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James Thurber Trivia

James Thurber Trivia Quizzes

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James Thurber is best known for his cartoons and humorous short stories, many originally published in 'The New Yorker'.
3 James Thurber quizzes and 35 James Thurber trivia questions.
1.
  Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Besides writing such classics of humor as "The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty", James Thurber is as well known for his unique cartoons, often lunatic situations depicted in his deadpan style. Here's an overview of some of his best-known drawings.
Tough, 15 Qns, tjoebigham, Jul 19 14
Tough
tjoebigham
291 plays
2.
  Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander"    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Psst! Let me tell you what someone told me they heard about the very proper gander. Be sure to pass on anything you learn.
Average, 10 Qns, unterkircher, Jan 21 14
Average
unterkircher
194 plays
3.
  Secret Test of Walter Mitty    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This test was created by the Honors English 9 class from Pelham High School in Pelham, AL. It's not too tough. Remember---this is a test-- it is only a test--in the event of a real test, please study! Y'all come back now, ya hear?
Average, 10 Qns, baultman, Jan 21 14
Average
baultman
585 plays
trivia question Quick Question
The old hen thought something had been said about propaganda and repeated that whom?

From Quiz "Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander""




Related Topics
  Humor and Satire [Literature] (20 quizzes)


James Thurber Trivia Questions
1. What does a woman accuse a little boy of doing?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: biting her daughter

"Are you the young man that bit my daughter?" asks a typical imposing Thurber woman of a little tyke with his pull-toy. To the right her little girl seems not to express any concern with what just happened. (Did the boy give her a hickey, d'you think?)

2. Who is the author of 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: James Thurber

3. The gander spent most of his time doing what?

From Quiz Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander"

Answer: singing to his wife and children

This very proper gander seemed to spend his time taking care of his own business and not getting involved in the barnyard gossip. Thurber's use of barnyard birds, who flutter, chatter, and squawk, aptly shows these unbecoming human behaviors.

4. "Here's a study for you, doctor-he faints." What is the man showing the doc?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: a bloodhound

The doctor is, of course, a vetenarian. What the bloodhound has fainted from, Thurber, as always, leaves us to guess. (On the vet's wall is a sign saying "Help our four-legged friends!") Thurber was a lifelong dog lover and the bloodhound was obviously his favorite breed.

5. From what or whom is Mitty escaping?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: wife

Mitty's wife represented the responsibilities of life which Mitty could not deal with.

6. Who saw the gander strutting in his yard and said "There is a very proper gander?"

From Quiz Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander"

Answer: not identified

Who would have known this observation could lead to such insanity, but it was the spark that ignited the fire of mob mentality. This fable has been compared to Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" in which unsupported accusations lead to hysteria.

7. "Momma always gets sore and spoils the game for everybody" says one little boy to the other. What is the game his mom is spoiling?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: croquet

The boy's mother is a typical Thurber woman, large, homely, physically imposing and agressive. She seems to have made a mistake in her play and is seen getting ready to really whack the ball! Thurber's cartoon women often vent their aggressions in sport. In another cartoon, a woman is at a bowling alley about to throw the ball overhand at the pins and her exasperated husband tells her "Go ahead and try it that way!"

8. What two items was Mitty supposed to purchase at the store?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: overshoes and puppy biscuits

Mitty was ridiculed by a fellow shopper for exclaiming, 'Puppy biscuits!'

9. The old hen thought something had been said about propaganda and repeated that whom?

From Quiz Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander"

Answer: rooster

Oh no! Propaganda! That was dangerous and anti-establishment. Something must be done, and as Charles Dickens said "People do what the mob do." Thurber shows how humans often want to be part of the crowd rather than standing apart and challenging something that hasn't been proven.

10. A woman bursts into the room of a married couple. What does she ask for?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: .38 cartridges

In her hand is an obviously empty revolver. No doubt there's a husband or boyfriend she'd like to shoot!

11. Where did Mitty take his wife?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: hairdresser

She was the original blue-haired old lady.

12. The rooster said the gander was up to no good and described him as "a ___ in gander's clothing." Fill in the missing word.

From Quiz Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander"

Answer: hawk

In political terms, a hawk is someone who supports war, and a dove is one who favors peace. Bird terms are used because hawks are predators and eat other animals, whereas doves usually eat fruit or seeds.

13. Between two women are many bloodhound puppies. Where did the woman say to the other their father belonged to?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: some people who were driving through in a Packard

The implication is that the people in the Packard engaged in sexual indulgence and the pups' father took after his owners. There are 15 puppies on the floor so their dad was a real stud!

