Here is a complete medical pub quiz with three rounds: clinical science, decisions and associations. It is designed for colleagues who enjoy explaining an answer as well as finding it, with a mixture of accessible questions and distinctions that reward precision.
All thirty questions are original. Clinical situations are fictional, and the decision round uses a UK setting unless another source is explicitly identified. The answer key provides the intended answer and a short explanation rather than a bare list of letters.
The quiz is published by iatroX and is independent of any professional college or examination body. It is an activity for a team event, not a validated assessment of clinical competence.
How to run the full quiz
Use teams of a size that allows everyone to contribute. Give one point for each question, producing a total out of thirty. Where a question requests a connection, award the point for a sufficiently precise category rather than an unrelated true statement about the items.
A suggested event plan is three eight-minute question rounds, followed by twelve minutes for answers and discussion. That totals thirty-six minutes before introductions, breaks or a tie-breaker. These are organiser timings, not a claim that every group will work at the same speed.
Keep the answer key out of view until responses are submitted. Agree beforehand whether phones and reference materials are allowed. A closed-book social quiz and an open-reference teaching session can both work, but their results describe different activities.
Round 1: clinical science
1. The cochlear receptor
Which specialised cells in the organ of Corti convert mechanical movement into the receptor signals used in hearing?
2. Myelin in the central nervous system
Which glial cell forms myelin around axons in the central nervous system, rather than the Schwann cell of the peripheral nervous system?
3. A renal signal to the marrow
Which hormone, produced principally by the adult kidneys, stimulates red blood cell production when oxygen delivery is insufficient?
4. Activate the pancreatic precursor
Which brush-border enzyme converts trypsinogen into trypsin in the small intestine?
5. Follow a conventional CSF drainage route
Which projections of the arachnoid are classically described as allowing cerebrospinal fluid to pass towards the dural venous sinuses?
6. The bone-resorbing cell
Which multinucleated cell is chiefly responsible for resorbing bone during normal remodelling?
7. Production is not storage
Which organ produces bile, rather than storing and concentrating it between meals?
8. The rising phase
In a typical neuronal action potential, rapid inward movement of which ion is principally responsible for the depolarising upstroke?
9. Read the electrical event
What electrical event is represented by the P wave on a conventional ECG?
10. The first angiotensin product
Renin acts on angiotensinogen. Which angiotensin peptide is produced directly by that cleavage, before the action of ACE?
Round 2: clinical decisions
For this round, state the immediate useful response rather than an entire differential or treatment protocol.
11. One leg has changed
A patient develops new unilateral calf pain and swelling after a period of reduced mobility. They are currently haemodynamically stable and have no breathlessness. Should this be treated as routine muscular discomfort without assessment, or enter an urgent assessment pathway for possible DVT?
12. A curtain across vision
A patient reports new flashes and floaters followed by a dark curtain affecting part of one eye's vision. Should they wait for a routine sight test or obtain urgent eye assessment?
13. Sudden hearing change
An adult notices a marked sudden reduction in hearing in one ear. No clinician has yet examined them. Should the initial plan be to assume wax and wait several weeks, or arrange urgent clinical assessment?
14. The screening result in a well person
A person feels entirely well but receives a positive bowel-screening FIT result. Should the absence of symptoms cancel the recommended follow-up, or should the screening pathway be progressed?
15. An irregular pulse
A stable patient has an unexpectedly irregular pulse. Is the pulse finding alone enough to establish atrial fibrillation, or is ECG assessment needed to clarify the rhythm?
16. The requested antibiotic
A clinically well adult has a short history of sore throat with coryza and cough. Assessment identifies no concerning features or current indication for an antibiotic. Should a prescription be issued solely because the patient requests one, or should the clinician explain the assessment, supportive care and review advice?
17. An informed refusal
An adult with capacity to make the decision declines a proposed elective procedure after an adequate discussion of options and risks. Is disagreement with the doctor's recommendation enough to disregard the refusal?
18. Symptoms during a transfusion
A patient develops rigors, new back pain and hypotension during a blood transfusion. Should the transfusion continue while the team waits to decide which reaction is occurring, or should it be stopped immediately while an urgent assessment begins?
19. The wrong identifier
Before administering a non-urgent medicine, a clinician notices that the printed order carries a different patient's identifier. The medicine name looks plausible for the person present. What must happen before administration?
20. The result that only arrived today
A transferred laboratory document appears in the inbox today, but the sample date is two years earlier. The current patient's condition has changed since then. Can the arrival date alone make the result evidence of today's physiological state?
