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Specific Subjects  Themes Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Specific Subjects  Themes Quizzes, Trivia

Specific Subjects & Themes Trivia

Specific Subjects & Themes Trivia Quizzes

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These quizzes are on a range of books, and focus on some specific aspect they share. It may be a quiz on animals, or on the memorable locations found in books; it may be the fact that they all won awards or were turned into movies; it may be a storyline in the quiz itself that links the questions.
287 quizzes and 4,018 trivia questions.
1.
  Your Hand in Marriage   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Want to make her an offer she can't refuse? Some heroes come straight out with the crucial question: others go at it in a more roundabout way. Can you recognise these proposals from well-known literary works?
Tough, 10 Qns, cseanymph, Dec 11 23
Tough
cseanymph
Dec 11 23
167 plays
2.
Author Heal Thyself
  Author, Heal Thyself   popular trivia quiz  
Photo Quiz
 10 Qns
Physicians make interesting fictional characters -- sometimes they're the protagonists, other times they help move the plot along. The images offer tangential clues. Good luck!
Very Easy, 10 Qns, PootyPootwell, Jan 31 24
Very Easy
PootyPootwell gold member
Jan 31 24
652 plays
3.
  Pretend You Work In A Bookstore    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Having once been a bookstore manager, I love both the business and the craft of bookwriting! Pretend its your newest job and field these questions----Have fun!
Difficult, 10 Qns, gatsby722, Feb 05 23
Difficult
gatsby722 gold member
Feb 05 23
1825 plays
4.
From Art to Life
  From Art to Life   great trivia quiz  
Photo Quiz
 10 Qns
What inspires you? In this quiz, join me in looking at a few people who were inspired by a visionary's artistic vision of the future and worked to make it a reality in their lifetime.
Average, 10 Qns, reedy, Jan 27 21
Average
reedy gold member
Jan 27 21
989 plays
5.
  The Number You Have Reached...   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You may think that literature is all about letters -- but these books and stories give the numbers center stage. Can I count on you to keep them straight?
Average, 10 Qns, CellarDoor, Feb 29 12
Average
CellarDoor gold member
5696 plays
6.
  On Christmas Day in the Morning   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Christmas features in any number of books, stories and poems, not just Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' - these are some favorites.
Average, 10 Qns, looney_tunes, Jan 18 19
Average
looney_tunes editor
Jan 18 19
2150 plays
7.
  Should've Seen THAT Comin' editor best quiz   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
For as long as people have been writing, people have been writing hoaxes. Authors, publishers and readers have all been duped but should they have seen it coming?
Average, 10 Qns, Snowman, Mar 29 24
Average
Snowman gold member
Mar 29 24
3933 plays
8.
  A Page of Madness   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
In this quiz there are ten works of literature, each of which contains insanity, madness, and mental instability in some way. Crazy, eh? Good luck!
Easier, 10 Qns, kyleisalive, Jun 26 22
Easier
kyleisalive editor
Jun 26 22
388 plays
9.
  Tumbling Down Rabbit Holes   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Dozens of people have made their own novels based on "Alice in Wonderland". Here are just ten of them.
Average, 10 Qns, salami_swami, Sep 24 12
Average
salami_swami gold member
4957 plays
10.
  Tales of Christmas   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Christmas is drawing nigh, one of the joys of the season is the thought of curling up with a good Christmas story. Here are some options to consider for this evening's delectation.
Average, 10 Qns, looney_tunes, Dec 26 16
Average
looney_tunes editor
2248 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Astrologers use animals as symbols in their writings. What animal represents Aries?

From Quiz "Animal Stories"




