The 'Diff'rent Strokes' Show Quiz

By: Olivia Cantor
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
The 'Diff'rent Strokes' Show Quiz
Image: The Movie DB

About This Quiz

Diff'rent Strokes was not only a groundbreaking show for its time, but it's also memorable in many ways within the pop culture of the world. Take this quiz and find out why!
During which decade did the sitcom Diff’rent Strokes debut?
1990
1970
The show began in 1978.
1960
1980

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Who is the child actor who became the face of this show?
Gary Colemark
Gary Colemine
Gary Coleman
Gary Coleman suffered from a disease which prevented him from growing any taller.
Gary Colemane

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The plotline of the sitcom involves a rich man who has this social status.
widow
widower
The millionaire widower man was the head of the household in this show.
separated
married

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What is the name of the rich widower who encountered the precocious young children?
Mr. Phillip Drumwald
Mr. Phillip Desmond
Mr. Phillip Drummond
Mr. Drummond was played by Conrad Bain.
Mr. Phillip Diamond

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Mr. Drummond decided to adopt the orphaned kids when their mother died. What was her relationship to him?
secretary
lover
housekeeper
The kids’ mother didn’t have anyone to take care of the two tykes, so Mr. Drummond stepped in.
mistress

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What was the name of the older orphaned sibling?
Willis Jackson
Willis was reluctant to move in to the posh apartment at first.
Errol Jackson
Innis Jackson
Simmy Jackson

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What was the name of the younger of the two orphaned kids?
Ariel Jackson
Annie Jackson
Armand Jackson
Arnold Jackson
Unlike his brother, Arnold took to Mr. Drummond’s place quite easily.

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In which posh New York neighborhood did Mr. Drummond live?
Broadway
Park Avenue
Park Avenue is in the Manhattan borough.
Fifth Avenue
Madison Avenue

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Where did the Jackson boys grow up?
Coney Island
Harlem
Harlem is also found in the Manhattan borough.
Brooklyn
Flatbush

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What is the name of Mr. Drummond’s only daughter?
Cassandra
Kimberly
Kimberly acted as the big sister of the Jackson boys.
Colette
Katrina

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What was cutesy Arnold’s signature catchphrase?
“Whatchoo mean, Willis?
“Whatchoo talkin’ 'bout, Willis?
This catchphrase became one of the most iconic line in TV history.
“Whatchoo doin', Willis?
“Whatchoo thinkin’ 'bout, Willis?

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Willis actually had his own catchphrase. What was it?
"Uh-uh!"
"Heck no!"
"Yo mama!"
"Say what?"
Willis’ catchphrase may not have been popular as Arnold’s, but it also gave him character.

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Legend has it that the title of the show may have been inspired from a famous quote by this legendary boxer.
Oscar Dela Joya
Joe Frasier
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali himself made quite a handful of catchphrases that made it into pop culture.
Manny Pacquiao

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What was the purported Muhammad Ali quote where the title of the show supposedly came from?
Different strokes for different folks.
Prior to this catchphrase inspiration, the show was originally entitled “45 Minutes from Harlem."
A stroke of bad luck is good!
Different is as different does.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

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Who is the housekeeper in the Drummond household visible during the first season?
Mrs. Garnet
Mrs. Garrett
Mrs. Garrett took on another job during the second season, marking her departure from the show.
Mrs. Gidget
Mrs. Gadget

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Mrs. Garrett actually starred in a spinoff show of Diff’rent Strokes, that’s why she left. What was that show?
Gems of Life
Facts of Fun
Facts of Life
Mrs. Garrett was introduced in the dormitory when she accompanied Kimberly in a school nearby.
Facts of Girls

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It was rare for a sitcom to tackle serious social issues during the 1970s and 1980s. How did the show producers label their sensitive episodes like this?
“very sensitive episodes"
“very special episodes"
The Very Special Episodes structure in TV pop culture was started by this show.
“very episodic episodes"
“very one-off episodes"

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One of the show’s very special episodes involved a drug abuse storyline and guested this US First Lady.
Hillary Clinton
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan was also the face of her husband Ronald Reagan’s anti-drug campaign.
Michelle Obama
Jackie Kennedy

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Another very special episode featured Kimberly who almost got into this kind of trouble during a hitchhiking incident.
manslaughter
shooting
suicide
rape
In this episode, Kimberly almost gets raped by the man who gives the kids a ride.

