As you wish, the trivia adventure is about to begin.
These The Princess Bride trivia questions duel through characters, quotable scenes, the Fire Swamp, Florin, filmmaking facts, and William Goldman’s original novel.
Buttercup, Westley, and the Farm
Begin where the great romance starts, on a farm with chores, teasing, and three surprisingly powerful words. It is a quiet opening for a story packed with pirates, princes, giants, revenge, miracles, and one unusually persuasive storybook.
- What does Buttercup call Westley before learning his name?
Answer: Farm Boy - What phrase does Westley use whenever Buttercup gives him an order?
Answer: As you wish - What does Westley’s phrase really mean?
Answer: I love you - Why does Westley leave the farm?
Answer: To seek his fortune so he can marry Buttercup - What news convinces Buttercup that Westley has died?
Answer: The Dread Pirate Roberts attacked his ship - How long does Buttercup mourn before agreeing to marry Humperdinck?
Answer: Five years - Is Buttercup born a princess?
Answer: No, she is a farm girl - Who selects Buttercup to become his bride?
Answer: Prince Humperdinck - Does Buttercup love Humperdinck?
Answer: No - Which actor plays Westley in the 1987 film?
Answer: Cary Elwes
A Kidnapping on the Florin Coast
Sail into the scheme, where a Sicilian, a Spaniard, and a giant discover they chose a very determined pursuer.
- Who kidnaps Buttercup?
Answer: Vizzini, Inigo Montoya, and Fezzik - What nationality does Vizzini repeatedly mention?
Answer: Sicilian - What is Inigo Montoya’s homeland?
Answer: Spain - What physical trait makes Fezzik useful to the kidnappers?
Answer: His enormous strength - Which kingdom hires the kidnappers’ group, according to their cover story?
Answer: Guilder - What do the kidnappers intend to leave as evidence?
Answer: A Guilder military uniform - What nickname is given to the masked pursuer?
Answer: The Man in Black - Which sea creatures circle below the Cliffs of Insanity?
Answer: Shrieking eels - How does Fezzik carry the group up the cliff?
Answer: He climbs a rope while carrying them - What happens to the rope after Vizzini reaches the top?
Answer: He cuts it
Duels on the Cliffs of Insanity
En garde: this round has left hands, right hands, and one of cinema’s friendliest sword fights.
- Who waits to duel the Man in Black at the cliff top?
Answer: Inigo Montoya - Why does Inigo allow his opponent to rest first?
Answer: He wants a fair fight - Which hand does Inigo initially use to fence?
Answer: His left hand - Is Inigo truly left-handed?
Answer: No - Is the Man in Black truly left-handed?
Answer: No - Who wins the sword fight?
Answer: The Man in Black - Does the winner kill Inigo?
Answer: No, he knocks him unconscious - What famous fencing masters do the duelists name?
Answer: Bonetti, Capo Ferro, Thibault, and Agrippa - What does Fezzik challenge the Man in Black to after the duel?
Answer: A wrestling match - How does the Man in Black defeat Fezzik?
Answer: He chokes him unconscious
Vizzini’s Battle of Wits
Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line, but absolutely try this round from a safe distance.
- What poison does the Man in Black claim to use?
Answer: Iocane powder - Where does he say iocane powder comes from?
Answer: Australia - What two goblets are involved in the battle of wits?
Answer: Wine goblets - What does Vizzini try to determine?
Answer: Which goblet contains poison - What word does Vizzini famously repeat?
Answer: Inconceivable! - What does Inigo say Vizzini’s favorite word may not mean?
Answer: What Vizzini thinks it means - Why does the Man in Black survive the poisoned wine?
Answer: He built up an immunity to iocane - Was only one goblet poisoned?
Answer: No, both were poisoned - Who dies after drinking the wine?
Answer: Vizzini - Which actor plays Vizzini?
Answer: Wallace Shawn
The Fire Swamp Survival Guide
Pack carefully for lightning sand, flame spurts, and rodents that are definitely not ordinary rats.
- Where do Westley and Buttercup flee after escaping Vizzini?
Answer: The Fire Swamp - What are the three terrors of the Fire Swamp?
Answer: Flame spurts, lightning sand, and R.O.U.S.es - What does R.O.U.S. stand for?
Answer: Rodents of Unusual Size - What sound warns that a flame spurt is coming?
Answer: A popping or rumbling sound - Who falls into the lightning sand?
Answer: Buttercup - How does Westley find Buttercup beneath the sand?
Answer: He cuts a vine and dives in after her - What creature attacks Westley?
Answer: An R.O.U.S. - How does Westley defeat the attacking creature?
Answer: He rolls it into a flame spurt - Who waits outside the Fire Swamp?
