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MacLean Alistair Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
MacLean Alistair Quizzes, Trivia

Alistair MacLean Trivia

Alistair MacLean Trivia Quizzes

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The Scottish novelist Alistair MacLean has produced many best-selling suspense novels, including a number that have been turned into successful movies, includsing 'The Guns of Navarone', 'Ice Station Zebra' and 'Where Eagles Dare'.
4 Alistair MacLean quizzes and 45 Alistair MacLean trivia questions.
1.
  Alistair MacLean Novels   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Alistair MacLean was a favourite author of mine, and wrote 28 thrillers before his death in 1987. For my quiz, I will give a mini plot synopsis, and ask you to identify the novel.
Average, 10 Qns, ozzz2002, Feb 16 22
Average
ozzz2002 gold member
Feb 16 22
592 plays
2.
  Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
"The Guns of Navarone" and "Where Eagles Dare" are just two of the books written by master thriller author Alistair MacLean. Can you spot or complete some of the many others ?
Average, 15 Qns, Philian, Apr 07 08
Average
Philian
578 plays
3.
  More Alistair MacLean Novels    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Alistair MacLean is one of my favourite authors. He wrote many thrillers before his death in 1987. In this quiz, all you have to do is match the mini-plot to the title.
Average, 10 Qns, ozzz2002, Sep 19 16
Average
ozzz2002 gold member
163 plays
4.
  The Guns of Navarone    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Written by Alistair Maclean and then turned into a movie, "The Guns of Navarone" is one exciting book.
Average, 10 Qns, gregchrisb, Jul 18 10
Average
gregchrisb
396 plays
trivia question Quick Question
In the U.S.A. this MacLean book was known as "The Secret Ways" but what was its original British title?

From Quiz "Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean"




Related Topics
  Thrillers [Literature] (5 quizzes)


Alistair MacLean Trivia Questions
1. Who was the leader of the mission?

From Quiz The Guns of Navarone

Answer: Keith Mallory

Keith Mallory has the rank of captain. The rest of the names are also characters in the book and there is also the telegraphist, Casey Brown.

2. Alistair MacLean wrote a sequel to "The Guns of Navarone". What was it called?

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Force Ten from Navarone

The author faced the problem of dealing with the enormous success of the film made from his book. As always the screenplay writer, Carl Foreman, thought it necessary to change many things including some of the vital characters and their fate. MacLean mostly opted for writing the sequel to the film rather than his original book.

3. In the U.S.A. this MacLean book was known as "The Secret Ways" but what was its original British title?

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: The Last Frontier

In other editions around the world the title "The Secret Ways" was translated into many languages. e.g. "Caminos Secretos" in Spanish. A film was made of this book and released under the title of "The Secret Ways".

4. What was Andy Stevens' leg infected with?

From Quiz The Guns of Navarone

Answer: Gangrene

By the time he died the gangrene had spread up to his knee. He got the gangrene when he had fallen down the cliff and broken his leg.

5. Complete the following title: "Puppet on a ... "

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Chain

This story was about drug smuggling and set mostly in Amsterdam. In the film version one of the most notable sequences was a chase up and down the narrow canals on high-speed boats. "Puppet on a String" was a popular song which won the Eurovision Song Contest.

6. Who was betraying the group?

From Quiz The Guns of Navarone

Answer: Panayis

It was Miller who found out that Panayis was betraying them. Panayis betrayed the group by giving away their positions and sabotaging the explosives.

7. In Britain this MacLean story was called "The Dark Crusader". What was it called in the U.S.A.?

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: The Black Shrike

The "Crusader" in question was a missile developed in secret by the British Government. The story included action on an island with a secret base and deception in the highest reaches of the British Secret Service.

8. Who in the group was known as the indestructible Greek?

From Quiz The Guns of Navarone

Answer: Andrea Stavros & Stavros & Andrea

Andrea had the highest military rank of the whole group. He was brought into this mission as insurance against failure.

9. Complete the following title : "... by Java Head"

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: South

This story starts in Singapore just as the Japanese are about to take over. A mismash of the usual MacLean "dodgy" characters heads out to sea in a series of boats and ships. Some of them just want to reach safety; some however are trying to carry away important secrets.

10. What was Keith Mallory known for before the war started?

From Quiz The Guns of Navarone

Answer: his mountain climbing skills

Keith Mallory was from New Zealand. He was known to climb mountains which were impossible to climb.