14. How often did the Mittys go to town?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: once a week

Mitty hates going to town.

15. The small brown hen said she had seen the gander talking with whom in forest?

From Quiz Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander"

Answer: hawks

A quote attributed to Jonniel Riverol says "The mob had many heads but no brain" Thurber's fable illustrates how humans have the need to "top" each other. Each animal had to add to the rumor/story with something even worse.

16. "I don't know. George got it somewhere" says one housewife to her friend's question about the origin of what thing?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: penguin

Perhaps George got the penguin from the Antarctic! It stands to the left, seemingly lost in its own thoughts.

17. What kind of plane did Mitty fly in the first daydream ?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: SN202

It wasn't real.

18. The duck related that the gander didn't believe in anything and had said "to hell" with what?

From Quiz Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander"

Answer: flag

Thurber often used animals to poke fun at human behavior. The flock of birds in this fable personifies the problems caused by jumping to conclusions without checking the facts. Interesting that one form of social media today is named "Twitter".

19. "All right, have it your way," says a sarcastic wife to her hubby in their bed, "You heard a _____ bark."

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: seal

And wouldn't you know, on the headboard of the bed, there's a seal! Such animals always show up in the weirdest places in Thurber cartoons! (BTW, basenjis, descended from Egyptian hunting dogs, can't bark!)

20. With what did Mitty fix the anesthetizer?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: fountain pen

I'm glad I wasn't that patient!

21. The guinea hen told others that she thought she had seen the gander doing what?

From Quiz Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander"

Answer: throwing a bomb

The birds began to act unreasonably as the rumors spread. Thurber also dealt with this topic in his 1913 short story "The Day the Dam Broke" about an incident from his childhood in Ohio.

22. "Perhaps THIS will refresh your memory!" This cliche is seen in many a courtroom story and film. What does Thurber's prosecutor show the witness?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: a kangaroo

Again, Thurber shows us an unusual animal in an everyday setting and leaves us to guess why it's there. Is the kangaroo an accomplice in a crime? Or a witness for the prosecution?

23. What was the subject of the magazine article Mitty was reading as he waited for his wife?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: 'Can Germany Conquer the World Through the Air?'

If you know the time period of the story, you would have been able to pick out the answer really quickly.

24. A man is talking to his girl in a hotel lobby. What does he say he'll do while she waits there?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: bring down the etchings

Once, men said they would take their girlfriends to "see their etchings" as prelude to a day's dalliance. Here Thurber turns the cliche on its head, as the man says "You wait here, and I'll bring the etchings down" to her apparent approval. He will take the elevator, visible to the right. This is one of my favorite Thurber cartoons.

25. Where did Mitty wait for his wife after making his purchases?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: hotel armchair

None available.

26. Fill in the missing words in the moral of the story: "Anybody who you or your wife thinks is going to overthrow the government by violence must be ______________________."

From Quiz Thurber's "The Very Proper Gander"

Answer: driven out of the country

And so Thurber's fable show us how destructive one false accusation can be. British blogger Simon Cooke made a reference to Thurber's fable when he wrote about someone misreading or mishearing the word "snigger" and thinking it was a racist slur. It became a big deal on social media, and Cook suggested that anyone you think is trying to overthrow the government should be kicked off Twitter.

27. "What have you done with Dr. Millmoss?" asks a woman of what animal?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: hippopotamus

The doctor's hat and glove are by the hippo, who looks blank-faced at the querying woman. He might have been another vetenarian, and the hippo might have been hungry!

28. What was Mitty's final daydream?

From Quiz Secret Test of Walter Mitty

Answer: firing squad

Back in five :).

29. What animal does Mrs. Sprague always see?

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: rabbit

"You said a moment ago that everybody you look at seems to be a rabbit. Now just what do you mean by that, Mrs. Sprague?" asks the psychiatrist to his distraught patient. And no wonder she's upset; he has a rabbit's head himself!

30. An eye doctor shows a chart to a bespectacled woman. He points to the letters FSJN. "Of course I can see it clearly" says the woman, "It's________"

From Quiz Those Crazy Thurber Cartoons!

Answer: three sea horses and an H

This cartoon obviously alludes to Thurber's own eye problems. As a child, his eye was accidentally pierced by an arrow shot by his older brother Willie. Later in life, Thurber suffered cataracts, becoming practicallly blind, forcing him to give up drawing. But he could find humor in his predicament. Read his funny essay "The Admiral on the Wheel" about how the world looks different to him without his glasses. (Agatha Christie fans will remember how she used the Cyrillic N, which is our H, in "Murder on the Orient Express"!)

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