Answer: Prince Humperdinck and Count Rugen - Why does Buttercup surrender?
Answer: Humperdinck promises to spare Westley
Masks, Pirates, and Secret Identities
For more swashbuckling after this round, set sail with our pirate history trivia.
- Who is the Man in Black?
Answer: Westley - Which feared pirate identity has Westley assumed?
Answer: The Dread Pirate Roberts - Was Westley the original Dread Pirate Roberts?
Answer: No - What was the name of the Roberts who passed the identity to Westley?
Answer: Ryan - Why is the Roberts identity passed from person to person?
Answer: The famous name inspires fear while each holder can eventually retire - How does Westley recognize Buttercup’s feelings?
Answer: She pushes him down a hill and hears him say 'As you wish' - What does Buttercup do after recognizing Westley?
Answer: She throws herself down the hill after him - What does Humperdinck plan to blame on Guilder?
Answer: Buttercup’s murder - Who operates the Machine?
Answer: Count Rugen and the Albino - Where is Westley imprisoned?
Answer: The Pit of Despair
Inigo’s Quest and Count Rugen
The revenge story takes center stage, with a six-fingered clue and a speech worth practicing dramatically.
- Who killed Inigo Montoya’s father?
Answer: Count Rugen - What unusual feature identifies the killer?
Answer: Six fingers on his right hand - What was Inigo’s father’s occupation?
Answer: Swordmaker - What weapon did Domingo Montoya make for Rugen?
Answer: A magnificent sword - Why did Rugen kill Domingo?
Answer: Domingo refused to accept an insulting payment - Where are Inigo’s scars?
Answer: On both cheeks - What line has Inigo rehearsed for the killer?
Answer: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. - What does Rugen offer Inigo to save himself?
Answer: Money, power, and anything he wants - What does Inigo finally demand?
Answer: His father back - Which actor plays Inigo?
Answer: Mandy Patinkin
Miracle Max, Valerie, and the Rescue
The heroes need a miracle, and fortunately one is available from a highly opinionated former employee.
- Who brings Westley’s body to Miracle Max?
Answer: Inigo and Fezzik - Is Westley completely dead?
Answer: No, he is only mostly dead - What does Miracle Max say is all dead people can do?
Answer: Go through their clothes and look for loose change - What does Westley say is worth living for when Max uses the bellows?
Answer: True love - What does Max initially claim Westley says?
Answer: To blave - Who is Miracle Max’s wife?
Answer: Valerie - What reason does Max have for disliking Humperdinck?
Answer: Humperdinck fired him - What food does Max coat the miracle pill with?
Answer: Chocolate - How long does Max say the pill should work?
Answer: About forty minutes - Which actor plays Miracle Max?
Answer: Billy Crystal
Storming the Castle and the Finale
The wedding clock is ticking, so borrow a wheelbarrow and an imposing cloak.
- What item does Fezzik remember is available outside the castle?
Answer: A wheelbarrow - What garment helps Fezzik appear terrifying at the gate?
Answer: A black holocaust cloak - What do the heroes set on fire to frighten the guards?
Answer: The cloak on Fezzik - What name does Fezzik call himself during the bluff?
Answer: The Dread Pirate Roberts - Who performs Buttercup’s wedding ceremony?
Answer: The Impressive Clergyman - What word does the clergyman pronounce as 'mawwiage'?
Answer: Marriage - Is Buttercup’s marriage to Humperdinck completed?
Answer: No, she never says 'I do' - How does Westley defeat Humperdinck?
Answer: He terrifies him into surrendering without a sword fight - What does Westley tell Humperdinck to do after surrendering?
Answer: Drop his sword, sit down, and tie himself up - How do the heroes escape the castle?
Answer: On four white horses
Behind the Storybook Curtain
Finish with the novel, filmmakers, and framing story, then try our movie trivia and medieval history trivia.
- Who wrote The Princess Bride novel?
Answer: William Goldman - In what year was the novel first published?
Answer: 1973 - Who directed the 1987 film?
Answer: Rob Reiner - Who wrote the film screenplay?
Answer: William Goldman - Which actor plays Buttercup?
Answer: Robin Wright - Who plays Prince Humperdinck?
Answer: Chris Sarandon - Who plays Count Rugen?
Answer: Christopher Guest - Who plays Fezzik?
Answer: André the Giant - Who plays the grandfather in the framing story?
Answer: Peter Falk - What does the grandfather read to his sick grandson?
Answer: The Princess Bride
Sources and Further Reading
- Library of Congress: The Princess Bride National Film Registry Essay
- Turner Classic Movies: The Princess Bride
- Criterion Collection: The Princess Bride
- Simon & Schuster: The Princess Bride
- American Film Institute: The Princess Bride
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