11. Complete the following MacLean title : "Fear is the ... "

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Key

When interviewed on British television MacLean once declared that "Fear is the Key" was the best of his thriller stories. He placed "H.M.S. Ulysses" in a different category of story.

12. A submarine plunging towards the bottom under the Arctic ice, a burnt-out weather reporting post with two Russian spies lurking, film of American missile bases en route to Moscow. Dr Carpenter is the hero in this book, but what is it called?

From Quiz Alistair MacLean Novels

Answer: Ice Station Zebra

There is a major crisis at Ice Station Zebra, and the good doctor (who is really a British agent), has to get there forthwith. The U.S.S. Dolphin is called upon to provide transport, but gets sabotaged, not once but twice! On the outward journey a torpedo tube is tampered with, and the submarine involuntarily sets a new depth record. On the return, the nasty Russians try to slow the ship by lighting a fire in the engine room, which soon gets out of control. After a very tense few hours, order is maintained, the spies are unmasked, and the Russians who expected to see US missile bases, get something rather different. You will have to read the book to find out what they DID get!

13. Complete the following MacLean title : "... Without End"

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Night

The action in "Night Without End" is set in Greenland which is in the middle of the polar night. A crashed airliner has the usual motley crew of suspicious characters that have to be sorted into "goodies" and "baddies" by the men from the International Geophysical Year Station.

14. What country is Dusty Miller from?

From Quiz The Guns of Navarone

Answer: United States

Dusty Miller is a demolition expert. He is known for completing most of his missions.

15. Complete the following MacLean title: "The ... Rendezvous"

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Golden

"Golden" appears in the title of one of the other MacLean thrillers. That is called "The Golden Gate". The difference is that "The Golden Rendezvous" was written in the middle of his most creative period when, arguably, his best thrillers were being produced. By the time of "The Golden Gate" screenplays dominated his writing.

16. Complete the following MacLean title : "... to Vaccares"

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Caravan

In the film that was made from this story the director allocated a bit part to Graham Hill, the British World Champion racing driver. He played a helicopter pilot. MacLean himself was a good friend of that other champion Jackie Stewart, another Scot and probably the inspiration for "The Way to Dusty Death".

17. Who was the group's telegraphist?

From Quiz The Guns of Navarone

Answer: Brown

Brown had the rank of Petty Officer. He was also a good guerilla fighter.

18. What was the name of the western written by Alistair MacLean that was made into a film starring Charles Bronson?

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Breakheart Pass

Most of the action in this story took place on a train climbing through the Rocky Mountains. Thus in the film there was an interesting mixture of the wide open spaces and the claustrophobic inside of the railway carriages.

19. What was the name of the book about an American nuclear submarine and a lonely outpost on a sheet of Arctic ice?

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Ice Station Zebra

This was made into a film starring Rock Hudson and Patrick McGoohan. The British pronounced it "Zebra" with the "e" as in "bet" and the Americans pronounced it "Zeebra" with the "e" as in "beet". As usual, however, the book was 100 times better than the film.

20. Complete the following MacLean title : "Goodbye ... "

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: California

Lots of technical material about earthquakes and the San Andreas fault was crammed in. This was competent stuff by MacLean but the ground had already been covered (and shaken) by other authors.

21. In mid-career MacLean wanted to prove that he could write a successful thriller that did not already carry his name. Which two books were originally published under the pseudonym "Ian Stuart"?

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: "The Dark Crusader" and "The Satan Bug"

In fact 4 of his best thrillers were written in a brief two year period. "The Golden Rendezvous" and "Fear is the Key" were under his own name and, at the same time, "The Satan Bug" and "The Dark Crusader" under the name Ian Stuart. Of these only "The Dark Crusader" has not been made into a film.

22. One book by MacLean is set amongst the Western Islands of Scotland. Complete its title "When ... Bells Toll".

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Eight

In Spanish this title translated as "When Two is Sounded on the High Seas" or "Cuando Dan Los Dos en Alta Mar". The film starred Anthony Hopkins when he was still young enough to play the dashing hero and long before Hannibal was even thought of.

23. From which Shakespeare play did Alistair MacLean take the title "The Way to Dusty Death"?

From Quiz Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Answer: Macbeth

This line comes in the famous "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" speech which has provided titles for quite a few books by different people. "All our yesterdays" was the title of a television series about newsreels of the past. It is appropriate that a Scottish writer should choose the famous "Scottish play" for this title.

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