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Quiz about Novels of the 1940s
Quiz about Novels of the 1940s

Novels of the 1940s Trivia Quiz


Novels are a part of 'pop' culture. Some may be the flavor of the month; some may be literary classics. Lists from "Publishers Weekly" were used as reference and are based on sales in the United States. What do you know of the best sellers of the 1940s?

A multiple-choice quiz by Rehaberpro. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
Rehaberpro
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
328,896
Updated
Feb 25 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
451
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Question 1 of 10
1. The best selling novel of 1940 was Richard Llewellyn's novel about the Morgans, a hard working but poor mining family in South Wales. The central character is the youngest Morgan, Hew, through whose eyes the novel unravels. What is the name of this book? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Ernest Hemingway had one of his most commercially successful novels that ranked fourth in 1940 and fifth in 1941. The novel dealt with the Spanish Civil War, a prelude to World War Two. It followed a teacher who was also a demolition expert into that war, which Hemingway, as a reporter, observed. Which of these was that novel? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Many of the most popular novels of this era had a religious theme. 1942 was no exception as Franz Werfel historical novel was number one in sales. What novel told the story of a simple peasant girl who sees the virgin Mary? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In 1943 the public focused on a tell-it-like-it-is novel by Betty Smith that was to remain on the best seller list for two years. Essentially autobiographical, it tells of saga of growing up in poverty in a section of New York City during the 1920s. What is the name of this novel? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. After opening in 1944 as number four, in 1945 it topped all sales. A real 'pot boiler' it featured an historical backdrop of the Plague and the Great Fire of London. The heroine sleeps with or marries men as she rises in society and wealth. The title was "Forever _____"

Answer: (One Word five letters)
Question 6 of 10
6. Lloyd C. Douglas wrote a novel that was number one in 1943 and second in 1944 and 1945 and seventh in 1942. It was one of those novels with a religious bent that were very popular during this era. It follows a series of events that were the fictionalized aftermath of the Crucifixion. Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Mary Jane Ward authored "The Snake Pit", on the best seller list in 1946. What is the subject of this novel? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. "Gentleman's Agreement" by Laura Z. Hobson explored the sources and effect of prejudice in society. What prejudice is the theme of the novel? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. By 1948 a flow of novels about World War Two began to hit the book shops. Many of these were written by veterans, such as Norman Mailer, who wrote one of the more successful novels of 1948. What was the name of this novel? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Mika Waltari wrote a novel in his native Finnish in 1945. When the English translation became available in 1949, it shot to the top of the 1949 best seller list. What was the name of this historical novel? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Oct 23 2024 : Dagny1: 9/10
Sep 06 2024 : jmel2: 8/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The best selling novel of 1940 was Richard Llewellyn's novel about the Morgans, a hard working but poor mining family in South Wales. The central character is the youngest Morgan, Hew, through whose eyes the novel unravels. What is the name of this book?

Answer: How Green Was My Valley

Llewellyn was born in England and spent very little time in Wales. He did his research through associations with people from that area. The book was followed by three sequels, none as successful as the original.

In 1941 it was made into a powerful motion picture with Roddy McDowell playing the endearing child Hew. The film won three major Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp); and Best Director (John Ford).
2. Ernest Hemingway had one of his most commercially successful novels that ranked fourth in 1940 and fifth in 1941. The novel dealt with the Spanish Civil War, a prelude to World War Two. It followed a teacher who was also a demolition expert into that war, which Hemingway, as a reporter, observed. Which of these was that novel?

Answer: For Whom the Bell Tolls

The title is taken from the works of John Donne and probably sums up Hemingway's approach to life and death.

"No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee."

Hemingway was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for "The Old Man And the Sea" in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in 1954 for lifetime achievement in literature.
3. Many of the most popular novels of this era had a religious theme. 1942 was no exception as Franz Werfel historical novel was number one in sales. What novel told the story of a simple peasant girl who sees the virgin Mary?

