Question 1

True or false: The Film Rating System is enforced by the Federal Communications Commission.

Accepted Answer

False. The rating system is voluntary and administered by the MPAA's Classification and Ratings Administration, not by any government agency like the FCC.

Question 2

True or false: The Film Rating System was established by the US Congress in 1968.

Accepted Answer

False. The system was created by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) as a voluntary industry self-regulation, not by Congress.

Question 3

True or false: The Film Rating System also assigns ratings to video games and television shows.

Accepted Answer

False. Video games use the ESRB system, and television uses TV Parental Guidelines. The Film Rating System only rates motion pictures.

Question 4

True or false: The Film Rating System introduced the PG-13 rating in 1984.

Accepted Answer

True. PG-13 was created in response to violent content in films like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The first movie to receive PG-13 was Red Dawn.

Question 5

True or false: The Film Rating System's R rating allows children under 17 to watch without an adult.

Accepted Answer

False. R-rated films require children under 17 to be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Unaccompanied minors are not permitted.

Question 6

True or false: The Film Rating System's original four ratings were G, M, R, and X.

Accepted Answer

True. When the system launched in 1968, the ratings were G, M (Mature), R, and X. M was later renamed PG in 1970.

Question 7

True or false: The Film Rating System's first PG-13 rating was given to the movie Red Dawn.

Accepted Answer

True. Red Dawn, released in August 1984, was the first film to receive the PG-13 rating after its introduction on July 1, 1984.

Question 8

True or false: The Film Rating System's X rating was never trademarked by the MPAA.

Accepted Answer

True. Because the MPAA did not trademark X, adult film studios adopted it. The MPAA replaced X with NC-17 in 1990 to reclaim the rating.

The Film Rating System Trivia Questions