50 Nobel Prize Quiz Questions and Answers

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If you want to test your knowledge and see how much you really know about the Nobel Prizes, this ultimate quiz is for you.

The Nobel Prize was named after Alfred Nobel (who is famous for inventing the dynamite). It is awarded to “those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.”

In this game, you will find 5 rounds of 10 questions and answers about the Nobel Prize. Each correct answer is worth one point.

Round 1: Easy Nobel Prize Trivia Questions

1. Who is the Nobel Prize named after?
2. How many Nobel Prize categories are there?
3. What is the name for someone who has won a Nobel Prize?
4. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
5. What category did Albert Einstein win his Nobel Prize in?
6. Who is the most recent US President to have won a Nobel Prize?
7. Winning her award at just 17, who is the youngest person to have ever been awarded a Nobel Prize?
8. What is the only Nobel Prize category not presented at Stockholm City Hall?
9. Which country has produced the highest number of Nobel Prize winners?
10. In 1958, Boris Pasternak was forced by the Soviet authorities to turn down the Nobel Prize for literature. Which book is he most famous for?

Round 1: Easy Nobel Prize Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Who is the Nobel Prize named after? Alfred Nobel
2. How many Nobel Prize categories are there? Six
3. What is the name for someone who has won a Nobel Prize? Nobel Laureate
4. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize? Marie Curie
5. What category did Albert Einstein win his Nobel Prize in? Physics
6. Who is the most recent US President to have won a Nobel Prize? Barack Obama
7. Winning her award at just 17, who is the youngest person to have ever been awarded a Nobel Prize? Malala Yousafzai
8. What is the only Nobel Prize category not presented at Stockholm City Hall? Peace
9. Which country has produced the highest number of Nobel Prize winners? The United States
10. In 1958, Boris Pasternak was forced by the Soviet authorities to turn down the Nobel Prize for literature. Which book is he most famous for? Dr. Zhivago

Round 2: Nobel Prize Multiple-Choice Questions

1. What currency is the prize money for the Nobel Prize awarded in?
   1. US Dollars
   2. British Pounds
   3. Euros
   4. Swedish Kronor
2. Which of the following is a real Nobel Prize category?
   1. Biology
   2. Political Science
   3. Economic Science
   4. Psychology
3. What is the highest number of Nobel Prizes that a single individual has been awarded?
   1. 1
   2. 2
   3. 3
   4. 4
4. Which singer songwriter won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016?
   1. Paul MacCartney
   2. Billy Joel
   3. Bob Dylan
   4. Elton John
5. Albert Mechelson was the first American to win a Nobel Prize, but what did he win it for?
   1. Measuring the surface temperature of the sun
   2. Measuring the temperature of the Earth’s core
   3. Measuring the exact distance between Earth and the sun
   4. Measuring the speed of light
6. Which of the following groups has won the Nobel Peace Prize?
   1. The Florence Nightingale Foundation
   2. The Norwegian Refugee Council
   3. Reporters without Borders
   4. The European Union
7. Wilhelm Röntgen, the winner of the Nobel Prize for physics in 1901, was the first prize winner from…
   1. Germany
   2. Austria
   3. The Netherlands
   4. Belgium
8. Which of the following books was written by Nobel Prize in Literature winner Kazuo Ishiguro?
   1. How High Can We Go in the Dark
   2. Klara and the Sun
   3. Norwegian Wood
   4. The Memory Police
9. In 1902, British-Indian doctor Ronald Ross won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research on which disease?
   1. Ebola
   2. Diphtheria
   3. Malaria
   4. Flu
10. Which Nobel Prize category has had the lowest percentage of female winners?
    1. Physics
    2. Chemistry
    3. Peace
    4. Physiology or Medicine

Round 2: Nobel Prize Multiple-Choice Questions and Answers

1. What currency is the prize money for the Nobel Prize awarded in? D. Swedish Kronor
2. Which of the following is a real Nobel Prize category? C. Economic Science
3. What is the highest number of Nobel Prizes that a single individual has been awarded? B. 2
4. Which singer songwriter won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016? C. Bob Dylan
5. Albert Mechelson was the first American to win a Nobel Prize, but what did he win it for? D. Measuring the speed of light
6. Which of the following groups has won the Nobel Peace Prize? D. The European Union
7. Wilhelm Röntgen, the winner of the Nobel Prize for physics in 1901, was the first prize winner from…a. Germany
8. Which of the following books was written by Nobel Prize in Literature winner Kazuo Ishiguro? B. Klara and the Sun
9. In 1902, British-Indian doctor Ronald Ross won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research on which disease? C. Malaria
10. Which Nobel Prize category has had the lowest percentage of female winners? A. Physics

Round 3: Nobel Prize Quiz – True or False

1. The list of nobel prize nominees is kept secret.
2. Volodymyr Zelenskyy won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
3. Winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature win the award for one outstanding book or poem.
4. Gandhi never won a Nobel Prize.
5. The Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was won in 2021 by three Covid-19 researchers.
6. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov won a Nobel Prize in 1904, but it wasn’t for his famous experiments with his dogs.
7. John B. Goodenough is the oldest person to have ever won a Nobel Prize, receiving the award at 97 years old.
8. George Orwell turned down a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950 because he didn’t believe in literature awards.
9. As a German-speaking Czech Jew, there was some debate about which country should keep Franz Kafka’s Nobel Prize medal. A court case finally awarded the honour to Israel.
10. The Nobel Peace Prize was not awarded from 1940 to 1942 because the committee said they could not award a peace prize during war.

