How well do you know "The Princess Bride"?

By: Abi Luftig
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
How well do you know "The Princess Bride"?
Image: Act III Communications Buttercup Films The Princess Bride Ltd

About This Quiz

Do you know Florin from Guilder? The Man in Black from The Six-Fingered Man? An 80s​ fan favorite, "The Princess Bride," has spawned some of the most quoted lines and the most memorable characters in modern cinema, but how well do you really know it? Test your knowledge here!
What is the name of the eponymous Princess Bride?
Buttercup
Princess Buttercup, who began the movie as a simple farm girl, was played by Robin Wright. Wright was a soap star at the time, playing Kelly Capwell on" Santa Barbara." She went on to play Jenny Curran in "Forrest Gump," Claire Underwood on "House of Cards," and General Antiope in "Wonder Woman."
Butterflower
Butterball
Batterup

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What is The Grandson doing when The Grandfather arrives to check on him?
Watching a movie
Reading a book
Playing a video game
The Grandson, played by Fred Savage, is playing a baseball-themed video game when The Grandfather, played by Peter Faulk, arrives to see how he's feeling. The game shown on screen was 1985's Hardball, which was played on Commodore-64 computers.
Sleeping

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What is the name of the farm boy who works for Buttercup's family?
William
Westley
Westley was played by a previously unknown Cary Elwes. Since "The Princess Bride," Elwes played Robin in "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," Dr.Lawrence Gordon in "Saw," and Jerry in "Liar, Liar."
Robert
Inigo

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Vizzini keeps on using what word, which Inigo doesn't think means what Vizzini thinks it means?
Miraculous
Stupendous
Unbelievable
Inconceivable
Vizzini repeatedly exclaims "inconceivable!" After several exclamations, Inigo tells him "you keep on using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means." The dictionary describes inconceivable as meaning "not capable of being imagined or grasped mentally; unbelievable." So if Vizzini didn't have a strong imagination or intellect, it's possible he was using it right.

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How does Westley tell Buttercup he loves her?
I love you.
Yes, my love.
Whatever you want.
As you wish.
This is one of the most recognizable lines in the entire film, so it makes sense that Elwes would choose it for the title of his book. In 2014, Elwes published a memoir (co-written by Joe Laden) about the making of "The Princess Bride." It includes interviews with his co-stars and behind-the-scenes photos.

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Why is Inigo searching for the Six-Fingered Man?
The SFM stole money from him.
The SFM killed his father and scarred his face.
Director Rob Reiner reportedly offered Mandy Patinkin any role he wanted in the movie. Having lost his father to cancer 15 years prior, Patinkin felt a kinship with the fatherless Inigo, and has said that the role helped him process his grief.
The SFM stole his girlfriend.
He has a crush on the SFM and wants to reveal his true feelings.

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Buttercup learns that Westley has been killed at sea. What is the name of the pirate responsible?
Black Beard
Captain Jack Sparrow
Dread Pirate Roberts
Buttercup receives news that Westley's ship had been captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never leaves survivors. There actually was a Dread Pirate Roberts in the early 18th century and is considered by many to be the most successful pirate of all time. His real name was Bartholomew Roberts and he sailed in the Caribean, occasionally being known as Black Bart.
Davy Jones

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How many thugs are employed to kidnap Princess Buttercup?
One
Two
Three
While riding her horse, Buttercup is knocked out and kidnapped by Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Inigo (Mandy Patinkin), and Fezzik (Andre the Giant), who are revealed to be working for Prince Humperdink, who wants to start a war with Guilder. They approach Buttercup pretending to be "but poor lost circus performers."
Four

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Buttercup attempts to escape by leaping out of the boat and into the water. What danger is waiting for her in the sea?
whispering stingrays
jumping jellyfish
screaming sharks
shrieking eels
Vizzini tells Buttercup that the shrieking eels are getting louder because they are "about to feast on human flesh." In the novel upon which the film is based, there are no shrieking eels. Buttercup jumps into shark-infested waters and Vizzini fills a cup with his own blood, which he pours into the ocean to attract the sharks.

