Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What type of curse did the Owens sisters face in “Practical Magic”?

Poverty
Poor health
Invisibility to others
Loss of love

Correct Answer: Loss of love

So why is this answer correct? : The cult classic film “Practical Magic” (1998) stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as the Owens sisters, a pair of magic-wielding witches in modern-day New England. The film begins with a recounting of the curse of the Owens women. According to legend, any man who dares to love an Owens woman is cursed to die tragically. The film follows the two sisters through love and heartbreak as they attempt to overcome the curse for good.

Trivia: What does the White Witch of Narnia give to Edmund to win him over?

A crown
Turkish delight
A pet fox
Chocolate chip cookies

Correct Answer: Turkish delight

So why is this answer correct? : The cold and cruel White Witch of Narnia appears in C.S. Lewis’ 1950 classic, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” In the novel, and the later film adaptation, the White Witch encounters Edmund Pevensie on his first trip through the wardrobe. Recognizing him as a prophesied “son of Adam,” she gives the child Turkish delight, a type of sweet, to win his affection.

Trivia: What does Ursula the sea witch take from Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”?

Her magic conch
Her trident
Her voice
Her fish, Flounder

Correct Answer: Her voice

So why is this answer correct? : Based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, in the 1989 animated Disney classic “The Little Mermaid,” beautiful mermaid Ariel signs her voice away in a deal with Ursula, a scheming sea witch and arch nemesis of King Triton. When Ursula sees that Ariel wishes for a life on the land with Prince Eric, she strikes a deal, encapsulating Ariel’s beautiful voice in a locket in exchange for legs for Ariel to walk on land. Ursula then shapeshifts into a human, foiling Ariel’s plan to marry Eric. Ariel must outsmart Ursula to take control of her life and undo her evil spells.

Trivia: What Shakespeare play features three witches called “the Weird Sisters”?

Macbeth
Hamlet
King Lear
Romeo and Juliet

Correct Answer: Macbeth

So why is this answer correct? : In Shakespeare’s age, witches were the object of hysterical fear and persecution. His portrayal of the Weird Sisters in “Macbeth” drew on common superstitions of the day, giving them sadistic personalities and powers over the natural world. Shakespeare also wrote their lines — including the well-known “double, double, toil and trouble” — in rhyming verse, lending a haunting and mystical quality to their dialogue.

Trivia: Which witch does Dorothy’s house fall on top of in “The Wizard of Oz”?

Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the East
Good Witch of the South
Good Witch of the North

Correct Answer: Wicked Witch of the East

So why is this answer correct? : The Wicked Witch of the East, the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West, is only in “The Wizard of Oz” for a short time when Dorothy’s house lands on her at the beginning of the film. Glinda, Witch of the North (a good witch) informs Dorothy that she has freed the Munchkins from the evil witch and hands her the dead witch’s shoes. In the original book by L. Frank Baum, these magic shoes are silver, but their color was changed to red to stand out in the 1939 film.

Trivia: Where did the Halliwell sisters live on the TV series “Charmed”?

San Francisco
Los Angeles
New York
Boston

Correct Answer: San Francisco

So why is this answer correct? : “Charmed” began its eight-season run in 1998. The show detailed the exploits of the Charmed Ones, a legendary trio of witch sisters with fantastical powers, originally played by Shannen Doherty, Alyssa Milano, and Holly Marie Combs. Though the series was set in San Francisco, producers used a picturesque Victorian home in Los Angeles for exterior shots of Halliwell Manor.

Trivia: What was the name of the black cat on “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”?

Binx
Lucifer
Salem
Bobo

Correct Answer: Salem

So why is this answer correct? : In the 1990s TV sitcom “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” based on the comic book series, Sabrina and her two aunts were joined in their magical adventures by Salem, the family’s black cat. But Salem was no ordinary feline — he was a former witch who was stripped of his magic and turned into a cat by the Witches Council. Voiced by Nick Bakay, the black cat puppet was the only character besides the titular Sabrina to appear in every one of the show’s 163 episodes. (Salem also made frequent appearances, but never spoke, on the recent Netflix series “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” a much darker take on the witch’s world.)

Trivia: Disguised as a witch, the Evil Queen tricks Snow White into doing what?

Pricking her finger
Eating a poisoned apple
Kissing a frog
Using a magic lamp

Correct Answer: Eating a poisoned apple

So why is this answer correct? : One of the most recognizable Disney villains isthe Evil Queen from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” She becomes jealous of her stepdaughter Snow White for being the “fairest in the land.” The queen disguises herself as an old witch and convinces Snow White to eat a poisoned apple that causes her to fall into a deep sleep. Just as the Evil Queen thinks she has won, a young prince breaks the spell. Premiering in 1939, Disney’s first full length animated feature film was loosely based on a darker tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm.

Trivia: Which of these actresses did NOT star as a witch in “Hocus Pocus”?

Bette Midler
Sarah Jessica Parker
Kathy Najimy
Nicole Kidman

Correct Answer: Nicole Kidman

So why is this answer correct? : Among Disney’s many successful Halloween movies, “Hocus Pocus” stands out as one of the most beloved. It was made even more memorable by the 1993 film’s star-studded cast, which included Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the scene-stealing Sanderson sisters, a trio of 17th-century witches who return to modern Salem to cause chaos and mayhem. The gang made their long-awaited return to the screen in 2022’s “Hocus Pocus 2.”

Trivia: Which witch from “Harry Potter” was born to non-magical parents?

Hermione Granger
Ginny Weasley
Luna Lovegood
Fleur Delacour

Correct Answer: Hermione Granger

So why is this answer correct? : Described as the “brightest witch of her age,” Hermione Granger came from fairly ordinary roots. She was born to Muggles, or people with no magic, and only discovered her witchy talents when she earned admission to Hogwarts. Her background doesn’t hold her back, however: She becomes a top student and aids her friends Harry and Ron in bringing down the Dark Lord, Voldemort.