Introduction
--Object of the
game
The Two Rules
Rule #1:
Questioners ask
Yes-or-No
questions
Rule #2:
Answerer
responds with a
Yes or a No
--The two
exceptions to
Rule #2
"I don't
know."
"I can't
answer.“
Lets Play
By: Kristin Harris
Introduction
Twenty Questions is a game you can play at a party or to kill time on a road trip. It requires no board or
pieces, nor paper or pencil. All it requires is at least two humans communicating. It can also be played
online.
20 QUESTIONS IS A GAME IN WHICH ONE PERSON IN THE GROUP THINKS OF AN OBJECT OR
SUBSTANCE AND THE OTHER PEOPLE ASK HIM YES-OR-NO QUESTIONS ABOUT IT U
NTIL THEY DETERMINE WHAT IT IS.
Part of the fun is in the sober cerebral exertion of trying to guess what the thing is in as few questions as
possible, and part of the fun is that this game inherently lends itself to being silly. I
n this document I'll explain the two simple rules of the game, then I'll ramble off into some thoughts about
how to play it well if you want to. The silliness part is up to you. Personally, I
detest silliness and think everyone who behaves silly should be taken out back and whomped once or twice
with a warm walleye.
Hereafter we'll refer to the questioner(s) as "Q," and we'll refer to the person giving the yes-or-no
answer as "A." We'll refer to the thing A is thinking of as the TARGET that Q is trying to name.
(This game is well suited to real-time play via modem. The only necessary ingredients are a reasonably
experienced "host," at least one other player, and a reasonably quick interface.
Typically the way it works is that the Qs, however many there are, shoot questions at the agreed-upon A,
who answers them as quickly as possible. See the Appendix for additional information about playing online.)
Homepage
Continue
The Two Rules
•Rule #1: Q may only ask questions that can be answered with a yes or a no.
•Rule #2: A may only respond with a yes or a no, whichever will be more helpful to A.
Ideally, these two basic rules will sustain a complete and competitive game of 20 Questions, but the ideal is rarely
achieved, especially when some of the players are novices. There is a learning curve (albeit a quick and easy one)
to jump on and ride, and there are exceptional situations that, once recognized and categorized, can be
responded to by convention.
Also, you should feel free to alter or abolish these rules at will; as long as everyone understands and agrees to the
new rules, they should be whatever you want them to be.
Rule #2 above is a good one -- the official one, I suppose -- but it's impossible to follow all the time. Here are two
exceptional acceptable answers that A (and Q) should keep in mind:
--"I DON'T KNOW." Sometimes A simply will not know the answer, even though if he knew it he could answer
yes or no. In such cases A may respond with "I don't know."
As an example, consider that A has chosen the Rock of Gibraltar as the target and Q asks, "Is it closer to London
than is Svalbard?" If A doesn't know then he should not merely guess, because Q might know, and if A guesses
wrong he will certainly mislead Q, which is a more serious violation of Rule #2.
So, A should say he doesn't know and let Q take it from there.
Homepage
--"I CAN'T ANSWER." Sometimes A will properly determine that he's unable to answer a
particular question with a definitive yes or a no, even though he is not ignorant of any facts as in
the example above. In such cases he may respond with the generic phrase "I can't answer."
An example will clarify the intent of this guideline: If the target is hamster collars and the
question is "Are they worn more by men than women?" then A simply cannot answer, because
the question assumes a fact -- that men or women wear hamster collars -- that is false.
When the Qs hear this answer they are advised to analyze the exact wording of the question. In
this example it will likely lead them to realize that neither men nor women wear them, which is a
big step forward.
(Also note that if A had been a real stickler he may have legitimately answered No to that
question, because, in fact, hamster collars are not, strictly speaking, worn more by men than
women.)
Here's a different reason for A to respond with "I can't answer." If the target is a golf ball and
the question is "Is it bigger than a golf ball?" then A will almost certainly mislead Q whether he
answers yes or he answers no, which is a more serious violation of Rule #2.
Therefore he may simply state that he can't answer. It's then up to Q to figure out what that
means.