Answer: Song of Bernadette

Some of the events in the book may have been created for dramatic effect as Werfel did much of his research with oral histories of persons who knew Bernadette. Bernadette reported eighteen visions of the Mother Mary. She lived out her life as a nun. The apparition she saw is called "Our Lady of Lourdes" and Lourdes is considered a holy and healing place by believers. Bernadette was canonized as a saint in 1933.
4. In 1943 the public focused on a tell-it-like-it-is novel by Betty Smith that was to remain on the best seller list for two years. Essentially autobiographical, it tells of saga of growing up in poverty in a section of New York City during the 1920s. What is the name of this novel?

Answer: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Smith used her own experience as a coming-of-age child in Brooklyn to line her novel with a struggling mother, a mostly unemployed and alcoholic father, a little brother, and the fabulous Aunt Sissy with her affairs and lovers.
5. After opening in 1944 as number four, in 1945 it topped all sales. A real 'pot boiler' it featured an historical backdrop of the Plague and the Great Fire of London. The heroine sleeps with or marries men as she rises in society and wealth. The title was "Forever _____"

Answer: Amber

"Forever Amber" was banned in fourteen states, hence the phase 'banned in Boston'. The banning increased curiosity about the book, as well as sales. The book sold three million copies during the 1940s, and is believed to be the best seller of the decade. Kathleen Windsor, the author, became an instant celebrity. Her other books that followed never had the magic of 'Amber'.
6. Lloyd C. Douglas wrote a novel that was number one in 1943 and second in 1944 and 1945 and seventh in 1942. It was one of those novels with a religious bent that were very popular during this era. It follows a series of events that were the fictionalized aftermath of the Crucifixion.

Answer: The Robe

Douglas resigned from the ministry at fifty-two to try his hand at writing. In a fan letter he received the writer pondered as to what happened to Jesus' clothes after the Crucifixion which spawned the novel.
7. Mary Jane Ward authored "The Snake Pit", on the best seller list in 1946. What is the subject of this novel?

Answer: Conditions in mental hospitals

The book jacket of "The Snake Pit" contain this statement: "Long ago men tried to shock the insane back into sanity by throwing them into a snake pit--a drastic treatment which by its sudden terror was sometimes successful. Modern methods, though superficially more civilized, often rely on the same brutal shock to achieve their results."

As a result of this book and the film adaptation that followed, many states in the US, and some other countries, began to review their treatment of the mentally ill. New laws and more modern methods were developed during the ensuing years, spurred by "The Snake Pit".
8. "Gentleman's Agreement" by Laura Z. Hobson explored the sources and effect of prejudice in society. What prejudice is the theme of the novel?

Answer: Antisemitism

A staff writer at a major news magazine is assigned to write a piece on antisemitism. In order to do his research, he poses as a Jew and finds that his life changes by people's perceptions of him. The ruse deeply affects both his social climbing fiance and his son at school.
9. By 1948 a flow of novels about World War Two began to hit the book shops. Many of these were written by veterans, such as Norman Mailer, who wrote one of the more successful novels of 1948. What was the name of this novel?

Answer: The Naked and the Dead

Mailer was drafted in 1943 but was a cook and did not see combat. But he had a sharp eye and ear for detail. Later he was to win the Pulitzer for "Executioner's Song" in 1980.

The novel questions the competence and integrity of officers and the seemly lack of compassion. The enlisted men are deviled not only by their commanders and the Japanese but their own personal issues.
10. Mika Waltari wrote a novel in his native Finnish in 1945. When the English translation became available in 1949, it shot to the top of the 1949 best seller list. What was the name of this historical novel?

Answer: The Egyptian

Waltari wrote a play on the subject in 1938 but did not finish the novel until 1945. It has been translated into forty languages. He tried to make the depiction of life in ancient Egypt as accurate as possible while retaining some dramatic license. The central character is a physician who survives the rigors of the times.

There are graphic details of brain surgery. Analogies have been made between the events in the novel and the advent of World War Two.
Source: Author Rehaberpro

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