Round 3: Nobel Prize Quiz Answers – True or False

1. The list of nobel prize nominees is kept secret. True
2. Volodymyr Zelenskyy won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. False, it was jointly won by activists from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine
3. Winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature win the award for one outstanding book or poem. False, they win for an outstanding overall body of work
4. Gandhi never won a Nobel Prize. True
5. The Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was won in 2021 by three Covid-19 researchers. False
6. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov won a Nobel Prize in 1904, but it wasn’t for his famous experiments with his dogs. True
7. John B. Goodenough is the oldest person to have ever won a Nobel Prize, receiving the award at 97 years old. True 
8. George Orwell turned down a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950 because he didn’t believe in literature awards. False
9. As a German-speaking Czech Jew, there was some debate about which country should keep Franz Kafka’s Nobel Prize medal. A court case finally awarded the honour to Israel. False, Kafka never won a Nobel Prize though there was a court case over some of his manuscripts
10. The Nobel Peace Prize was not awarded from 1940 to 1942 because the committee said they could not award a peace prize during war. False, no prize was awarded because Norway was occupied by Germany at the time

Round 4: Medium Nobel Prize Trivia Questions

1. What year were the first Nobel Prizes awarded?
2. What did the creator of the Nobel Prize invent that lead him to seek a better legacy for himself through the awards?
3. Which Nobel Prize category has had the highest percentage of female winners (though that’s still only 16%)?
4. Who was the first Black person to win a Nobel Prize?
5. Who won the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Nelson Mandela in 1993?
6. Which Nobel Prize category was first introduced in 1969?
7. Who was the first American President to win a Nobel Peace Prize?
8. James Chadwick won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1935 for the discovery of which subatomic particle?
9. Who was the only leader of the Soviet Union to win a Nobel Prize?
10. Which NGO won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for ‘worldwide respect for human rights’?

Round 4: Medium Nobel Prize Trivia Questions and Answers

1. What year were the first Nobel Prizes awarded? 1901
2. What did the creator of the Nobel Prize invent that lead him to seek a better legacy for himself through the awards? Dynamite 
3. Which Nobel Prize category has had the highest percentage of female winners (though that’s still only 16%)? Peace 
4. Who was the first Black person to win a Nobel Prize? Ralph Bunche
5. Who won the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Nelson Mandela in 1993? F.W. De Klerk
6. Which Nobel Prize category was first introduced in 1969? Economic Science
7. Who was the first American President to win a Nobel Peace Prize? Theodore Roosevelt 
8. James Chadwick won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1935 for the discovery of which subatomic particle? The neutron
9. Who was the only leader of the Soviet Union to win a Nobel Prize? Mikhail Gorbachev
10. Which NGO won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for ‘worldwide respect for human rights’? Amnesty International

Round 5: Hard Nobel Prize Trivia Questions

1. Who is the only UN Secretary General to have won a Nobel Peace Prize?
2. Which was the only Nobel Prize category to have a female winner in 2021?
3. Which Belarusian journalist won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2015 for her ‘polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time’?
4. British Physicist Lord Rayleigh won the Nobel Prize in 1904 discovering which element?
5. Which French writer turned down a Nobel Prize in 1964 because he didn’t want to be ‘institutionalised’?
6. Who was the first author writing in English to win a Nobel Prize in Literature?
7. In what year did Michael Houghton, Charles M. Rice and Harvey J. Atler win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the Hepatitis C virus?
8. Linus Pauling is one of the only people to have won the Nobel Prize twice, winning the award once in Peace and once in what other category?
9. In 2022, Svante Pääbo won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work uncovering the genomes of extinct hominids. Which species of early man does his research specialise in?
10. The Nobel Prize awards ceremony takes place each year on the 10th of December, marking the anniversary or what?

Round 5: Hard Nobel Prize Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Who is the only UN Secretary General to have won a Nobel Peace Prize? Kofi Annan
2. Which was the only Nobel Prize category to have a female winner in 2021? Peace
3. Which Belarusian journalist won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2015 for her ‘polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time’? Svetlana Alexievich
4. British Physicist Lord Rayleigh won the Nobel Prize in 1904 discovering which element? Argon
5. Which French writer turned down a Nobel Prize in 1964 because he didn’t want to be ‘institutionalised’? John-Paul Sartre
6. Who was the first author writing in English to win a Nobel Prize in Literature? Rudyard Kipling
7. In what year did Michael Houghton, Charles M. Rice and Harvey J. Atler win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the Hepatitis C virus? 2020
8. Linus Pauling is one of the only people to have won the Nobel Prize twice, winning the award once in Peace and once in what other category? Chemistry
9. In 2022, Svante Pääbo won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work uncovering the genomes of extinct hominids. Which species of early man does his research specialise in? Neanderthals
10. The Nobel Prize awards ceremony takes place each year on the 10th of December, marking the anniversary or what? The Death of Alfred Nobel

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