Opportunity Knocks Trivia Questions

Trivia questions for game shows are more carefully designed than one might think. At the same time as they're tailored for the family who is under the spotlight, they must also engage and amuse the viewing public. This is best achieved by highlighting those near-universal family foibles that we can all relate to. The questions can tease but never mock, and must avoid enforcing stereotypical assumptions about families and peoples' roles within them. Good questions may show up the unreality of some of those stereotypes, or make affectionate fun of those that do seem to be part and parcel of family life almost everywhere. No list will be suitable for every family, since no two families are exactly alike. The best questions would be adapted for each. Here are twenty question ideas:

There's a rich seam of humour to be mined in the old adage that one man's meat is another man's poison. Questions with entertainment potential include those that highlight gender and generational divides of opinion, or the gap between perception and reality.

1. Which item of décor in your house most deserves to be put out with the trash?
2. When friends and family visit, do you pull out all the stops to be hospitable, or must they just muck in?
3. Which is the best day of the week in your household?
4. Would your neighbours vote you neighbours of the year?

Most families have a grumpy, a chatterbox, a charmer, a go-getter and so on. Questions that bring out the character of family members might look something like this:

5. Who's the grumpiest early in the morning?
6. Who'd be the first to go nuts without the TV?
7. Which member of the family has the best manners?
8. Who would make the best talk show host?
9. Which member of the family would be the best candidate for president?

Families often think they know everything about each other, when there may be gaping holes in their mutual knowledge. Based on a bit of prior research, some revealing questions might be:

10. How did your mum and dad meet?
11. What's mum's shoe size?
12. Whose favourite TV character is Homer Simpson?

Questions that subvert clichés and produce unexpected answers are effective:

13. Who most needs their own private bathroom?
This seems tailor-made for the teenage girl, but these days it might equally be the teenage boy. Alternatively:

14. Who's best at getting the Christmas tree lights working?
You might think the answer would be 'Dad', but it's just as likely to be Mom.

Gentle teasing can be humorous, if carefully judged. The human weakness highlighted shouldn't be too terrible. No one wants to look like a complete idiot in front of the nation.

15. Who in the family is the worst at keeping secrets?
16. Who's the most excited about being on TV? (Or winning prizes?)

There's always a laugh in the generation gap and in sibling relationships:

17. Would you trust your kids to redecorate the house?
18. Would you let your parents choose your prom dress?
19: Would you trade your brother/sister for a sports car?

Finally, it's a great chance to deliver a pat on the back to the family angel:

20. If there was only one place left in heaven, who in your family deserves it most?