Question 1

True or false: Mary Barra was born in Detroit, Michigan, and her father worked at GM for 39 years.

Accepted Answer

True. She was born in Waterford, Michigan, and her father worked at GM as a die maker for 39 years.

Question 2

True or false: Mary Barra started her career at GM as a co-op student inspecting fender panels.

Accepted Answer

True. Barra began at GM in 1980 at age 18 as a co-op student inspecting fenders and hoods at a Pontiac plant.

Question 3

True or false: Under Mary Barra, GM introduced the first mass-market electric vehicle with a 500-mile range.

Accepted Answer

False. GM's Chevy Bolt had about 259 miles; the 500-mile range EV goal is aspirational, not yet achieved.

Question 4

True or false: Mary Barra was the first woman to lead a major global automaker as CEO of General Motors.

Accepted Answer

True. She became GM's CEO in 2014, making history as the first female CEO of a major global automaker.

Question 5

True or false: Mary Barra famously drove a Ford Mustang to her first day of work at GM.

Accepted Answer

False. This is a persistent urban legend; she actually drove a used Chevy Vega, a GM car, to her first day.

Question 6

True or false: Mary Barra holds a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Accepted Answer

False. She has a bachelor's in electrical engineering from Kettering University and an MBA from Stanford, not a PhD.

Question 7

True or false: Mary Barra was named chair of the board at GM in 2016, making her both CEO and chair.

Accepted Answer

True. She added the chairman role in 2016, becoming the first woman to hold both positions at a major automaker.

Question 8

True or false: Mary Barra once worked as a design engineer on the Hummer H2.

Accepted Answer

False. Barra held engineering and management roles, including on the H2, but as a plant manager, not a design engineer.

Mary Barra Trivia Questions