Classic Sci-Fi Trivia Quiz: Test Your Knowledge and Score 20/20!

Answers Below – No Peeking!

Delve into the golden age of science fiction cinema with this ultimate trivia quiz! From iconic 1950s classics to groundbreaking 1970s masterpieces, these 20 questions range from easy warm-ups to fiendishly tough challenges. Can you name every director, robot, and monolith – and ace it with a perfect score?

20 Trivia Questions on Classic Sci-Fi

Question 1: Which 1951 film features the robot Gort and the alien Klaatu?

A. Forbidden Planet
B. The Day the Earth Stood Still
C. Metropolis
D. The Thing from Another World

Question 2: Who directed 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)?

A. George Lucas
B. Steven Spielberg
C. Stanley Kubrick
D. Ridley Scott

Question 3: At the end of Planet of the Apes (1968), what does astronaut Taylor discover half-buried on the beach?

A. Mount Rushmore
B. The Statue of Liberty
C. Big Ben
D. The Space Needle

Question 4: What is the name of the advanced robot in Forbidden Planet (1956)?

A. Gort
B. Robby
C. R2-D2
D. Dalek

Question 5: Who produced the 1953 adaptation of The War of the Worlds?

A. Stanley Kubrick
B. George Pal
C. Irwin Allen
D. Roger Corman

Question 6: Which actor played Dr. Morbius in Forbidden Planet?

A. Walter Pidgeon
B. Leslie Nielsen
C. James Mason
D. Spencer Tracy

Question 7: Who directed Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)?

A. Robert Wise
B. Don Siegel
C. William Cameron Menzies
D. Joseph Losey

Question 8: In what year was Fritz Lang’s Metropolis released?

A. 1925
B. 1927
C. 1929
D. 1931

Question 9: Who directed Metropolis (1927)?

A. F.W. Murnau
B. Paul Wegener
C. Fritz Lang
D. Robert Wiene

Question 10: Where does the first black monolith appear in 2001: A Space Odyssey?

A. On the Moon
B. Near Jupiter
C. Prehistoric Earth
D. The Discovery One spaceship

Question 11: Who provided the voice for HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey?

A. Douglas Rain
B. William Sylvester
C. Gary Lockwood
D. Keir Dullea

Question 12: Who directed the original Planet of the Apes (1968)?

A. Franklin J. Schaffner
B. Don Taylor
C. Ted Post
D. J. Lee Thompson

Question 13: Which actor played Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)?

A. Edmund Gwenn
B. Michael Rennie
C. Sam Jaffe
D. Hugh Marlowe

Question 14: Forbidden Planet (1956) is loosely based on which Shakespeare play?

A. The Tempest
B. Macbeth
C. Hamlet
D. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Question 15: What is the destination of the Discovery One spacecraft in 2001: A Space Odyssey?

A. Mars
B. Jupiter
C. Saturn
D. Venus

Question 16: Who directed Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)?

A. George Lucas
B. Stanley Kubrick
C. Steven Spielberg
D. Philip Kaufman

Question 17: What is the activation phrase for Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still?

A. Gort, barada nikto
B. Klaatu dominus
C. Earth stand still
D. Klaatu barada nikto

Question 18: In what year was Star Wars (later subtitled A New Hope) released?

A. 1975
B. 1976
C. 1977
D. 1978

Question 19: Which actor played Cornelius the chimpanzee in Planet of the Apes (1968)?

A. Kim Hunter
B. Roddy McDowall
C. Maurice Evans
D. James Whitmore

Question 20: Which composer’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” famously opens 2001: A Space Odyssey?

A. Johann Strauss II
B. Richard Strauss
C. Johann Sebastian Bach
D. Igor Stravinsky

Answers

  1. B. The Day the Earth Stood Still – This Robert Wise classic stars Michael Rennie as Klaatu and features the robot Gort; the others have different robots or aliens.
  2. C. Stanley Kubrick – Kubrick co-wrote and directed the groundbreaking 1968 film; Lucas, Spielberg, and Scott directed later sci-fi icons.
  3. B. The Statue of Liberty – The shocking reveal confirms it’s a future Earth; the other landmarks appear in sequels or unrelated films.
  4. B. Robby – Robby the Robot, voiced by Marvin Miller, is central to the film; the others are from different franchises.
  5. B. George Pal – Pal produced this adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel, directed by Byron Haskin; the others are associated with different sci-fi projects.
  6. A. Walter Pidgeon – Pidgeon stars as the scientist on Altair IV; Nielsen appeared in the comedy remake.
  7. B. Don Siegel – Siegel directed this paranoid Cold War allegory starring Kevin McCarthy; the others helmed different classics.
  8. B. 1927 – Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece premiered that year in Germany.
  9. C. Fritz Lang – Lang co-wrote and directed this influential dystopian film with his wife Thea von Harbou.
  10. C. Prehistoric Earth – The monolith influences ape-men to use tools; later ones appear on the Moon and near Jupiter.
  11. A. Douglas Rain – The Canadian actor voiced the sinister AI; the others are human characters in the film.
  12. A. Franklin J. Schaffner – Schaffner directed the Heston-led original; the others directed sequels.
  13. B. Michael Rennie – Rennie plays the Christ-like alien; the others are supporting human characters.
  14. A. The Tempest – The story mirrors Prospero (Morbius), Miranda (Altaira), and Caliban (the monster from the Id).
  15. B. Jupiter – The mission investigates a signal from Jupiter (changed from Saturn in the novel/screenplay).
  16. C. Steven Spielberg – Spielberg’s UFO epic stars Richard Dreyfuss; Kaufman remade Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
  17. D. Klaatu barada nikto – Spoken by Helen Benson to stop Gort; it’s the key phrase from the film.
  18. C. 1977 – Directed by George Lucas, it premiered on 25 May 1977.
  19. B. Roddy McDowall – McDowall played the sympathetic chimp archaeologist; Hunter was Zira, Evans Dr. Zaius.
  20. B. Richard Strauss – The 1896 tone poem opens the film and recurs; Johann Strauss II composed waltzes.

How did you score? Drop your results in the comments and challenge friends to conquer this classic sci-fi quiz!