print these office trivia questions?
Yes. You can print this page from your browser and use the questions on paper in a meeting room. Answers and fun facts are on the page, so the host can read out office trivia without a screen.
Is office trivia good for team building?
Yes, when teams are mixed across departments. Office trivia gets people talking outside their usual groups and gives everyone an equal chance to contribute, which is why it works well for team building.
What are good prizes for office trivia?
Small, low-cost prizes work best: a coffee voucher, a long lunch or bragging rights with a trophy that moves between winners. Keep the office trivia prize light so the focus stays on the fun.
TriviaBeam is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the organizations, teams, studios or brands these questions mention. Names are used only to describe the subject of each question. Every answer links to the source we checked.
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