Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial changed how audiences view family films and sci-fi tropes. Its impact on pop culture remains significant decades after its initial theatrical release.
This quiz focuses on behind-the-scenes trivia, from the casting of young actors and the famous candy deal with Reese’s Pieces to complex topics like cinematic aging experiments and space-time theoretical physics.
If you enjoy this, check out our pages on family adventure classics, explore the history of special effects, or browse our science fiction collections to find more.
In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which actress played Elliott’s younger sister, Gertie?
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci
In the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, what nickname is given to the government agent who leads the search for the alien, identified by a distinctive item on his belt?
Boots
Boots
Keys
Keys
Badge
Badge
Flashlight
Flashlight
Which director famously filmed their cast over a period of 12 years to capture the genuine aging process in the movie Boyhood?
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater
Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson
In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, what specific biological or mechanical ability does the titular creature demonstrate to help the children escape the government agents?
Telekinesis
Telekinesis
Time dilation
Time dilation
Cloning
Cloning
Interstellar travel
Interstellar travel
Which candy brand did the Mars company originally decline to have featured in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, leading to the deal with Reese’s Pieces?
M&M’s
M&M’s
Skittles
Skittles
Butterfinger
Butterfinger
Hershey’s Kisses
Hershey’s Kisses
Which 1990s television series centers on FBI special agents investigating unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena and alien contact?
The X-Files
The X-Files
Fringe
Fringe
Men in Black
Men in Black
Stranger Things
Stranger Things
What unofficial term is often used to describe the psychological delusion where a person believes their entire life is a staged reality show, similar to the 1998 film starring Jim Carrey?
Truman syndrome
Truman syndrome
The 7 Up model
The 7 Up model
The Child-Actor Continuity method
The Child-Actor Continuity method
The Chronos-Filming technique
The Chronos-Filming technique
In general science fiction tropes, which mechanical component is typically depicted as the core unit needed to repair an alien craft’s long-range signaling ability?
A holographic communications device
A holographic communications device
A biological oxygen filter
A biological oxygen filter
An airlock mechanism
An airlock mechanism
A heat-dispersal radiator
A heat-dispersal radiator
Who are the two primary government agents popularized by The X-Files?
Mulder and Scully
Mulder and Scully
Cooper and Rosenfield
Cooper and Rosenfield
The Smoking Man and Skinner
The Smoking Man and Skinner
Griggs and Agent K
Griggs and Agent K
In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, what specific natural ability does E.T. utilize to revive dead flowers?
A robotic arm extension
A robotic arm extension
A magnetic force field generator
A magnetic force field generator
A sonic frequency emitter
A sonic frequency emitter
A glowing healing touch
A glowing healing touch
How many years of real time did it take to film the entirety of the project Boyhood?
11 years
11 years
12 years
12 years
13 years
13 years
14 years
14 years
Which highly classified US Air Force facility in the Nevada desert is most famously associated with conspiracy theories regarding the reverse-engineering of alien technology?
Pine Gap
Pine Gap
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Area 51
Area 51
Dugway Proving Ground
Dugway Proving Ground
In speculative biology and astrobiology, which metabolic process is most commonly proposed as a hypothetical alternative to oxygen-based respiration for organisms in hydrogen-dominated atmospheres?
Lactic acid fermentation
Lactic acid fermentation
Methanogenesis
Methanogenesis
Aerobic respiration
Aerobic respiration
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis
What parent company owns the brand Reese’s Pieces?
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
Cadbury
Cadbury
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated
Ferrero Rocher
Ferrero Rocher
While not filmed over decades, which 2017 film relied heavily on capturing the authentic, chronological development of its young non-professional lead actors?
Eighth Grade
Eighth Grade
Moonlight
Moonlight
Lady Bird
Lady Bird
The Florida Project
The Florida Project
In pop culture lore regarding government agents, what is the ‘neuralyzer’ from the Men in Black films?
An anti-gravity camouflage suit
An anti-gravity camouflage suit
A subdermal tracking chip
A subdermal tracking chip
A voice-altering synthesiser
A voice-altering synthesiser
A neural memory erasure device
A neural memory erasure device
Following the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, what was the estimated percentage increase in sales for Reese’s Pieces in the weeks that followed?
85%
85%
105%
105%
45%
45%
65%
65%
In hard science fiction, what is the theoretical mechanism that allows faster-than-light travel by warping space-time around a spacecraft?
O’Neill cylinder
O’Neill cylinder
Alcubierre drive
Alcubierre drive
Bussard ramjet
Bussard ramjet
Dyson sphere
Dyson sphere
Which 1998 film explores the life of a man whose every action is filmed chronologically for a global audience without his knowledge?
EdTV
EdTV
Pleasantville
Pleasantville
The Truman Show
The Truman Show
The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives
In UFO conspiracy theories, what is the primary mandate for government agents assigned to ‘Area 51’?
To administer national park tourism
To administer national park tourism
To manage alien technological reverse-engineering
To manage alien technological reverse-engineering
To monitor deep-sea seismic activity
To monitor deep-sea seismic activity
To coordinate international trade agreements
To coordinate international trade agreements
In science fiction cinema, what often serves as the primary thematic bridge between alien visitors, secretive government agents, and child characters?
Their shared advanced technological weaponry
Their shared advanced technological weaponry
Their physical resistance to gravity
Their physical resistance to gravity
Their need to consume organic earth metals
Their need to consume organic earth metals
Their unique communication patterns with children
Their unique communication patterns with children
Which long-running documentary series is the true pioneer for the concept of filming children chronologically every seven years?
The Up Series
The Up Series
Planet Earth
Planet Earth
Sherman’s March
Sherman’s March
The Civil War
The Civil War
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When you finish, continue your movie exploration with these selections: look through our child star archives, read up on leading directors, or visit our documentary page.





