Picnic and Backyard BBQ Trivia for Seniors: 20 Questions

Oct 8, 2026

Here are twenty picnic and backyard BBQ trivia questions with their answers, in four rounds of five. Round one covers the picnic gear that went into the car, round two the grill and the food around it, round three the family, church and street gatherings, and round four the summer tastes of the 1950s to the 1970s. Each question has four choices, with the answer underneath.

The theme is deliberately everyday: baskets, blankets, burgers and a jug of lemonade. Work through one round at a time, allowing ten minutes for five questions plus the talk that follows.

Round 1: picnic gear and the blanket on the grass

1. Which basket was packed with plates, cups and a flask for a day out? (a) wicker picnic basket, (b) metal toolbox, (c) paper shopping bag, (d) canvas duffel. Answer: (a). The hinged lid and the leather strap were part of the picture.
2. Which blanket pattern became shorthand for eating outdoors? (a) red-and-white check, (b) navy pinstripe, (c) plain grey, (d) green tartan. Answer: (a). Advertisements for a day in the park used it every summer.
3. What was the vacuum flask that kept iced tea cold called? (a) thermos, (b) canteen, (c) pitcher, (d) milk churn. Answer: (a). A glass inner bottle and a screw stopper that doubled as a cup.
4. Which two throwaway items filled picnic tables by the 1960s? (a) paper plates and waxed cups, (b) china plates and tumblers, (c) tin plates and enamel mugs, (d) wooden bowls and clay cups. Answer: (a). Nobody wanted to carry dishes home from the park.
5. Which folding seat was carried to the park one in each hand? (a) folding lawn chair, (b) milking stool, (c) rocking chair, (d) piano bench. Answer: (a). A webbed strap seat on an aluminium frame, and a job for whoever arrived first.

Round 2: the backyard grill and the food around it

6. Which fuel came in a paper bag and needed lighter fluid? (a) charcoal briquettes, (b) wood pellets, (c) propane, (d) kerosene. Answer: (a). The whole street knew the smell, and somebody always lit it too early.
7. Which two items were almost always the first on the grate? (a) hamburgers and hot dogs, (b) steak and lobster, (c) roast chicken and ribs, (d) fish and shrimp. Answer: (a). Cheap, quick and popular with every age.
8. Which side dish arrived wrapped in foil with a smear of butter? (a) corn on the cob, (b) baked beans, (c) garlic bread, (d) green beans. Answer: (a). Husked in the backyard, and eaten with little plastic holders.
9. Which two cold salads sat in matching bowls? (a) potato salad and coleslaw, (b) cucumber and tomato, (c) fruit salad and jelly, (d) macaroni and cheese. Answer: (a). Both made the night before, under a tea towel.
10. What was toasted on a stick over the dying coals? (a) s'mores, (b) toasted coconut, (c) apple slices, (d) bread and honey. Answer: (a). A graham cracker, a square of chocolate and a marshmallow that caught fire.

Round 3: family, church and street gatherings

11. Which gathering filled the church lawn with borrowed tables and one basket per family? (a) church picnic, (b) choir practice, (c) bake sale, (d) evening service. Answer: (a). The date went in the bulletin weeks ahead.
12. Which event raised funds with hand-cranked ice cream? (a) ice cream social, (b) harvest supper, (c) cake walk, (d) rummage sale. Answer: (a). The salt and ice mattered as much as the cream.
13. Which race tied two ankles together with a handkerchief? (a) three-legged race, (b) sack race, (c) egg-and-spoon race, (d) wheelbarrow race. Answer: (a). Pairs practised beforehand, and one of them called the steps.
14. Which lawn game was played at a stake, where a leaner scored one point? (a) horseshoes, (b) quoits, (c) bocce, (d) ring toss. Answer: (a). One pit at each end of the yard, and a rule everyone remembered differently.
15. Which game needed a net between two poles and a shuttlecock? (a) badminton, (b) volleyball, (c) tennis, (d) croquet. Answer: (a). The net went up in early summer and sagged a little each week.

Round 4: summer tastes of the 1950s to the 1970s

16. Which roadside stand brought root beer to the car in frosty mugs? (a) the drive-in root beer stand, (b) the soda fountain, (c) the corner drugstore, (d) the milk bar. Answer: (a). You switched the headlights on to call the carhop.
17. Which tune from a loudspeaker sent every child running for change? (a) the ice cream truck jingle, (b) the bakery van bell, (c) the telegram whistle, (d) the milk float horn. Answer: (a). The same eight notes, summer after summer.
18. Which frozen dessert came on a flat wooden stick? (a) a popsicle, (b) a doughnut, (c) a candy apple, (d) a bag of chips. Answer: (a). Two halves to break apart, and the stick ended up as a plant marker.
19. Which moulded gelatin salad was a fixture of the covered-dish table? (a) Jell-O salad, (b) Waldorf salad, (c) three-bean salad, (d) ambrosia. Answer: (a). Made in a ring mould the night before and turned out with ceremony.
20. Which summer evening sight went into a jar with a punched lid? (a) fireflies, (b) grasshoppers, (c) ladybugs, (d) crickets. Answer: (a). Caught at dusk along the hedge and let go the next morning.

Hosting notes that keep the table talking

1. Start with the gear round. The basket and the blanket are the easiest questions here, and two quick answers settle everybody in.
2. Read each question twice, then read the four choices, then wait.
3. Ask for the story, not only the answer. Which park, whose basket, whose job was the charcoal.

More rounds and themes

If the grill round goes down well, the food trivia round keeps the talk in the kitchen, and the county fairs trivia round moves it to the grandstand. With the grandchildren, try the childhood games trivia round.

Frequently asked questions

How many people can play this picnic trivia round?

Any number. Two or three people can work through it with one reader, and a larger group can split into tables of four.

Do we need to print anything to run the quiz?

No. Every question can be read from this page. If you do print it, use large clear type and fold the answer column under a card.

How long does the full twenty questions take?

About forty-five minutes at an easy pace, with a break after round two.

What should we do if a question is too hard for the group?

Read it again and add one detail, such as the decade. If nobody can decide, move on and come back to it later.

Where can I find more trivia rounds like this one?

The trivia collection has free printable rounds on food, travel, gardening and childhood games, and the printables section adds word searches on the same themes.

These questions are offered for fun, enjoyment and social activity, with no claims about health outcomes.

Try the food trivia round next