Q20 · THE QUIZ POST
The Daily Quiz — 28 September 2026
Play the The Quiz Post quiz for 28 September 2026: 20 free general-knowledge questions covering Geography, Current Affairs, Food & Drink and History, with explanations and crowd results.
About this edition
This 20-question The Quiz Post edition was published for 28 September 2026. Answer all four-option questions to reveal sourced explanations and see how other players answered.
Topics in this edition include Geography, Current Affairs, Food & Drink and History.
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)
Geography · Easy
1. On a map, what does a scale bar help you work out?
A scale bar lets you convert a distance measured on a map into the corresponding distance on the ground.
Sport · Easy
2. In which country did the traditional sport of sumo develop?
Sumo developed in Japan, where it has roots in Shinto rituals and remains a major professional sport.
Society & Culture · Easy
3. What does UCAS principally help people apply for in the UK?
UCAS is the UK's shared admissions service for higher education.
Source: What is UCAS? What does UCAS stand for and what do we do?
Technology · Easy
4. When an email is sent using Bcc, what information is hidden from its other recipients?
Bcc means blind carbon copy. Addresses entered there are hidden from other email recipients.
Food & Drink · Medium
5. What mainly gives traditional sourdough bread its characteristic tangy flavour?
Sourdough's acidity comes largely from lactic and acetic acids produced by microbes in the starter as the dough ferments.
Current Affairs · Medium
6. During his 22 September 2026 energy engagements, the King visited Great British Energy's new headquarters in which city?
The visit included Great British Energy's newly opened headquarters in Aberdeen.
Film & TV · Medium
7. Which British soap opera was created by Phil Redmond and set in Liverpool?
Brookside began in 1982 and portrayed life in a Liverpool housing estate.
Nature · Medium
8. Which environmental cue can sea turtles detect and use as a compass on long ocean journeys?
Sea turtles can sense Earth's magnetic field and use magnetic information when orienting during long-distance migrations.
History · Medium
9. For whom was Greenwich's falling time ball chiefly designed when it was installed in 1833?
Greenwich's time ball fell at 1 pm so mariners on the Thames could check their ships' chronometers against an accurate time signal.
Music · Medium
10. In written music, what does a fermata over a note ask a performer to do?
A fermata indicates that a note or rest is sustained beyond its written duration, often at the discretion of the performer or conductor.
Geography · Medium
11. Which river runs through the centre of York?
The River Ouse flows through York.
Technology · Medium
12. What is the name of the small piece of browser data that a website can use to recognise your signed-in session across pages?
A session cookie is stored by the browser and sent with later requests so the website can recognise the same signed-in session.
History · Hard
13. The 1974 Carnation Revolution brought an end to decades of dictatorship in which European country?
The Carnation Revolution on 25 April 1974 toppled Portugal's long-running Estado Novo dictatorship and began its democratic transition.
Arts · Hard
14. Who created the steel sculpture Angel of the North?
Gormley's Angel of the North was installed in Gateshead in 1998.
Source: Angel of the North – Permanent Sculpture – Antony Gormley
Current Affairs · Hard
15. In the days surrounding the Trump–Xi summit this week, the US and China agreed to extend their existing trade truce by how long?
US and Chinese negotiators agreed to extend the trade truce by two months, giving them more time to negotiate a wider agreement.
Food & Drink · Hard
16. After searing meat, what is the main purpose of deglazing a hot pan?
Deglazing uses a liquid such as stock or wine to lift the browned residue called fond and incorporate its flavour into a pan sauce.
Science · Hard
17. Which metal's compounds are traditionally used to produce a vivid green colour in fireworks?
Barium compounds produce a bright green colour in traditional fireworks. Potassium gives lilac, calcium orange and strontium red.
Literature · Hard
18. Philip Pullman's novel Northern Lights was published in the United States under what title?
Northern Lights, the first His Dark Materials novel, is known as The Golden Compass in the United States.
Business & Economics · Hard
19. During a financial panic, which institutions have traditionally received a central bank's lender-of-last-resort loans?
Central banks have traditionally provided emergency liquidity primarily to commercial banks to help contain financial-system stress.
Geography · Hard
20. Which lake, bordering Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the deepest in Africa?
Lake Tanganyika, shared by four East African countries, is Africa's deepest lake and the world's second deepest after Lake Baikal.