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Quiz about First Lines of English Literature Novels
Quiz about First Lines of English Literature Novels

First Lines of English Literature Novels Quiz


The challenge is for you to identify the novel from which the following opening line or lines may have been taken. A key word or two may be omitted from the quotation where this might have identified the novel too easily.

A multiple-choice quiz by bracklaman. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
bracklaman
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
219,003
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
644
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. From which novel does this opening line come?
'In giving to the world the record of what, looked at as an adventure
only, is I suppose one of the most wonderful and mysterious
experiences ever undergone by mortal men, I feel it incumbent on me to explain what my exact connection with it is.'
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. From which work of fiction was this opening line taken? (A main character's name has been omitted for obvious reasons).
'Mr. ***, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a "Penang lawyer." '
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. So far so good I hope. Now try this, another opening line from a well-known novel. Do you know which? Once again a main character's name is disguised.
'"Hole!" said Mr. ***, and then for a change, and with greatly
increased emphasis: "'Ole!" He paused, and then broke out with one of
his private and peculiar idioms. "Oh! Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!"
He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and
suffering acutely from indigestion.'
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. This quotation may be testing for you but do have a go. From which translated novel is this opening phrase?
'Mr. *** lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington
Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of
the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed
always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage,
about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man
of the world.'
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. I hope you are well into your stride by now so on with the next abstract. From which novel did this opening line come?
'As the manager of the Performance sits before the curtain on the
boards and looks into the ***, a feeling of profound melancholy
comes over him in his survey of the bustling place.'
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Now this question is about a novel that has not been as frequently read as it might deserve so I've left in the character's name this time. Can you tell me from which novel did this opening line come?
'It was admitted by all her friends, and also by her enemies--who were in truth the more numerous and active body of the two--that Lizzie Greystock had done very well with herself. We will tell the story of Lizzie Greystock from the beginning, but we will not dwell over it at great length, as we might do if we loved her.'
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. This novel is from another author who deserves more attention these days. From which novel have I taken this first line?
'I was born in the northern part of this United Kingdom, in the
house of my grandfather, a gentleman of considerable fortune and
influence, who had on many occasions signalised himself in behalf
of his country; and was remarkable for his abilities in the law,
which he exercised with great success in the station of a judge,
particularly against beggars, for whom he had a singular aversion.'
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. This novel begins with a very long opening sentence. The style is distinctive and all aficionados are sure to identify the author but which novel do the lines come from?
'Sir Walter Elliot, of Kellynch Hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the baronetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs changed naturally into pity and contempt as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century; and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed.'
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. By way of contrast this novel begins with a short and pithy sentence. What novel are we talking about I wonder?
'The schoolmaster was leaving the village, and everybody seemed sorry.'
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Another short and sharp first line for you. From which novel does this opening line come?
'In the first place, *** is in possession of the Amazons; all
the holders of houses above a certain rent are women.'
Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. From which novel does this opening line come? 'In giving to the world the record of what, looked at as an adventure only, is I suppose one of the most wonderful and mysterious experiences ever undergone by mortal men, I feel it incumbent on me to explain what my exact connection with it is.'

Answer: She

The author was H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard (1856-1925) who produced a series of adventure novels mainly based in Africa. The character 'She' is the subject of at least three of his novels and has been featured in several films.
2. From which work of fiction was this opening line taken? (A main character's name has been omitted for obvious reasons). 'Mr. ***, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a "Penang lawyer." '

Answer: The Hound Of The Baskervilles

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) became the highest paid author of his day and owed most of his success to his creation 'Sherlock Holmes' who was the main character in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.
Doyle himself preferred his so-called "historical works" though these were not as well-received by the public.
The character he created has featured in novels, plays, radio, television and film as well as ballet and opera.
3. So far so good I hope. Now try this, another opening line from a well-known novel. Do you know which? Once again a main character's name is disguised. '"Hole!" said Mr. ***, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!" He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms. "Oh! Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!" He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.'

