Taste No Evil Quiz / Test | Specific Subjects & Themes

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Since the original fruit was an apple, we'll begin with an apple. In 1956, "The Golden Apples", a novel about the citizens of Morgana, MS, was published. Who wrote this Southern-based book?

Answer: Eudora Welty

Eudora Welty, born in 1909 in Mississippi, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for "The Optimist's Daughter". She has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom award, along with many others. "The Golden Apples" is a group of short stories, written as a novel since the same characters occur in each.

It tells of the people, isolated from everywhere except Morgana, with all their goodness and flaws. You'll either love it or hate it. But, no matter what, neither Eudora Welty nor the "The Golden Apples" is "Evil"!

2. In "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", Watson is thumbing through Holmes's cases from '82 to '90. He comes across one that has never definitely been proven to be solved, except according to Holmes' logic. What is this tale?

Answer: The Five Orange Pips

In "The Five Orange Pips", an Englishman who has been living in Florida for a number of years, making his fortune, returns to England after the American Civil War is over. He has changed a great deal and stays close to home, mostly in his room, drinking heavily.

There are only two people to whom he is close, his brother and his brother's son. One day he gets an envelope with five orange pips in it and the envelope marked with three K's. Soon he, his brother and his nephew are dead and Holmes is left to crack the case, which he does (of course!), but it is an anticlimatic ending for him. (As well as the reader...) But, no matter what, "The Five Orange Pips" and the ending aren't "Evil"

3. We're back to apples again, for obvious reasons. In 1973, what author, many of whose works revolve around barbecues, commuter trains and other things having to do with suburbia, wrote "The World of Apples"?

Answer: John Cheever

"The World of Apples" is a collection of stories, many having been published in magazines as far back as 1961. Cheever, born in 1912, was known for his inventive language. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1979. Six weeks before his death in 1982 he was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters with the National Medal for Literature. But, no matter what, neither John Cheever nor "The World of Apples" could be called "Evil".

4. Published in 1997, this Nelson DeMille novel, blends medical mystery, police procedure, a biological lab, and more, into a suspenseful novel that you may find hard to put down. Tell me its name, please.

Answer: Plum Island

"Plum Island" is a novel about a double-murder of two biologists at the nearby research site, an alleged germ warfare laboratory. Fortunately, a NYPD homicide detective is recuperating nearby. Spoiler: Needless to say, the detective, Paul Corey, figures out who the criminal is, and then spends the last half of the book bringing the person to justice. But, no matter what, "Plum Island" and the ending aren't "Evil".

5. Strangely enough, more apples! "The Golden Apples of the Sun" is a collection of short stories written by a well-known author who is a master firebrand of metaphorical writing, and who uses his very active imagination well. (Thank you, JohnFair, for catching my typo!)

Answer: Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury was born in 1920 in Waukeegan, IL. He has received many honors and awards for his prolific speculative fiction, including the National Medal of Arts in 2004, and in 2007 he was awarded the French Commandeur "Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" as well as a special citation from the Pulitzer Board "as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy".

He has had an asteroid named in his honor as well as a crater on the moon named after his book "Dandelion Wine". Trivia: Mr. Bradbury has never held a driver's license.

But no matter what he wrote, he and apples, golden or not, aren't "Evil"!

6. In 1904, "The Cherry Orchard", a play that the author had planned to be a comedy but the director changed to a tragedy, premiered at the Moscow Arts Theater. Who wrote this dual-natured play?

Answer: Anton Chekhov

Chekhov was born in 1860 in Taganrog in Southern Russia. He was a practicing physician who began writing on the side for financial gain. However, he quickly begin making innovations which have impacted the modern short story. Chekhov felt it was the author's task to ask the questions, not to answer them.

This, of course, sometimes causes the reader problems. But, no matter what, neither Chekhov nor "The Cherry Orchard" are "Evil"!

7. This small book was Oscar Wilde's second book of fairy tales, the first being "The Happy Prince and Other Tales" which was published in 1888. This book consists of four stories. Please tell me the name of this little book.

Answer: A House of Pomegranates

"A House of Pomegranates" is a book that Wilde, himself, said was "intended neither for the British child nor the British public". The four stories are "The Young King", "The Birthday of the Infanta", "The Fisherman and his Soul" and "The Star Child".

Although they aren't really what one may think of as fairy tales, they all have the Wilde touch. But, no matter what, pomegranates aren't "Evil"!

8. Andy Warhol is an artist. He also, along with a friend and his mother, wrote a book of interestingly-named recipes. What is the name of that book?

Answer: Wild Raspberries

In 1959, Andy Warhol and socialite Suzie Frankfurt called their cookbook "Wild Raspberries" because Bergman's film "Wild Strawberries" had just been released. It is really a spoof on the complex French recipes that were so "in" at that time. The book is worth reading not only for Warhol's illustrations, but also for the names of the recipes, such as "Gefilte of Fighting Fish". But, no matter what, "Wild Raspberries" couldn't be "Evil"!

9. This book, published in 1962, is probably the most famous work of British author Anthony Burgess. What is the name of the book, please?

Answer: A Clockwork Orange

"A Clockwork Orange" is often described as "dystopian", meaning "as bad as it can be", and that is appropriate for the book. Burgess did not believe it was one of his best works; he felt the 1971 Kubrick film was what made it so popular, not the book, itself.

It's a thought provoking book about good and evil, about being good and being evil. It's a worthwhile read even if Mr. Burgess thought it one of his lesser offerings. But, no matter how the book reads, Mr. Burgess and oranges are not "Evil".

10. And our last question must again be about apples, of course. The little book "Wild Apples" was written in 1862 by which prolific American writer and philosopher who no doubt spent a lot of time looking at them around his pond?

Answer: Henry Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was born in 1817 in Concord, MA. He was a surveyor, historian, poet, abolitionist, naturalist, and tax scofflaw as well as being a writer and philosopher. His two most important, and well-known, works are "Walden" and his essay, "Civil Disobedience".

It has been said that his ideas on civil disobedience influenced Tolstoy, Ghandi, and King. Although he allegedly proposed to one woman, he never married. Thoreau died of bronchitis, worsened by his having been afflicted by tuberculosis for some years, at the age of 44. But, even if he was a tax resister, he and "Wild Apples" weren't "Evil"!

Source: Author habitsowner

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Taste No Evil Trivia Quiz

We all know the story in Genesis of the Tree of Good and Evil. Since all fruit is not evil, though, let's "taste" some good fruit via our reading.

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