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Quizzes > History

1920s trivia: Test your Jazz Age knowledge

Quick, free 1920s quiz to test your knowledge. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Awinash RagothamanUpdated Aug 28, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for 1920s trivia quiz featuring Jazz Age, flappers, Prohibition on dark blue background

This 1920s trivia quiz helps you check what you know about the Jazz Age, from speakeasies and Prohibition to flappers and jazz greats. If you want more practice, try a focused 1920s trivia quiz or dig deeper with a 1920s history quiz that links the decade to World War I. For a wider view, test yourself with 20th century history trivia to see how the 1920s fits into the bigger picture.

Which amendment granted American women the right to vote in 1920?
18th Amendment
19th Amendment
20th Amendment
21st Amendment
The 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, granting women the right to vote in the United States. This marked a major victory for the women's suffrage movement after decades of activism and protest. The amendment's ratification was certified on August 26, 1920, now celebrated as Women's Equality Day.
What term describes a fashionable young woman known for her energetic freedom and flamboyant style in the 1920s?
Suffragette
Flapper
Debutante
Gibson Girl
The term "flapper" referred to young women in the 1920s who defied traditional norms with their bobbed hair, shorter skirts, and love of jazz and dancing. Flappers embodied the era's spirit of rebellion and liberation. They represented a shift toward modern attitudes about gender roles and social behavior.
What popular nickname is given to the 1920s era in the United States?
Gilded Age
Roaring Twenties
Prohibition Era
Jazz Jubilee
The 1920s in the United States are commonly called the "Roaring Twenties" due to the period's economic prosperity, cultural dynamism, and social change. This era saw the rise of jazz music, rapid urbanization, and consumerism. The name captures the exuberance and dramatic shifts of the decade.
Which amendment instituted Prohibition in the United States?
19th Amendment
20th Amendment
18th Amendment
21st Amendment
The 18th Amendment, ratified in January 1919 and taking effect in January 1920, banned the manufacture, sale, and transport of intoxicating liquors in the United States. It launched the Prohibition era, which lasted until the amendment's repeal by the 21st Amendment in 1933.
Who was the most notorious gangster associated with the Chicago underworld during Prohibition?
John Dillinger
Al Capone
Lucky Luciano
Bugsy Siegel
Al Capone, also known as "Scarface," rose to power in Chicago during the Prohibition era by controlling bootlegging and speakeasy operations. His gang was implicated in notorious events like the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929. Capone became a symbol of organized crime's influence in the 1920s.
Which jazz musician, known as "The King of Jazz," gained fame with his orchestra in the 1920s?
Duke Ellington
Paul Whiteman
Louis Armstrong
Bix Beiderbecke
Paul Whiteman was dubbed "The King of Jazz" in the 1920s for leading one of the era's most popular orchestras and for bringing jazz into mainstream concert halls. His 1924 performance of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" helped bridge classical and jazz traditions.
Which American author wrote "The Great Gatsby," capturing the spirit of the Jazz Age?
Sinclair Lewis
T.S. Eliot
Ernest Hemingway
F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel "The Great Gatsby" explores themes of wealth, excess, and the American Dream during the Jazz Age. His vivid depiction of 1920s society and Jay Gatsby's tragic pursuit of love made the work an enduring classic.
The Volstead Act, passed in 1919, was designed to enforce which constitutional amendment?
17th Amendment
19th Amendment
18th Amendment
21st Amendment
The Volstead Act provided the legal framework to implement and enforce Prohibition as mandated by the 18th Amendment. It defined intoxicating liquors and set penalties for violations. The act became law in October 1919 and took effect in January 1920.
Which dance craze became popular in the 1920s characterized by fast, wild movements?
Charleston
Tango
Waltz
Foxtrot
The Charleston, named after a city in South Carolina, became a national dance fad in the early 1920s. Its lively kicks and swinging arm movements captured the exuberant spirit of the Jazz Age. It was often performed to upbeat jazz music in dance halls and speakeasies.
What year did the stock market crash, ushering in the Great Depression?
1931
1925
1927
1929
The Wall Street Crash occurred in October 1929, with Black Thursday (Oct. 24) and Black Tuesday (Oct. 29) marking dramatic market declines. The crash wiped out millions of investors and is often cited as the beginning of the Great Depression.
What was a "speakeasy" during Prohibition?
A theater
A bank
A legal bar
An illegal saloon or nightclub
Speakeasies were illicit establishments that sold alcoholic beverages during Prohibition. Patrons had to speak quietly - hence "speakeasy" - or use passwords to gain entry. They became cultural centers for jazz music and social mixing.
Which radio network, launching in 1926, is often considered the first national radio network?
NBC
CBS
PBS
ABC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) began operations in November 1926 and was the first network to link multiple stations under a single corporate structure. It created national programming and advertising models. NBC's establishment reshaped American mass media.
The "Lost Generation" refers to American expatriate writers in which city?
Berlin
New York
London
Paris
The term "Lost Generation" was popularized by Gertrude Stein and describes American writers living in Paris after WWI. Figures such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald explored themes of disillusionment and cultural displacement. Paris became the center of this expatriate literary movement.
Who became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926?
Annie Oakley
Amelia Earhart
Gertrude Ederle
Babe Didrikson
On August 6, 1926, 19-year-old Gertrude Ederle swam the English Channel in 14 hours and 31 minutes, becoming the first woman to complete the feat. She beat the existing men's record by more than two hours. Her achievement symbolized women's growing athletic prowess in the 1920s.
Which art and literary movement celebrating African American culture flourished in Harlem during the 1920s?
Impressionism
Dadaism
Beat Generation
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic explosion centered in Harlem, New York, from the 1910s into the mid-1930s. It fostered the work of prominent writers, musicians, and artists like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. The movement celebrated Black identity and creativity.
The Teapot Dome scandal involved the illegal leasing of federal oil reserves during the administration of which president?
Herbert Hoover
Woodrow Wilson
Calvin Coolidge
Warren G. Harding
The Teapot Dome scandal (1921 - 1924) involved Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall secretly leasing Navy petroleum reserves to private oil companies without competitive bidding. President Warren G. Harding's administration was tarnished by the bribery scandal. Fall became the first Cabinet official to be convicted of a felony.
Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in which year?
1930
1929
1927
1925
On May 20 - 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, solo nonstop from New York to Paris. The flight covered nearly 3,600 miles in 33½ hours, making him an international hero and marking a milestone in aviation history.
The Sacco and Vanzetti case centered around two immigrant men accused of what crime?
Tax evasion
Murder and armed robbery
Espionage
Smuggling
In 1920, Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were arrested and convicted of murdering a paymaster and guard during a robbery in Massachusetts. Their trial and subsequent execution sparked international protests over alleged prejudice and injustice.
Which international agreement, signed in 1928, renounced war as an instrument of national policy?
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Washington Naval Treaty
Treaty of Versailles
League of Nations Covenant
The Kellogg-Briand Pact, signed by 15 nations in August 1928, was a treaty that outlawed war as an instrument of national policy. Although it lacked enforcement mechanisms, it represented a major effort to ensure peace after WWI. Over 60 countries eventually joined the pact.
What was the primary purpose of the Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921?
Provide federal funding for maternal and child health care
Finance national highways
Regulate radio broadcasting
Establish national parks
The Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act of 1921 provided federal matching funds to states for prenatal and child health centers. It was the first major federal social welfare program aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality. The act faced opposition and expired in 1929.
The Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history, occurred in which year?
1923
1921
1925
1919
From May 31 to June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked residents, homes, and businesses in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Known as Black Wall Street, the district was largely destroyed and hundreds of African Americans were killed or displaced. The massacre remained suppressed in history for decades.
In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered the first true antibiotic, which he named what?
Penicillin
Quinine
Streptomycin
Salvarsan
In September 1928, Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming observed that mold (Penicillium notatum) killed bacteria in a petri dish. He named the substance penicillin, which became the world's first true antibiotic and revolutionized medical treatment.
The Immigration Act of 1924, also known as the Johnson-Reed Act, primarily implemented which policy?
Visa lottery
National origins quota system
Construction of a border wall
Open immigration for all countries
The Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 established strict national origins quotas that severely limited immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and virtually excluded Asians. It aimed to preserve the ethnic composition of the United States based on 1890 census figures. The law remained in effect until 1965.
The Dawes Plan of 1924 aimed to ease which country's World War I reparations burden?
United Kingdom
Germany
Italy
France
The Dawes Plan reorganized Germany's WWI reparations payments, reducing annual instalments and providing loans from the U.S. to stabilize the German economy. It was brokered by U.S. Treasury Secretary Charles G. Dawes in 1924. The plan temporarily eased financial pressures until the Great Depression.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Recall Major 1920s Events -