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The three bad guys and Buttercup must scale what landmark to escape The Man in Black?
The Cliffs of Insanity
Vizzini, Inigo, Fezzik, Buttercup, and eventually, The Man in Black, scale (or are carried up) The Cliffs of Insanity. The Cliffs are actually called The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair) and are located near Lahinch in County Claire, Ireland. They have also been used to film scenes in "Leap Year" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
Mount Doom
The Valley of Death
The Slightly Tall Rock of Terror

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Who challenges the Man in Black to a swordfight?
Fezzik
Inigo
Inigo and The MiB engage in an iconic swordfight in which both pretend to be lefthanded. They discuss several fencing strategies, which are real fencing terms originating in the 14th and 15th centuries. Bonetti's defense is the strategy of not attacking on uneven ground, Capo Ferra is a linear attack, Thibault is a strategy of using angular defenses and attacks, and Agrippa is the method of using short movements to cancel out the angular moves of Thibault.
Vizzini
Max

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How does Fezzik suggest he and the Man in Black duel?
Wrestling
Rock throwing
Hand to hand combat
Fezzik suggests they "face each other as God intended. Sportsmanlike. No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone." Andre the Giant was not the first or only choice for the role of Fezzik. The filmmakers originally wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he was too expensive. They also considered Kareem Abdul-Jabar, but scheduling conflicts with the NBA ruled him out.
Talking it out

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When describing his exceptional brains, how does Vizzini refer to Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates?
Dolts
Idiots
Imbeciles
Morons
Vizzini, played by Wallace Shawn, boasts that the great minds of ancient Greece were morons compared to his intellect. While perhaps not quite that great, Shawn does have wits and the degrees to prove it. He has a BA in History from Harvard and also studied philosophy, politics, economics, and Latin at Oxford.

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What poison is chosen for the wine-based Battle of Wits?
Anthrax
Belladonna
Iocane
The Man in Black explains, and Vizzini acknowledges, that the fictional iocane powder is odorless. Later, Prince Humperdink sniffs the vial and declares that it's iocane powder. Many fans have considered this a goof, as he had no smell upon which to base his knowledge. However, other fans have countered that it is the lack of smell that allowed him to recognize the powder.

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Finish this line: "I'm not a witch, I'm___."
your wife
Max's wife, Valerie, bursts into the room and calls Max a liar. He calls her a witch, and she responds "I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!" Valerie was played by Carol Kane, who may be better known to modern audiences as Gertrude on "Gotham" and Lillian on "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
innocent
your assistant
a doctor

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Buttercup eventually identifies the Man in Black as The Dread Pirate Roberts and says he can die how?
Quickly, with his head chopped off
Slowly, cut into a thousand pieces
Buttercup tells Roberts that because he killed her love, he can die slowly, cut into a thousand pieces. The venom was just good acting, however, as Cary Elwes and Robin Wright were reportedly quite smitten during filming.
Slowly, burned alive
Quickly, with a painful poison

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Once Westley's identity is revealed, he and Buttercup escape into the Fire Swamp, known for its three main dangers. Which is not a hazard of the Fire Swamp?
Quicksand
Fire pits
Bats
All three dangers of The Fire Swamp presented dangers in real life. Buttercup's dress was actually set on fire, and Robin Wright had to trust it was soaked in enough flame-retardent. The dive into the quicksand involved opening a trapdoor at the exact right second or Cary Elwes would break his neck. The ROUS was played by a diminutive actor in a rat suit named Danny Blackner, who was pulled over by a cop who then detained him on suspicion of a DUI. His reasoning: he didn't believe Blackner's story that he had to get to work to dress up as a rat to wrestle a pirate.
Rodents Of Unusual Size

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When they reach the exit to the swamp, Buttercup and Westley are confronted by the Six Fingered Man. Who is this man?
Prince Humperdink
The Albino
Miracle Max
Count Rugen
Count Rugen, Humperdink's right-hand man, has six fingers on his right hand. This is a little inside joke slipped in by director Rob Reiner and actor Christopher Guest, who had previously collaborated on "This Is Spinal Tap." Guest's character famously tells "documentarian" Reiner that his amp speakers "go to eleven." Rugen's fingers also go to eleven.

