Q 01/05

Which web giant bought Tumblr for $1.1 billion in 2013, then wrote down most of that value by 2016?

A) Google

B) Yahoo

C) Facebook

D) Microsoft

Answer · why

B) Yahoo

Yahoo announced the deal in May 2013, and nearly 170,000 unhappy Tumblr users signed a petition against it.

Q 02/05

Tumblr users dreamed up 'Goncharov', a 1973 mafia film that never existed, and credited it to which real director?

A) Francis Ford Coppola

B) Brian De Palma

C) Martin Scorsese

D) Sergio Leone

Answer · why

C) Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese played along with the joke, which grew out of an odd label on a pair of knockoff boots.

Q 03/05

A 2015 Tumblr post of a dress chosen for a Scottish wedding split the internet; what colors was the actual garment?

A) White and gold

B) Blue and gold

C) White and blue

D) Blue and black

Answer · why

D) Blue and black

Blue and black was the true coloring, yet the lighting fooled so many people that the post drew 14,000 views a second at its peak.

Q 04/05

Tumblr lost nearly a third of its traffic within months of banning what kind of posts in December 2018?

A) Adult content

B) Political adverts

C) Fan fiction

D) Celebrity gossip

Answer · why

A) Adult content

Adult content had been a notable draw for the site, and the automated filters enforcing the ban wrongly flagged many harmless images.

Q 05/05

In 2022 Tumblr began selling two checkmarks for $7.99 as a joke at the expense of which rival's paid verification?

A) Instagram

B) Twitter

C) Facebook

D) Snapchat

Answer · why

B) Twitter

Twitter had just started charging $8 a month for a single verification check, so Tumblr boasted that its offer was cheaper because buyers got two.