Mixed Literature Trivia

1. Who authored the book "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life", published 24th November 1859?

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 13

Answer: Charles Robert Darwin FRS

Darwin proposed that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors, and put forward the theory that this branching pattern resulted from a process known as Natural Selection. Although his theory was accepted in his own lifetime, there were still people who refuted this many decades after his death and in parts of the U.S. it was illegal for a teacher to teach his theory in schools.

Question by player Traveller1982

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 12

Answer: Don Quixote

The tone of this work is mock heroic and satirical, dealing with an idealistic but somewhat simple-minded knight who goes on a quest to duel with windmills (under the impression he was battling giants). The work's full name is "The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha", and it was published in two parts.

Question by player swimmgirl

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 11

Answer: PG Wodehouse

Agatha Christie's dedication in "Hallowe'en Party" reads: "To P. G. Wodehouse, whose books and stories have brightened my life for many years. Also, to show my pleasure in his having been kind enough to tell me that he enjoys my books." The feeling was mutual. Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse corresponded with each other in their later years. In the last letter she ever wrote to him (January 14, 1975), a month before Wodehouse died, she said: "One eats and drinks what one likes, - occasionally short periods resting in bed and reading one's favourite books like those of PG Wodehouse."

Question by player MotherGoose

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 9

Answer: Ocean

Bearing the real full title "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale", "Moby-Dick" is the tale of an all-consuming desire for revenge, even to the loss of one's life. It contains one of literature's most famous opening lines, "Call me Ishmael." In a famous Hollywood movie version, Gregory Peck plays Captain Ahab, who is driven to kill the whale that was the cause of his loss of a leg. The story is one of the great 19th century American novels about character flaws and strengths.

Question by player mehaul

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 8

Answer: It was written before Titanic sank

The story was written in 1898, 14 years before Titanic sank. The story describes a state-of-the-art passenger liner named the Titan that sinks after colliding with an iceberg in the Atlantic during an April night. Massive casualties ensue due to an inadequate number of lifeboats. The eerie similarity between the events of the story and the real Titanic disaster have kept interest in the novella alive.

Question by player H0lyAerith

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 7

Answer: Dr. Seuss

He was an American writer and cartoonist. He wrote over sixty children's books including "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", which was adapted for film in 2000. Question by player suomy

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 6

Answer: Othello

Othello is described as a Moor, which in Shakespeare's day could refer to any of a number of tribes living in North Africa, or to Muslims in general. But there are numerous scenes in the play which describe him as having a dark complexion and African features, so black actors are often chosen to play the part. "Othello" isn't the only play by Shakespeare to have a Moor as a character; they also appear in "The Merchant of Venice" and "Titus Andronicus".

Question by player daver852

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 4

Answer: London and Paris

"A Tale of Two Cities" was published in 1859 and was written by Charles Dickens.

Question by player seadancer

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 3

Answer: The War of the Worlds

'The War of the Worlds', about Martians who invade London, was said to have led to a widespread panic that Martians were invading the earth when Orson Welles presented it on the radio. The extent of the concern was vastly exaggerated by media reports, but it was a very intense program! Question by player CAGeoBee

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 2

Answer: Sancho Panza

Sancho Panza is a farmer who is raised to a squire by the delusional Don Quixote. After reading several romantic tales of knights wandering the countryside righting wrongs, Don Quixote determines he must do the same. While not the brightest tool in the shed, Sancho is often able to shed light on his master's folly. Sancho is able to provide comic relief as the two adventurers find themselves in trouble again and again.

Question by player BigTriviaDawg

From Quiz FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 1

Answer: Huckleberry Finn

Holden Caulfield is a character in "Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger. Howard Roark is from "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. "The Cat in the Hat" is a children's book by Dr. Seuss. Question by player Rizeeve

From Quiz World Literature

Answer: South Africa

This great but tragic novel combines an analysis of the injustices of the apartheid system in South Africa with the experience of a minister seeking his son only to find that he has become involved in crime and is eventually executed for murder. The victim of the murder was a social reformer whose father becomes a friend of the minister and the two work together to try to improve the conditions of the people in the minister's village. Reading the book is an emotional roller coaster but is very rewarding. It became the basis for a film and for a musical with music by Kurt Weill.

From Quiz The Misplaced Literature Quiz

Answer: Charles Darnay

"A Tale Of Two Cities" was written by Charles Dickens and published in 1859, between "Little Dorrit" and "Great Expectations". During the French revolution, which began in 1789, Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat, is sentenced to be guillotined. Sydney Carton, an Englishman, takes his place after helping him to escape from prison. Carton selflessly sacrifices himself because of his dissolute life and unrequited love for Lucie Manette who loves Charles Darnay. Charles Dickens died in 1870 aged 58. Question submitted by shipyardbernie

From Quiz Literature Lucky Dip

Answer: Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming, so well known for his 'James Bond' novels, wrote 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' for his son Caspar. Originally a successful racing car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ends up in a run down garage where two children grow fond of it. On finding out that it is destined to be sold for scrap, they eventually persuade their father, the eccentric Caractacus Potts, to buy it. During their adventures they discover that the car can do magical things including changing itself into a power boat and flying. The book was turned into a movie starring Dick van Dyke, which was one of the most popular movies of 1969.

