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H. G. Wells Trivia

H. G. Wells Trivia Quizzes

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While he may be best known for his science fiction ('The War of the Worlds', 'The Invisible Man', 'The Time Machine', 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'), Herbert George Wells also wrote novels of social commentary ('Kips', 'The History of Mr. Polly') and non-fiction, including the best-selling 'The Outline of History'.
6 quizzes and 70 trivia questions.
1.
  HG Wells' "War of the Worlds"   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
The "War of the Worlds" was a seminal work, one of the forerunners of modern science fiction. Although it has been poorly represented on the screen to this day, the book has stood the test of time. Now test yourself!
Difficult, 15 Qns, Ajax23, Apr 14 08
Difficult
Ajax23
920 plays
2.
  The Time Machine    
Multiple Choice
 5 Qns
This is a trivia on the book 'The Time Machine' by the late, but great, H.G Wells. The book is an oldie but a goodie.
Easier, 5 Qns, Smartgal87, Mar 04 10
Easier
Smartgal87
2589 plays
3.
  The History of Mr Polly    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This story of a rather ineffectual shopkeeper is recognised as one of Wells's more amusing novels and is based partly on his own early life. How much do you know about the book? Note: spoilers if you haven't read the novel.
Average, 10 Qns, rossian, Aug 12 15
Average
rossian editor
227 plays
4.
  The Island of Dr. Moreau    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Here is a simple quiz on the masterpiece The Island of Dr. Moreau" from one of the masters of early science-fiction/fantasy: H. G. Wells.
Tough, 15 Qns, avis, Oct 30 18
Tough
avis
Oct 30 18
441 plays
5.
  H.G. Wells: Books and Movies    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
The sci-fi tales of H. G. Wells have been fodder for the Hollywood fantasy machine. This quiz compares their book and movie versions.
Tough, 15 Qns, tjoebigham, Apr 21 12
Tough
tjoebigham
1292 plays
6.
  The Invisible Man    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Written by the mastermind H.G. Wells, 'The Invisible Man' is a superior novel to all other fantasy novels because of its ability to captivate the reader. I hope you enjoy the quiz!
Tough, 10 Qns, Arr0w, Feb 20 09
Tough
Arr0w
845 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Who was the invisible man's helper, who ran away?

From Quiz "The Invisible Man"




Related Topics
  Science Fiction [Literature] (217 quizzes)


H. G. Wells Trivia Questions
1. Although he is mostly referred to throughout the novel as Mr Polly, we do learn the hero's first name. What is it?

From Quiz The History of Mr Polly

Answer: Alfred

Mr Polly is rarely addressed by his first name, with only his female relatives using it. Even then, his cousins tend to pronounce it 'Elfred', presuming it to sound more refined. The narrator never refers to him as anything other than Mr Polly; his first name is used only when speech is reported.

2. In which year was "War of the Worlds" published in London?

From Quiz HG Wells' "War of the Worlds"

Answer: 1898

Despite the book being written while the 'Old Queen' was still on the throne, it was way ahead of its time. It reflected the fears of the balance of power in Europe at the time, which was to explode in the Great War in 1914. The book was dedicated to Frank Wells (HG's brother) and reads: "The rendering of his idea"

3. When was "The Island of Dr. Moreau" first published?

From Quiz The Island of Dr. Moreau

Answer: 1896

From 1895 to 1898 H. G. Wells published his most famous works: "The Time Machine", "The Island of Dr. Moreau", "The Invisible Man" and "The War of the Worlds".

4. What is the invisible man's real name?

From Quiz The Invisible Man

Answer: Griffin

Griffin went to the same college with Kemp!

5. Who directed 'The Invisible Man' in the 1930s?

From Quiz H.G. Wells: Books and Movies

Answer: James Whale

Whale, the flamboyant gay genius behind the 'Frankenstein' films, directed Claude Rains in the latter's transparent film debut.

6. When the novel opens, Mr Polly is bemoaning the parlous state of his life while sitting where?

From Quiz The History of Mr Polly

Answer: On a stile

At this point, Mr Polly is at his lowest ebb. His shop is close to bankruptcy, his wife is indifferent to his welfare and he is suffering severe indigestion. The latter problem is likely to be caused by the diet of cold meat, cold potatoes and pickles which seem to be the extent of his wife's culinary ability. Having set the scene, the author goes back in time to explain how Mr Polly reached this situation.

7. Who is the narrator of the book?

From Quiz HG Wells' "War of the Worlds"

Answer: He is un-named

No clue is given as to the identity of the narrator.

8. This is the story of Edward Prendick, a more-or-less regular guy who who simply wanted to get from point A to point B via ship, when his ship rammed some debris and sank. What was the name of this ship?

From Quiz The Island of Dr. Moreau

Answer: The Lady Vain

After the sinking of the Lady Vain, Edward floated around with two other men in a dinghy. With no food whatsoever, they became very hungry and the two other men decided to draw lots to determine which of them they should cannibalize (Edward refused to participate). A quarrel resulted from the results, and both of the other men fell overboard and sank like stones.

9. What was the name of the hotel that the invisible man stayed at?

From Quiz The Invisible Man

Answer: Coach and Horses

After being annoyed by the waitress, he broke all the windows and stuck a street lamp into the hotel.

