Academy Awards history is often filled with surprising outcomes and unique honors. This quiz examines the moments that shaped the legacy of the Oscars, from early animation milestones to classic films that missed out on the top prize.
You will see questions about famous snubs, specific voting categories, and the records held by legendary directors and actors. Some questions are simple, while others ask you to recall small details about the ceremony itself.
If you enjoy learning about cinema history, try our Oscar history, director profiles, or animation facts.
In what year was Walt Disney awarded an honorary Academy Award for ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, featuring seven miniature statuettes?
1937
1937
1938
1938
1940
1940
1939
1939
Who presented Walt Disney with the special honorary Oscar for ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’?
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
What was the specific category title given to the honorary Academy Award for ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’?
Best Animated Feature
Best Animated Feature
Unique and Artistic Picture
Unique and Artistic Picture
Best Original Song
Best Original Song
Best Sound Recording
Best Sound Recording
Which classic film also received a special honorary Oscar for its innovative sound system and contribution to music?
Pinocchio
Pinocchio
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins
Fantasia
Fantasia
Cinderella
Cinderella
How many miniature Oscar statuettes were included in the unique honorary award created for ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’?
6
6
8
8
9
9
7
7
Which film released in 1939 famously lost the Best Picture Oscar to ‘Gone with the Wind’?
Stagecoach
Stagecoach
The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
For which competitive Academy Award category was ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ nominated in 1939?
Best Original Score
Best Original Score
Best Film Editing
Best Film Editing
Best Original Song
Best Original Song
Best Sound Mixing
Best Sound Mixing
Which of these legendary directors was nominated for Best Director five times but never won a competitive Oscar?
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Orson Welles
Orson Welles
Which highly-regarded film from 1994 lost the Best Picture Oscar to ‘Forrest Gump’?
Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four Weddings and a Funeral
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption
Quiz Show
Quiz Show
In what year did Orson Welles receive his only competitive Oscar for co-writing the screenplay of ‘Citizen Kane’?
1945
1945
1939
1939
1942
1942
1941
1941
Which competitive Academy Award category did Disney’s ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (1937) predate by over sixty years?
Best Animated Feature
Best Animated Feature
Best Picture
Best Picture
Best Visual Effects
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Short Film
Best Animated Short Film
Which of these films is famously cited as a classic that lost the Academy Award for Best Picture to ‘How Green Was My Valley’?
Casablanca
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon
Which film won the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002?
Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc.
Shrek
Shrek
Lilo & Stitch
Lilo & Stitch
Ice Age
Ice Age
Which film holds the record for the most Oscar nominations (11) without winning a single category?
The Turning Point
The Turning Point
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
The Little Foxes
The Little Foxes
True Grit
True Grit
Which individual holds the record for the most competitive Academy Award wins in history?
John Ford
John Ford
Frank Capra
Frank Capra
William Wyler
William Wyler
Walt Disney
Walt Disney
In which year was the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film first presented?
1936
1936
1942
1942
1932
1932
1948
1948
Which of these Alfred Hitchcock films received four Academy Award nominations but failed to win any of them?
Psycho
Psycho
The Birds
The Birds
Vertigo
Vertigo
North by Northwest
North by Northwest
Which director won their first Academy Award for Best Director for the film ‘The Departed’?
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Which film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, but failed to win any?
Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver
Singin’ in the Rain
Singin’ in the Rain
King Kong
King Kong
It’s a Wonderful Life
It’s a Wonderful Life
Which of these major Academy Award categories did ‘Citizen Kane’ fail to win?
Best Original Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Picture
Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actor
Best Director
Best Director
Which organization awards the iconic golden statuettes to film professionals?
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
National Society of Film Critics
National Society of Film Critics
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Which of these categories was added to the Academy Awards program in 1963?
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Editing
Best Documentary Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Original Song
Best Original Song
Best Costume Design
Best Costume Design
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If you want to keep going, check out our trivia on Disney classics, read up on film noir, or browse through star award records.