Round 3: find the clinical connection
Give the most specific shared relationship requested. These are selected groups, not necessarily exhaustive lists.
21. Utricle, saccule and semicircular canals
Which broad sensory function links these inner-ear structures, distinguishing the group from the cochlear hearing apparatus?
22. Biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis
Which elbow movement can all three muscles contribute to?
23. Pancreatic amylase, pancreatic lipase and trypsinogen
Which exocrine organ supplies these digestive products? The precursor in the list should not be mistaken for an already active protease.
24. Airway goblet cells, mucus and motile cilia
Which clearance mechanism links these three components in conducting airways?
25. Visceral pleura and parietal pleura
What named cavity lies between these two layers?
26. Endocardium, myocardium and epicardium
Which organ's wall is described by these layers?
27. Duodenum, jejunum and ileum
Which part of the alimentary tract is divided into these three regions?
28. Fenestrated endothelium, glomerular basement membrane and podocyte filtration slits
Which specialised barrier links these features?
29. Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes
What principal structural role links these cells, despite their different locations in the nervous system?
30. Manubrium, body and xiphoid process
Which midline thoracic bone contains these parts?
Answer key: round 1
1. Hair cells
Hair cells transduce movement within the cochlear sensory apparatus. The question asks for the receptor cells, not the auditory nerve or one of the middle-ear ossicles. See OpenStax's sensory physiology.
2. Oligodendrocytes
Oligodendrocytes form CNS myelin; Schwann cells perform the corresponding myelinating role in the peripheral nervous system. The location is the distinguishing feature. See nervous tissue.
3. Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin connects renal sensing of oxygen availability with erythropoiesis. Accept EPO. It is a hormonal signal, not a constituent supplied to build haemoglobin. See erythrocyte production.
4. Enteropeptidase
Accept enterokinase as the traditional alternative name. It activates trypsinogen; the fact that the precursor comes from the pancreas does not make the activating enzyme a pancreatic secretion. See chemical digestion.
5. Arachnoid granulations or villi
These are the classically described projections associated with transfer towards venous sinuses. The wording asks for this conventional route, not a claim that it accounts for every aspect of CSF drainage. See CNS circulation.
6. Osteoclasts
Osteoclasts resorb bone. Distinguish them from osteoblasts involved in formation and osteocytes within established bone. The cell names become more useful when connected to their roles in remodelling. See bone structure.
7. The liver
The liver produces bile. The gallbladder stores and concentrates it; it is not the production site requested. See accessory digestive organs.
8. Sodium
In the specified typical neuronal action potential, inward sodium movement drives the rapid upstroke. The stem deliberately avoids generalising this answer to every electrically excitable cell. See the action potential.
9. Atrial depolarisation
The P wave represents atrial electrical depolarisation, not ventricular contraction. Electrical events and the subsequent mechanical response should not be treated as identical labels. See cardiac electrical activity.
10. Angiotensin I
Renin generates angiotensin I from angiotensinogen; ACE participates in the next conversion to angiotensin II. The order is the point of the question. See renal microscopic anatomy and the pathway.
For another relationship-based activity after this round, clinical connections supplies a separate daily sixteen-concept puzzle. It is not a continuation of these exact questions.
Answer key: round 2
11. Urgent assessment for possible DVT
New unilateral pain and swelling require an appropriate assessment rather than an unsupported muscular label. The absence of breathlessness does not exclude DVT. New chest symptoms or deterioration would change the emergency response. See NHS DVT guidance.
12. Urgent eye assessment
The combination raises concern for retinal detachment. A routine sight-test appointment is not the appropriate first response. This is a priority decision, not confirmation of the diagnosis from a description alone. See NHS retinal-detachment guidance.
13. Urgent clinical assessment
Sudden hearing loss needs prompt assessment rather than an unexamined assumption of wax. The clinician must establish the cause and appropriate specialist pathway. See NHS hearing-loss guidance.
14. Progress the screening follow-up
Screening is intended for people who may not have symptoms. A positive FIT does not establish cancer, but feeling well does not remove the need for the recommended next assessment. See NHS bowel screening.
15. Clarify the rhythm with ECG assessment
An irregular pulse is a finding that prompts evaluation, not a complete electrocardiographic diagnosis. The eventual interpretation needs the recorded rhythm and clinical context. See NHS atrial-fibrillation guidance.
16. Explain the assessment and appropriate non-antibiotic plan
The stem states that no current antibiotic indication has been identified. A request alone does not create one. Provide suitable symptom advice and a clear reason to seek reassessment if the course changes. See NHS sore-throat guidance.
