Ferris Bueller Trivia Questions

Answer: down the primrose path

Mr. Rooney talking to Ferris' mom: "Wake up and smell the coffee Mrs. Bueller, it's a fool's paradise, he is just leading you down the primrose path".

Answer: Stevie Wonder

This really makes Jeannie mad.

Answer: Herpes

She tells him over the intercom that she has her father's gun and a scorching case of Herpes.

Answer: Computer

Ferris's sister Jeannie was given the car while Ferris received a computer.

Answer: Cameron

'When Cameron was in Egypt's land, let my Cameron go...'

Answer: European Socialism

On the day Ferris Bueller decided to take off from school, he was scheduled to take a test on European Socialism. Interestingly, the concept of socialism in Europe has a long and complex history, dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the earliest socialist thinkers were French philosopher Henri de Saint-Simon and Welsh social reformer Robert Owen, who both advocated for collective ownership of property and an equal society. Socialism was also a prominent political ideology in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, which may have informed the inclusion of the subject matter in Ferris Bueller's school curriculum. While Ferris himself may not have had a strong interest in European Socialism, his decision to skip the test and have a day of fun instead shows his rebellious spirit and desire to live life on his own terms.

Answer: Economics Teacher

In this movie, (except for antagonist Dean Rooney - special case), adults are all portrayed as being one-dimensional, not unlike how we viewed grown-ups in the "Peanuts" cartoon strip". This is best exemplified by the school scene featuring Ferris' unnamed economics teacher, played by Ben Stein. This attendance check was played out in a deadpan monotone with the students being either bored or half asleep and it sums up exactly why Ferris does not want to be in school. (This is the only time Ferris is connected to his school - All we, the audience, see is his empty chair.)

Ben Stein was not even an actor when he took the role. Director Hughes was introduced to him through a series of acquaintances (he was a lawyer by profession and was a speechwriter for Presidents Nixon and Ford, previously). Hughes gave him the job because he "looked like a teacher". While the Bueller monologue was scripted, the lecture, equally monotonous, on the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act and supply-side economics was not. Apparently, Stein was talking to some of the cast about it off-camera and Hughes incorporated it into the script. Ben Stein said in a 2011 "Showbiz Tonight" interview, that it was the "Best day of his life".

Answer: Butcher

Ferris found out that the person he was pretending to be was the sausage king of Chicago. Ferris said that he had been making sausages since he was a wee kid.

Answer: Ben Stein

The high school economics teacher, played to boring perfection by Ben Stein, was taking roll, calling students' last names. Bueller, of course, was not present to respond. Notably, most of the students in the classroom were present only in the physical sense.

Ben Stein has an impressive and highly varied resume that even includes creation of the sit-com "Fernwood 2 Night". He told his wife that despite graduating Valedictorian from Columbia U., and with honors from Yale Law, writing a column for several prestigious publications, hosting a game show ("Win Ben Stein's Money"), and authoring over 30 books, he would probably be most remembered for uttering those words.

Lyman Ward played Ferris' father, Tom. Jeffrey Jones was well cast as Ed Rooney, and Alan Ruck was the (then) 28 year old whom director Hughes brilliantly selected to play Ferris' angst-filled best friend, Cameron Frye.

Answer: police station

She is taken to the police station because she reported an intruder at their home that the police thought was a false accusation.

Answer: Kristy Swanson

One of Kristy Swanson's most famous roles was as Buffy in the original movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1992).

Answer: The game is up

She takes a sip of her drink, then spits it in his face.

Answer: Peterson

Sloane Peterson is her full name. It is said in the scene where Rooney is talking to her father (really Cameron), Mr. Peterson.

Answer: Grace

Edie McClurg, a familiar face, played Edward Rooney's secretary, Grace.

Answer: Alan Ruck

He's so cute in this part.

Answer: Cameron Fry

In the movie, a tense scene takes place between Ferris Bueller and his best friend Cameron Fry as they discuss the latter's father and his prized car. Cameron, already agitated and anxious, then receives news that his grandmother had passed away and storms off. Later, when Ferris comes to check on him, Cameron lashes out and says, "A family member dies, and you insult me!" This line showcases Cameron's emotional turmoil and resentment towards Ferris who he feels does not take anything seriously. It also highlights Cameron's lack of control over his life, as demonstrated by his outburst. Overall, this poignant moment captures the complexity of their relationship and the underlying issues that the characters face.

