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John Le Carre Trivia

John Le Carre Trivia Quizzes

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David John Cornwell (1931-2020) used the pen name John le Carré when writing the espionage novels (based on his personal experiences in the intelligence game during the 1950s and 1960s) for which he is best known. His first two novels were mysteries, featuring George Smiley, a retired spy who was to feature in many of his later works, whose appearance and personality were intended to be more realistic than the then-popular image portrayed by James Bond.
6 quizzes and 65 trivia questions.
1.
  The Karla Trilogy I: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
John Le Carre wrote three books featuring secret agent George Smiley's pursuit of the Soviet agent Karla. This Quiz concerns the first of these books, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy". NB: the questions refer to the book, not the film.
Difficult, 15 Qns, Southendboy, Jul 27 23
Difficult
Southendboy gold member
Jul 27 23
105 plays
2.
  Spy vs. Spy: The Novels of John Le Carre   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
John Le Carre is one of the fore-most writers of espionage fiction. This quiz is about his novels.
Average, 10 Qns, janetgool, Jan 20 08
Average
janetgool
457 plays
3.
  "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" - le Carre   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz focuses solely on John le Carre's "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", the 1963 novel which revolutionized espionage fiction and was recently voted the best spy novel ever.
Tough, 10 Qns, AyatollahK, Jan 20 18
Tough
AyatollahK gold member
326 plays
4.
  The World of George Smiley    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I love the novels 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' and 'Smiley's People' by John Le Carre. This quiz is about the characters and background to the stories, it does not give away the plot. So if you have not read them yet, now's your chance.
Average, 10 Qns, bridget3, Mar 16 18
Average
bridget3
Mar 16 18
500 plays
5.
  "A Perfect Spy" by John le Carre    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is the first quiz on the great spy writer John le Carre. As it is my first attempt at a quiz, I hope you enjoy it.
Average, 10 Qns, martinjudo, Jan 20 08
Average
martinjudo
233 plays
6.
  Smiley's People    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
John le Carré's Karla trilogy is arguably one of the best spy novel series ever written. This quiz deals with the final part of the trilogy, "Smiley's People".
Tough, 10 Qns, timoggy, Dec 29 20
Tough
timoggy
Dec 29 20
133 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What is George's wife called?

From Quiz "The World of George Smiley"




Related Topics
  Contemporary Literature and Fiction [Literature] (23 quizzes)


John Le Carre Trivia Questions
1. At the start of the book we're introduced to Jim Prideaux, who is teaching at Thursgood's School in the West Country. Impressed partly by his size and physique, what nickname do the boys eventually give him?

From Quiz The Karla Trilogy I: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Answer: Rhino

The boys try various nicknames - Trooper, Pirate, Goulash - before settling upon Rhino, partly because of his size and strength, partly because he appears to live off the land and partly because of his appetite for physical exercise, despite still suffering from some obvious back problem. Bill Haydon says of Prideaux "he's about eight foot tall and built by the same firm that did Stonehenge". Jumbo is Jim's nickname for the helpful schoolboy Bill Roach, while a teacher at my old school of similar build and dimensions to Jim Prideaux was called Yeti. As for Spy - well, we'll wait and see...

2. "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is a sequel to John le Carre's first novel. What was that novel called?

From Quiz "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" - le Carre

Answer: Call for the Dead

"Call for the Dead" introduces two of the main characters in "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold": British agent George Smiley and East German agent Hans-Dieter Mundt, and an event in "Call for the Dead" plays a pivotal role in "Spy." "A Murder of Quality", which was a non-spy mystery, was le Carre's second novel, and "The Looking-Glass War", the follow-up to "Spy", was his fourth. "A Small Town in Germany" was le Carre's fifth novel but isn't connected to the others.

3. The story is told by our hero. Who is he/she?

From Quiz "A Perfect Spy" by John le Carre

Answer: Magnus Pym

Magnus was played by Peter Egan in the mini-series based on the book. John le Carre was himself an intelligence agent during the cold war and was one of the agents betrayed by Kim Philby to the Russians.

4. What is John Le Carre's real name?

From Quiz Spy vs. Spy: The Novels of John Le Carre

Answer: David Cornwell

David Cornwell, according to the biographical blurbs in his books, was born in 1931. He was educated in Berne and at Oxford University, and worked for the British Foreign Service. It is widely believed that during this time, Cornwell was actually working for the British espionage service. He published his books under a pseudonym since he was still employed by the Foreign Service when his first book was released, and they would not permit him to use his real name. George Smiley is his most famous character, based partly on Vivian Green, an Oxford don. Peter Wright is a former British Secret Service agent who wrote an expose of the service, called "Spycatcher".

