The King William’s College General Knowledge Paper (GKP) has been frustrating and intriguing a select group of quiz connoisseurs since 1904. The paper consists of 18 sets of 10 questions, each set covering a particular theme, which in many cases is far from obvious. Cracking the theme has long been one of the attractions to devotees of the GKP.
These days, however, pupil participation in the quiz is voluntary.
The quiz has been published in The Guardian Newspaper just before Christmas since 1951 and has quite a devoted following. Answers are published in the same newspaper towards the end of January.
Alumni wishing to be put on a mailing list for a copy should email judy.bell@kwc.im
A Latin phrase is always printed at the top of the quiz: “Scire ubi aliquid invenire possis ea demum maxima pars eruditionis est”. Freely translated, this means ‘The greatest part of knowledge is knowing where to find something’. However, be warned – using Google or a similar search engine may not always deliver the expected results!
Since 1997, the person responsible for compiling the questions is Dr Pat Cullen, a retired General Practitioner and OKW, residing in the Isle of Man. Dr Cullen has produced a compendium of past papers entitled ‘The World’s Most Difficult Quiz’, which is available from the School Shop, and also on the Island at Waterstones or The Lexicon Bookshop and online from Play.com and Amazon.co.uk.
The 2022-2023 paper can be accessed HERE.
The 2022-2023 answers can be accessed HERE.
Previous Papers:
