Trivia Questions & Answers for Party Games

If you're hosting a dinner party, it's smart to plan a few games to avoid an uncomfortable lull in conversation. Having a set of trivia questions and answers prepared is handy. You can use them for a competitive game or just to get guests talking. The best part about coming up with your own trivia questions is that since you know your guests, you'll be able to choose a topic they'll be excited about.

If you've got a group of guests who are very close and think they know everything about one another, personal trivia can be fun and revealing. Create five to 10 note cards per guest (including yourself), each with a personal question such as "What is his greatest fear?" or "How old was she when she had her first kiss?" These can be generically addressed, or (if you really know your guests) you can make a specific set of notecards for each guest with their own questions. You may need to call your guests ahead of time to get the correct answers for the backs of their notecards, or ask guests to write the answers on their cards prior to the game.

Choose a genre of movies your friends all enjoy, such as comedy or horror. You can write questions about actors, such as "Who starred opposite Julie Roberts in Notting Hill?" ("Hugh Grant"). Or present questions about the plot, such as "What horror movie featured a monster that destroyed the Statue of Liberty?" ("Cloverfield").

If your guests share an interest in television shows, try watching a few reruns and coming up with questions on episodes they may have forgotten. For example, fans of the show "Friends" could have a go at questions such as "Who came up with the name Ben for Ross's son?" ("Phoebe"), while those who like "Lost" can try "Who visits Hurley at the mental institute?" ("Jack").

Keep your questions narrowed down to the genres of music your friends most enjoy; you can even play some of the albums in question in the background. Try questions about top hits, such as "What Michael Jackson tune immediately hit number one on the Billboard chart?" ("You Are Not Alone"), or info about music videos, such as "What actor was in Paula Abdul's video for Rush, Rush?" ("Keanu Reeves").

If you have a group of guests who are relatively close in age, choose your decade trivia based on the decade they were in high school to make them think back. Questions can be political, such as "When did the Vietnam War end?" ("1973"), or entertainment-based, such as "Who was the top-grossing musical artist of the 70s?" ("Elton John").