Remember when you were in 4th grade and everything seemed like a fascinating new discovery? I sure do! My son just entered 4th grade last year, and watching him learn has brought back so many memories of my own elementary school days.
That’s why I put together this massive collection of 4th grade trivia questions – perfect for teachers, parents, or anyone who wants to challenge a curious 9 or 10-year-old mind!
I’ve personally tested these questions during family game nights and classroom volunteering, and they’re the perfect mix of educational content and pure fun. With over 100 questions covering science, math, geography, and more, you’ll never run out of brain teasers to keep those young minds engaged.
Science Trivia Questions
Science is all about discovery and wonder – exactly what 4th graders love! These questions cover everything from the human body to outer space and the natural world. My son’s eyes lit up when we tackled these questions during our weekend trivia sessions!
- What is the largest planet in our solar system? Answer: Jupiter
- What do you call animals that eat both plants and meat? Answer: Omnivores
- What’s the hardest natural substance on Earth? Answer: Diamond
- How many chambers does a human heart have? Answer: Four
- What is the process called when a plant makes its own food using sunlight? Answer: Photosynthesis
- What type of simple machine is a seesaw? Answer: Lever
- What’s the name of the galaxy we live in? Answer: The Milky Way
- What state of matter has no definite shape and no definite volume? Answer: Gas
- What force pulls objects toward the center of Earth? Answer: Gravity
- What is the largest organ in the human body? Answer: Skin
- Which planet is known as the “Red Planet”? Answer: Mars
- What is the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit? Answer: 212°F
- What gas do plants take in that humans breathe out? Answer: Carbon dioxide
- What are the three states of matter? Answer: Solid, liquid, and gas
- Which animal sleeps standing up? Answer: Horse
- What do you call a scientist who studies weather? Answer: Meteorologist
- Which bird can fly backward? Answer: Hummingbird
- What do you call a group of lions? Answer: Pride
- What is the largest mammal on Earth? Answer: Blue whale
- What’s the closest star to Earth? Answer: The Sun
- What gas makes up most of Earth’s atmosphere? Answer: Nitrogen
- What do you call an animal that hunts other animals for food? Answer: Predator
- What do caterpillars turn into? Answer: Butterflies or moths
- What layers make up Earth? Answer: Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
- What are baby frogs called? Answer: Tadpoles
If you want to dive deeper into scientific exploration, check out our philosophical questions that can spark amazing discussions about how our world works!
Math Trivia Questions
Math doesn’t have to be intimidating! These fun trivia questions turn numbers into an exciting challenge. I’ve used these during homework time when my kids needed a mental break, and they always perked right up!
- What is the sum of all angles in a triangle? Answer: 180 degrees
- How many sides does a hexagon have? Answer: Six
- What is the next number in the sequence: 2, 4, 6, 8…? Answer: 10
- What is half of 86? Answer: 43
- How many minutes are in 2 hours? Answer: 120 minutes
- What 3D shape is a basketball? Answer: Sphere
- What is 7 × 8? Answer: 56
- If you have 3 dimes and 4 nickels, how much money do you have? Answer: 50 cents
- What is the perimeter of a square with sides of 5 inches? Answer: 20 inches
- What does the Roman numeral V represent? Answer: 5
- What is 1/4 plus 1/2? Answer: 3/4
- How many sides does a pentagon have? Answer: Five
- What is 1,000 + 2,000? Answer: 3,000
- If a rectangle has a length of 8 cm and a width of 5 cm, what is its area? Answer: 40 square centimeters
- What is 24 divided by 6? Answer: 4
- How many edges does a cube have? Answer: 12
- What is the next prime number after 7? Answer: 11
- What is 9 squared? Answer: 81
- How many centimeters are in a meter? Answer: 100
- What is 15 × 4? Answer: 60
- What is a line segment with endpoints on a circle called? Answer: Chord
- If you save $5 each week, how much will you save in 10 weeks? Answer: $50
- What shape has 4 equal sides and 4 right angles? Answer: Square
- What is 1/3 of 27? Answer: 9
- What time is 15:45 in regular clock time? Answer: 3:45 PM
For more challenging number puzzles, be sure to check out our math trivia questions that will put your arithmetic skills to the test!
Geography Trivia Questions
Let’s explore our amazing world! These geography questions will take 4th graders on a global adventure without leaving their seats. My family loves these for long car rides – they make the miles fly by!