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Who knocks out Westley with the hilt of a sword?
Prince Humperdink
Inigo
Count Rugen
Rugen uses the hilt of his sword to knock Westley unconscious. During filming, Christopher Guest (Rugen) was holding back for fear of hurting Cary Elwes (Westley) and the hit didn't look right on-screen. Elwes told Guest to really go for it and hit him hard. Guest hit him so hard that Elwes lost consciousness for real and filming halted while he was taken to the hospital to get checked out.
Fezzik

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Humperdink tells Buttercup that he is returning Westley to his ship. Where does Rugen actually take Westley?
The Pit of Despair
Westley is taken to The Pit of Despair, where his wounds are treated by The Albino, played by Mel Smith. Smith freely admits that he has never watched the film, due to painful memories of filming. His role required specialty contacts and he turned out to be allergic to the lens solution. As such, he has said he's reluctant to watch his performance and remember how much discomfort he was in.
The Trench of Doom
The Hole of Defeat
The Foxhole of Pain

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What convinces Buttercup to try to call off her wedding?
She learns of Humperdink's role in her kidnapping.
She finds a love letter from Westley.
She hears Westley screaming.
She is booed in a dream.
The Ancient Booer was played by Margery Mason, who played in several British variety shows and Playhouse shows in the 1960s. She also had minor roles in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" as a food trolly lady and "Pink Floyd's The Wall" as the teacher's wife.

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What lie does Humperdink use to convince Buttercup he'll let her go if Westley returns for her?
He would personally track down Westley and offer his surrender.
He would issue a royal decree calling Westley back to the castle.
He'd send his fastest ships out to chase down The Pirate Ship Revenge and pass on a letter.
Humperdink suggests that Buttercup writes four copies of a letter and that his four fastest ships would each take a copy in a separate cardinal direction to try and catch up to the Revenge. He later slips up and mentions that his entire fleet will be waiting to see them off for their honeymoon. Realistically, even if Humperdink had kept his word, there are a multitude of ways the plan could fail, such as the ship sailing in an ordinal direction.
She would be allowed to search for him every day until the day of the wedding arrived.

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What does Humperdink use to "kill" Westley?
The Machine
Rugen builds a machine to suck the life out of his victims and initially takes a year from Westley. Humperdink angrily storms in and cranks it up all the way to the maximum suckage. Humperdink was played by Chris Sarandon, who played Detective Mike Norris in "Child's Play" and voiced Jack Skellington The Pumpkin King in "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
The Device
The Mechanism
The Technology

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What is the name of the country where the story takes place?
Guildar
Humperdinkia
Florin
Humperdink is the Crown Prince of Florin, a kingdom across the sea from their enemy, Guilder. The nations were titled after former currencies, namely the Italian gold florin and the Dutch gold guilder.
Wonderland

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Fezzik and Inigo find Westley's body in the Pit of Despair. Whom do they contact for help?
Miracle Max
Miracle Max was played by Billy Crystal, who ad-libbed almost all his lines. He filmed over three days and never repeated a joke. Rob Reiner reportedly had to leave the set because he couldn't stop laughing, and Mandy Patinkin says he bruised a rib trying to hide his laughter on screen.
Magic Mike
Mischievous Mark
Wonderful Walter

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How is Max able to save Westley?
He is only kind of dead.
He's only mostly dead.
Miracle Max is able to talk to Westley and to bring him back to life because he is only "mostly dead." He explains that "There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do ... Go through his clothes and look for loose change."
He makes a clone of him.
He shocks him back to life.

