Can You Name Them All? Ultimate Modern Drama Trivia Quiz Challenge!

Answers Below – No Peeking!

Think you’re a master of 21st-century drama films? From Oscar winners to critically acclaimed gems, this quiz tests your knowledge of modern dramas with questions ranging from easy warm-ups to fiendishly tough ones. Grab a pen, no Googling, and see if you can name them all!

20 Trivia Questions on Modern Drama Films

Question 1: Which 2007 drama features Daniel Day-Lewis as the ruthless oil prospector Daniel Plainview?

A. No Country for Old Men
B. There Will Be Blood
C. Michael Clayton
D. Eastern Promises

Question 2: What is the name of the Indian game show at the centre of Slumdog Millionaire (2008)?

A. Kaun Banega Crorepati
B. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
C. Both A and B
D. Deal or No Deal

Question 3: Who directed The King’s Speech (2010)?

A. Tom Hooper
B. David Fincher
C. Danny Boyle
D. Colin Firth

Question 4: In The Social Network (2010), who plays Mark Zuckerberg?

A. Andrew Garfield
B. Jesse Eisenberg
C. Justin Timberlake
D. Armie Hammer

Question 5: Which 2013 drama, directed by Steve McQueen, won Best Picture for its depiction of Solomon Northup’s enslavement?

A. 12 Years a Slave
B. The Butler
C. Lee Daniels’ The Butler
D. Django Unchained

Question 6: What condition does King George VI attempt to overcome in The King’s Speech (2010)?

A. Stuttering
B. Blindness
C. Deafness
D. Paralysis

Question 7: Who directed the 2015 investigative drama Spotlight about the Boston Globe’s Catholic Church scandal?

A. Tom McCarthy
B. Alejandro G. Iñárritu
C. Lenny Abrahamson
D. Adam McKay

Question 8: In Moonlight (2016), what is the protagonist’s name?

A. Chiron
B. Kevin
C. Juan
D. Paula

Question 9: Which film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes before becoming the first non-English-language Best Picture Oscar winner in 2020?

A. Parasite
B. Roma
C. Burning
D. Shoplifters

Question 10: Who plays the lead role of Frances McDormand’s nomadic character in Nomadland (2020)?

A. Frances McDormand
B. Frances Conroy
C. Laura Dern
D. Olivia Colman

Question 11: In Manchester by the Sea (2016), what tragedy haunts Lee Chandler, played by Casey Affleck?

A. The death of his children in a fire
B. His wife’s suicide
C. Losing his job
D. A failed business

Question 12: Which 2014 film features Michael Keaton as an actor playing a birdman in a one-shot play?

A. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
B. Nightcrawler
C. Whiplash
D. Boyhood

Question 13: What is the profession of the protagonist Tony Lip in Green Book (2018)?

A. Bouncer
B. Pianist
C. Doctor
D. Lawyer

Question 14: Who directed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)?

A. Martin McDonagh
B. Yorgos Lanthimos
C. Guillermo del Toro
D. Jordan Peele

Question 15: In CODA (2021), what does the acronym stand for?

A. Child of Deaf Adults
B. Choir of Deaf Artists
C. Children of Deafened Adults
D. Community of Deaf Adults

Question 16: Which drama won Best Picture at the Oscars for films released in 2011?

A. The Artist
B. Hugo
C. War Horse
D. The Help

Question 17: Who plays Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s 2012 biopic?

A. Daniel Day-Lewis
B. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
C. Tommy Lee Jones
D. Sally Field

Question 18: In Black Swan (2010), what ballet role drives Nina Sayers to obsession?

A. Swan Queen
B. Sugar Plum Fairy
C. Odette
D. Clara

Question 19: Which 2008 war drama, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, won Best Picture?

A. The Hurt Locker
B. Zero Dark Thirty
C. American Sniper
D. Lone Survivor

Question 20: What unusual family dynamic is central to Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)?

A. A laundromat owner jumping through multiverses to save her daughter
B. A chef reconciling with her immigrant parents
C. A teacher discovering her family’s secrets
D. A musician touring with her estranged family

Answers

  1. B. There Will Be Blood – Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor for his iconic role as Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film; the others are contemporary dramas but lack this character.
  2. C. Both A and B – The film features the Indian version Kaun Banega Crorepati, branded as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? internationally; Deal or No Deal is unrelated.
  3. A. Tom Hooper – Hooper directed the Best Picture winner about King George VI; Fincher did The Social Network, Boyle Slumdog Millionaire, and Firth starred.
  4. B. Jesse Eisenberg – Eisenberg portrays Zuckerberg in David Fincher’s film; the others play supporting roles like Eduardo Saverin, Sean Parker, and the Winklevoss twins.
  5. A. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen’s adaptation of Solomon Northup’s memoir won Best Picture in 2014; the others are period dramas from the same era but did not win.
  6. A. Stuttering – The film depicts the king’s struggle with stammering aided by Lionel Logue; the other ailments are not central.
  7. A. Tom McCarthy – McCarthy co-wrote and directed the Best Picture winner; the others directed nominees that year.
  8. A. Chiron – The film follows Chiron’s life in three acts; Kevin is his friend, Juan his mentor, Paula his mother.
  9. A. Parasite – Bong Joon-ho’s film won Palme d’Or in 2019 and Best Picture in 2020; the others were Cannes contenders but not Oscar Best Picture winners.
  10. A. Frances McDormand – McDormand won Best Actress for Fern in Chloé Zhao’s road drama; the others are acclaimed actresses but not in this lead role.
  11. A. The death of his children in a fire – This backstory drives Lee Chandler’s grief in Kenneth Lonergan’s film; the others are incorrect.
  12. A. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s film stars Keaton as Riggan Thomson; the others are 2014 dramas with different leads.
  13. A. Bouncer – Viggo Mortensen plays Tony Lip, hired as driver for pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali); the other professions do not fit.
  14. A. Martin McDonagh – McDonagh wrote and directed the film starring Frances McDormand; the others directed different dark comedies/dramas.
  15. A. Child of Deaf Adults – The film centres on Ruby, the hearing child of deaf parents; the other options are fabricated acronyms.
  16. A. The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius’s silent film won Best Picture in 2012; the others were nominees.
  17. A. Daniel Day-Lewis – Day-Lewis won his third Best Actor Oscar as Lincoln; the others play family/supporters.
  18. A. Swan Queen – Darren Aronofsky’s film has Natalie Portman as ballerina Nina pursuing the dual role in Swan Lake; the others are from The Nutcracker.
  19. A. The Hurt Locker – Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Picture and Best Director; the others are later war films she did not direct.
  20. A. A laundromat owner jumping through multiverses to save her daughter – Daniels’ film stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn in this multiverse-spanning family drama; the others misdescribe plots.

How did you score? Share your results in the comments below and challenge your friends to beat your tally on these modern drama masterpieces!