Can You Ace This “Jaws” Quiz?

ENTERTAINMENT

By: Jodi C.

5 Min Quiz

Image: Zanuck/Brown Company/Universal Pictures

About This Quiz

Think you know all there is to know about the 1975 movie "Jaws?" Take this quiz to find out just how much you remember.

If you read the book "Jaws" by Peter Benchley, you would probably have agreed that it would make a great movie. But, no one could have anticipated that a mechanical shark could have inspired so much fear in beachgoers that they avoided the nation's beaches for months.

Who knew that a movie with a budget of a mere $9 million would end up grossing over $470 million (the highest ever until the release of "Star Wars" in 1977)? In fact, the movie almost made back its production costs in the first weekend.

"Jaws" pushed movie boundaries in several ways, mainly in its use of suspense. However, the technique Spielberg used in the movie wasn't intentional, but rather the result of those crazy mechanical sharks. Unfortunately for Spielberg, the sharks did not always cooperate, often refusing to work at all, so he was forced to use sound, specifically music, to let viewers know that the shark was near. This type of suspenseful play was a technique used heavily by Alfred Hitchcock, and it certainly worked for Spielberg... and millions of viewers. 

If you're ready to swim with the big fish, take this quiz.



What's the name of the island where "Jaws" takes place?

Much of the filming was done on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

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When Hooper cuts open the shark, what surprising object does he find?

The plate is from Louisiana, suggesting the shark came up from the Gulf.

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What fear does Chief Brody have?

He explains the root of his fear very concisely: "Drowning."

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What do the two townie men throw off the pier to attract the shark?

It's implausible that this draws the shark, as sharks are drawn by irregular and vigorous splashing.

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How does Quint get everyone's attention at the town meeting?

Given Quint's penchant for drink, showing up staggering would have worked, too.

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What distracts the townspeople from seeing the shark enter the pond?

Once in the pond, the shark kills a boater.

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Why is Brody's son Michael admitted to the hospital?

Nowadays. it's unlikely someone would be admitted overnight -- but this was prior to HMOs!

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What kind of shark do the local fishermen catch, that is believed to be the killer?

Hooper is immediately skeptical because of the animal's smaller bite radius.

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How does Brody kill the shark?

An underwater shot shows the bulk of the shark's body sinking to the seafloor like a battleship going down.

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How does Quint die?

Quint's death -- with the shark jumping halfway up onto the deck -- is a little hard to swallow. (Sorry!)

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Why is Hooper unable to shoot the shark from the safety of the cage?

First the shark tooth, now the gun -- Hooper needs some kind of waterproof lanyard so he can quit dropping things!

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Who is Brody trying to call when Quint smashes the radio?

Quint is a glory hound who doesn't want help; Brody is nervous and wants all the help they can get.

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What's the name of Quint's boat?

"Orca" is a whale. Fun fact: the film's first potential director was passed over for using "shark" and "whale" interchangeably.

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What are the residents about to celebrate (and profit from)?

The town's merchants look forward to the influx of tourist dollars from the holiday.

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How do Brody and Hooper get back to land?

The closing shot shows them heading home with Amity Island in the near distance.

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Who played marine biologist Matt Hooper?

He and Robert Shaw reportedly didn't get along, which might have been useful in creating tension between their characters.

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How does Hooper survive after the shark destroys the cage?

The shark is distracted by its continuing attempts to mangle the cage; Hooper slips out the other side.

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Where is Chief Martin Brody from?

His wife tries to teach him local pronunciation of "yard" and "car" early in the film.

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What scar does Hooper say tops the scar-comparing contest?

During the exchange, Brody is silent, only once looking sheepishly at his own appendectomy scar.

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Why does Hooper go down in the shark cage?

Hooper has a dart gun and intends to inject the shark with strychnine.

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Who played the shark hunter Quint?

His drinking caused some difficulties on set, like when he went "method" and got drunk to deliver his original "USS Indianapolis" monologue.

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On what doomed ship did Quint serve?

Quint's monologue about the ship's sinking is one of the movie's high points.

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What line of work is Amity Island's mayor in?

We see his business advertised on his car as he arrives at the docks in his first scene.

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Which of these is NOT a sequel to "Jaws"?

The string of movies spawned an irrational fear of sharks; novelist Benchley spent a lot of his later life remorsefully working for ocean conservation.

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What kind of knot does Quint demand Hooper make to prove his skills?

Quint thinks Hooper is a city-bred tenderfoot.

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What does Hooper compare the shark's tooth that he found in the destroyed boat to?

He's trying to give the mayor an idea of its size.

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How many people total does the shark kill?

The finall toll: Chrissy the skinny-dipper, little Alex Kintner, the man seen in the broken boat, the boater in the pond, and Quint.

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Why doesn't the mayor agree to close the beach on the Fourth of July weekend?

Hooper dropped the "shot-glass-sized" tooth, and this allows the mayor to be skeptical, and to protect those tourist dollars.

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What kind of dog do the Brodys have?

The dog was director Spielberg's own, Elmer.

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How much is the bounty Mrs. Kinter offers for the shark that killed her son Alex?

$10,000 is Quint's price for catching the shark.

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