The Wind in the Willows Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1908

When Kenneth Grahame first wrote 'The Wind in the Willows', it was rejected for publication! Even after it was published in England, sales remained slow. It was only after the book was published in the United States by Charles Scribner's Sons, where it went through several reprints, did the book become popular in England.

Answer: Spring

Mole was springcleaning and whitewashing his little house, when he felt compelled to tunnel up into the sunlight.

Answer: the river

Mole had never seen a river before. In my favorite passage in all the book, Grahame describes the river through Mole's eyes, 'All a-shake and a-shine-- glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and babble.' Makes you want to go read the book again, doesn't it? Beautiful writing!

Answer: Rat

This was the first time Mole met his friend Rat (who is actually a water vole).

Answer: His new gypsy caravan

Toad shows them his new gypsy caravan. It is painted canary yellow and has red and green wheels.

Answer: Toad Hall

Toad was a very wealthy animal!

Answer: Mr. Badger

Do you remember when Rat and Mole stumbled upon the shoe scraper when they are out in the snowy woods? Rat and Mole lived near the river, and Toad lived in Toad Hall.

Answer: The seafaring rat

He tells Rat that his relatives are Norwegian seafaring rats.

Answer: Stealing a motorcar, cheeking the police, and furious driving

Toad got twelve months for stealing the motorcar, fifteen years for cheeking the police, and three years for furious driving. Since this added up to nineteen years, it was rounded off to a even twenty years! Grahame modelled the jail on the one in Reading, in Berkshire.

Many of the places, including the riverbank and Toad Hall, were based on actual places. I have already covered this in my Kenneth Grahame quiz, so I won't go over it all here!

Answer: All these things.

The jailer's daughter is tenderhearted. She arranges for her aunt, the washerwoman, to sneak Toad in an outfit (dress, shawl, and a bonnet) when she brings back the wash. Toad gives the woman some gold sovereigns, and he escapes dressed in the outfit. Later he sends the jailer's daughter a gold chain with a locket set in pearls.

Answer: Weasels, ferrets and stoats have taken over.

Hundreds of Wild Wooders (armed weasels, desperate ferrets, and stoats) had broken into Toad Hall. They beat up Mole and Badger and run them off. A stoat is also known as an ermine.

Answer: They drive out the weasels, ferrets, and stoats.

Mole dresses up in Toad's washerwoman outfit and goes over to Toad Hall. He tells the Wild Wooders that one hundred badgers and six boats of rats, armed to the teeth, plus some do-or-die toads are going to raid Toad Hall that night. This ploy allows the four friends, Toad, Rat, Badger, and Mole to sneek in through the secret passage and drive the already nervous Wild Wooders off with clubs.

Answer: False

Mole, Badger, and Rat all thought that Toad was successfully tamed, and he acted as if he was, but they were overly optimistic (or naive).

Answer: He sent her a gold and pearl locket.

He send her a locket and a letter to thank her for all her kindness.

Answer: False

Sadly, this was not the case. Until his death on July 6, 1932, Mr. Grahame's only literary endeavor was to edit 'The Cambridge Book of Poetry For Children' in 1916. I cannot help but believe that it is better to write a few really exceptional books than to author hundreds of tomes full of drivel. Thank you for taking my quiz.