- What is the largest continent? Answer: Asia
- What ocean lies between North America and Europe? Answer: Atlantic Ocean
- What’s the capital of the United States? Answer: Washington, D.C.
- Which planet is known as the “Blue Planet”? Answer: Earth
- What’s the largest country in the world by land area? Answer: Russia
- What mountain range runs along the west coast of South America? Answer: The Andes
- Which U.S. state is known as the “Grand Canyon State”? Answer: Arizona
- What is the longest river in the world? Answer: Nile River
- What imaginary line runs around the middle of the Earth? Answer: The Equator
- Which country is home to the Great Barrier Reef? Answer: Australia
- What is the capital of Canada? Answer: Ottawa
- What are the five Great Lakes? Answer: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior
- Which desert is the largest in the world? Answer: Sahara Desert
- What’s the lowest point on Earth’s land surface? Answer: The Dead Sea
- What is the capital of Japan? Answer: Tokyo
- What continent is home to the most countries? Answer: Africa
- Which U.S. state is home to the Grand Canyon? Answer: Arizona
- What are the four cardinal directions? Answer: North, South, East, and West
- What’s the smallest continent? Answer: Australia
- Which country is shaped like a boot? Answer: Italy
- What is the capital of Mexico? Answer: Mexico City
- Which state is called the “Sunshine State”? Answer: Florida
- What is the largest island in the world? Answer: Greenland
- Which country has the largest population? Answer: China
- What is the tallest mountain in the world? Answer: Mount Everest
If these geography questions spark curiosity about our world, you might enjoy exploring deep topics to talk about that can help us understand different cultures and places even better!
History Trivia Questions
History comes alive with these fascinating questions! I’ve found that even kids who think they don’t like history get excited when it’s presented in trivia form. These are great conversation starters at the dinner table!
- Who was the first President of the United States? Answer: George Washington
- What famous document begins with “We the People”? Answer: The Constitution
- What ancient civilization built the pyramids? Answer: The Egyptians
- In what year did Christopher Columbus first sail to America? Answer: 1492
- Who was the 16th President of the United States who freed the slaves? Answer: Abraham Lincoln
- What was the name of the first ship that the Pilgrims sailed to America on? Answer: The Mayflower
- What holiday celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence? Answer: Fourth of July (Independence Day)
- Who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean? Answer: Amelia Earhart
- What was the name of the first African American Major League Baseball player? Answer: Jackie Robinson
- What war was fought between the North and South in America? Answer: The Civil War
- Who invented the light bulb? Answer: Thomas Edison
- What ancient wonder was a huge statue on the island of Rhodes? Answer: The Colossus of Rhodes
- What civilization built Machu Picchu? Answer: The Incas
- Who painted the Mona Lisa? Answer: Leonardo da Vinci
- What famous civil rights leader gave the “I Have a Dream” speech? Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.
- What was the name of the ship that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg? Answer: Titanic
- Who was the first person to step on the moon? Answer: Neil Armstrong
- What Native American woman helped Lewis and Clark on their expedition? Answer: Sacagawea
- What ancient civilization used hieroglyphics? Answer: The Egyptians
- Who invented the telephone? Answer: Alexander Graham Bell
- What was the name of the first dog sent into space? Answer: Laika
- What civilization built the Great Wall of China? Answer: The Chinese
- Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Answer: Thomas Jefferson
- What war is known as “The Great War”? Answer: World War I
- What year did the United States declare independence? Answer: 1776
Interested in testing your knowledge about more recent history? Check out our 90s movie trivia for a fun blast from the past!
Language Arts Trivia Questions
Words are wonderful! These language arts questions will test knowledge of reading, writing, and communication skills. My daughter’s teacher uses similar questions for classroom warm-ups, and they’re always a hit!
- What do you call a word that means the opposite of another word? Answer: Antonym
- What punctuation mark ends an exclamatory sentence? Answer: Exclamation point (!)