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In another very special episode, Arnold gets lured inside this kind of shop by the owner who turns out to be a child molester.
barber shop
bike shop
The seemingly quiet bike shop owner’s pedophile secret was eventually thwarted and revealed.
malt shop
jewelry shop

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In real life, Dana Plato is also this kind of trained athlete, which the show writers included as a plotline in one episode.
hockey player
figure skater
The special episode had US Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill as a guest star.
baton swirler
gymnast

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Because of the obvious white father-African American kids plotline, this kind of social issue was always discussed and debunked in the show.
racism
In several episodes, the issue of racism pops up every now and then.
homophobia
Islamophobia
sexism

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When Mrs. Garrett departed, she was replaced by this maid.
Adelaide Cartographer
Adelaide Housekeeper
Adelaide Brubaker
Adelaide was played by Nedra Volz.
Adelaide Stonewasher

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In season 5 though, Adelaide Brubaker also left, and was replaced by this new housekeeper.
Linda Gallagher
Daryll Gallagher
Pearl Gallagher
Mary Jo Catlett played Pearl.
Shiva Gallagher

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As a precocious kid character, Arnold always does this to his father figure Mr. Drummond.
makes funny faces
pats his back
jumps on his lap
When the show progressed, Gary Coleman asked the producers to lessen this lap-jumping action and write in more mature actions for Arnold.
snorts at him

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This future cast member of The Wonder Years made recurring guestings in the show.
Josh Saviano
Jason Hervey
Jason Hervey played Arnold’s friend Charlie.
Fred Savage
Dan Savage

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Willis had a girlfriend for 3 seasons in the middle of the show’s run. What was her name?
Cham Drill
Charlene DuPrey
Even though they broke up later, Willis and Charlene remained friends.
Chika Dott
Champ Dwayne

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Which future music superstar portrayed Willis’ girlfriend Charlene?
Alicia Keys
Beyonce Knowles
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson acted in many shows prior to focusing on her music career.
Diana Ross

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What did Arnold call this perennial school bully, which was never shown, only mentioned many times?
The Starlord
The Rock
The Gooch
The Gooch was clearly a bully, but it’s not clear why the show’s writers didn’t create a character to represent him physically.
The Fonz

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Even when Mr. Drummond formally adopted the brothers, they still called him this name instead of dad.
Mr. Dude
Mr. Man
Mr. D
Mr. Drummond actually gave the boys the go-signal to call him dad prior to adopting them.
Mr. Dad

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In one episode, one of the Drummond kids gets held up a knifepoint, causing deeply hidden trauma. Which kid was victimized?
Dudley
Kimberly
Arnold
Mr. Drummond tried to help Arnold out of her trauma by first coaxing him to talk about what happened.
Willis

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What is the name of Arnold’s best friend who also figures in his misadventures?
Ross
Dudley
Dudley was portrayed by Shavar Ross.
Brent
Prince

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Sadly, two of the three child stars who became popular in this show already died. Which one was left?
Dana Plato
Charlotte Rae
Todd Bridges
Dana Plato had drug-related problems while Gary Coleman’s diseases somehow led to his death.
Conrad Bain

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Which popular ‘80s sitcom star also wrote the theme song of this show?
Jerry Seinfeld
Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke was the star of another ‘80s sitcom called Growing Pains.
Michael J. Fox
Mark Ruffalo

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How many seasons did Diff’rent Strokes have?
8
The show ran for 8 seasons from 1978 to 1986.
7
9
10

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You Got:
/35
The Movie DB