Can You Answer These Common Sense Questions?

By: Jonnathan Chadwick
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Answer These Common Sense Questions?
Image: alvarez / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Even more important than book smarts, street smarts, empathy or wisdom is common sense. It's not taught in schools and nobody goes professional in common sense, but it's the most important branch of knowledge in the universe. It'll help keep you dry when everything is wet and warm when everything is cold. It'll stop you from eating dirt or playing with lava. It's the reason you don't put your hand on a hot stove or park in handicap parking spots. It's the reason you don't visit the express lane with two carts full of groceries or strike up a random conversation with a person wearing headphones. It is most likely the reason you are still alive right now. 

The next time you decide to eat a bowl of soup with a spoon instead of a fork, thank your common sense training. The next time your friend hands you their phone to look at a picture and you look at one picture instead of swiping through as many as possible, thank your common sense. The next time you decide to wash your hands after using the bathroom, or cover your mouth when sneezing, or chew with your mouth closed, or decide not to rest your feet on the subway seat next to you, thank your common sense. 

If you don't have any common sense, you wouldn't have made it this far in life, but it never hurts to brush up on your skills. How much common sense do you have? Put your skills to the test and answer these common sense questions.

What happened four score and seven years before Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address?
The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.
The colony of Jamestown was established.
America won the American Revolution.
America declared its independence.
When the old fish saw the young fish and said, "How's the water," what did the young fish say?
It's warm.
It's beautiful.
It's cold.
What is water?
What is the name of the Nigerian prince who locates his long-lost relatives via email and sends them riches?
Prince Otumfuo Osei Tutu II
King Mswati III
He doesn't exist.
King Mohammed VI

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At what angle should your toothbrush bristles hit your gumline when brushing your teeth?
45 degrees
90 degrees
180 degrees
10 degrees
What should you do if you are on fire?
Run full sprint until the wind blows out the flames
Do jumping jacks
Stop, drop and roll
Run to the nearest body of water and jump in
The planet is more digitally connected than ever before. What does WWW stand for?
World Wound Web
World Wide Wisdom
Wicked Wicked Weird
World Wide Web

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In which of these countries do people drive on the right side of the road?
Australia
Japan
America
India
In America, where is the first place you should look before crossing the street?
Right
Left
Forward
Backward
There are 12 months in a year and 100 years in a century. How many months are in a century?
1,200
100
50
12,000

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What does HTML stand for?
Harnessed Titanium Metal Load
Hypertext Markup Language
High Tech Mission Land
Hotmail
Which of these things should you not do when walking down a busy sidewalk?
Walk forward
Pay attention to others
Abruptly stop and stand still
Cautiously round corners
What should you do if you get a text while driving?
Check it and call back
Check it and text back
Check it
Nothing

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There are thousands of languages on Earth, but what is the official language of the United States?
Latin
English
There isn't one.
Spanish
What does the Roman numeral V stand for?
20
10
1
5
A car with automatic transmission has an acceleration and brake pedal. A car with manual transmission has a third pedal that controls what?
The brake lights
The car's clutch
The windshield wipers
The trunk

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If you average 60 mph for two hours, how far will you travel?
100 miles
120 miles
180 miles
50 miles
Football is the most popular sport in the United States. How long does a regulation NFL game last?
30 minutes
2 hours
45 minutes
1 hour
What does CPR stand for?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Crisis prevention response
Critical position reception
Crime police radio

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Which of these items will not keep you dry in the rain?
Umbrella
Poncho
Compass
Raincoat
The phrase "PIN number" is redundant because PIN stands for what?
Popsicle issue number
Prison inmate number
Personal identification number
Patent identifying number
What is the most effective way to end an argument?
Find common ground
Yell as loudly as possible
Start crying
Prove your point with a perfect example

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The world is filled with cars, gadgets, computers and more. Which of these sources of energy is cleanest?
Gas power
Chemical energy
Solar power
Coal power
When waiting for a subway car or elevator, what should you do when it arrives and the doors open?
Wait for everyone to exit before entering
Slither forward while people are exiting
Link arms with the two nearest people and rush forward
Enter before anyone has a chance to exit
The United States of America recognizes 10 federal holidays. What holiday precedes Black Friday?
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Valentine's Day
New Year's Eve

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At what time of the day is the sun at its highest point?
Noon
Sunset
Sunrise
Midnight
What does NYSE stand for?
New York Stock Exchange
New York Symphony Electric
Ninety-Year Solution Economy
Next Year's Standard Exception
What's the best thing to do if your car starts sliding on the snow?
Smash the brakes
Pull the emergency brake
Floor the accelerator
Turn the wheel and gently tap the accelerator

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There are 118 elements listed on the periodic table. What is water made of?
Carbon and helium
Carbon and nitrogen
Hydrogen and oxygen
Nitrogen and oxygen
How do you purify water?
Boil it.
Shake it in a bottle.
Mix it with dirt.
Put it in a bottle and bury it for seven hours.
What should you do if you receive a suspicious email in your inbox?
Investigate by opening it and clicking all the links
Delete it
Smash your computer
Report it to the CIA

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How much money does 100 quarters equal?
$150
$25
$15
$250
What should you do if you feel a sneeze coming on while you're in public?
Cover your mouth with your hand.
Turn your head and sneeze away from everyone.
Cover your mouth with your elbow pit.
Tilt your head backward and sneeze straight up.
The amount of time between lightning and thunder will tell you what about a storm?
What type of storm it is
Where it is going next
How big it is
How far away it is

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What does DNA stand for?
Dinoacidic
Dual-nexus acids
Doublehelix nucleic acid
Deoxyribonucleic acid
How many of each animal did Moses take on his ark?
2
0
4
The story doesn't say