Q20 · THE QUIZ POST
The Daily Quiz — 17 August 2026
Play the The Quiz Post quiz for 17 August 2026: 20 free general-knowledge questions covering Science, Arts, Current Affairs and Geography, with explanations and crowd results.
About this edition
This 20-question The Quiz Post edition was published for 17 August 2026. Answer all four-option questions to reveal sourced explanations and see how other players answered.
Topics in this edition include Science, Arts, Current Affairs and Geography.
Questions and sourced explanations
This archive edition remains playable. The notes below contain spoilers and provide the question text, explanatory context and source used for each item.
Read this edition’s question notes (spoilers)
Science · Easy
1. Which vitamin can the human body produce in the skin with sufficient sunlight exposure?
Ultraviolet B radiation can trigger vitamin D production in the skin.
Geography · Easy
2. The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic Ocean with which other ocean?
The Panama Canal provides a shipping route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
UK · Easy
3. The Wimbledon tennis championships are held in which city?
Wimbledon is held at the All England Club in south-west London.
Science · Easy
4. What do we call molten rock after it reaches Earth's surface?
Molten rock below the surface is magma; once it erupts onto the surface it is called lava.
Literature · Medium
5. Who wrote Brave New World?
Aldous Huxley published the dystopian novel Brave New World in 1932.
Current Affairs · Medium
6. Which A Level subject had a record number of students receiving results in August 2026?
The Department for Education reported the highest-ever number of A Level maths students receiving results.
Source: Number of T Level pupils hits record high as maths A Levels rise - GOV.UK
Geography · Medium
7. Bodiam Castle, known for its surrounding moat, is in which English county?
Bodiam Castle stands in East Sussex near the Kent border.
Science · Medium
8. Which gas is commonly used instead of hydrogen in party balloons because it is non-flammable?
Helium is lighter than air and non-flammable, making it safer than hydrogen for balloons.
Arts · Medium
9. The Prado Museum is located in which city?
The Museo del Prado is one of Madrid's major art museums.
Film & TV · Medium
10. Which actor played FBI trainee Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs?
Jodie Foster played Clarice Starling opposite Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.
Music · Medium
11. Which British band recorded Waterloo Sunset?
Waterloo Sunset is a 1967 single by the Kinks.
Science · Medium
12. Which organ produces bile?
The liver produces bile; the gallbladder stores and concentrates it.
History · Hard
13. Who wrote Critique of Pure Reason?
Immanuel Kant published Critique of Pure Reason in 1781.
Science · Hard
14. Enceladus, an icy moon with plumes erupting from its south polar region, orbits which planet?
Enceladus is a moon of Saturn; its plumes provide evidence for a subsurface ocean.
Current Affairs · Hard
15. With T Level results released on 13 August 2026, which element normally requires at least 315 hours?
T Levels combine technical study with a substantial industry placement, normally around 45 days.
Source: Release home - Provisional T Level results - Explore education statistics - GOV.
Arts · Hard
16. Who painted The Ambassadors, famous for its distorted skull?
Hans Holbein the Younger painted The Ambassadors in 1533; its anamorphic skull is visible correctly from an oblique angle.
Literature · Hard
17. Who wrote To the Lighthouse?
Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse was first published in 1927.
Science · Hard
18. Which element has atomic number 74?
Tungsten, chemical symbol W, has atomic number 74.
History · Hard
19. Hattusa was the capital of which ancient empire?
Hattusa in present-day Türkiye was the capital of the Hittite Empire.
Music · Hard
20. Who composed Symphonie fantastique?
French composer Hector Berlioz wrote Symphonie fantastique in 1830.