Back to school

This may be old for those of you who have seen this on my Web site. For those of who have not visited that defunct page, I am reprinting here my Ultimate Back To the Future quiz.

Answers relate only to the original movie.

We go by the honor system here in Colorado, so no cheating via Google assistance.


Section 1. One point each. (If you can’t get these, you have no business taking my test).

1. What makes time travel possible?

2. What kind of car is the time-travel vehicle?

3. What electrical voltage is necessary to facilitate time travel?

4. How fast must one go to achieve time travel?

5. What time did the lightning strike the clock tower?

6. What date did Marty McFly travel back in time to?

7. What country did Doc Brown steal plutonium from?

8. What city and state does the movie take place in?

Section 2. Two points each. (Breeze through the first set of questions? Now is your chance to prove you really paid attention during the movie).

1. What department store is in the background while Marty McFly and Doc Brown prepare for the first time-travel voyage in the parking lot?

2. What is the name of the mall in that scene? Why does it change later?

3. Who owned the land that the mall was built upon?

4. What is the name of Doc Brown’s dog?

5. How did Doc Brown come up with the idea for the device that makes time travel possible?

6. Upon arriving in 1955, what two drinks does Marty order at the soda shop?

7. What is the name of the development in which Marty McFly lives in 1985?

8. When Marty is eating dinner with Lorraine and her family after he is hit by the car, what television show do they watch?

9. What planet does “alien” Marty McFly tell his father he resides on?

10. In 1955, why does Doc Brown believe a problem develops with the earth’s gravitational pull in the future?

11. What is the more common name for the event described by Doc Brown as a “rhythmic ceremonial ritual?”

12. What is George McFly’s favorite television show in 1955?

13. What actor, who later starred in Titanic, is a member of Biff’s posse?

14. Who is the principal of Hill Valley High School in both 1955 and 1985?

15. What is the name of Marty McFly’s band?

16. Who is mayor of Hill Valley in 1985?

17. The last name of Marty McFly’s girlfriend, Jennifer, is _______.

18. Marty McFly advises his parents to go easy when punishing their eight-year-old son after he does what?

19. The poster of what album is hanging in Marty McFly’s bedroom?

20. The name of George McFly’s first novel is ________.

Section 3. Three points each. (Graduate from Hill Valley High School with honors if you can get these questions right).

1. What is Doc Brown’s address?

2. What is the name of the band playing at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance?

3. What day of the week is it when Marty McFly arrives in 1955?

4. The middle name of actor Crispin Glover is ________.

5. Who is Marvin talking to on the phone while Marty is on stage playing Johnny B. Goode?

6. What is the license plate on the time machine?

7. Lorraine’s maiden name is _________.

8. What are the first names of Lorraine’s parents?

9. What is the name of the company that owns the manure truck that Biff hits?

10. What was the cost of the damage to Biff’s car in the manure incident?

11. What organization does the woman who shouts “Save the Clock Tower! Save the Clock Tower!” represent?

12. What is the area code in 1985-era Hill Valley?

13. In future time travel, what device replaces plutonium as the energy source in the time-travel vehicle?

14. While Marty and Jennifer are sitting on the park bench early in the movie, what movie is playing at the cinema across the street?