2026 Seniors Social - June 2nd

The Trap Door

100

A man rides into town on Friday, stays three days, and leaves on Friday. How is this possible?

a) He made a mistake

b) It’s a short trip

c) His Horse is called Friday

d) He had his dates mixed up 

c) Friday is the name of his horse

200

A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 run away. How many sheep are left?

a) 8

b) 9

c) 17

d) 26

 b) 9- “All but 9” means 9 stayed. 

300

If a rooster lays an egg on the very peak of a slanted roof, which side does the egg roll down?

a) The North side

b) The South side

c) It stays at the top 

d) Roosters don’t lay eggs on roofs

d) Roosters don’t lay eggs (Only hens do!)

400

A one-story greenhouse is made entirely of red glass. The walls are red, the floor is red, and the ceiling is red. What color are the stairs?

a) Crystal Clear 

b) Green

c) Red

d) What stairs?

d) There are no stairs (It’s a one-story green house!)

500

You walk into a freezing room with only one match. In the room, there is a wood stove, a kerosene lamp, and a candle. Which do you light first?

a) The candle

b) The stove

c) The match

d) The lamp

c) The match (You can't light anything else without lighting the match first!)

600

A bus driver goes the wrong way down a one‑way street, passes a police officer, and nothing happens. Why?

a) The officer was going the wrong way 

b) The officer was outside of their legal jurisdiction. 

c) The driver was walking

d) The bus was moving backwards

c) The driver was walking

General Knowledge

100

Why do many traditional houses in hot climates have white or light‑coloured walls?

a) Decoration

b) Cultural tradition

c) To reflect heat and stay cooler

d) To prevent damage

c) To reflect heat and stay cooler - White and light-coloured surfaces reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than darker colours. This helps keep the walls and the interior of the house cooler, which is especially useful in hot climates. 

200

Which animal can sleep standing up?

a) Dog
b) Horse
c) Cat
d) Rabbit

b) Horse- Horses can lock their legs and sleep while standing.

300

What color is cobalt in its natural metallic form?

a) Red
b) Blue
c) Silver-gray
d) Black

 

c) Silver-gray - Despite giving its name to cobalt blue, the metal itself is silver-gray.

400

Why do flamingos turn pink? 

a) Sunlight
b) Age
c) Their diet
d) Saltwater

c) Their diet- Pigments from shrimp and algae give flamingos their pink color. 

500

If the Sun suddenly disappeared, how long would it take Earth to notice?

a) Immediately 

b) About 1 minute

c) About 8 minutes

d) About 24 hours

c) About 8 minutes - Light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth. If the Sun vanished, we'd continue seeing it for roughly 8 minutes before darkness arrived. 

600

A traveler flies from Toronto to Tokyo and finds themselves wide awake at 3 a.m. local time despite feeling tired all day. What best explains this?

a) Their sleep cycle is still aligned with their original time zone

b) Their body is adjusting to a different climate

c) Their metabolism is responding to unfamiliar foods

d) Their immune system is reacting to travel stress

a) Their sleep cycle is still aligned with their original time zone - Their body clock is still operating on Toronto time, causing them to feel awake and tired at the wrong hours in Tokyo. This mismatch is known as jet lag.

Around the World

100

Why do many European countries use the 24‑hour clock instead of AM/PM?

a) Easier for children

b) Military influence and clarity

c) Faster communication

d) Tradition only

b) Military influence and clarity - It avoids confusion between morning and evening times.

 

200

Which country has the world's largest population of wild camels?

a) Mongolia

b) Saudi Arabia

c) Australia

d) Egypt

c) Australia- Australia has over a million feral camels, descendants of animals imported in the 1800s. 

300

What is the only continent with no permanent native human population?

a) Australia
b) South America
c) Antarctica
d) Greenland

c) Antarctica- Scientists and support staff live there temporarily, but Antarctica has no permanent native population. 

400

Why are the Netherlands called the "Netherlands"?

a) Names after a king
b) Means "land below sea level"
c) Named after a river
d) Means "new lands"

b) Means "land below sea level"- "Netherlands" means "low countries." Large areas sit at or below sea level. 