11.
  Plot Killers   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A wonderful thing about fiction is that the author can "create" reality. In real reality, things can get in the way of a good story (really!). For each of the following plot killers, choose the story so killed. ("Story" can be prose, poem, play, etc.)
Easier, 10 Qns, Tchochkekop, May 10 23
Easier
Tchochkekop
May 10 23
1800 plays
12.
  Me, Myself and I - First Person Narratives editor best quiz   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a literary technique in which the plot is narrated by one (or more) characters who refers to himself or herself in the first person; that is, using the personal pronouns me, myself, mine or I.
Average, 10 Qns, MotherGoose, Sep 01 19
Average
MotherGoose editor
Sep 01 19
5058 plays
13.
  On the Road, Again? editor best quiz   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Literature is full of journey narratives, from Homer's "Odyssey" all the way to "The Lord of the Rings". So sit down, buckle up, and take a trip through some of the great road stories in American literature. Warning: a few spoilers!
Average, 10 Qns, adams627, May 08 13
Average
adams627
1513 plays
14.
  You're Hired At The Bookstore! editor best quiz   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Pretend that you're a bookstore employee again. It's going to be a long day, the customers and the questions just keep coming! Have a good time with this (and don't forget to punch in).
Average, 10 Qns, gatsby722, Aug 30 24
Average
gatsby722 gold member
Aug 30 24
6321 plays
15.
  Ten Well-Known Writers Walk Into a Bar... editor best quiz   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Discarded titles: "When Bad Parodies Happen To Good Writers"; "Lit 101: The Usual Suspects and Their Idiosyncrasies"; and (for ratings only) "The Titanic Meets Les Miz".
Tough, 10 Qns, coolupway, Feb 26 22
Tough
coolupway
Feb 26 22
6221 plays
16.
  Finally! You Realize I Was Write   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
These ten authors gave detailed descriptions of events or inventions which did not yet exist. Looking back from the future, it seems they may have been write!
Easier, 10 Qns, Godwit, Feb 25 22
Easier
Godwit gold member
Feb 25 22
1339 plays
17.
  The Letter People   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The epistolary novel is a form in which the story is told through a series of documents, usually letters, although sometimes using diary entries and, more recently, emails and blogs. Many of these have been turned into popular movies.
Average, 10 Qns, looney_tunes, Jul 10 11
Average
looney_tunes editor
675 plays
18.
  Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, or Spades?   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This part of the race was Literature and our team chose 'Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, or Spades' giving us a plethora of material to use. Hope you enjoy reading the cards with us.
Average, 10 Qns, ozzz2002, Dec 04 14
Average
ozzz2002 gold member
2039 plays
19.
  Fire That Canon!   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Webster defines "canon" as a basis for judgment, standard, criterion. Authors have used war as the backdrop of their writings for centuries. My word-twist "cannon" refers to this quiz's theme of war based novels. "Cannon canon" so to speak.
Average, 10 Qns, smartiel, Feb 23 14
Average
smartiel
4022 plays
20.
  The Bible As Literature   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
This quiz explores the literary devices and genres employed in the Bible. It is not a theological or Bible facts quiz.
Tough, 20 Qns, skylarb, Mar 01 18
Tough
skylarb
Mar 01 18
2100 plays
21.
  On the Right Track   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Directions are often given in literature whereby the characters learn how to get where they are supposed to be going. Directions may get a character into or out of trouble. How many of these directions from literature do you recognize?
Average, 10 Qns, FatherSteve, Oct 10 13
Average
FatherSteve gold member
721 plays
22.
  Cathedrals as Characters    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Cathedrals are, since antiquity, great works created by men. Several writers have made real or imaginary cathedrals the centerpiece of some of their works. I will give you the name of 10 works; all you have to do is to identify the author.
Easier, 10 Qns, masfon, Nov 23 20
Easier
masfon gold member
Nov 23 20
477 plays
23.
  Quixotic Literature   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Miguel de Cervantes' acclaimed 1605-1615 novel "Don Quixote" is more than a great read; it has inspired countless other great authors in their own works of literature. This quiz details some of those "quixotic" works, with a few plot spoilers.
Average, 10 Qns, adams627, Aug 17 10
Average
adams627
426 plays
24.
  Around the World of Literature   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
Here are twenty trivia questions about twenty pieces of literature from twenty different countries. You might know authors from the United States, but do you know any from Trinidad?
Average, 20 Qns, adams627, Mar 03 09
Average
adams627
1040 plays
25.