- What are the four types of sentences? Answer: Declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory
- What’s the main character in a story called? Answer: Protagonist
- What is the plural form of child? Answer: Children
- What do you call a word that sounds like what it describes? Answer: Onomatopoeia
- Who is the author of “Charlotte’s Web”? Answer: E.B. White
- What do you call a word that describes a noun? Answer: Adjective
- What are the vowels in the English alphabet? Answer: A, E, I, O, U (and sometimes Y)
- What is the past tense of run? Answer: Ran
- What’s a group of lines in a poem called? Answer: Stanza
- What punctuation mark separates items in a list? Answer: Comma
- What’s the main idea or lesson of a story called? Answer: Theme or moral
- What’s a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning? Answer: Homophone
- Who wrote “The Cat in the Hat”? Answer: Dr. Seuss
- What do you call the subject of a biography? Answer: The person the biography is about
- What part of speech is “quickly”? Answer: Adverb
- What’s the name for the high point of action in a story? Answer: Climax
- What is the plural form of mouse? Answer: Mice
- What do you call words like “and,” “or,” and “but”? Answer: Conjunctions
- What’s a story with animals that teach a lesson called? Answer: Fable
- What do you call a story about imaginary events and people? Answer: Fiction
- What are the names of books in a series about a boy wizard named Harry? Answer: Harry Potter series
- What’s a word that describes a verb? Answer: Adverb
- What do you call the comparison of two unlike things without using “like” or “as”? Answer: Metaphor
If you enjoyed these language questions, you might find our interesting topics to talk about perfect for expanding vocabulary and communication skills!
General Knowledge Trivia
These general knowledge questions cover a bit of everything! They’re my go-to for mixed-age groups because everyone can participate. We’ve used these at birthday parties with great success!
- How many days are in a leap year? Answer: 366
- What’s the name of a baby kangaroo? Answer: Joey
- Which fruit is associated with Sir Isaac Newton? Answer: Apple
- How many continents are there? Answer: Seven
- What are the colors of the rainbow in order? Answer: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet
- What is the main ingredient in chocolate? Answer: Cocoa
- Which planet has rings around it? Answer: Saturn
- What’s the world’s largest bird? Answer: Ostrich
- What’s the freezing point of water in Celsius? Answer: 0°C
- What’s the hardest natural substance on Earth? Answer: Diamond
- What insect makes honey? Answer: Honey bee
- How many legs does a spider have? Answer: Eight
- What color do you get when you mix blue and yellow? Answer: Green
- What country invented pizza? Answer: Italy
- What’s the national bird of the United States? Answer: Bald Eagle
- How many sides does a stop sign have? Answer: Eight
- What is the main language spoken in Brazil? Answer: Portuguese
- What’s the largest ocean on Earth? Answer: Pacific Ocean
- How many teeth does an adult human typically have? Answer: 32
- What do you call a baby sheep? Answer: Lamb
- In what season do leaves typically fall from trees? Answer: Autumn/Fall
- What’s the name of the toy cowboy in “Toy Story”? Answer: Woody
- How many stripes are on the American flag? Answer: 13
- What planet is closest to the sun? Answer: Mercury
- What is the name of Mickey Mouse’s dog? Answer: Pluto
For even more mind-bending challenges, check out our confusing riddles with answers that will keep even the smartest 4th graders guessing!
Why 4th Grade Trivia is Perfect for Learning
Fourth grade is such a special time in a child’s educational journey. They’re developing more complex thinking skills but still have that wonderful natural curiosity about everything around them. I’ve found that trivia games are one of the best ways to reinforce classroom learning while keeping kids thoroughly entertained.
When my daughter was in 4th grade, we started playing “Trivia Tuesday” during dinner, and it quickly became everyone’s favorite night of the week. Not only did it boost her confidence when she knew the answers, but it also sparked great conversations about topics we might never have discussed otherwise.
These trivia questions work perfectly for classroom activities, homeschool lessons, road trips, rainy day entertainment, or even virtual learning sessions. The best part? Kids are having so much fun they don’t even realize how much they’re learning!
Final Thoughts
Wasn’t that fun? I hope these 100+ trivia questions bring as much joy and learning to your 4th graders as they have to mine! Whether you’re a teacher looking for classroom activities, a parent wanting to supplement learning at home, or just someone who enjoys challenging young minds, these questions hit that perfect sweet spot of education and entertainment.
What I love most about trivia for this age group is watching kids’ faces light up when they know an answer – that boost of confidence is priceless! And when they don’t know something, it sparks curiosity to learn more.
So, how many of these questions could you answer without peeking? I bet there were a few that stumped even the adults! Consider making trivia a regular activity in your home or classroom – you might be surprised at how much everyone looks forward to it.
Looking for more ways to engage with the young learners in your life? Our two truths and a lie ideas make another fantastic game that kids absolutely love!