Entertaining Yourself in the 2010s Quiz

Answer: Game of Thrones

What else? "Game of Thrones" was based on the bestselling series of novels, "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R. R. Martin. It premiered on HBO on 17 April 2011. The television series revolves around a bunch of rival noble houses of Westeros as they scheme, battle, and generally make spectacularly bad decisions in pursuit of the Iron Throne.

Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea in Essos, Daenerys Targaryen starts her own quest to reclaim the throne her family lost years ago. The show boasted political intrigue, betrayals, lots of creepy incest between adult siblings, zombies, and (eventually) dragons. It went on to become one of the biggest television shows of the 2010s. After the show's end, its world lived on with HBO's "House of the Dragon", a prequel about the Targaryen dynasty.

Answer: Minecraft

"Minecraft" had its beginnings as an independent project by the Swedish programmer known as Markus Persson in 2009. However, with the full version released on 18 November 2011, things really took off. It's wonderfully simple: explore a world made entirely of blocks, collect resources, craft tools, build just about anything you can imagine, and try not to get eaten by monsters after sunset.

It's just like real life.

Answer: Shanghai Disneyland

On June 16, 2016, Shanghai Disneyland (part of Shanghai Disney Resort) opened its gates in Pudong, Shanghai, making it the first Disney theme park on mainland China, and the world has been a better place ever since. The park blends the usual cast of Disney characters and attractions with elements of Chinese culture.

Its centerpiece is the Enchanted Storybook Castle, the largest and tallest castle in any Disney theme park.

Answer: Avengers: Endgame

"Avengers: Endgame" picks up after Thanos uses the six Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe, which was kind of a downer. The surviving Avengers simply must find a way to undo this horrifying event and bring back their loved ones! I hope they succeed!

The 2019 movie brings together characters and storylines from every nook of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a big climax that had been building for over a decade and a total of 22 interconnected films. So no pressure on directors Anthony and Joe Russo. Luckily for them, it did pretty well at the box office, briefly overtaking "Avatar" as the highest-grossing film of all time.

Answer: Gangnam Style

It's not every day you see a Korean rapper in sunglasses, a dark suit, and an untied bowtie dancing around like a kid pretending to ride a horse. Unless you lived in 2012 when Psy's "Gangnam Style" became the biggest hit on the planet. It was ridiculous, it was catchy, and it became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views.

The song is poking fun at the oh-so-fashionable residents of Gangnam, a ritzy area of Seoul in South Korea. In so doing, it also helped introduce the K-pop thing to a much larger international audience, showing the world that a song didn't need to be in English to become a huge hit.

Answer: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

The Ice Bucket Challenge was ridiculous and very, very cold, but it was for a good cause. The viral sensation was all about charitable fundraising for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive damage to the nerve cells in charge of controlling voluntary muscles. As the motor neurons stop functioning, people gradually lose the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe independently.

The challenge itself involved people pouring buckets of ice water over their heads in new and creative ways, while donating to ALS research and challenging their friends to take part. It was a rare internet trend where people were acting dumb for a really good cause.

Although, in fairness, the Tide Pod Challenge did raise awareness of the dangers of eating soap.

Answer: Divergent

In "Divergent", Veronica Roth's dystopian version of Chicago is divided into five factions, each devoted to a particular virtue: Abnegation (selflessness), Amity (peacefulness), Candor (honesty), Dauntless (bravery), and Erudite (intelligence). Beatrice Prior discovers in her aptitude tests that she does not fit into one of those categories, making her Divergent. Apparently nobody thought of having a sixth category called Other.

It was the first novel in Roth's bestselling trilogy, followed by "Insurgent" (2012) and "Allegiant" (2013).

Answer: Orange Is the New Black

"Orange is the New Black" was based on a memoir by Piper Kerman published in 2010. The comedy-drama revolves around the naïve Piper Chapman, played beautifully by Taylor Schilling. She's just your typical well-off New Yorker, whose past involvement in transporting drug money finally catches up to her a decade later. Now, her comfortable life with her fiancé is replaced with prison uniforms, difficult cellmates, and a deep dive into institutional politics.

Answer: Hatchimals

Hatchimals were the surprise toy craze of 2016. They combined the excitement of an unboxing video with the suspense of waiting for an egg to hatch. The toy was made by Spin Master and required children to nurture the egg by rubbing, tapping, and holding it. Eventually, the creature would peck its way through the shell, revealing which Hatchimal had been hiding inside the whole time.

Demand quickly soared past supply, leaving parents to look to resale markets to please their kiddies, even if the prices were insane.

Answer: Inception

If you left the theater after watching "Inception", wondering what had just happened, you weren't alone. The movie came out in July 2010 and starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb. Cobb is a professional thief who specializes in extracting secrets from people's subconscious minds while they dream. Sounds normal so far, right?

Cobb is given an offer he can't refuse. All he has to do is plant an idea in someone's mind rather than steal one. This process, called inception, sends Cobb and his team into layer after layer of dreams within dreams, where time behaves strangely and the concept of reality gets thin. I recommend a good nap after watching it. Wait... maybe you were napping the whole time.