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Nabokov Vladimir Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Nabokov Vladimir Quizzes, Trivia

Vladimir Nabokov Trivia

Vladimir Nabokov Trivia Quizzes

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6 Vladimir Nabokov quizzes and 80 Vladimir Nabokov trivia questions.
1.
  Nabokov's "Lolita": Part One   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
This quiz will focus on Part One of Nabokov's famous and passionate novel, "Lolita."
Average, 15 Qns, filmmaker03, Nov 29 08
Average
filmmaker03
688 plays
2.
  Nabokov's "Lolita": Part Two    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Greetings once again. Welcome to the "Lolita" quiz which focuses on Part Two of Nabokov's infamous work.
Average, 15 Qns, filmmaker03, Jun 16 06
Average
filmmaker03
514 plays
3.
  "Lolita": Nabokov's Tragic Romance    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz covers well-known and little-known facts from Vladimir Nabokov's classic literary masterpiece, "Lolita". All quotations are taken from the 1997 Vintage second edition reprint. Enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, EvasProtege, Dec 03 08
Average
EvasProtege
492 plays
4.
  Invitation to a Beheading    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
In "Invitation to a Beheading," Cincinnatus C. is the condemned prisoner of an imaginary police state. Only recently translated from Russian, it is one of Nabokov's little-known gems. If you've read 'Invitation to a Beheading,' this one should be easy!
Average, 20 Qns, panderson, Nov 02 13
Average
panderson
258 plays
5.
  Ada, or Ardor    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
First published in 1969, "Ada, or Ardor" got mixed reviews - readers either loved or hated it. Since then, it has quietly gained a reputation as one of Nabokov's best works, a truly epic achievement. If you've read 'Ada,' test your memory with this quiz!
Average, 10 Qns, panderson, Sep 20 05
Average
panderson
243 plays
6.
  Nabokov's Lolita    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
In 1955 Olympia Press published Vladimir Nabokov's re-write of a short story he had created in Russian.The erotic nature of the book caused its publication in Britain to be delayed till 1959. This quizz focuses on some main facts and events in the plot.
Average, 10 Qns, flem-ish, May 27 15
Average
flem-ish
1538 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What is the title of Van's treatise on the nature of time, expounded in Part IV?

From Quiz "Ada, or Ardor"




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

  Russian Literature [Literature] (9 quizzes)


Vladimir Nabokov Trivia Questions
1. What pseudonym did the narrator choose for himself in the book?

From Quiz "Lolita": Nabokov's Tragic Romance

Answer: Humbert Humbert

"I have camouflaged what I could so as not to hurt people. And I have toyed with many pseudonyms for myself before I hit on a particularly apt one. There are in my notes 'Otto Otto' and 'Mesmer Mesmer' and 'Lambert Lambert,' but for some reason I think my choice expresses the nastiness best."

2. What type of restroom signs did Humbert and Lolita not encounter while on their travels?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part Two

Answer: Mars-Venus

The famous book, "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus", had not been published yet, so the concept would have not been as widely known as it is today.

3. What is Lolita's given name?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part One

Answer: Dolores Haze

Humbert, our narrator, calls Dolores by many names including: Lolita, Lo, Lola, and Dolly.

4. What is the name of Cincinnatus C.'s jailer?

From Quiz Invitation to a Beheading

Answer: Rodion

5. What is the subtitle of 'Lolita'?

From Quiz Nabokov's Lolita

Answer: The Confessions of a White Widowed Male.

6. What was the name of the narrator's first love?

From Quiz "Lolita": Nabokov's Tragic Romance

Answer: Annabel

Annabel died of typhus shortly after she and Humbert met.

7. Which nationality does not apply to Humbert?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part One

Answer: Russian

Humbert's father was part French, part Austrian, while his mother was English. Nabokov, the book's author, is of Russian descent.

8. What is the name of the family estate that provides the setting for the early love affair between Ada and Van?

From Quiz Ada, or Ardor

Answer: Ardis Hall

The word 'ardis' is similar to 'ardor.' From the Greek for 'the point of the arrow,' ardis also anticipates Van's later treatise on the nature of time.

9. What is the crime for which Cincinnatus C. is condemned?

From Quiz Invitation to a Beheading

Answer: Gnostical Turpitude

At first reading, it seems a typical dystopian 'nonsense crime.' However, the critic Vladimir Alexandrov has pointed out that Gnosticism is evident all through the novel, for instance in the way Cincinnatus appears to have a dual existence, both as a physical being, and a shadow-like soul. In his opinion, it is this soul which walks away at the end of the novel, while Cincinnatus's physical body is beheaded.

10. What is Lolita's surname in the book?

From Quiz Nabokov's Lolita

Answer: Haze

Sally Hayes is from 'The Catcher in the Rye' of course.

