Be honest for a second.
When was the last time you solved a long division problem without using your phone? Or remembered the capital of a random U.S. state without Googling it?
Exactly.
That’s why Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? became such a hit. The concept is simple: adults answer elementary-level questions. The twist? Many don’t.
Fifth grade covers basic math, science, geography, grammar, and history. Nothing extreme. No advanced calculus. No college-level theory. Just fundamentals.
And yet… those fundamentals can be humbling.
Below are 150 fifth-grade-level questions across subjects. Answers are included right after each question so you can test yourself as you go.
Take it slow. Don’t scroll too fast. And no cheating.
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Math Questions (1–30)
- What is 12 × 8?
Answer: 96 - What is 144 ÷ 12?
Answer: 12 - What is 3/4 as a decimal?
Answer: 0.75 - What is the perimeter of a square with sides of 5 inches?
Answer: 20 inches - What is 25% of 200?
Answer: 50 - What is 9 × 7?
Answer: 63 - What is 1/2 + 1/4?
Answer: 3/4 - What is 15 × 6?
Answer: 90 - What is 1000 − 475?
Answer: 525 - What is the area of a rectangle 8 by 4?
Answer: 32 - What is 5²?
Answer: 25 - What is 36 ÷ 6?
Answer: 6 - Round 4.76 to the nearest whole number.
Answer: 5 - What is 11 × 11?
Answer: 121 - What is 3/5 as a decimal?
Answer: 0.6 - What is 7 × 8?
Answer: 56 - What is 60 ÷ 5?
Answer: 12 - What is 10% of 80?
Answer: 8 - What is 14 × 3?
Answer: 42 - What is 250 + 375?
Answer: 625 - What is 2/3 of 9?
Answer: 6 - What is 4³?
Answer: 64 - What is 45 ÷ 9?
Answer: 5 - What is 18 × 4?
Answer: 72 - What is 200 − 89?
Answer: 111 - What is 6/10 simplified?
Answer: 3/5 - What is 13 × 5?
Answer: 65 - What is 9 + 17?
Answer: 26 - What is 81 ÷ 9?
Answer: 9 - What is 1/4 of 20?
Answer: 5
Pause here. If you missed more than five… fifth grade might be calling.
Science Questions (31–60)
- What planet is known as the Red Planet?
Answer: Mars - What gas do humans breathe in to survive?
Answer: Oxygen - What is the largest organ in the human body?
Answer: Skin - What force pulls objects toward Earth?
Answer: Gravity - What is H2O commonly known as?
Answer: Water - What part of the plant makes food?
Answer: Leaves - What is the center of our solar system?
Answer: The Sun - What are animals without backbones called?
Answer: Invertebrates - What is the boiling point of water (in Celsius)?
Answer: 100°C - What do bees collect from flowers?
Answer: Nectar - What is the process plants use to make food?
Answer: Photosynthesis - What state of matter is air?
Answer: Gas - What do we call animals that eat only plants?
Answer: Herbivores - What organ pumps blood through the body?
Answer: Heart - What do you call molten rock underground?
Answer: Magma - What galaxy do we live in?
Answer: Milky Way - What is the hardest natural substance?
Answer: Diamond - What is the freezing point of water (Celsius)?
Answer: 0°C - What are baby frogs called?
Answer: Tadpoles - What mineral makes bones strong?
Answer: Calcium - What tool measures temperature?
Answer: Thermometer - What gas do plants release?
Answer: Oxygen - What planet is closest to the sun?
Answer: Mercury - What is the study of weather called?
Answer: Meteorology - What do caterpillars turn into?
Answer: Butterflies - What are the three states of matter?
Answer: Solid, liquid, gas - What part of the body helps you breathe?
Answer: Lungs - What is electricity measured in?
Answer: Watts - What is a scientist who studies rocks called?
Answer: Geologist - What do humans need to survive besides air and water?
Answer: Food
also read : – Discover the Importance of Finding the Right Math Tutor Near You
Geography Questions (61–90)
- What is the largest ocean on Earth?
Answer: Pacific Ocean - What country has the Great Pyramid of Giza?
Answer: Egypt - What is the capital of France?
Answer: Paris - What continent is Brazil in?
Answer: South America - What is the longest river in the world?
Answer: Nile River - What U.S. state is known as the Sunshine State?
Answer: Florida - What continent is the Sahara Desert in?
Answer: Africa - What is the capital of Japan?
Answer: Tokyo - What country is home to the Great Wall?
Answer: China - What is the smallest continent?
Answer: Australia - What is the capital of the United States?
Answer: Washington, D.C. - What ocean lies on the east coast of the U.S.?
Answer: Atlantic Ocean - What is the tallest mountain in the world?
Answer: Mount Everest - What continent is India in?
Answer: Asia - What line divides the Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
Answer: Equator - What country is Rome the capital of?
Answer: Italy - What desert is the largest hot desert?
Answer: Sahara - What river runs through Egypt?
Answer: Nile - What country is directly north of the United States?
Answer: Canada - What continent is Antarctica located in?
Answer: Antarctica - What is the capital of Canada?
Answer: Ottawa - What country is shaped like a boot?
