Biggest Overstatement EVER! Online Quiz | Mixed Literature

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Scout as narrator is describing Maycomb during the Great Depression in America of the 1930s: "People moved slowly then. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." Who is the author of this overstatement?

Answer: Harper Lee

Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" became an instant success on publication in 1960. She based the book on her experiences of racism as a child in Alabama. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, America's highest civilian award.

The book was turned into a film of the same name in 1962 with Gregory Peck playing the role of Atticus Finch, for which he gained an Oscar. It is one of the more widely read books on racism in America and is considered to be an American classic.

2. The narrator is on the receiving end of a lesson on piloting the Mississippi river from his mentor Mr Bixby. When things start going wrong: "I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far." Who penned these exaggerated words?

Answer: Mark Twain

The quote comes from "Old Times on the Mississippi" (1876). Mark Twain was himself a qualified river pilot and based the non-fiction book "Old Times on the Mississippi" on his experiences. He followed this up with his memoir "Life on the Mississippi", published in 1883.

3. In "Nonsense Novels" (1911), the young Lord Ronald is being told to marry a particular girl or face disinheritance by his father Lord Nosh. "Lord Ronald said nothing. He flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions." It all ends well in a way. Which humorous Canadian author was responsible for this hyperbole?

Answer: Stephen Leacock

The quote appears in "Gertrude the Governess" which is the fourth story in the book "Nonsense Novels". Born in England in 1869, Stephen Leacock emigrated with his family to Canada in 1876. He was academically gifted and soon became known as a humorist. His best known work is perhaps the satirical novel "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town" published in 1912. The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour is awarded to a Canadian author responsible for the best humorous book each year. The others are winners of the award.

4. From the "Concord Hymn" of 1837 we have: "By the rude bridge that arched the flood,/ Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;/ Here once the embattled farmers stood;/ And fired the shot heard 'round the world." What event does this poem record?

Answer: Start of American Revolutionary War

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote the "Concord Hymn" which records the skirmish which took place in Lexington Square on 19 April 1775. This and the subsequent Battle of Concord are considered the start of the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence. The poem was written as a dedication for the monument commemorating the Battle of Concord which also took place on 19 April 1775.

The timing was out for most of the other answers. The American Civil War started in 1861. James Garfield was killed in 1881 and a failed assassination attempt was made on Andrew Jackson in 1835.

5. Now we have Inez Haynes Irwin extolling the virtues of this American state in "The Native Son": "I'd rather be in prison in ___________ than free anywhere else." What is the name of this wonderful US state?

Answer: California

Given a choice, she goes on to say that her preference would be for San Quentin jail "if I ever do get that severe jail-sentence which a long-suffering family has always prophesied for me." Irwin (1873-1970) was an American feminist and suffragette during the early 1900s. She also published under her first husband's surname Gilmore.

6. "There did not seem to be brains enough in the entire nursery, so to speak, to bait a fishhook with." So said a 19th Century time-traveller when describing the knights of a mediaeval realm. In what book can you read this?

Answer: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

This book by Mark Twain, first published in 1889, pokes fun at the idealised form of chivalry and lifestyle of the Middle Ages portrayed by 19th Century writers. He had a particular dislike of Sir Walter Scott's writings and blamed him for creating the mindset that helped sway the southern states into fighting what became the American Civil War. You can read his reasoning in Chapter 46 of Twain's memoirs "Life on the Mississippi".

7. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No. This my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine,/ Making the green one red." Seems like someone is having a problem washing his hands. From which of the Bard's plays do these lines come from?

Answer: Macbeth

This excerpt comes from Act 2, scene 2 (lines 56-60) of "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare. MacBeth is speaking following his murder of Duncan and is perhaps coming to realise that he is not going to lose his feeling of guilt. Lady Macbeth is more pragmatic, believing "A little water clears us of this deed" (scene 2, line 65).

8. Colombian novelist Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez wrote this of one particular Colombian city: "At that time __________ was a remote, lugubrious city where an insomniac rain had been falling since the beginning of the 16th century." Which city should go in the blank space?

Answer: Bogot�

The quote comes from "Living to Tell the Tale" (2003), the first of three proposed books of memoirs by the author. Bogot� is the capital of Colombia as well as being its largest city. M�rquez spent time in Bogot� during 1954 and 1955 writing for the newspaper "El Espectator". Of the other answers, Lima is capital of Peru, Caracas is capital of Venezuela and the capital of Chile is Santiago.

9. In this verse from the poem "As I Walked Out One Evening", the narrator overhears a lover sing: "I'll love you, dear, I'll love you / Till China and Africa meet, / And the river jumps over the mountain / And the salmon sing in the street." Which 20th Century poet penned these lines?

Answer: WH Auden

WH Auden was born in England in 1907 and, after passing through Oxford University, spent time in Europe and the UK before the Second World War saw him move to the United States and take on US citizenship. He spent most of the latter part of his life flitting between Austria and the US in between lecturing commitments in the UK. His poetry covered a wide range of topics and most styles of writing poetry. He also wrote essays and enjoyed collaborative work in such areas as plays and opera libretti.

This particular poem covers some different kinds of love and the march of time. The passage quoted depicts romantic love.

10. Let's finish with a folk tale: "Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew backward and all the fish moved south and even the snow turned blue. Late at night, it got so frigid that all spoken words froze solid afore they could be heard. People had to wait until sun-up to find out what folks were talking about the night before." Which tale is involved here?

Answer: Babe the Blue Ox

This version of the folk tale was written by SE Schlosser and sees Paul Bunyan finding Babe the Blue Ox as a calf and raising him. There are statues of Babe the Blue Ox and Paul Bunyan at Bemidji, Minnesota. In fact there are quite a few Paul Bunyan statues dotted around the US. There is also an American rock band sporting the name of 'Babe and the Blue Ox'.

Source: Author suomy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Biggest Overstatement EVER! Trivia Quiz

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