First and foremost, there is NO CHEATING permitted on any BPtrivia quiz*:

  • NO using any reference material or outside sources (i.e. "Google", etc.) to help you come to an answer or to find an answer. Pencil & paper is allowed and encouraged!
  • NO helping friends or other users come to correct responses by sharing information.
  • NO discussing the questions on any BPtrivia quizzes before the deadline has passed.

BPtrivia hand-grades each individual answer, using the following rules**:

  • Giving only a last name as an answer is acceptable (unless otherwise stated). If your answer includes a first name, and the first name is incorrect, your answer will be marked incorrect. 
    • While only a last name is necessary when answering a real person, if the person is fictional, only the first name is necessary (i.e. just "Bart" for "Bart Simpson" is fine or just "Phoebe" is fine for "Phoebe Buffay from Friends"), unless the question specifically asks for a last name or a full name.
  • If the question gives an alternate name for something, you cannot use that as your answer. For example, if the question said "What rapper was born as Shawn Carter in 1969?" you cannot answer "Carter" and expect credit; Jay-Z is needed. Or similarly, "Who released The Marshall Mathers LP?" you cannot answer "Mathers" and expect credit; Eminem is needed.
  • Leading articles in a title are not necessary unless your answer somehow does not fulfill something within the question itself. For example, if the question asks for a “3-word title” and the answer is “The Cherry Orchard”, your answer must include the “The” article or it does not fulfill the “3-word title” stipulation. If the question asks for a “play title” and the answer is “The Cherry Orchard” then “Cherry Orchard” is acceptable.
  • Correct spelling is not required, however, there are things to consider if you are not spelling an answer correctly:
    • Your answer should not change the meaning of the word/term/title being asked for.
    • Your answer should not add/take away syllables from the correct answer.
    • Your answer should prove to the grader that you know the correct answer.
  • If the correct answer ends in "S" and your answer omits the trailing "S", it will likely be marked as incorrect. Similarly, if your answer has an "S" but the answer does NOT end in "S", it will likely be marked incorrect. Incorrect answers that fulfill this example include "Julia Childs" for Julia Child or "Stephen Hawkins" for Stephen Hawking.
  • Please make sure that if a specific entry in a series is being asked for that you name that specific entry, and not the series as a whole. For example, if the question was "In what classic 1981 film would you hear the line “Snakes? Why did it have to be snakes?", the only correct answer is "Raiders of the Lost Ark"; if your response is "Indiana Jones", your answer will be incorrect.
  • In a similar vein as the previous rule, if the first title in a series is commonly used to denote the series as a whole, and a specific entry is being asked for, you need the specific entry. The answer "Star Wars" will specifically refer to the 1977 movie "Star Wars" and not "The Empire Strikes Back". The answer "The Terminator" will specifically refer to the 1984 movie "The Terminator" and not "Terminator 2: Judgment Day". The answer "Ghostbusters" will refer to the 1984 movie "Ghostbusters" OR the 2016 movie "Ghostbusters" and not "Ghostbusters II" or "Ghostbusters: Afterlife".
  • If you provide more than one answer on a question that requires only one answer, only your first answer will be accepted. No extra guesses may be made on any question.
  • Do NOT get in the habit of using less-famous alternate answers (i.e. "Aubrey Graham" for "Drake", "Chomolungma" for "Mount Everest", "James Smith" for "LL Cool J", etc.) as this will be both A. hard to judge the correctness of the answer if the graders have never heard of the less-famous alternate answers and B. hard to verify if an unknown answer is actually or technically correct. Use your best judgment when answering. Refer to the statement made at the end of this rule page for judgment calls**
    • Along these same lines, if an alternate/less famous name for something is used in a question (i.e. "Born Aubrey Graham, what rapper sings "God's Plan"?") you cannot answer with the name in the question and expect to receive credit. In the previous example, "Drake" would get you credit, but "Graham" or "Aubrey Graham" would not. If there are times where you're not sure, feel free to ask us before you submit your answer.
  • All answers should be given in English, unless stated otherwise or unless the answer is a foreign phrase (i.e. "What is best-selling Mexican beer?", you should answer "Corona" and not "crown". Another example "Jean Valjean appears in what book?", you should answer "Les Misérables" and not "The Miserable Ones"; please don't translate your answers into English if its a product, a title, or something similar that is already in a different language).
  • Song titles will be graded using the following criteria:
    • If you have the correct title, you will get credit (i.e. answering "Eleanor Rigby" for the song "Eleanor Rigby" will earn you points)
    • If you extend the lyric off of the title, and the lyric is correct and the full song title is included in your response, you will get credit (i.e. if you put "Hit Me Baby One More Time" for the Britney Spears' song "...Baby One More Time", or if you put "Billie Jean is not my lover" for the Michael Jackson song "Billie Jean", you will earn points)
    • If a song has a parenthetical title, it is not necessary to include it... However, if you include only the parenthetical title without the main title, you will not receive credit (i.e. if you put "The Piña Colada Song" for Rupert Holmes's "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)", you will not receive points)

NOTE: Any question on BPtrivia is subject to wording changes as we see fit, in order to make sure each question is as accurate as possible. If a flaw in a question is found after it has already been published, the question may be edited to reflect this. If you're unsure about a question's accuracy, feel free to shoot us an email and we'll look into it. We may or may not deem it necessary to edit, but very much appreciate being kept in the know.

* - If there is suspicion that the user is not playing within the rules of the game, BPtrivia reserves the right to conduct a series of proctored tests to prove authenticity. BPtrivia also reserves the right to ban any account if there is adequate evidence against a player's statistics. If you have any questions regarding this topic, feel free to shoot us an email (bill@bptrivia.com for trivia-related inquiries; colin@bptrivia.com for technical Issues).

** - At the end of the day, judgment calls/grey area calls are made by BPtrivia. If you have an issue with the way a question was handled/written/graded, feel free to shoot us an email (bill@bptrivia.com for trivia-related inquiries; colin@bptrivia.com for technical Issues).

Rules revised on December 21, 2023.