Homepage
Choose Your Question
Homepage
Introduction
The Two Rules
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Question
One
Who commanded the
British troops that
were sent out to
destroy all military
stores in Concord on
April 18, 1775?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Lt. Col. Francis
Lord Cornwallis
Maj. John Pitcarin
John Parker
Question
Two
No British
soldiers died at
the Battle of
Lexington.
a. True
b. False
Question
Three
What hill did
the troops
defend in the
Battle of Bunker
Hill?
a. Prescott’s
Hill
b. Bunker Hill
c. Breed’s Hill
d. Dorchester
Hill
Question
Four
Who replaced
Thomas Gage as
commander-inchief of British
troops in Boston
after the Battle
of Bunker Hill.
a. John
Burgoyne
b. William
Howe
c. Henry
Clinton
d. Horatio Gates
Question
Five
What American
General was
mortally
wounded at the
battle of Quebec
on December 31,
1775.
a. Benedict
Arnold
b. Ethan Allen
c. Philip
Schuyer
d. Richard
Montgomery
Question
Six
There was a
battle of
Cowpens?
a. True
b. False
Question
Seven
What year was
the Treaty of
Paris signed that
ended the
American
Revolution War?
a.
b.
c.
d.
1783
1776
1781
1784
Question
Eight
Franklin D.
Roosevelt, the
"mind" behind the
New Deal, won
the presidential
election in 1932
against which
president?
a. Woodrow
Wilson
b. Herbert Hoover
c. Calvin Coolidge
d. John Fitzgerald
Kennedy
Question
Nine
Franklin D.
Roosevelt belonged
to the Democratic
political party?
a. True
b. False
Question
Ten
The Wagner Act
of 1935 gave
more power to
what?
a. Rich
businessman
b. Trade unions
c. Farm tenants
d. Black people
Question
Eleven
The CCC gave
the young men
working in its
camps a wage
of $2 per day.
a. True
b. False
Question
Twelve
What was the symbol
of the NRA, the
National Recovery
Administration,
which helped
industries to flourish
again?
a. The Black robin
b. The Blue swan
c. The Blue eagle
d. The Black Hawk
Question
Thirteen
This banker is
famous for financing
the United States
Steel Corporation,
the first billion
dollar business.
a.
b.
c.
d.
J.P. Morgan
Samuel Gompers
Eugene Debs
Mother Jones
Which union, known
as the 'Wobblies' and
led by William
Haywood, called for
socialist government?
Question
Fourteen
a. American
Federation of
Labor
b. American
Railway Union
c. Congress of
Industrial
Organizations
d. Industrial workers
of the World
Question
Fifteen
Which of these
philosophies called for
decreased government
control of business?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Social Darwinism
Socialism
Communalism
Existentialism
Question
Sixteen
This term was
coined for the rich
industrialists who
dominated
American politics
in The Gilded Age.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Monopolist
The Gang of Four
Robber Barons
The Big Five
Who wrote the
pamphlet “Common
Sense”?
Question
Seventeen
a. John Hancock
b. Thomas Paine
c. Richard Henry
Lee
d. Benjamin
Franklin
Question
Eighteen
This railroad tycoon
was famous for
building towns for
his workers which
were highly
regulated. Who was
it?
a.
b.
c.
d.
J.P. Morgan
J.D. Rockefeller
Andrew Carnegie
George Pullman
Question
Nineteen
Roosevelt, first
of all, closed all
the banks for a
four-day
holiday. He
wanted to
rescue the
banks.
a. True
b. False
The New Deal
program had three
main aims, which
were what?
Question
Twenty
a. Relief,
empowerment,
economic boom
b. Relief,
recovery,
reform
c. Power,
protection,
prohibition
d. Pauperisation,
unemployment,
crisis
Correct!
Sorry
Wrong
Answer
Correct!
Question Page
Sorry
Wrong
Answer
Question Page
Credits
All teachers and students at non-profit schools can
use, revise, or adapt this game at will at no cost on
the condition that all prior designers are cited.
Resources:
www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/history/us_history.html
Google.mht
Yahoo.com
Copyright
 Copyright 2009 Kristin Harris
 Permission to copy this game at no cost is granted to all
teachers and students of non-profit schools.
 Permission is also granted to all teachers and students of
non-profit schools to make revisions to this game for their
own purposes, on the condition that this copyright page and
the credits page remain part of the game. Teachers and
students who adapt the game should add their names and
affiliations to the credits page without deleting any names
already there.