10. What actor did NOT play the mad Dr. Moreau in the movies?

From Quiz H.G. Wells: Books and Movies

Answer: Boris Karloff

Laughton played Moreau in the best version of Wells' horror classic,' Island of Lost Souls'.

11. Which event changes Mr Polly's life for the better, at least in the short term?

From Quiz The History of Mr Polly

Answer: His father dies

His mother had died when Mr Polly was seven, his career was never successful enough for promotion and the pools had not yet begun. The death of his father is not a sad event for Mr Polly as the two men had little contact, but it does change his life. Firstly, he inherits what is, to him, a great deal of money (actually £350, but worth a lot more then than now). The funeral also brings him into contact with his extended family, notably his three female cousins.

12. In which daily newspaper (still going strong today!) did a "little note" inform us that: "...a huge outbreak of incandescent gas....suddenly and violently squirted out of the planet...as flames rush out of a gun."

From Quiz HG Wells' "War of the Worlds"

Answer: The Daily Telegraph

Little more notice was really taken of the events around 12th August 1900. "The Telegraph", though not the oldest newspaper (that title goes to the "Observer" - the oldest in the world!) is still going strong today.

13. After the boat sank, Edward found himself in a small dinghy, drifting about without food, water or shelter from the sun. He inevitably would have died if he was not picked up by another ship. What was the name of this other ship?

From Quiz The Island of Dr. Moreau

Answer: The Ipecacuanha

Edward was sort of unconscious when he was carried aboard the Ipecacuanha by Montgomery's servant, M'ling, but he was just conscious enought to notice through his fogged senses how strange M'ling looked.

14. What was the name of the town where the majority of the story took place?

From Quiz The Invisible Man

Answer: Iping

Iping is in England.

15. What did Moreau do to the men who washed ashore on his island?

From Quiz H.G. Wells: Books and Movies

Answer: turn them into 'manimals'

Most horrifically in the book and 30s film, Moreau used surgery to turn men into half-animal, half-human hybrids.

16. Who first discovers the Martian 'canister'?

From Quiz HG Wells' "War of the Worlds"

Answer: Ogilvy

Ogilvy got up early in the morning and discovered the 'meteorite' in sandpits that lay between Horsell, Ottershaw and Woking. The area of Horsell common is pretty much the same today as it was in the 1890s. I still walk my dog there, and so is the sandpit.

17. How did the invisible man know he was going into Kemp's house?

From Quiz The Invisible Man

Answer: luck

Griffin was injured as he was running, and just happened to stumble into Kemp's house. What luck!

18. In Wells' original 'War of the Worlds', how did the invading Martians get around?

From Quiz H.G. Wells: Books and Movies

Answer: on tripod-legged machines

These three-legged war machines kept the illustrators busy!

19. In his meanderings around the countryside, Mr Polly falls in love with an unattainable schoolgirl. What is her name?

From Quiz The History of Mr Polly

Answer: Christabel

Mr Polly has acquired a bicycle and spends a lot of time riding around the countryside. He comes across Christabel when she is sitting on a wall, and begins to weave romances around her in his mind. He is a knight, while she is a damsel to be saved. The wall is both literal and figurative - Christabel never descends from it, and it takes Mr Polly some time to realise that she is merely a child. The scales fall from his eyes when he climbs the wall and sees her giggling with her friends, bringing him back to earth in more ways than one.

20. Why did the Martians leave their home planet and invade Earth?

From Quiz HG Wells' "War of the Worlds"

Answer: Mars began to cool off.

"The secular cooling that must some day overtake our own planet has already gone far indeed with our neighbour" The gradual cooling down of Mars had turned the war-like creatures attention to our own, warmer, invitingly lush planet.

21. What parts of the cat were still showing after the invisible man had tested on it?

From Quiz The Invisible Man

Answer: eyes and claws

The cat caused quite a disturbance in the town.

22. And in George Pal's 50s film of 'War of the Worlds', what 'improvement' did he give to the Martian machines?

From Quiz H.G. Wells: Books and Movies

Answer: magnetic 'legs'

The sight of the Martian vehicles on 'invisible' beams of magnetic force was a memorable one(and a real improvement on Wells' original).

23. Mr Polly's working life involves frequent changes of employer. Also the title of chapter three, what name does he give to these jobs?

From Quiz The History of Mr Polly

Answer: Cribs

After Parsons loses his job, Mr Polly leaves the shop as well and begins a series of new jobs, which he refers to as cribs. The only one of these which he enjoys is in Canterbury, but he loses the position after arriving late after a day out. Subsequent positions put him on an ever downward path.

24. To combat the "Men from Mars", which Regiment (of 400) was dispatched to form a cordon around Horsell Common?

From Quiz HG Wells' "War of the Worlds"

Answer: The Cardigan Regiment

By 11:00 the next day; a squadron of Hussars, two Maxims and about 400 men of the Cardigan Regiment were deployed from Aldershot. The 'Home' of the British Army.

25. What did the invisible man tell Ms. Hall that his occupation was?

From Quiz The Invisible Man

Answer: experimental investigator

When he said that, she left him alone for a few days.

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