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Quiz about Automatons Anonymous
Quiz about Automatons Anonymous

Automatons Anonymous Trivia Quiz


Robots, automata, artificial intelligences. These are staples of science fiction that seem to come into reality more and more as technology advances. Take a look at these works that have brought them to life.

A multiple-choice quiz by trident. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
trident
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
398,404
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
249
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 174 (9/10), Guest 69 (2/10), Peachie13 (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. In the "Argonautica" (3rd century BC), Apollonius of Rhodes dramatizes the Greek mythological giant Talos. The giant throws boulders at the Argonauts from the top of a cliff near Crete as they attempt to land. Created by Hephaestus, from what metal was this automaton forged? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In 1868, Edward S. Ellis wrote "The Steam Man of the Prairies." The story involves a teenaged boy in the wilderness who builds a steam-powered automaton to pull his carriage. What form of fiction, which was cheap and popular at the time, was Ellis's work? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. A character created by L. Frank Baum in his "Oz" series, which automaton was whipped by the evil king that owned it, but since it couldn't feel pain, the whipping only kept its copper body polished? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The term "robot" was first used by writer Karel Čapek in his 1920 play titled "RUR" (translated into English as "Rossum's Universal Robots"). In which language was the play originally written? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which titan of science fiction popularized the use of robots in that genre, even going so far as to create the Three Laws of Robotics in his 1942 short story "Runaround" and included in his novel "I, Robot" (1950)? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. With a "four-inch hollow steel needle" projecting from its snout and its "softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse," the Mechanical Hound is an enforcer of conformity in which 1953 novel? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The science fiction novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) features the artificial intelligence unit HAL 9000, which kills the majority of the crew aboard the ship Discovery. Which British author and futurist penned this book? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. A quiet town in Connecticut features a group of wives that are unusually subservient to their husbands, and protagonist Joanna Eberhart tries to find out exactly how these women--and her friends--have become so pliant. She eventually discovers that the women have been replaced by robots with a similar appearance. What 1972 novel is this? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Roger Zelazny's "Home is the Hangman" (1975) won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. It depicts a robot returning to Earth and committing which crime? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Robots, automata, and other forms of artificial intelligence are popular in science fiction because they often offer us a vision of humanity that is removed from ourselves. Which of these science fiction novels contains the following quote?

"Trout's leading robot looked like a human being, and could talk and dance and so on, and go out with girls. And nobody held it against him that he dropped jellied gasoline on people. But they found his halitosis unforgivable. But then he cleared that up, and he was welcomed to the human race."
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Most Recent Scores
Today : Guest 174: 9/10
Oct 16 2024 : Guest 69: 2/10
Sep 16 2024 : Peachie13: 10/10
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In the "Argonautica" (3rd century BC), Apollonius of Rhodes dramatizes the Greek mythological giant Talos. The giant throws boulders at the Argonauts from the top of a cliff near Crete as they attempt to land. Created by Hephaestus, from what metal was this automaton forged?

Answer: bronze

In the "Argonautica", the Argonauts attempt to land near the beaches of Crete, where Talos attempts to stop them. Mythologically, the bronze giant protected Crete and the surrounding islands from pirates and other would-be invaders. It was said that the automaton circled the shores of the island three times daily.
2. In 1868, Edward S. Ellis wrote "The Steam Man of the Prairies." The story involves a teenaged boy in the wilderness who builds a steam-powered automaton to pull his carriage. What form of fiction, which was cheap and popular at the time, was Ellis's work?

Answer: dime novel

Some have posited that Ellis was inspired to write "The Steam Man of the Prairies" after seeing the real-life, steam-powered invention of Zadoc Dederick which took the form of a metallic man. The dime novels of this time were cheap and printed on paper that was not meant to last. "The Steam Man of the Prairies" is considered the first science fiction dime novel.
3. A character created by L. Frank Baum in his "Oz" series, which automaton was whipped by the evil king that owned it, but since it couldn't feel pain, the whipping only kept its copper body polished?