Answer: The History of Mr. Polly

H G Wells (1866-1946) had a huge international reputation as man of letters, philosopher and political activist throughout his long career. He is now best known for his works of Science Fiction such as 'The Time Machine', 'The Invisible Man', and 'The War Of The Worlds' but his novels of social commentary such as 'The History of Mr Polly' should not be ignored.
4. This quotation may be testing for you but do have a go. From which translated novel is this opening phrase? 'Mr. *** lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage, about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man of the world.'

Answer: Around The World In Eighty Days

We have Monsieur Verne (senior) to thank for the vast output of his son Jules Verne (1828-1905) because it was only after he discovered his son was not studying for the Law as he had supposed and so cut off his allowance that Jules concentrated fully on his writings. They eventually made him a very rich man.
His works included: 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' and 'Around the World in Eighty Days'.

Thanks to jbuck919 for pointing out that the novels were translations.
5. I hope you are well into your stride by now so on with the next abstract. From which novel did this opening line come? 'As the manager of the Performance sits before the curtain on the boards and looks into the ***, a feeling of profound melancholy comes over him in his survey of the bustling place.'

Answer: Vanity Fair

Written by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) 'Vanity Fair' first appeared as a serialised production in the manner exploited by the contemporary Charles Dickens.
6. Now this question is about a novel that has not been as frequently read as it might deserve so I've left in the character's name this time. Can you tell me from which novel did this opening line come? 'It was admitted by all her friends, and also by her enemies--who were in truth the more numerous and active body of the two--that Lizzie Greystock had done very well with herself. We will tell the story of Lizzie Greystock from the beginning, but we will not dwell over it at great length, as we might do if we loved her.'

Answer: The Eustace Diamonds

'The Eustace Diamonds' was written by Anthony Trollope (1815-1882). It was first published in 1871 as a serial in the 'Fortnightly Review' and was the third in 'The Pallisers' series of novels.
7. This novel is from another author who deserves more attention these days. From which novel have I taken this first line? 'I was born in the northern part of this United Kingdom, in the house of my grandfather, a gentleman of considerable fortune and influence, who had on many occasions signalised himself in behalf of his country; and was remarkable for his abilities in the law, which he exercised with great success in the station of a judge, particularly against beggars, for whom he had a singular aversion.'

Answer: The Adventures Of Roderick Random

This novel was written by Tobias George Smollett (1721-1771). After a career in the Royal Navy as a ship's surgeon, he became a successful novelist. His works include 'Roderick Random', 'Peregrine Pickle' and 'Humphrey Clinker'.
8. This novel begins with a very long opening sentence. The style is distinctive and all aficionados are sure to identify the author but which novel do the lines come from? 'Sir Walter Elliot, of Kellynch Hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the baronetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs changed naturally into pity and contempt as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century; and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed.'

Answer: Persuasion

'Persuasion' was another success for Jane Austen (1775 - 1817) who produced novels which are almost universally recognized as classics of English Literature. Her works are regularly set as study texts in the U.K. at school and universities and elsewhere. Her style is characterized by irony, humour, strong plots and a descriptive ability of a very high order.
9. By way of contrast this novel begins with a short and pithy sentence. What novel are we talking about I wonder? 'The schoolmaster was leaving the village, and everybody seemed sorry.'

Answer: Jude The Obscure

'Jude The Obscure' was a novel by the English poet and novelist Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). Most of his novels were set in the fictional 'Wessex' though Hardy himself maintained it had a close correlation with the Wessex of history, and included the counties of Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Hampshire, Dorset, and Devon.
10. Another short and sharp first line for you. From which novel does this opening line come? 'In the first place, *** is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses above a certain rent are women.'

Answer: Cranford

The English novelist and biographer Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810 to 1865), was an author with a vast and varied literary output which included not only numerous short stories, murder and mystery tales but also the amusing 'Cranford'.
Source: Author bracklaman

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