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How does The Impressive Clergyman begin his speech at the wedding?
Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder today.
The Impressive Clergyman, as he is listed in the credits, was played by the great British comedian Peter Cook. Cook was a well-known face to older British audiences who recognized him from comedies such as "Not Only...But Also" and "The Two of Us."
Deawly bewoved, we are gathered here today,
Who is getting married?
What is gowing on?

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Humperdink insists that the Clergyman skips forward and omit a crucial part of the wedding ceremony. What is skipped over?
Mentioning love
Walking down the aisle
Exchanging the rings
Buttercup saying "I do."
When Buttercup later confesses to Westley that she got married (but didn't mean to), Westley says it doesn't count because she didn't say "I do" and "if you didn't say it, you didn't do it." Technically, Humperdink never says "I do" either. There is no mention of either a marriage license or a royal decree legally sanctifying the marriage, so it's not clear whether Westley's logic applies.

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When he realizes he is defeated, Rugen offers Inigo whatever he wants. What does Inigo say in response?
I want to watch you die.
I want my father back, you son of a bitch.
Despite his rage, Inigo is careful to inflict upon Rugen only mirrors of the wounds given to him. Each ends up with five wounds: a slash on each cheek, a thrust to a forearm, a thrust into the opposite shoulder, and a stab to the stomach. Inigo receives the cheeks first, then the forearm and shoulder, then the stomach. Rugen receives the forearm and shoulder first, then the cheeks, then the stomach.
I want you to pay me for this sword.
I want you to suffer.

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How does Rugen recognize Inigo?
that swordmaker's kid
that little Spanish brat I taught a lesson to
It is heavily implied that Rugen was an adult (or at least a teen) when he killed Inigo's father, whereas Inigo was a child at least half his age. In reality, Guest (Rugen) is older than Patinkin (Inigo), but only by four years.
that kid whose dad I killed
He doesn't recognize him, he dies not knowing his opponent.

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Humperdink challenges Westley to the death. How does Westley respond?
Yes, let's begin
No, to the humiliation
Yes, to the death
No, to the pain
Westley challenges Humperdink to a duel "to the pain," which he explains as "To the pain means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next your nose ...The next thing you will lose will be your left eye followed by your right ...Your ears you keep and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, 'Dear God! What is that thing,' will echo in your perfect ears. That is what "to the pain means." It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever."

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How does Buttercup attempt to kill herself?
Drinking iocane powder
Stabbing herself through the chest
Buttercup plans to stab herself with a dagger in the honeymoon suite, unaware that Westley is there. He stops her by telling her that there is a shortage of perfect breasts in the world and it would be a pity to damage hers.
Leaping from the tower
Throwing herself into the sea

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How do our four heroes escape?
The Royal Carriage
White horses
Fezzik finds four white horses in the stables and catches each character as they leap from the castle window. While this seems like it would be easy due to Andre the Giant's size, he was suffering severe back problems that prevented him from lifting or holding the weight of an adult. Robin Wright was attached to wires to help support her weight in the iconic shot where she floats down to Fezzik.
On foot
Sailing away on the pirate ship Revenge

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What option does Westley offer to Inigo now that he's done with revenge?
Find a new affront to avenge
Be Buttercup's personal bodyguard
Teach swordfighting
Become the new Dread Pirate Roberts
Westley offers up the career suggestion of piracy, stating that he thinks Inigo "would make a wonderful Dread Pirate Roberts." Over the course of his long career (including roles on "Chicago Hope," "Criminal Minds," and "Homeland"), Mandy Patinkin has said repeatedly that Inigo is his personal favorite role.

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What is the last line of the film?
As you wish
The last line is said by The Grandfather, in response to The Grandson asking if he could read him the story again the next day. Peter Faulk was worried that he did not look old enough to play a grandfather since he was only 60 years old at the time. The crew experimented with aging prosthetics, but in the end, decided to go with Faulk's natural look.
The end
And they lived happily ever after
Goodnight

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You Got:
/35
Act III Communications Buttercup Films The Princess Bride Ltd