Grave Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mercutio

Mercutio, the funnyman of the Montagues, says this line in Act 3, Scene 1, after Tybalt stabs him. Tybalt tries to provoke Romeo into a duel, but Romeo refuses; however, Mercutio accepts the challenge, and loses the duel to Tybalt. As Mercutio is dying, he says the above line (see what Shakespeare did there?) and curses both families. Romeo then kills Tybalt in revenge and is banished from Verona.

Answer: Shinigami

If you've read the mangas 'Bleach' or 'Death Note', you'll know this one, as both feature shinigami, which literally means 'death god'. In Japanese mythology, shinigami are divine spirits that invite people towards death. They can possess people; in one story from the Edo period, a prostitute possessed by a shinigami invites a man to commit double suicide. Yama, the king of the Underworld, and Izanami, who gave humans death, are considered to be a type of shinigami in some traditions.

Answer: Death's-head hawkmoth

The death's-head hawkmoth appears on the poster for 'The Silence of the Lambs', as Buffalo Bill breeds them, and African death's-head hawkmoths were used for the film. They have a skull-like pattern on their backs and emit a loud squeaking noise when disturbed.

There are three types: the African death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos), the lesser death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia styx) and the greater death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia lachesis). The genus is named after the river Acheron, a tributary of the Styx, while Lachesis and Atropos are two of the Moirai, or Fates.

Answer: Captain Black

The characters in 'Cluedo' are Miss Scarlett, Mrs Peacock, Mrs White (a servant), Reverend (or Mr in North America) Green, Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum. In the 2023 version, Mrs Peacock was renamed Solicitor Peacock, while Mrs White became Chef White; in the 2016 version, Mrs White was replaced by Dr Orchid, whose colour was pink.

The victim is either known as Dr Black in the UK or Mr Boddy/Boddy Black Jr. in the US. (Captain Black is an antagonist from the series 'Captain Scarlet'.)

Answer: Owl

The owl is often seen as a symbol of wisdom (although ironically, they're actually not that bright), but, possibly because it is a nocturnal predator with a spooky-sounding cry, it is also seen as a symbol of death. Some examples: in Middle Eastern mythology, the demoness Lilith was able to transform into an owl.

The Kikuyu of Kenya and some Native American peoples see owls as an ill omen, with an owl hoot being an omen of death; the owl was also the symbol of the Aztec god Mictlantecuhtli, god of the Underworld.

In Greek mythology, the barn owl was also associated with the Underworld.

Answer: Kaddish

While most Jewish prayers are in Hebrew, the Kaddish is in Aramaic. It is recited throughout a prayer service, and there are several different versions, but the most well-known one is the Mourner's or Orphan's Kaddish, which is recited at funerals, memorial services, and on the Yahrzeit (death anniversary) of a dead loved one.

At my old synagogue, anyone who had a Yahrzeit that week would recite the Mourner's Kaddish at the Friday night service. Traditionally, it is recited with a minyan (a quorum of ten Jews).

Answer: They are all in debt

In 'Squid Game', participants are lured into the titular death game by a strange man who plays a game called ddakji with them for cash, which involves flipping a folded piece of paper by throwing another piece of paper at it. The man then invites people to play children's games for cash, and if they accept, they are knocked out and taken to a strange island, and forced to compete for a massive prize. All of them are in debt; protagonist Seong Gi-hun is a gambling addict who owes money to loan sharks, while other participants need money for surgery, or have invested in pyramid schemes. The more people are killed, the higher the cash prize; the sole survivor wins all the money.

Gi-hun wins his game, but decides to go back into the games so that he can take the organisers down from within. He ends up sacrificing his life to save the baby daughter of one of the dead participants, who was recruited to the game in her mother's place.

Answer: They are about the deaths of the singers' children

Both songs are about the loss of a child. Tori Amos suffered three miscarriages and wrote 'Playboy Mommy' and 'Spark' about the second, the miscarriage of a baby girl, which occurred in 1997. Both songs are on her fourth album, 'From the Choirgirl Hotel'. Eric Clapton wrote 'Tears in Heaven' after his son Conor fell to his death from a 53rd-floor window.

After a period of grieving, Clapton began songwriting again, working on the soundtrack for the 1991 film 'Rush', on which 'Tears in Heaven' appeared.

Answer: Diogo Jota

Diogo José Texeira da Silva, AKA Diogo Jota, was a Portuguese international who signed for Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020. While at Liverpool, he scored 47 goals; what turned out to be his final goal was in a Merseyside Derby against Everton. On 3rd July 2025, Jota and his brother Andre were killed in a car crash in Spain while on their way to catch a ferry, Jota having been advised not to fly. Liverpool and Portugal players attended their funeral, along with managers Arne Slot, Nuno Espírito Santo and Roberto Martínez.

Jota wore the number 20 shirt, which has since been retired by Liverpool FC.

Answer: George Michael

Although Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' finally became Christmas Number One in 2023, nearly 40 years after its initial release, George Michael was sadly not around to see it, as he had died seven years earlier. His body was found by his partner, Fadi Fawaz, in the early hours of Christmas Day. His death was later attributed to dilated cardiomyopathy, and his funeral was held in March 2017. He was buried alongside his mother and later, his sister in Highgate Cemetery.

After his death, it was revealed that Michael had made multiple anonymous donations to charity, as well as paying for a local Christmas tree in Highgate.