  Literary Art History   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The History of Art has often inspired novelists and poets, many very fine, many atrociously bad. This quiz asks you to identify some works of literature, some authors, and some relevant works of art. Most are well-known; a few are obscure!
Difficult, 10 Qns, lanfranco, Jul 29 08
Difficult
lanfranco gold member
633 plays
26.
  Antimacassars and Liniment   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
'What do they have in common?' I can hear you asking. The answer is 'not a lot', but they do both make their appearances in literature. This quiz will feature books which mention antimacassars or liniment, but not at the same time.
Average, 10 Qns, rossian, Jul 27 12
Average
rossian editor
575 plays
27.
  When in Doubt, It's A Christ Figure   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A repeated symbol in literature is a character that functions as a "Christ figure." His or her attributes and behaviors are imitative of Jesus. Can you identify these literary characters who fit the trend? Warning: may contain spoilers.
Average, 10 Qns, adams627, Apr 04 11
Average
adams627
522 plays
28.
  Famous Swords From History, Myth, and Literature editor best quiz   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
In drafting this quiz I drew upon history, medieval and Renaissance literature, Icelandic saga, myth (Arthurian, Irish, Welsh, Germanic, Japanese) and 20th-century fiction. To get all 25 questions right, you'll have to do the same. Hope you're up for it!
Very Difficult, 25 Qns, xaosdog, Apr 07 03
Very Difficult
xaosdog
4045 plays
29.
  Great Non-English Novels   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz was inspired by the thread started by thejazzkickazz in the Book Corner forum.
Average, 10 Qns, MotherGoose, Jul 24 10
Average
MotherGoose editor
770 plays
30.
  Singing Books   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
In this quiz I will ask ten questions about authors and books which have inspired a range of pop artists. All you have to do is identify the author or book referred to in each question. Good luck!
Average, 10 Qns, candy-pop, Oct 06 16
Average
candy-pop
289 plays
31.
  The Music of Books   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Many books have a musical theme running through them, or a pivotal musical scene.
Average, 10 Qns, Christinap, Aug 01 14
Average
Christinap
353 plays
32.
  The Wit and Wisdom of Penguins   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
No, not the birds, the books! The Penguin Group has published thousands of works of fiction, plus books on just about every subject imaginable. Here is just a tiny sampling of diverting things found through many years of perusing Penguins.
Tough, 10 Qns, ing, Jul 18 09
Tough
ing
187 plays
33.
  Mixed Literature in "Wolves of the Calla"   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Stephen King makes numerous references to famous authors, works, and characters. If you have a general knowledge of literature, you can answer these questions without having read a single page of this, the fifth book in King's Dark Tower series.
Average, 15 Qns, skylarb, Oct 02 15
Average
skylarb
751 plays
34.
  Disturbing Dreams   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
It was a dark and stormy night when I settled down to read some of my favourite pieces of literature. I then fell fast asleep, only to experience some startling dreams related to my reading. Can you match each dream with the correct literary text?
Average, 10 Qns, poshprice, Jul 06 10
Average
poshprice
650 plays
35.
  The Short Story   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
The short story is a unique literary form that has been employed for centuries. This quiz surveys famous short story writers as well as the history of the form.
Tough, 20 Qns, skylarb, Mar 13 22
Tough
skylarb
Mar 13 22
1082 plays
36.
  Rings of Power in Legend and Literature editor best quiz    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Rings that conferred supernormal power upon their bearers have been the subject of fascinating tales since well before the dawn of the Common Era. This quiz treats a representative sample, ranging from the ancient to the modern, in fifteen questions.
Very Difficult, 15 Qns, xaosdog, Jul 25 05
Very Difficult
xaosdog
2673 plays
37.
  Ten    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz deals with ten works of literature that all have a strong connection to the number ten. See if you can get all ten questions correct.
Average, 10 Qns, bernie73, Jan 17 16
Average
bernie73 gold member
596 plays
38.
  When I'm Sixty Four    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Growing old is inevitable, but it doesn't have to be boring. Here is a selection of people from literature who are in their declining years.
Tough, 10 Qns, StarStruck60, Sep 28 09
Tough
StarStruck60
600 plays
39.
  Hey! There Are Real People in my Fiction!   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Actual, real-life people sometimes make appearances in fiction. Name the books these folks show up in.
Average, 10 Qns, john_sunseri, Nov 24 09
Average
john_sunseri
460 plays
40.
  And Justice for All....Literary Style   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Unlike real life, literature has its own way of dealing out reward and justice for heroes and villains. This quiz examines the way classic writers have resolved their stories.
Average, 10 Qns, kingscourt, Sep 18 15
Average
kingscourt