500

Why have some cultures traditionally used surnames that indicate family lineage, such as "son of" or "daughter of"?

a) To simplify record-keeping

b) To identify ancestry and family relationships

c) To follow religious requirements

d) To match the local writing system

b) To identify ancestry and family relationships - Lineage-based surnames helped show a person's family connections and ancestry, making it easier to identify relationships within a community.  

600

A country's total number of official public holidays is most often shaped by which combination of factors?

a) Economic output, land area, and population growth

b) Climate, natural resources, and trade agreements

c) Cultural heritage, religious practices, and historical milestones

d) Urbanization, education levels, and transportation networks

c) Cultural heritage, religious practices, and historical milestones

World Food, Cooking & Culinary Traditions

100

Why are eggs commonly used in baking recipes?

a) To add colour

b) To hold ingredients together

c) To reduce sweetness

d) To extend shelf life

b) To hold ingredients together - Eggs are the ultimate multi-taskers in baking, acting primarily as a binder. As the egg proteins cook, they coagulate and form a structural grid that traps moisture and holds all the flour, sugar, and fat together.

200

Why do many traditional soups and broths simmer slowly for long periods?

a) To pasteurize the liquid and eliminate foodborne pathogens.

b) To break down complex proteins and extract deep flavors.

c) To allow fat to fully emulsify into the water molecules.

d) To speed up the reduction and concentration of the liquid.

b) To break down complex proteins and extract deep flavors - Long, low simmering is required to chemically transform tough collagen (a complex protein) into smooth gelatin, while trapping delicate flavor compounds inside the pot.

300

Why do some cheeses develop strong smells during aging?

a) Heat exposure

b) Salt content

c) Bacteria activity

d) Air drying

c) Bacteria activity - During aging, specific molds, yeasts, and bacteria break down the cheese's proteins and fats into pungent compounds like sulfur, ammonia, and fatty acids. This creates powerful aromas.

400

Why is fermentation often used in making bread, cheese, and beverages?

a) To reduce cost of cooking separately 

b) To create gas, flavour, and transformation

c) To thicken food and add texture

d) To add colour

 b) To create gas, flavour, and transformation - Science-backed: yeast/bacteria produce gas (CO₂), acids, and flavor compounds.

500

Why do nearly all cultures develop some form of dumpling (filled dough)?

a) An easy to cook meal 

b) Ingredient availability and usage 

c) Efficient way to combine and stretch food

d) Cultural copying of certain dishes 

c) Efficient way to combine and stretch food - Dumplings are the ultimate survival food. Wrapping small, leftover scraps of meat or vegetables in a cheap, filling dough allowed cultures to stretch scarce resources and feed more people.

600

Why is butter often clarified (made into ghee) in some cuisines?

a) To make it sweeter

b) To improve colour and texture

c) To cool it faster

d) To remove milk solids

 

d) To remove milk solids - Clarifying butter involves melting it to separate the water and milk solids from the pure butterfat. Scraping away those milk solids removes the sugars (lactose) and proteins (casein), leaving behind pure fat (ghee). 

Potpourri (Fun Mix)

100

What goes up but never, ever comes back down?

a) A hot air balloon

b) Your age

c) Inflation

d) A kite

200

What is full of holes but can still hold a tremendous amount of water?

a) A colander

b) A net

c) A sponge 

d) Swiss cheese

c) A sponge 

300

I run from my source to my destination. I have banks but no vaults, and currents but no electricity. What am I?

a) A river ✅
b) A power line
c) A blood vessel
d) A racetrack

a) A river

400

What is easy to get into, but incredibly hard to get out of?

a) A bathtub

b) Trouble (Correct)

c) A sleeping bag

d) A library card catalog

b) Trouble 

500

I can be carried by a child, but even the strongest person alive can only keep me for a few minutes before letting me go. What am I?

a) A promise

b) Your breath

c) A shadow

d) A memory  

b) Your breath 

600

I am a word of five letters. If you take away my first letter, I sound exactly the same. If you take away my first two letters, I still sound exactly the same. Even if you take away my first four letters, I continue to sound exactly the same. What word am I?

a) Empty

b) Queue (Correct - Q, uewe, ewe, we, e all sound like "Q")

c) Llama

d) Aisle

b) Queue - Q, uewe, ewe, we, e all sound like "Q")