Winter Trivia Questions and Answers

48 original winter trivia questions with answers and a short explanation for each: why we have seasons and how snowflakes form, how penguins, hares and frogs survive the cold, ice festivals and the first Winter Games, plus an easy For Kids topic. No holiday knowledge needed, so it works all season long.

How to play Winter Trivia

• Pick a topic (Snow & Weather, Winter Animals, Winter Around the World, or For Kids) or play All topics, then choose a round of 10 or 20 questions.
• Each question has four possible answers and exactly one is right. The correct answer turns green, a wrong pick turns red, and a short explanation tells you the story behind it.
• A correct answer scores 100 points, and answering several in a row adds a growing streak bonus. Switch on the optional 20-second timer for a speed bonus.
• The game remembers which winter questions you have seen on this device and serves new ones first, so you will not get repeats until you have played through the whole topic.
• Hosting a party, a class or a family game? Open the Question list for hosts to read the questions aloud, reveal the answers one by one, or print the whole list.

Controls

• Tap or click an answer, or press 1–4 or A–D on a keyboard.
• Press Enter or Space (or tap Next question) to move on.
• Use the toolbar to change the number of questions, the text size, the optional timer and read-aloud.

Tips

• Remember that distance from the Sun does not cause winter: Earth is closest to the Sun in early January.
• Animal questions often hinge on a survival trick: color change, migration, hibernation or antifreeze.
• Use it for a snow-day classroom quiz: open the Question list for hosts and read the questions to the class.

Winter trivia questions for kids

Ten easy questions about snow, mittens and animals in the cold.

1. What do you call a person made out of snow?
   A) A puppet   B) A robot   C) A scarecrow   D) A snowman
   Answer: D) A snowman. A carrot nose and a scarf are the classic finishing touches.
2. Which season comes right after winter?
   A) Autumn   B) Spring   C) Summer   D) Winter again
   Answer: B) Spring. In spring the days get longer and the snow melts.
3. What do you call a house built from blocks of snow?
   A) A cabin   B) A castle   C) A tent   D) An igloo
   Answer: D) An igloo. Snow traps air, so an igloo can be much warmer inside than outside.
4. Which bird cannot fly but slides on its belly across the ice in Antarctica?
   A) Eagle   B) Owl   C) Parrot   D) Penguin
   Answer: D) Penguin. Penguins "toboggan" on their bellies to move fast over snow.
5. How many points does a snowflake usually have?
   A) Six   B) Ten   C) Three   D) Twelve
   Answer: A) Six. Look closely at a snowflake on a dark mitten and count them.
6. What do you ride down a snowy hill?
   A) A canoe   B) A scooter   C) A sled   D) A surfboard
   Answer: C) A sled. Sleds have smooth bottoms that slide over snow.
7. In winter, are the days shorter or longer than in summer?
   A) Exactly the same   B) Longer   C) Shorter   D) There are no days
   Answer: C) Shorter. In winter the Sun rises later and sets earlier.
8. What makes snow melt?
   A) Darkness   B) Loud noises   C) Warmth   D) Wind only
   Answer: C) Warmth. When the air or the Sun warms the snow above freezing, it turns back into water.
9. Which animal sleeps through much of the winter in a den?
   A) Bear   B) Dolphin   C) Horse   D) Parrot
   Answer: A) Bear. Bears eat a lot in autumn so they can rest all winter.
10. What is the long, pointy stick of ice that hangs from a roof called?
    A) A pinecone   B) A snowball   C) A stalk   D) An icicle
    Answer: D) An icicle. Icicles form when melting snow drips and freezes again.

Winter trivia questions for adults (multiple choice)

A mixed round on weather, wildlife and winter traditions.

1. Around which date does the winter solstice fall in the Northern Hemisphere?
   A) December 21 or 22   B) December 31   C) January 15   D) November 30
   Answer: A) December 21 or 22. The solstice is the moment the North Pole is tilted farthest from the Sun, giving the shortest day of the year.
2. What is the main reason Earth has seasons?
   A) Earth moves much closer to the Sun in summer   B) Earth’s axis is tilted   C) The Moon blocks sunlight in winter   D) The Sun gets brighter in summer
   Answer: B) Earth’s axis is tilted. The tilt of about 23.5 degrees changes how directly sunlight hits each hemisphere through the year.
3. At what temperature does pure water freeze, in degrees Fahrenheit?
   A) 0 °F   B) 12 °F   C) 32 °F   D) 40 °F
   Answer: C) 32 °F. 32 °F is the same as 0 °C.
4. Which penguin father keeps the egg warm on his feet through the Antarctic winter?
   A) Emperor penguin   B) Galápagos penguin   C) Little penguin   D) Macaroni penguin
   Answer: A) Emperor penguin. The male emperor fasts for about two months while the female feeds at sea.
5. Reindeer and caribou are what?
   A) The same species   B) Two kinds of moose   C) Types of antelope   D) Unrelated animals
   Answer: A) The same species. Both are Rangifer tarandus; "caribou" is the usual North American name for wild herds.
6. Which animal is watched every February 2 in a US tradition about the end of winter?
   A) Badger   B) Groundhog   C) Rabbit   D) Raccoon
   Answer: B) Groundhog. If the groundhog "sees its shadow", the story says six more weeks of winter.
7. The Sapporo Snow Festival, famous for giant snow sculptures, is held in which country?
   A) China   B) Japan   C) Norway   D) South Korea
   Answer: B) Japan. It began in 1950 when local students built six snow statues in a park.
8. St. Lucia Day on December 13, with candle crowns and white robes, is a well-known tradition in which country?
   A) Brazil   B) Egypt   C) Spain   D) Sweden
   Answer: D) Sweden. It falls near the darkest time of year in Scandinavia.
9. In Australia, which season is it in December?
   A) Autumn   B) Spring   C) Summer   D) Winter
   Answer: C) Summer. The seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere, so many Australians spend Christmas at the beach.
10. The village of Oymyakon, often called the coldest permanently inhabited place, is in which country?
    A) Canada   B) Mongolia   C) Norway   D) Russia
    Answer: D) Russia. It lies in Siberia, where winter temperatures can fall below −60 °C (−76 °F).