Answer: In the art gallery

"How did you get to be so sweet?" Katie Bueller to her son Ferris.

Ferris' parents are more character adults portrayed as being naive or at least preoccupied with their own lives. Katie and Tom Bueller are well-to-do, suburban parents who are obsessed with their jobs. Neither recognises the deceptions pulled by their son, despite the blatant obviousness of the same right in front of them. Ferris' Mom thinks her son is so sweet she wouldn't believe he was capable of the stunts he is about to pull. Ferris' Dad is so preoccupied, he fails to notice the three friends in the same restaurant or, later, in a stationary cab alongside his own in traffic He fails to recognise, initially, Ferris and Cameron who duck, nor Ferris' girlfriend Sloane. In the same scene, the pre-occupied parent is reading a newspaper that has a "Rally Around Sick Youth" headline on the front page. It is implied that he has not noticed this story. Later, when he hears the music from the parade that goes past his office building, he rises from his desk, looks down from his office window, and begins dancing. While he might have been too high up to recognise Ferris (prominently singing on a float), if he could hear the music then he certainly could have heard Ferris's voice saying "Cameron Frye, this one's for you".

While we are pleased to be involved in the movie, with Ferris explaining via the broken fourth wall the intricacies of the movie, there is one section where the director is having fun with the audience: He makes the licence plates of Ferris' parents' cars references to his previous movies.

Katie Bueller's Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country station wagon, beige of course, has the license plate of 'VCTN' which was a reference to "National Lampoon's Vacation", (1983) directed by Harold Ramis and written by John Hughes. Tom Bueller's 1985 Audi 5000 S Turbo C3 has the plate 'MMOM' which stood for "Mr. Mom", written by Hughes.

On second viewing, there is more: Jeanie Bueller's car is a 1985 Pontiac Fiero with a plate of "TBC" which was a reference to "The Breakfast Club" (1985); Dean Rooney's boxy 1985 Plymouth Reliant K has a plate of "4FBDO", which stands for "for 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'." (Oh the irony!) but perhaps the most telling is Cameron's Dad's, 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder: it's plate is "NRVOUS".

Cathy Pickett and Lyman Ward, the two actors who played Ferris' parents, met for the first time on the set of the movie, fell in love and married after the movie launched, and had two kids. They divorced in 1992, after playing a married couple in another movie, "Sleepwalkers".

Another Fun Fact: The movie takes place in a single day, so the three friends need to wear the same clothes for the entire time they are in the car. Cameron's outfit is the one non-Chicago reference in the entire movie. He is wearing a Detroit Red Wings shirt with Gordie Howe's number nine on it (symbolic of Cameron at odds with the rest of the world?). John Hughes was a big fan of Gordie Howe and the man himself donated the shirt that Cameron proudly wore for most of the movie.

Answer: Put your head between your legs and breathe deeply.

Mr. Bueller called home to check on Ferris' welfare from the office. Ferris was in the process of messing up Ed Rooney's head on another line, so he put his dad on hold. When he came back, he begged off the call claiming to be lightheaded. This engendered some of the most misguided advice possible from Tom Bueller: "Take a hot bath. Wrap a hot towel around your head. Have some soup. Take a nap." (A hot bath and hot towel on his head would have aggravated his lightheadedness, not ameliorated it.) Apparently Hughes wanted us to know that dads aren't always the greatest sources of medical advice...

Answer: 9

While Mr. Rooney is telling his mom about his absences, Ferris breaks into the computer system and erases his absences.

Answer: The Bears

It was a tie game. Rooney asked who was winning after he had been told it was a tie game, so the guy gave an idiot answer.

Answer: Ferrari

They borrow Cameron's father's Ferrari out of the garage.

Answer: The Bears

Mr. Rooney asks what's the score. The clerk says 'nothing, nothing'. Rooney asks who is winning, and the clerk responds 'the Bears'.