Q 01/05

What natural event sends a giant wave crashing into the liner in the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure?

A) A volcanic eruption

B) An underwater landslide

C) An undersea earthquake

D) A tropical hurricane

Answer · why

C) An undersea earthquake

An undersea earthquake raises a huge swell that strikes the liner broadside and flips it upside down, leaving the hull as the only way out.

Q 02/05

What do Reverend Scott's followers climb like a ladder to escape the dining room in The Poseidon Adventure?

A) A Christmas tree

B) A knotted fire hose

C) A stack of tables

D) A lighting rig

Answer · why

A) A Christmas tree

A Christmas tree is hauled upright so the group can climb to the galley; when the passengers left behind rush it later, it topples under their weight.

Q 03/05

During which holiday celebration does disaster strike the liner in the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure?

A) Thanksgiving

B) New Year's Eve

C) Independence Day

D) Mardi Gras

Answer · why

B) New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is in full swing when the liner rolls over just as midnight strikes; the original novel sets the disaster on December 26 instead.

Q 04/05

Which actress gained thirty-five pounds to play Belle Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure?

A) Elizabeth Taylor

B) Shirley Booth

C) Ruth Gordon

D) Shelley Winters

Answer · why

D) Shelley Winters

Shelley Winters won a Golden Globe for the role and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, having already taken home two Academy Awards.

Q 05/05

Which real ocean liner, permanently moored in Long Beach, California, doubled as the SS Poseidon on screen?

A) SS United States

B) RMS Queen Mary

C) SS Normandie

D) RMS Mauretania

Answer · why

B) RMS Queen Mary

RMS Queen Mary also inspired the plot: the novel's author was aboard in 1937 when high waves rolled the liner onto its side.