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Quizzes > Society & Culture > Culture & Traditions

Serial Killer Trivia Quiz - Think You Can Ace It?

Ready for the Ultimate Quiz on Serial Killers? Start Now!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for a serial killer trivia quiz on a golden yellow background

This serial killer trivia quiz helps you see how well you know infamous cases, victim profiles, nicknames, and MOs. Work through quick questions in this quiz and pick up a few new facts while you play. Spot gaps and see what you missed.

Who was known as the 'Night Stalker' during a series of home invasion murders in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s?
Jeffrey Dahmer
John Wayne Gacy
Richard Ramirez
Ted Bundy
Richard Ramirez earned the nickname 'Night Stalker' after committing a series of brutal home invasions and murders in Southern California between 1984 and 1985. His crimes spanned multiple neighborhoods, and he often entered homes uninvited during the night. Ramirez's use of both firearms and bladed weapons and his seemingly random choice of victims created widespread fear.
Which serial killer taunted police and the public with cryptic letters and ciphers in the late 1960s in Northern California?
BTK Killer
Zodiac Killer
Green River Killer
Son of Sam
The Zodiac Killer operated in Northern California during the late 1960s and early 1970s, sending taunting letters and complex ciphers to newspapers. Despite multiple suspects and intense media coverage, the killer's identity remains officially unknown. Some of his ciphers have been decoded, but parts of his most famous 340-character cipher remained unsolved for decades.
Which serial killer assaulted victims at sorority houses on Florida State University and the University of Florida campuses in 1978 and 1979?
Gary Ridgway
Charles Manson
Ed Gein
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy was responsible for a series of brutal attacks at sorority houses in Florida, including Chi Omega at Florida State University and a dorm at the University of Florida, in 1978. He bludgeoned several women, resulting in two fatalities and multiple injuries. Bundy's charm and intelligence helped him avoid suspicion until he was finally arrested in 1978.
Dennis Rader is better known by which infamous nickname?
The Milwaukee Strangler
The Green River Killer
The Son of Sam
BTK Killer
Dennis Rader dubbed himself 'BTK,' which stood for 'Bind, Torture, Kill,' a reference to his method of operation. Between 1974 and 1991 in Kansas, he murdered 10 people and sent taunting letters to police and media. He was arrested in 2005 based on forensic evidence linking him to one of the letters.
Which FBI agent pioneered the development of modern criminal profiling by interviewing notorious serial killers?
Robert Ressler
John E. Douglas
Alphonse Bertillon
J. Edgar Hoover
John E. Douglas was one of the first agents in the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit and conducted extensive interviews with serial killers such as Charles Manson and Edmund Kemper. His work laid the foundation for the modern practice of criminal profiling. Douglas documented his findings in several books, influencing law enforcement worldwide.
Ed Gein's gruesome crimes served as inspiration for which fictional horror character?
Leatherface
Hannibal Lecter
Jack Torrance
Norman Bates
Ed Gein's necrophilic and corpse-mutilation crimes in Wisconsin during the 1950s inspired the creation of Leatherface in the 1974 film 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.' He also influenced the characters of Norman Bates in 'Psycho' and Buffalo Bill in 'The Silence of the Lambs.' Gein exhumed bodies from local graveyards and fashioned trophies and keepsakes, shocking the nation when his crimes were uncovered.
Gary Ridgway, one of America's most prolific serial killers, is commonly known by what moniker?
Green River Killer
Night Stalker
Son of Sam
Monster of Florence
Gary Ridgway earned the nickname 'Green River Killer' after the first five victims in 1982 were found near the Green River in Washington State. He eventually confessed to 71 murders, making him one of the most prolific U.S. serial killers. Ridgway targeted vulnerable women, many of whom were sex workers or runaways.
The unidentified 'Jack the Ripper' committed a series of murders in 1888 in which London district?
Westminster
Whitechapel
Camden
Soho
'Jack the Ripper' terrorized East London's Whitechapel district in the autumn of 1888, killing at least five women. His brutal mutilations and the mystery surrounding his identity captured the public imagination and led to numerous theories. Despite extensive police efforts and public scrutiny, the case remains officially unsolved.
During his 1989 sentencing in Florida, Ted Bundy confessed to murdering members of which sorority chapter?
Alpha Delta Pi
Delta Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Chi Omega
At his 1989 sentencing for the Chi Omega murders at Florida State University, Ted Bundy finally admitted to the brutal attack that left two women dead. He had long denied involvement but ultimately confessed to avoid the death penalty. The Chi Omega house was one of multiple locations Bundy targeted during his Florida crime spree.
Andrei Chikatilo, dubbed the 'Butcher of Rostov,' committed over 50 murders in which nation during the late 20th century?
Ukraine
Soviet Union
Belarus
Russia
Andrei Chikatilo murdered at least 52 victims in the Russian SFSR of the Soviet Union between 1978 and 1990. His crimes involved extreme physical violence and sexual assault, earning him the nickname 'Butcher of Rostov.' He exploited societal failures and police ineptitude of the late Soviet era before his arrest in 1990.
John Wayne Gacy buried many of his victims in what part of his Illinois home?
Atop the attic beams
Inside a backyard shed
In the crawl space beneath the house
Under the garage floor
John Wayne Gacy lured young men to his Chicago-area home, often offering them work, then strangled them and buried most of the bodies in the crawl space under his house. He occasionally disposed of victims in the Des Plaines River when his burial space ran out. Gacy's dual identity as a community performer known as 'Pogo the Clown' shocked the public upon his 1978 arrest.
Which Zodiac cipher, sent to The San Francisco Chronicle in 1969, remains officially unsolved?
Z340 cipher
Z32 cipher
Z408 cipher
Z13 cipher
The Z340 cipher, received by The San Francisco Chronicle in November 1969, is a 340-character substitution cipher that long baffled amateur and professional cryptologists. Unlike the earlier Z408 cipher, which was decoded within days, the Z340 resisted decryption for over 50 years. In December 2020, a team of codebreakers announced a partial solution, but debate continues over its completeness.
In what year did the FBI officially adopt the term 'serial murder' in its Uniform Crime Reports?
1992
1967
1981
1973
The FBI introduced the term 'serial murder' in its Uniform Crime Reports in 1981 to differentiate between single, spree, and serial killings based on time intervals between offenses. This formal adoption allowed researchers and law enforcement to standardize data collection and analysis for multiple-offense homicides. The classification has since guided profiling and investigative strategies worldwide.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Recall Famous Serial Killers -

    Remember key details such as nicknames, crimes, and capture timelines of notorious serial killers.

  2. Differentiate Case Characteristics -

    Distinguish serial killer cases by modus operandi, geographic location, and victim selection patterns.

  3. Analyze Behavioral Patterns -

    Examine recurring motives, psychological traits, and crime scene behaviors common to serial offenders.

  4. Evaluate Quiz Performance -

    Assess your strengths and knowledge gaps based on quiz results to guide further true crime learning.

  5. Apply Critical Thinking -

    Use analytical skills to tackle challenging serial killer trivia questions with accuracy.

  6. Understand Historical Impact -

    Explore how high-profile serial killer cases have influenced law enforcement practices and popular culture.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Modus Operandi vs. Signature -

    Understanding the difference between a killer's modus operandi (MO) and signature helps you decode crime scene behaviors (FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, 2016). The MO covers practical methods used to commit the crime, while the signature reflects psychological needs. Try the mnemonic "MO meets Method, SIG meets Soul" to lock in this distinction for your serial killer trivia prep.

  2. Organized vs. Disorganized Typology -

    The FBI's 1985 study categorizes offenders as organized (planned, high IQ, socially adept) or disorganized (impulsive, lower IQ, chaotic crime scenes). Recognizing these traits can improve your profiling accuracy (Holmes & DeBurger, 1988). Remember "Orderly Orgs, Disarrayed Disos" to quickly flag scene patterns.

  3. Victimology and Target Selection -

    Victimology examines why offenders choose specific victims, factoring in age, occupation, and routine activities (University of Tennessee, Crime Scene Database). Analyzing victim profiles reveals offender motives and hunting grounds. Use the "P.O.T.S." acronym - Physical traits, Occupation, Time, Setting - to streamline your analysis.

  4. Geographic Profiling Techniques -

    Geographic profiling employs spatial analysis to infer an offender's anchor point, using tools like the "Jeopardy Surface" model (Rossmo, 2000). Mapping crime locations uncovers comfort zones and travel routes. For a quick tip, visualize a "bullseye" around crime sites to approximate a likely home base.

  5. Landmark Case Studies -

    Reviewing infamous cases such as Jack the Ripper (1888) and Ted Bundy (1970s) reveals evolving investigative techniques and forensic advances (National Institute of Justice). Focus on how breakthroughs in fingerprinting and criminal psychology shaped each investigation. Studying these real-world examples sharpens your insights for any quiz on serial killers.

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