Answer: Italy - What ocean is between Africa and Australia?
Answer: Indian Ocean - What country is the Eiffel Tower in?
Answer: France - What is the capital of Spain?
Answer: Madrid - What country has the Amazon Rainforest?
Answer: Brazil - What continent is Mexico in?
Answer: North America - What U.S. state is known for Hollywood?
Answer: California - What is the capital of Germany?
Answer: Berlin - What is the largest continent?
Answer: Asia
History Questions (91–120)
- Who was the first President of the United States?
Answer: George Washington - In what year did the United States declare independence?
Answer: 1776 - Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson - What war was fought between the North and South regions of the U.S.?
Answer: The Civil War - Who was known as the “Father of Our Country”?
Answer: George Washington - What ship brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620?
Answer: The Mayflower - Who was the 16th President of the United States?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln - What ancient civilization built the pyramids?
Answer: Egyptians - Who discovered America in 1492?
Answer: Christopher Columbus - What document begins with “We the People”?
Answer: The U.S. Constitution - What holiday celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S.?
Answer: Juneteenth - Who was the leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s?
Answer: Martin Luther King Jr. - What war was fought during 1939–1945?
Answer: World War II - Who was the first man to walk on the moon?
Answer: Neil Armstrong - What country did the United States fight in the Revolutionary War?
Answer: Great Britain - What was the name of the trade route connecting Asia and Europe?
Answer: The Silk Road - Who was the first female Supreme Court Justice?
Answer: Sandra Day O’Connor - What ancient civilization created democracy?
Answer: Greece - Who was President during the Civil War?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln - What event happened on December 7, 1941?
Answer: Attack on Pearl Harbor - Who was the first African American President of the United States?
Answer: Barack Obama - What was the name of the first successful English colony in America?
Answer: Jamestown - What wall came down in 1989?
Answer: The Berlin Wall - Who was known for refusing to give up her bus seat in 1955?
Answer: Rosa Parks - What was the name of the first U.S. space shuttle?
Answer: Columbia - Who invented the light bulb?
Answer: Thomas Edison - What empire was ruled by Julius Caesar?
Answer: Roman Empire - What amendment gave women the right to vote?
Answer: 19th Amendment - Who was the famous nurse during the Crimean War?
Answer: Florence Nightingale - What country gifted the Statue of Liberty to the U.S.?
Answer: France
If history didn’t trip you up, grammar might.
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English & Grammar Questions (121–140)
- What is a noun?
Answer: A person, place, thing, or idea - What is the plural of “child”?
Answer: Children - What punctuation ends a question?
Answer: Question mark - What is a verb?
Answer: An action word - What is the opposite of “hot”?
Answer: Cold - What is the past tense of “run”?
Answer: Ran - What do you call a word that describes a noun?
Answer: Adjective - What is the correct spelling: recieve or receive?
Answer: Receive - What is a synonym for “happy”?
Answer: Joyful (or glad) - What is an antonym for “big”?
Answer: Small - What is the contraction for “do not”?
Answer: Don’t - What part of speech is “quickly”?
Answer: Adverb - What is the subject in the sentence: “The dog barked”?
Answer: The dog - What is a complete sentence?
Answer: A sentence with a subject and verb - What is the plural of “mouse”?
Answer: Mice - What is a homophone?
Answer: Words that sound alike but have different meanings - What punctuation marks show possession?
Answer: Apostrophe - What letter begins every proper noun?
Answer: Capital letter - What is the comparative form of “tall”?
Answer: Taller - What is the superlative form of “good”?
Answer: Best
Almost there.
Now let’s finish strong.
General Knowledge Questions (141–150)
- How many days are in a leap year?
Answer: 366 - How many continents are there?
Answer: 7 - How many sides does a triangle have?
Answer: 3 - What color do you get when you mix red and blue?
Answer: Purple - How many hours are in a day?
Answer: 24 - What do you call a baby dog?
Answer: Puppy - What instrument has keys, pedals, and strings?
Answer: Piano - How many months have 31 days?
Answer: 7 - What is the largest mammal in the world?
Answer: Blue whale - What do bees make?
Answer: Honey
Final Words
So… how did you do?
If you got most of them right, congratulations. You might actually be smarter than a fifth grader.
If you missed more than you expected, don’t feel bad. It happens. Adults often forget foundational facts because we stop using them daily.
That’s what makes this challenge fun.
It reminds us that intelligence isn’t just about advanced knowledge. It’s about remembering basics — math facts, grammar rules, historical dates, science fundamentals.
And honestly? Revisiting them feels refreshing.
Sometimes going back to fifth grade is humbling.
Sometimes it’s empowering.
Either way, it’s a good reminder that learning never really stops.
FAQ
Are these real fifth-grade questions?
Yes. These reflect common U.S. fifth-grade curriculum topics across math, science, geography, history, and English.
Why are fifth-grade questions hard for adults?
Adults often specialize in specific fields and forget foundational subjects they no longer use regularly.
How can I improve my general knowledge?
Practice daily quizzes, read educational material, and review basic curriculum topics periodically.
Is this based on the TV show?
The format is inspired by the popular game show concept where adults answer elementary-level questions.
