Quizmo

Quiz on Microsoft

20 questions · August 2, 2026

Microsoft has shaped how billions of people work, learn, and create over the past five decades. From pioneering the personal computer revolution to dominating productivity software and cloud infrastructure, the company's innovations have become woven into the fabric of modern life. Whether you're curious about its founding story, landmark products, or the strategic pivots that keep it relevant, this quiz explores the milestones and decisions that made Microsoft a global force in technology.

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Question 1

Easy

What is Microsoft's flagship personal-computer operating system?

Source: It has powered the majority of the world's PCs since the 1990s.

Question 2

Easy

Who co-founded Microsoft alongside Paul Allen in 1975?

Source: Gates was just 19 when he and Paul Allen launched the company.

Question 3

Easy

Which web browser did Microsoft build to replace Internet Explorer?

Source: It arrived in 2015, retiring the 20-year-old Internet Explorer.

Question 4

Easy

Which gaming console brand belongs to Microsoft?

Source: Microsoft entered consoles in 2001 to challenge Sony and Nintendo.

Question 5

Easy

Which Microsoft Office program is built for spreadsheets?

Source: Its grid of cells has crunched numbers since 1985.

Question 6

Easy

What is the name of Microsoft's own web search engine?

Source: It quietly powers many voice assistants' web results.

Question 7

Easy

Which video-calling service did Microsoft buy in 2011?

Source: Microsoft paid $8.5 billion for it, its biggest buy at the time.

Question 8

Easy

What is the name of Microsoft's cloud computing platform?

Source: It is now a top earner for Microsoft, rivaling Amazon's AWS.

Question 9

Easy

In which US state is Microsoft's headquarters located?

Source: Microsoft sits in Redmond, Washington, not Silicon Valley.

Question 10

Easy

Which networking site did Microsoft acquire for about $26 billion in 2016?

Source: Microsoft paid roughly $26 billion for the career network.

Question 11

Medium

What is Microsoft's workplace chat and collaboration app called?

Source: It exploded in use during the 2020 remote-work boom.

Question 12

Medium

What is the name of Microsoft's tablet-and-laptop hardware line?

Source: The line blurred the boundary between tablet and laptop.

Question 13

Medium

Which animated paperclip once popped up to assist Office users?

Source: The helper was so disliked Microsoft eventually killed him off.

Question 14

Medium

Who became Microsoft's chief executive in 2014?

Source: He steered the company toward cloud and 'mobile-first' thinking.

Question 15

Medium

In which year was Microsoft founded?

Source: Microsoft was founded in 1975, a year before Apple.

Question 16

Medium

Microsoft's very first product was an interpreter for which language?

Source: That early interpreter ran on the pioneering Altair 8800.

Question 17

Medium

Which super-soldier shooter franchise is an Xbox exclusive?

Source: Its 2001 debut helped sell the original Xbox console.

Question 18

Hard

Which phone-maker's handset business did Microsoft buy in 2014?

Source: The deal flopped, leading to billions in writedowns soon after.

Question 19

Hard

What company did Gates and Allen run before founding Microsoft?

Source: They built it as teenagers to analyze road traffic data.

Question 20

Hard

Which operating system was released immediately before Windows 95?

Source: This early-90s release set the stage for the blockbuster Windows 95.

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