Hard winter trivia questions

For the know-it-all at the cabin.

1. When is Earth closest to the Sun?
   A) In early January   B) In early July   C) In late March   D) In late September
   Answer: A) In early January. Perihelion falls around January 3, in the middle of the northern winter, which shows distance is not what causes seasons.
2. Which Vermont farmer took the first known photographs of single snowflakes, in 1885?
   A) Ansel Adams   B) Samuel Morse   C) Thomas Edison   D) Wilson Bentley
   Answer: D) Wilson Bentley. Nicknamed "Snowflake" Bentley, he photographed thousands of snow crystals through a microscope.
3. What are soft, small pellets of snow coated in frozen droplets called?
   A) Graupel   B) Hoarfrost   C) Sleet   D) Slush
   Answer: A) Graupel. Graupel forms when supercooled water droplets freeze onto falling snowflakes.
4. The US National Weather Service calls a storm a blizzard when strong winds and low visibility last at least how long?
   A) One hour   B) Ten minutes   C) Three hours   D) Two days
   Answer: C) Three hours. Its definition is winds of 35 mph or more with visibility under a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
5. Which North American frog can survive being partly frozen in winter?
   A) Bullfrog   B) Cane toad   C) Green iguana   D) Wood frog
   Answer: D) Wood frog. Its body makes extra glucose that protects its cells while ice forms around them.
6. Which Arctic animal’s soft underwool is called qiviut?
   A) Arctic fox   B) Musk ox   C) Snowy owl   D) Walrus
   Answer: B) Musk ox. Qiviut is said to be warmer than sheep’s wool and is knitted into hats and scarves.
7. In which country is a hotel rebuilt from river ice every winter in the village of Jukkasjärvi?
   A) Canada   B) Iceland   C) Russia   D) Sweden
   Answer: D) Sweden. The hotel is carved from ice taken from the Torne River and melts back into it each spring.
8. Weather scientists count winter in the Northern Hemisphere as which three months?
   A) December, January and February   B) January, February and March   C) November, December and January   D) October, November and December
   Answer: A) December, January and February. This is meteorological winter; astronomical winter starts at the solstice.
9. Where were the first Winter Olympic Games held, in 1924?
   A) Chamonix, France   B) Lake Placid, USA   C) Oslo, Norway   D) St. Moritz, Switzerland
   Answer: A) Chamonix, France. About 250 athletes from 16 nations took part.
10. What kind of stone are curling stones made from?
    A) Granite   B) Limestone   C) Marble   D) Sandstone
    Answer: A) Granite. Many come from the island of Ailsa Craig in Scotland.

Printable winter trivia questions and answers

Press Question list for hosts above the quiz, pick a topic (or All topics), then Print questions for a quiz sheet with a separate answer key at the end, or Print with answers for a host copy. In the print dialog choose Save as PDF to keep a file. Every one of the 48 winter questions can go on the sheet.

More winter games

Winter word search · winter animals word search · snowman word search · snowball fight icebreaker · Christmas trivia

FAQ

What are some fun winter trivia questions?

Try these: How many sides does a snowflake have? (Six) When is Earth closest to the Sun? (Early January) What colour is a polar bear’s skin? (Black) Where were the first Winter Olympics held? (Chamonix, France, in 1924)

Is there winter trivia for kids?

Yes. The For Kids topic has easy questions about snowmen, sleds, icicles and animals, and Read aloud speaks each one.

Is this winter trivia about Christmas?

No. It is about the season itself: weather, animals and winter festivals, so it suits any classroom or group. For holiday questions, play Christmas trivia.

Can I use these questions for a party or a classroom quiz?

Yes. Open the Question list for hosts: it shows every question with its four options, lets you reveal each answer when you are ready, and can be printed.

Who writes the questions?

Every question and explanation was written for this site and checked against well-established facts.