From Quiz My Bookshelf

Answer: 'Neverwhere' by Neil Gaiman

The book explores London Below, where there are real shepherds in Shepherds Bush and a real earl at Earl's court. As well as being adapted into a novel, 'Neverwhere' has also been made into a radio series, a stage play, and a comic book.

From Quiz World Literature

Answer: The Master and Margarita

Bulgakov died in 1940 aged 48. "The Master and Margarita" was published more than 25 years after his death. Described as a "dark fantasy" and a "funny satire", it begins with Satan visiting Moscow and develops into an indictment of Soviet Russia.

From Quiz A Spoonful of Literature

Answer: New Zealand

Margaret Mahy (1936-2012) was a children's and young adult fiction author from New Zealand. She has written over 140 books and her works are considered national treasures. In 2006, she was awarded the prestigous Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest award for an author or illustrator who has contributed a lot to children's literature. The Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award, usually called the Margaret Mahy Award, is awarded by the Storylines Childrens Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand. Margaret Mahy herself was the first recipient, in 1991, for her work, 'Surprising Moments'.

From Quiz What Have I Been Reading?

Answer: Tennyson

"Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white" is the first line of a sonnet by the Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. 'The Crimson Petal and the White' tells the story of a London prostitute called Sugar and her growing involvement with the businessman William Rackham. It was published in 2002 and adapted into a TV miniseries by the BBC in 2010.

From Quiz Who, What, Where, or When - Literature

Answer: Enkidu

The "Epic of Gilgamesh", an ancient Mesopotamian epic poem, was lost to the modern world until it was discovered at Nineveh in 1853 by Hormuzd Rassam. George Smith published the first modern translation in the early 1870s. Currently, there are 12 tablets that form the foundation for the modern translation.

From Quiz I Like What They Write

Answer: Wilbur Smith

Smith's books have sold squillions, and several have been made into movies. Most have been based on historical incidents, such as the Matabele Wars of the 1870s ('Men of Men'), the independence of Zimbabwe ('The Leopard Hunts in Darkness') and the Sharpeville Massacre ('Rage'). He has even written a series about Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs. Wonderfully engrossing novels and well worth the read.

From Quiz What Next?

Answer: Scarlett

"Scarlett" by Alexandra Ripley, published in 1991, was found wanting by critics although it became a commercial success. It carried on from where the original book left off. "Rhett Butler's People" by Donald McCraig (2007) gives Rhett's perspective on the original book. "The Wind Done Gone" by Alice Randall and "The Winds of Tara" by Katherine Pinotti were both unauthorised and ended up in court. The first is a slave girl's version of the original story and became a New York Times Best Seller; the second got published in Australia instead of the US.

From Quiz Popular Literature

Answer: J R R Tolkien

J R R Tolkien wrote one of the most famous collection of novels, 'The Lord of the Rings', which is composed of 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return of the King'. 'The Hobbit', written earlier, provided our first introduction to Middle Earth. Frodo Baggins was a hobbit, charged with destroying the Ring of Power in 'The Lord of the Rings'; Gandalf was a wizard who provided invaluable assistance in the task; Legolas was an elf who was one of his companions on the quest.

From Quiz 23rd-Century Literature

Answer: Moby Dick

In the 23rd century whaling will, hopefully, be viewed with complete abhorrence, and Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" will be completely changed. Captain Ahab will be charged with animal cruelty. He will be sent for compulsory re-education to a correctional facility, where he will be brainwashed into loving all animals. Ishmael, the cabin boy, will be hailed as a hero for alerting the authorities to the Captain's deviant behaviour.

From Quiz A Miscellany of Literature

Answer: Beowulf

"Beowulf" exists in only one manuscript (the Nowell Codex) which survived both the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII and a disastrous fire. Written in Old English, it describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century.

From Quiz High School Reading List

Answer: William Shakespeare

Kit and Peter become young actors in William Shakespeare's plays, where they discover Sir Philip's treasonous plan.

From Quiz A Literary Alphabet

Answer: Abdul Al-Hazred

Aciman wrote "Out of Egypt", Abdullah wrote the novelization of "The Thief of Baghdad" in 1924, and Akhmatova was a Russian poet of the 20th century. The "Mad Arab" Abdul Al-Hazred was supposedly torn apart in broad daylight in a bazaar by an invisible assailant. That's the kind of thing that happens when you write unspeakably blasphemous books.

From Quiz Things Are Getting Wyrd

Answer: When shall we three meet again

In 'Macbeth', the question "When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain?" was answered with the couplets "When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won" and "That will be ere the set of sun". However, in 'Wyrd Sisters' the 'eldritch shriek' of "When shall we three meet again?" was answered in a more normal voice by "Well, I can do next Tuesday."

From Quiz Mixed Literature

Answer: The Eloi and the Morlocks

When he arrived in the year Eight Hundred and Two Thousand Seven Hundred and One, the Time Traveler first met the frail and not exactly intelligent Eloi. Later, he ventured under ground to search for his time machine only to find the ape-like Morlocks dwelling below.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:45 AM

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