General Knowledge Quiz 2014

What happened in 2014? See how much your ESL students can remember with this fun general knowledge quiz from 2014.

My students simply adore these types of quizzes and they are perfect for a lazy day or end of term.

The quiz contains questions from the following categories:

• World news
• Sports
• Technology
• Magazine

Duration: 60 minutes

Levels: Intermediate, upper-intermediate and advanced

1. Name some of the countries affected by the Ebola Virus?

Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain, USA, Scotland.

2. Forty-three students from a teacher training college went missing after clashing with the police. They were executed by a local gang and the police and mayor were believed to be involved. What country did this happen in?

Mexico.

3. Why was there protests, looting and vandalism in Ferguson, U.S.A., towards the end of 2014?

A police officer, Darren Wislon, shot an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown. A grand jury decided not to indict the policeman.

4. Former Israeli Prime Minister and politician died in 2014. What was his name?

Ariel Sharon.

5. A video of 2 Indian girls on a bus went viral on the internet in December 2014. Why?

They were fighting their male commuters with their belts for touching them inappropriately.

6. What did Anonymous do to the Ku Klux Klan in Missouri after they promised 'lethal force' against protesters in Ferguson?

They hacked their official Twitter accounts and revealed the identities of the clan members.

7. A European country had a referendum to vote for independence. It was an unusual situation because it occurred during peacetime. Which country was it and what was the result?

Scotland. The 'No' vote won at 55.3%

8. What was the verdict in the Oscar Pistorius trial?

Guilty. He received 5 years.

9. One of the world's most infamous prisons was shut down in this year. What was it called and what country was it in?

Abu Ghraib, Iraq.

10. There was an outbreak of a very serious illness on the island of Madagascar in 2014, killing around 50 people and infecting over a hundred. Many people think this disease is a thing of the past. Which malady was it?

The Plague / The Black Death

11. The Americans promised to stop making a certain type of weapon. What were they and what was the name of the international treaty they signed?

They promised to stop making anti-personnel mines and signed the Mine Ban Treaty.

12. What was the name of the militia group who kidnapped over 300 young women and girls in Nigeria?

Boko Harem.

13. Name the terrorist group that beheaded journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley?

ISIS.

14. What incident involving teenagers incited a war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza?

3 Israeli teenagers disappeared and were beaten and murdered. In retaliation a Palestinian teenager was burned alive.

15. What airline suffered 2 crashes in 4 months? Describe both situations.

Malaysian Airlines. Flight MH370 left Kuala Lumpur and was heading for Beijing. It lost contact with air traffic control an hour after take off and no sign has been seen of it since. The other Flight MH 17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and was shot down in the Ukraine by Russian separatists.

16. A horrific attack carried out by the Taliban killing 145 people, most of them children, occurred where?

Pakistan.

17. What did students in Hong Kong do towards the end of 2014?

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters blocked Hong Kong's streets for weeks.

18. What was the name of the 17 year old Pakistani teenager who co-won the Nobel Peace Prize and why was she selected?

Malala Yousafzai. She was chosen because for her tireless activism for girls' rights to education. She survived a shot to the head by the Taliban in 2012.

19. Which country suffered a terrible maritime tragedy with over 300 deaths, most of them secondary school students?

South Korea.

20. What controversial report released by the CIA in this year?

The report contained details about their torture and interrogation techniques used on terror suspects after the 9/11 attacks.

21. Russian aeroplanes, ships and submarines were caught spying on countries that are members of which international organisation?

NATO

1. Who went on strike during the Brazilian World Cup?

Metro workers.

2. Who bit who during the world cup?

Uruguayan player Suarez bit Italian player Giorgio Chiellini.

3. What happened to Schumacher in 2014?

He had a skiing accident and fell into a coma for months.

4. What was the result of the match which made World Cup tournament history? Name the countries and the goals?

Germany 7: Brazil 1.

5. The National Basketball Association imposed a lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine on the LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014. Why?

He made racist comments about black people.

1. What security leak embarrassed Google in 2014?

A hacker leaked 5 million email addresses.

2. The iphone6 was released in this year. To mark the moment Apple paid who to perform on the night?

U2. Then they gave U2's new album away for free to all iTune users.

3. What was Google's 'Right to be Forgotten'?

It allows people to ask search engines like Google to remove their names from the search engine results. Content can range from cyber-bullying, embarrassing photos, criminal records to negative stories and allegations.

4. What wearable technology was released by Google in this year?

Google Glass.

5. Apple partnered with Mastercard, Visa and American Express to develop what service in 2014?

Apple Pay – a digital wallet service.

1. What happened to Sony Pictures when they were hacked in 2014?

Personal details of Sony employees and private emails about Hollywood's actors and the James Bond movie script were leaked. The release of the movie The Interview was also cancelled.

2. What was unusual about Nik Wallenda's walk between 2 buildings in Chicago 2014?

He did it partially blindfolded, on a tightrope 600 feet in the air.

3. Who was Thea from Norway?

It was a blog about an imaginary 12 year old girl who was planning her arranged marriage to a 37 year old man. Plan International created the blog to illustrate how prevalent and destructive the practice of child marriage is.

4. What was the biggest grossing movie of 2014?

Guardians of the Galaxy.

5. Who featured on the cover of Time magazine in 2014? (Hint- not 1 person)

The Ebola health workers.

6. The world's most eligible bachelor got married in Venice. Who was he and who did he marry?

George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin.

7. Which famous funny man committed suicide in 2014? He was the star of Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting and Dead Poet's Society.

Robin Williams

8. Which talented actor and Oscar winner died from a heroine overdose in his apartment in 2014?

Philip Seymour Hoffman.

9. Name 3 of the singers on Live Aid 30's 'Do They Know It's Christmas' track?

The track features Bono, Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Sam Smith, Chris Martin, Rita Ora, Bastille, Ellie Goulding and Emeli Sande.

10. Why did some artists refuse to sing on Live Aid 30's 'Do They Know It's Christmas' track?

Some of the lyrics were criticised for being condescending and stereotypical.

11. 2014 was expected to become the first year in modern history where no artist had sold more than 1million albums in the US. What is the name of the award for reaching 1 million albums?

Platinum.

12. Which British group won 3 categories of The American Music Awards in 2014?

One Direction.

13. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was released in this year. Which famous Oscar winner's voice features in the game?

Kevin Spacey.

14. The world's biggest what was found in Brazil?

The world's biggest anaconda.

15. Name the pickup artist that was denied entry into the UK and had to leave Australia early due to

complaints about his seminars that promote dangerous and abusive behaviour towards women?

Julien Blanc.

Need a general knowledge quiz from 2013? Remind your students (and yourself!) about what went on in the year 2013 with this fun quiz.

Want to do a wacky food quiz? This is a great filler quiz to liven up a boring classroom. Fun Food Fact Quiz.