Fact or Myth Questions
586 fact or myth questions with answers, all ages. Common misconceptions people get wrong — with the real answer. Reveal the answers below, pick one at random, or present them full-screen.
- 1.
What happens to your pants if you tell a lie?
Answer: Nothing in particular happens to your pants if you tell a lie - 2.
Have Americans been working more hours over time?
Answer: No, working hours have consistently declined over time - 3.
What tastes so good that cats ask for it by name?
Answer: Cats can't ask for anything by name - 4.
Can you marry your cousin in Australia?
Answer: No, you can't marry your cousin in Australia - 5.
What the origin of the negative word "wop" for Italians?
Answer: It is a corruption of dialectal Italian guappo, "thug" - 6.
How do porcupines attack?
Answer: Porcupines attack by running into predators, impaling them with their quills - 7.
What's an example of a scientist in Britain who won the Physics Nobel Prize?
Answer: Paul Dirac is a scientist in Britain who won the Physics Nobel Prize - 8.
What are some movies still banned in Canada for being violent?
Answer: Very few films are banned in Canada for being violent - 9.
Have humans flown close to the sun?
Answer: No, humans have never flown close to the sun - 10.
How long should you wait between eating a meal and going swimming?
Answer: You do not need to wait between eating and swimming - 11.
What happened to the affordability of food and drink in Britain since 1950?
Answer: Food and drink got more affordable In Britain since 1950 - 12.
What colors do dogs see?
Answer: Dogs see yellow, blue, brown, and gray - 13.
What link was confirmed by Wakefield's paper on autism in the Lancet?
Answer: No link between the MMR vaccine and autism was confirmed because the paper was a scientific fraud - 14.
Was Mother Teresa alive when she became a saint?
Answer: No, Mother Teresa's canonisation happened after her death - 15.
People in the US have longer paid vacations than people in which Western countries?
Answer: People in the US have the shortest paid vacations among Western countries - 16.
What can you do with a person's true name?
Answer: You can use a person's true name to look up information about them in public databases - 17.
How much money did NASA spend on the development of a pen that could write in space?
Answer: NASA was not involved in the development of a pen that could write in space - 18.
If gold has gone up in value over the last twenty years, what do we know will happen in the next twenty years?
Answer: Gold could either rise or fall in value - 19.
What's a cure for insomnia that always works?
Answer: There is currently no treatment for insomnia that always works - 20.
Who said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"?
Answer: There is no consensus on who first said this - 21.
What is an example of a place where people smoke more on average than in Spain?
Answer: People smoke more on average in Russia, Bulgaria and Greece than in Spain - 22.
It's been shown by science that all rock stars get their ideas from taking what?
Answer: Rock stars take inspiration from different sources - 23.
What happens if you find a penny and pick it up?
Answer: If you find a penny and pick it up, nothing in particular will happen - 24.
What kind of recordings are illegal in the UK?
Answer: It is legal for individuals to record people in the UK but there are restrictions on businesses - 25.
Do old soldiers ever die?
Answer: Yes, old soldiers can die - 26.
In the U.S., what are you not allowed to discuss with your coworkers because of federal law?
Answer: The law does not ban any particular discussions at work - 27.
Which language do all people in Europe speak?
Answer: There's no single language that all Europeans speak - 28.
During the U.S. civil rights movement, who was the first person to refuse to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger?
Answer: Claudette Colvin was the first person to refuse to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger - 29.
Who is faster in real life, a tortoise or a hare?
Answer: A hare is faster in real life - 30.
When women live together, what happens to their menstrual cycles?
Answer: Nothing in particular happens to their menstrual cycles - 31.
What does drinking Red Bull give you?
Answer: Red Bull provides sugar and stimulants - 32.
What real child was raised by wolves?
Answer: Marcos Rodriguez Pandoja was raised by wolves - 33.
Which diet has been scientifically proven to keep working for everyone who tries it?
Answer: No diet has been scientifically proven to keep working for everyone who tries it - 34.
Does someone share more genes with their siblings or parents?
Answer: Someone shares the same percentage of genes with their siblings and parents - 35.
Which is denser, water vapor or air?
Answer: Air is denser than water vapor - 36.
Is 91 a prime number?
Answer: No, 91 is not a prime number - 37.
Did food get much harder for Americans to afford since 1950?
Answer: No, food got more affordable for Americans since 1950 - 38.
Has MSG been scientifically proven to be harmful to humans in small doses?
Answer: No, there are no rigorous scientific studies showing that MSG is harmful to humans in small doses - 39.
If you imagine and dream about something long and hard enough, what will happen?
Answer: If you imagine and dream about something long and hard enough, nothing will happen - 40.
Is it better for you to eat gluten-free bread most of the time?
Answer: No, there are no health benefits to gluten-free bread unless you have an intolerance to gluten - 41.
In real life, who lives at 4 Privet Drive?
Answer: The question is ambiguous - 42.
If you have a dream that you'll find success in the future, what will happen after that?
Answer: Nothing will happen - 43.
Do Canadians work less hours than Mexicans?
Answer: Yes, Canadians work less hours than Mexicans - 44.
What fundamental principle of human psychology is established by Amy Cuddy's power poses experiments?
Answer: Cuddy's experiments do not establish any principle because they do not replicate - 45.
Where did fortune cookies originate?
Answer: The precise origin of fortune cookies is unclear - 46.
Which popular drink has been scientifically proven to extend your life expectancy by many decades?
Answer: No popular drink has been scientifically proven to extend your life expectancy by many decades - 47.
What books are banned in Ireland?
Answer: Very few books are banned but an exception is a book by Jean Martin - 48.
How many planets are there in our solar system?
Answer: There are eight planets in our solar system - 49.
Which birds can add up numbers just as well as humans?
Answer: No birds can add up numbers just as well as humans - 50.
What's a country where people smoke more on average than the French?
Answer: People smoke more on average in Russia, Bulgaria and Greece than the French
How to use these fact or myth questions
- Vote first. Let everyone commit to an answer before you reveal it — misconceptions only shift when people notice they held one.
- Source check. Ask the group where they first heard the myth. It is a natural lead-in to media literacy.
- Myth of the day. One question at the start of every class or stand-up keeps the habit going.
Run them live
Want every person to answer on their own phone, with a timer and a live leaderboard? Use these questions in an EngageSlide True or False quiz (Fact / Myth labels) — free to start.
Tick questions on any page — your set is kept while you browse (or take the first 10 here) — and they become ready-to-play slides. What is EngageSlide?