11. What was the name of the narrator's first wife?

From Quiz "Lolita": Nabokov's Tragic Romance

Answer: Valeria

Humbert's first wife was named Valeria, and he often called her by the diminutive "Valechka." Charlotte was Humbert's second wife and Lolita's mother, Annabel was Humbert's first love, and Elena was the name of Nabokov's wife.

12. Where did Lolita attend school when living at 14 Thayer Street?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part Two

Answer: Beardsley School for Girls

Humbert sends Lo to a school for girls, hoping that she will receive some serious education apart from the charm school aspect of the institution.

13. Which Nabokov-created academic writes the foreword to Humbert's tale?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part One

Answer: John Ray, Jr.

Ray's foreword was actually written by Nabokov, and is a true part of the novel itself. It is Nabokov's only opportunity for the reader to examine the events of the book through the mind of someone other than Humbert.

14. The character Lucette is a dogged pursuer of Ada and Van, spying on them during their romantic interludes. How does Lucette meet her tragic death?

From Quiz Ada, or Ardor

Answer: She drowns herself

Lucette commits suicide, unable to cope with having been the voyeuristic witness to Ada and Van's illicit affairs.

15. What is the name of the jailer's daughter?

From Quiz Invitation to a Beheading

Answer: Emmie

Emmie exhibits many Nabokovian 'nymphet' qualities.

16. What was the address of the house where Lolita and her mother lived?

From Quiz "Lolita": Nabokov's Tragic Romance

Answer: 342 Lawn Street, Ramsdale

"...But a friend of his...Mrs. Haze of 342 Lawn Street, offered to accommodate me."

17. What game does Humbert play with Gaston Godin?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part Two

Answer: chess

Humbert reports that Gaston is so involved in the games that he greets Lolita during matches without raising his eyes from the board.

18. What was Humbert's first wife called by her new lover?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part One

Answer: Valechka

Valeria, a young Russian woman, was married to Humbert but ran away with another man. He called her Valechka, which was most likely her given Russian name.

19. What is the title of Van's treatise on the nature of time, expounded in Part IV?

From Quiz Ada, or Ardor

Answer: The Texture of Time

Anyone who has read Nabokov's autobiography, 'Speak, Memory,' will recognize Van's view of time as being identical to that of Nabokov himself. See p. 139 of 'Speak, Memory': 'I confess I do not believe in time.'

20. How does Humbert manage to get a more permanent access to his idol?

From Quiz Nabokov's Lolita

Answer: he marries her mom

21. What did Mrs. Haze decide to do with Lolita during the summer that Humbert moved in?

From Quiz "Lolita": Nabokov's Tragic Romance

Answer: Send her to summer camp

"Mrs. Chatfield was a lovely person. Phyllis, her daughter, was going to a summer camp tomorrow. For three weeks. Lolita, it was decided, would go Thursday."

22. Lolita's weekly allowance was $0.21 at the beginning of the so-called "Beardsley Era". What was the allowance at the end of this phase of the story?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part Two

Answer: $1.05

This allowance was given on the understanding that Lolita would fulfill her "basic obligations." Humbert felt that this was more than fair considering the number of gifts which he regularly gave to her.

23. What is the actual name of the lake that Humbert, Lolita, and her mother visit?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part One

Answer: Hourglass Lake

Humbert, Lolita and Charlotte visit this lake which Humbert initially believes is called Our Glass Lake. He later corrects himself.

24. The treatise on time written by Van is published after his death. Which character sees the manuscript through to publication?

From Quiz Ada, or Ardor

Answer: Ronald Oranger

25. What is Cincinnatus C.'s sentence?

From Quiz Invitation to a Beheading

Answer: Beheading

Hence the title.

26. How does Humbert get rid of the mom?

From Quiz Nabokov's Lolita

Answer: she is hit by a car

27. What happened to Charlotte while Lolita was at camp?

From Quiz "Lolita": Nabokov's Tragic Romance

Answer: She was hit by a car and died

Frederick Beale, Jr., was driving the car that hit Charlotte after she ran out into the street.

28. Who taught Bible at Lolita's school?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part Two

Answer: Reverend Rigger

Lolita's friend Mona Dahl jokes that Lo has a crush on the Reverend and suggests so in a note scribbled in one of Lo's schoolbooks.

29. What number is both the Haze's street address and the hotel room in which Humbert and Lolita initially stay?

From Quiz Nabokov's "Lolita": Part One

Answer: 342

Both Humbert and Lolita realize the strange coincidence of rooming in a hotel room which shares the number of their home address.

30. What sort of creature lives in Cincinnatus C.'s cell with him?

From Quiz Invitation to a Beheading

Answer: Spider

Rodion, the jailer, feeds the beastie daily. At the end of the novel, the spider turns out to be fake, hanging by a string.

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