5. George Smiley works for British Intelligence based at 'the Circus'. Where is 'the Circus'?

From Quiz The World of George Smiley

Answer: Cambridge Circus

The HQ was at Cambridge Circus, at the junction of Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue in the West End, central London.

6. What did Vladimir stop off to buy on his way to Charlton to visit Villem's family?

From Quiz Smiley's People

Answer: Toy duck

A present for Villem's daughter. Smiley sees it in Villem's house so he knows Vladimir has been there. The other things were all found in Vladimir's flat.

7. What was Le Carre's first published novel?

From Quiz Spy vs. Spy: The Novels of John Le Carre

Answer: A Call for the Dead

"A Call for the Dead" was published in 1961. It is more of a murder mystery than an espionage novel. George Smiley, Le Carre's multi-faceted hero, makes his debut in this novel. "A Call for the Dead" was followed by "A Murder of Quality", and then by "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", in 1963. Le Carre made his reputation with his third novel, one of many which was also made into a film.

8. What is George's wife called?

From Quiz The World of George Smiley

Answer: Ann

Lady Ann Sercomb, daughter of a decaying Cornish noble family, who met George when his boss' secretary, and flits in and out of George's life.

9. What occupation has Toby Esterhase taken up since leaving the Circus?

From Quiz Smiley's People

Answer: Art Dealer

Esterhase has reinvented himself as "Signor Benati", a slighty disreputable dealer in art with debts to some shady characters!

10. The plot of "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" involves a new mission for Alec Leamas after the collapse of his spy networks in East Germany. What is Leamas supposed to do?

From Quiz "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" - le Carre

Answer: Frame the head of East German intelligence as a double agent controlled by the Circus

Control asked Leamas to pretend to go to seed and ultimately provide East Germany with information indicating that Mundt, East Germany's deputy director of operations, was really a British double agent. Le Carre's "The Looking Glass War" involved gathering information about Russian missile bases just inside the East German border; his "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was about uncovering a mole inside the Circus; and the Russian spymaster Karla defected to the West in his "Smiley's People."

11. What is the name of our hero's son?

From Quiz "A Perfect Spy" by John le Carre

Answer: Tom

The whole is in the form of a letter to his son detailing his life story; from the betrayals by his father to the betrayals he himself committed.

12. What is the name of Connie Sachs' companion who opens the door to Smiley when he goes to see Connie in Oxford?

From Quiz Smiley's People

Answer: Hilary

Hilary takes care of both Connie and their many animals.

13. Alec Leamas' first job after his "termination" from the Circus was in a small specialty library in Bayswater. What was the specialty of the library?

From Quiz "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" - le Carre

Answer: Psychic research

The Bayswater Library for Psychic Research, headed by Miss Crail, was funded by an endowment, according to Mr. Pitt from the Labour Exchange, and had received a number of book donations that needed categorizing.

14. What or who did our hero's father insist on bringing with him to every place he resided?

From Quiz "A Perfect Spy" by John le Carre

Answer: green filing cabinet

This book is autobiographical in that le Carre takes heavily from his own father's life as a conman. It appears to be a cathartic look at his own relationship with his father.

15. Many of Le Carre's novels deal with friction between the Great Britian and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Which statement best describes Le Carre's attitude towards the Cold War and the espionage that took place during that period?

From Quiz Spy vs. Spy: The Novels of John Le Carre

Answer: He does not favor either England or Russia, but describes the loyalty a person may have to another, real, person.

In a number of his novels, including "A Perfect Spy", "Absolute Friends" and "The Russia House", Le Carre's protagonists are motivated more by their devotion to an old friend, or to a woman,rather than by loyalty to a cause or dogma. Barley Blair, the hero of "The Russia House", states this quite clearly: "Their flags were nothing to him. They could wave in any wind. . . .He knew the battle he had to win and who he had to win it for. He knew the sacrifice he was prepared to make".

16. What is the workname of Smiley's great enemy, the director of Moscow Centre?

From Quiz The World of George Smiley

Answer: Karla

Karla is described as Smiley's 'black grail', or his Moriarty. Karla also appears under the name 'Gerstmann' in his early days as a spy in India.

