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Records, Rings & Legends
The rules, records and moments the world actually watched.
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How often are the modern Summer Olympic Games normally held?
The Rules of the Game
No trivia about who won what — just the rules that anyone watching is assumed to already know.
About this topic
Every sport asks a newcomer to absorb an invisible rulebook before anything on screen makes sense. Why the crowd reacts to a ball that looked identical to the last one, why a player leaves the field, why one score is worth more than another. These ten questions cover the basics of scoring and team size across sports played on five continents. None of them require following a league or knowing a player's name — they are the rules a commentator assumes you already have.
Questions & answers
The Rules of the Game: all 10 questions and answers
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
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1In basketball, a shot made from beyond the arc is worth how many points?
- A Two
- B One
- C Four
- D Three Correct
Answer: D. Three
Why: The NBA adopted the three-point line in 1979. A free throw is worth one point.
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2How many players does each cricket team have on the field?
- A Ten
- B Twelve
- C Eleven Correct
- D Nine
Answer: C. Eleven
Why: A twelfth man may field as a substitute but cannot bat or bowl.
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3In volleyball, how many touches may a team take before returning the ball?
- A Five
- B Three Correct
- C Two
- D Four
Answer: B. Three
Why: A touch at the net while blocking does not count toward the three. No player may touch it twice in succession.
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4In American football, how many points is a touchdown worth?
- A Six Correct
- B Seven
- C Three
- D Five
Answer: A. Six
Why: The conversion attempt afterwards adds one or two more. A field goal is worth three.
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5How many players are on a rugby union team on the pitch?
- A Thirteen
- B Eleven
- C Seven
- D Fifteen Correct
Answer: D. Fifteen
Why: Rugby league fields thirteen and sevens fields seven. A try in union is worth five points.
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6In baseball, how many strikes make an out?
- A Four
- B Five
- C Three Correct
- D Two
Answer: C. Three
Why: Four balls send the batter to first base instead. A foul ball cannot normally be the third strike.
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7In snooker, which ball carries the highest value?
- A Yellow
- B Black Correct
- C Pink
- D Blue
Answer: B. Black
Why: Black is worth seven, pink six and blue five. Each red is worth one.
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8How long is a standard round in professional boxing?
- A Three minutes Correct
- B Two minutes
- C Five minutes
- D Four minutes
Answer: A. Three minutes
Why: One minute of rest separates rounds. Championship contests are usually scheduled for twelve.
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9In ice hockey, how many players does a team have on the ice at full strength?
- A Five
- B Seven
- C Four
- D Six Correct
Answer: D. Six
Why: Five skaters plus a goaltender. Penalties leave a side short-handed for a set time.
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10In golf, what does "par" describe?
- A The maximum number of clubs allowed
- B The distance from tee to green
- C The number of strokes a hole is expected to take Correct
- D The lowest score ever recorded
Answer: C. The number of strokes a hole is expected to take
Why: One stroke under par is a birdie and two under is an eagle. Par for a full course is usually around 72.
Frequently asked questions about The Rules of the Game
How many questions are in The Rules of the Game?
The Rules of the Game has 10 questions and takes about 6 minutes to finish. It is rated Easy and sits in our Sports category.
How is The Rules of the Game scored?
Each of the 10 correct answers adds 10 XP, up to 100 XP for a clean run. Wrong answers cost you nothing, and your full question-by-question review is shown at the end.
Are the answers to The Rules of the Game explained?
Yes. All 10 questions carry a written explanation of why the correct answer is right, so the quiz works as a study sheet as well as a test.
Can I replay The Rules of the Game?
Yes, as often as you like. The questions and the answer options are reshuffled on each run, and you can use Practice Mistakes afterwards to retry only the ones you missed. No account is needed to play.
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