17. No: respect the informed decision
A decision that differs from the doctor's preference is not, by itself, evidence of incapacity. The scenario specifies an elective procedure and capacity for this decision. Continue appropriate discussion without disregarding the refusal. See GMC consent principles.
18. Stop the transfusion and begin urgent assessment
Do not wait to identify the exact reaction before stopping the exposure. Summon help and follow the local transfusion-reaction procedure. The principle is supported by Australian Red Cross Lifeblood's professional guidance, used here alongside local UK arrangements rather than as a substitute for them.
19. Resolve the identity discrepancy before administration
In this constructed safety exercise, plausibility of the medicine does not establish that the order belongs to the patient. Verify the person and intended prescription through the appropriate local process. The logical error is substituting a familiar drug name for confirmed identity.
20. No: establish what the historical result can actually show
Receiving a document today does not change when the sample was taken. This original information-review exercise requires checking chronology and deciding what current evidence is needed. The historical result may remain useful, but it cannot be relabelled a new measurement.
Answer key: round 3
21. Vestibular function or balance and motion sensing
The group belongs to the vestibular apparatus rather than the cochlear hearing system. Its members contribute to different aspects of detecting movement and orientation. See sensory physiology.
22. Elbow flexion
All three can contribute to elbow flexion, despite differences in attachment and additional actions. "Upper-limb muscles" is true but less precise than the requested movement. See upper-limb muscles.
23. The pancreas
These are pancreatic exocrine digestive products. Trypsinogen is secreted as a precursor, making "three active enzymes as secreted" an inaccurate alternative category. See accessory digestive organs.
24. Mucociliary clearance
Mucus traps material and coordinated ciliary activity helps move it along the conducting airway. The category concerns a defence mechanism rather than gas exchange. See respiratory structures.
25. The pleural cavity
The pleural cavity lies between the visceral and parietal layers. These must not be confused with the pericardial layers around the heart. See the lungs and pleura.
26. The heart
These are layers of the heart wall. Epicardium should not be confused with an additional chamber or valve. See heart anatomy.
27. The small intestine
The duodenum, jejunum and ileum are its named regions. The anatomical category does not imply that every region has identical functions. See intestinal anatomy.
28. The glomerular filtration barrier
The endothelial, basement-membrane and podocyte components participate in the specialised filtration interface. Naming the whole kidney would miss the requested level of organisation. See renal microscopic anatomy.
29. Myelin formation
Both cell types form myelin, in different nervous-system compartments. That relationship connects the cells without treating their location or arrangement as identical. See nervous tissue.
30. The sternum
These are the named parts of the sternum. The xiphoid is not an extra rib, and the manubrium here should not be confused with similarly named structures elsewhere. See the thoracic cage.
A numerical tie-breaker
In an entirely hypothetical test dataset, there are 18 true-positive results and 49 false-positive results. Calculate the percentage of all positive results that are true positives, to one decimal place.
The answer is 26.9%: 18 / (18 + 49) x 100. These are invented counts, not evidence about a real diagnostic test. Award the tie-breaker to the closest answer, with the calculation used to resolve equal estimates.
Do not add it to the ordinary thirty-point total unless that rule was announced in advance.
A shorter version for a practice meeting
Use questions 2, 4, 9, 12, 15, 20, 22, 25 and 28. That gives three questions from each round and a total out of nine.
Allow a short private attempt before team discussion, then spend the remaining time on the explanations that produced disagreement. For an even shorter opener, select one decision and one association rather than trying to rush all nine.
Professional bodies also provide their own resources, including the Royal College of Pathologists' quiz collection. Those are separate activities; this original quiz does not reproduce their questions or imply their endorsement.
Give participants somewhere useful to go next
Someone who enjoyed the decision round can try stat. Someone who preferred explaining categories can try clinical connections. Both are complete free activities with explanations, not a requirement to join a team competition.
Use spoiler-free result sharing when inviting colleagues to a daily edition. Discussion is more interesting when everyone has first had the opportunity to make their own attempt.
Frequently asked questions
Is the full quiz available without another download?
Yes. All thirty questions, the explained key, the tie-breaker and the shorter selection are included on this page.
Can a team receive credit for a differently worded answer?
Yes, when it expresses the intended accurate concept. For association questions, require the relationship requested rather than accepting any broad fact about the terms.
Does the score measure clinical ability?
No. It describes performance on this informal question set under the chosen event conditions, not workplace competence or examination readiness.