17. Smiley too has a legman-cum-babysitter who watches his back and runs various errands for him. What's his name?

From Quiz The Karla Trilogy I: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Answer: Mendel

Inspector Mendel is formerly of Special Branch and lives in Mitcham, Surrey. He's worked for both Smiley and Guillam in the past, and is described as a "quirkish, loping tracker of a man, sharp-faced and sharp-eyed". It was he who found out the name of the school where Prideaux teaches. Extra points if you realised that all the answer options are names of famous geneticists!

18. What is the name of the Hamburg nightclub owned by Claus Kretzschmar where Smiley goes looking for information about Otto Leipzig?

From Quiz Smiley's People

Answer: The Blue Diamond

When a crash meeting with Otto Leipzig was required the procedure was to ask Kretzschmar, who was the one person most likley to know Otto's whereabouts.

19. What was the name of Sefton Boyd's sister?

From Quiz "A Perfect Spy" by John le Carre

Answer: Jemima

As of 2006 le Carre has been writing for 40 years with 19 books published.

20. Where does Smiley live?

From Quiz The World of George Smiley

Answer: Chelsea

He studied in Oxford but now lives in Bywater Street, Chelsea, West London. Other characters in the novels, Oliver Lacon and Vladimir Miller, live in Ascot and Paddington respectively.

21. Smiley asks Guillam to go into the Circus to examine the Duty Officer's ledgers for the night of 11/12 April, when the exchange of messages between Tarr and the Circus took place. What did Guillam find out about these documents?

From Quiz The Karla Trilogy I: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Answer: They have all been removed

Guillam finds that not only have all the relevant documents been removed but that this action took place very recently, on the day that Tarr arrived back in London. A note on the next page reads "All enquiries to Head of London Station" in Toby Esterhase's handwriting.

22. What vital piece of informaion does Smiley find on Otto Leipzig's boat that Otto's killers failed to find?

From Quiz Smiley's People

Answer: Half a postcard

Another part of "Moscow Rules". Smiley matched his half with the half that was held by Kretzschmar. This got Smiley all of the evidence against Karla that Kretzschmar had been holding on Otto's behalf.

23. After Alec Leamas lost his job at the library and punched a grocer, he was approached by East German agents and began giving evidence to them in return for money. What did the Circus do that ensured the agents would take Leamas to East Germany?

From Quiz "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" - le Carre

Answer: Issued an arrest warrant for Leamas, rumored to be for violations of the Official Secrets Act

Leamas was stunned by the arrest warrant, which was inconsistent with what Control had told him about his needing to spend no more than three weeks with the East Germans as part of the disinformation operation. He didn't believe the East Germans when they told him about it, but he then bought a copy of the "Evening Standard" at the airport in the Netherlands and saw the article for himself. He was sure the article had been planted by Control.

24. What did our hero's father do for a living?

From Quiz "A Perfect Spy" by John le Carre

Answer: he was a conman

John le Carre's real name is David John Moore Cornwell. The character of Magnus' father is based on his own father who was imprisoned several times for elaborate confidence tricks. The relationship between Magnus and Richard shows le Carre's own troubled feelings towards his amoral father.

25. Toby Esterhase runs the section who carry out observations, organise equipment and run courier jobs: what is the section called?

From Quiz The World of George Smiley

Answer: Lamplighters

The Lamplighters, based at Acton, are the organisers. Scalphunters, based at Brixton, are the heavies. The Wranglers are the radio experts and code breakers. The Inquisitors train agents and question defectors.

26. Smiley goes to Oxford to visit the former Head of Research at the Circus, who was forcibly retired along with him. Who is this person?

From Quiz The Karla Trilogy I: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Answer: Connie Sachs

Sachs tells Smiley about her surveillance of Polyakov, who is nominally a Cultural Attache in the Soviet Embassy in London and was not seen as a threat. Close observation, however, revealed that Polyakov is a lot more powerful and important in the Embassy than originally thought. However when Sachs requested additional resources to investigate this further she was ordered to stop this.

27. When Smiley goes to Paris, which former colleague does he turn to for help in getting Madame Ostrakova to a safe location?

From Quiz Smiley's People

Answer: Peter Guillam

Guillam is the former head of Scalphunters for the Circus, now stationed at the British Embassy in Paris. He and his wife Marie-Claire help smuggle Madame Ostrakova out of Paris.

28. With whom is our hero staying during the telling of the story?

From Quiz "A Perfect Spy" by John le Carre

Answer: Miss Dubber

From 1959 until 1964 le Carre worked for the British Foreign Service in West Germany.

29. Who are the Cousins?

From Quiz The World of George Smiley

Answer: US intelligence

The Cousins is the nickname given to the CIA.

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