Pub Quiz question

[DriveVerySlowlyPastNumber23IWantThemToSeeMyHat]

Pub Quiz question: 'How many months have 30 days in?'

What would your answer be?

Hyacinth, if I got that question in a pub quiz I would immediately think of the months that have only 30 days in them. That makes 4.

But only 4 months have 30 days in. So 11 is the wrong answer.

You may as well ask how many pop/rock groups and bands have had 5 members in them, and then count every group and band that has 5 or more.

Only 4 months have 30 days in them. It's not ambiguous.

11. All of them except February.

I like these kind of questions, they're not trick questions they teach you not to jump straight in. Bit like the Qs on the 1% Club.

11

Is that because the clocks go back?

I've never heard this exact one, but I have heard "how many months have 28 days?" To which, of course, the answer is 12.

We had a sneaky picture board of celebrities in their younger days at a local quiz - Jamie Oliver was put in twice.
Didn't see that coming.

Eta: Realise this is nothing to do with days of the month. Just struck me as a sneaky quizmaster's trick.

There are lots of 'classic' pub quiz questions that are designed to sound suspiciously easy, but which are actually trick questions.

From which animal is catgut made?
After which animal were the Canary Islands named?
In which country are the vast majority of Panama hats made?
For the playing of which sport was the famous club in Wimbledon, London established in 1858?
Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey are the three counties of which country? (with 'the' being a crucial part of the question).
The lyrics of which country's national anthem mention the King of Spain?

There are loads of them!

But that would be the same principle as a CF asking you to pay for something costing a fiver for them, because "I haven't got £5" - when they actually have a big wad of £20 notes (and the place readily gives change!)

Would you think them reasonable and technically correct?!

But the answer could be either, so yes it is poorly constructed

Gold star and top of the class!!!

Please can we have the answers! Look forward to reading them in the morning!

11

It all hinges on the word 'only' or 'exactly', which many people will automatically assume - and that's the deliberate trick - but '11' is technically the right answer.

A little bit like if somebody says that you have to be 18 to legally do/buy something, that doesn't mean that you can't do/buy it if you're 19!

You can find the answers on Google. Just copy and paste the questions off here.

Now or shall I wait until tomorrow?!

I've only recently discovered the highlighting words and clicking "web search" thing - it's been a revelation!

I immediately said 4 with the old, 30 days has September ....etc but I guess it could be 11 as February doesn't and the rest do...but I never took it like that at all.

If it is a trick question, I would be the punter spoiling it by loudly demanding to know whether they meant which months have 30 days in, no more and no less.

To be fair, if OP has reported the question as it was asked at the quiz 100% accurately - "How many months have 30 days in?", I think the 'in' at the end removes any potential ambiguity; as long as you're listening carefully and answering the actual question, rather than the question that you think it's going to be.

11 no hesitation

11

11

It's not ambiguous. 11 have 30 days in them, 4 of those have more than 30