    After completing the quiz, you'll be able to recall key historical milestones of the Roaring Twenties.

  2. Identify Iconic Jazz Age Figures -

    Pinpoint influential personalities from the era, including legendary jazz musicians and famous flappers.

  3. Analyze Prohibition's Impact -

    Evaluate the social and economic effects of Prohibition on American society during the 1920s.

  4. Distinguish Cultural Trends -

    Differentiate between major cultural phenomena such as speakeasies, flapper fashion, and dance crazes.

  5. Assess Your 1920s Trivia Knowledge -

    Measure and compare your understanding of 1920s trivia, from legislation to lifestyle, in a fun challenge.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Prohibition and the Rise of Speakeasies -

    The 18th Amendment (ratified 1919) and the Volstead Act kicked off Prohibition in 1920, banning alcohol across the U.S. (National Archives). This led to speakeasies and organized crime - use the mnemonic "Pro-18 prohibits booze at 20" to remember the amendment and its start year.

  2. Flappers, Fashion, and Women's Suffrage -

    With the 19th Amendment granting women the vote in 1920, flappers became icons of newfound freedom, sporting bobbed hair, dropped waistlines, and loose dresses (Library of Congress). Think "Vote & Vavoom" to link suffrage and flapper style when tackling 1920s trivia.

  3. Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance -

    Legends like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington defined the Jazz Age while the Harlem Renaissance spotlighted Black art and literature (Schomburg Center). For Roaring Twenties trivia, recall the mnemonic "JAZZ = Joy And Zestful Zeal" to connect music's energy with cultural rebirth.

  4. Mass Media Boom: Radio and Talkies -

    By 1929 over 60% of U.S. households owned radios, and The Jazz Singer (1927) introduced "talkies" to cinema (Smithsonian Institution). Remember "Radio '29" to link the medium's peak and early sound films when answering 1920 trivia questions.

  5. Economic Expansion and Stock Market Speculation -

    The Roaring Twenties saw booming production and widespread buying on margin - where Equity = Market Value − Loan (American Economic History Journal). Use the quick formula "EQ = MV − L" and recall margin calls of 10% to ace questions on the era's economic excess.

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