Answer: Tik-Tok

Tik-Tok was named for the sound it made when its clockwork springs were wound. It was unable to wind itself, so it relied on others to wind it once it was worn out. It had the ability to talk, but only moved its teeth when it spoke.
4. The term "robot" was first used by writer Karel Čapek in his 1920 play titled "RUR" (translated into English as "Rossum's Universal Robots"). In which language was the play originally written?

Answer: Czech

Čapek first used the word "robot", from the Czech word "robota," which means forced labor, though he credits his brother for inventing it. In his play, the "roboti" are human-like and work for humans. Eventually, the robots rebel and that leads to the extinction of humanity.

One difference between the robots of "RUR" and contemporary robots is that the robots from "RUR" contain organic material, meaning they are more like androids, or perhaps even cyborgs. However, the play inspired a whole host of stories and books using the robot as science fiction trope.
5. Which titan of science fiction popularized the use of robots in that genre, even going so far as to create the Three Laws of Robotics in his 1942 short story "Runaround" and included in his novel "I, Robot" (1950)?

Answer: Isaac Asimov

The Three Laws of Robotics have long been a basis for the fictional operation of robots in science fiction stories since Asimov's introduction of them. The rules go as follows:

"First Law

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Second Law

A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

Third Law

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws."
6. With a "four-inch hollow steel needle" projecting from its snout and its "softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse," the Mechanical Hound is an enforcer of conformity in which 1953 novel?

Answer: Fahrenheit 451

The Mechanical Hound serves the firemen of "Fahrenheit 451", who burn books. The Mechanical Hound is a fearsome predator with several means of enforcing the beliefs of the ruling powers. In the past, dogs helped find victims of fire who were trapped; this iteration finds victims to inject with sedatives and other substances.
7. The science fiction novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) features the artificial intelligence unit HAL 9000, which kills the majority of the crew aboard the ship Discovery. Which British author and futurist penned this book?

Answer: Arthur C. Clarke

What's unique about Clarke's novel is that it includes several science fiction tropes: space travel, artificial intelligence, and even aliens. The monolith in the movie has been created by aliens to induce intelligence in animal species. The ancestors of humans become the beneficiary of this alien influence.
8. A quiet town in Connecticut features a group of wives that are unusually subservient to their husbands, and protagonist Joanna Eberhart tries to find out exactly how these women--and her friends--have become so pliant. She eventually discovers that the women have been replaced by robots with a similar appearance. What 1972 novel is this?

Answer: The Stepford Wives

A satirical thriller, "The Stepford Wives" by Ira Levin has been adapted into a film in 1975 and also in a 2004 remake. The book contains feminist themes that touch upon domesticity and gender dynamics.
9. Roger Zelazny's "Home is the Hangman" (1975) won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. It depicts a robot returning to Earth and committing which crime?

Answer: homicide

The trope of the homicidal robot is common in science fiction stories, as is the idea of artificial intelligence turning on its master. Zelazny plays into this trope well with his robot Hangman, which goes from its mission to explore space to a homicidal rampage back on Earth.
10. Robots, automata, and other forms of artificial intelligence are popular in science fiction because they often offer us a vision of humanity that is removed from ourselves. Which of these science fiction novels contains the following quote? "Trout's leading robot looked like a human being, and could talk and dance and so on, and go out with girls. And nobody held it against him that he dropped jellied gasoline on people. But they found his halitosis unforgivable. But then he cleared that up, and he was welcomed to the human race."

Answer: Slaughterhouse-Five

In "Slaughterhouse-Five", a character named Kilgore Trout is a failed science fiction writer. One of his stories contains a robot with halitosis, but which also kills people with a type of napalm. The humans in the story can't bear its halitosis, but are okay with the mass genocide. Once it clears up the halitosis, the humans accept it again.
Source: Author trident

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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