568 plays
41.
  It was a dark and stormy night    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is about the origins and subsequent uses of this phrase and the writers who used it.
Average, 10 Qns, misstified, May 06 21
Average
misstified gold member
May 06 21
152 plays
42.
  The Daze of Wines and Roses    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Wine and roses are extraordinarily popular symbols in literature. This quiz covers but a few of them.
Average, 10 Qns, nahs386, Apr 17 13
Average
nahs386
365 plays
43.
  Snow White's Messy Book Collection    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Snow White is not happy! She returns 'home' and finds all the dwarfs fast asleep under the covers. Each has left a book on the bed (the library is just wrecked) so she can tell who's who hiding under the bedcovers, though. Let's listen in...
Difficult, 10 Qns, Gatsby722, Apr 21 07
Difficult
Gatsby722 gold member
423 plays
44.
  Card Games in Literature   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Two kind of people can score well at this quiz: those who know a lot about card games and those who know a lot about literature.
Tough, 10 Qns, queenofsheba, Dec 24 06
Tough
queenofsheba
366 plays
45.
  Signing on the Dotted Line    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The final point in buying a house is the completion of the contract - when you sign on the dotted line! What do you know about these fictional houses and the part they played in the story that surrounds them?
Average, 10 Qns, balaton, Dec 11 15
Average
balaton
249 plays
46.
  A Selection of Literary Insults    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Literary insults are often very entertaining (though not necessarily if one is on the receiving end).
Difficult, 10 Qns, londoneye98, Feb 18 13
Difficult
londoneye98 gold member
336 plays
47.
  Themes and Motifs of Existentialism    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The following questions involve stories that regard human existence as unexplainable, or stress freedom of choice.
Tough, 10 Qns, lunarmercury, Apr 29 11
Tough
lunarmercury
1150 plays
48.
  The Perks of Being the Catcher in the Jar    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz will compare the characters and themes of "The Catcher in the Rye" (1951) by J. D. Salinger, "The Bell Jar" (1963) by Sylvia Plath, and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (1999) by Stephen Chbosky. (Beware of major plot spoilers!) Enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, zebra101, Oct 19 13
Average
zebra101
144 plays
49.
  Quest - The Hero's Journey    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
As long as there have been people, there has been mythology and storytelling. Throughout history, one theme has arisen over and over: the Hero and his Quest. Let's take a brief look at this fascinating literary theme...
Tough, 10 Qns, Rowena8482, Jul 14 11
Tough
Rowena8482 gold member
386 plays
50.
  All Right on the Night    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Theatre people say that, no matter what goes wrong in rehearsal, it'll be "all right on the night" the show opens. But plenty of things go wrong around theatres, as these literary works demonstrate all too well.
Tough, 10 Qns, SBH, Jul 13 13
Tough
SBH
308 plays
51.
  Anecdotes, Mockery, Scandals In Literature    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some sensationalism also colours the history of writing. - Literature often shocks. Readers seem to love scandal and authors like to mock. This quiz is about those aspects of books, authors etc.
Difficult, 10 Qns, flem-ish, Sep 22 22
Difficult
flem-ish
Sep 22 22
649 plays
52.
  A Lovely Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Love is in the air. This quiz tests your knowledge of romance in literature.
Average, 10 Qns, JoeWolfhound, Jan 22 11
Average
JoeWolfhound
484 plays
53.
  Books And Book-Publishing.    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Without publishers there would be no books. This quiz looks at the world of books from the publisher's point of view.
Difficult, 10 Qns, flem-ish, Dec 02 02
Difficult
flem-ish
350 plays
54.
  Stories Of Disguise    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Stories Of Disguise are as old as the hills. They occur in fairy tales, ballads, epic poems, modern novels and also in the real life of some authors. Here follows a selection of well-known cases.
Average, 10 Qns, flem-ish, Jun 12 22
Average
flem-ish
Jun 12 22
671 plays
55.
  Literary Letters    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Many books include sections in correspondence or exchanges of letters. I give you an extract of a letter, you give me the book.
Average, 10 Qns, teadrinker, Jul 08 05
Average
teadrinker
316 plays
56.
  Head Hunting    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Schools feature prominently in many literary works. The head teachers vary from benevolent to distinctly malevolent. Take this short test and find out how many you know!
Tough, 10 Qns, MaggieG, Feb 18 06
Tough
MaggieG gold member
316 plays
Related Topics
  Books for Kids [For Children] (2841 quizzes)


Specific Subjects & Themes Trivia Questions

1. A rest cure for hysteria led a woman to feel the walls closing in on her in what 1892 Charlotte Perkins Gilman short story?

From Quiz
A Page of Madness

Answer: The Yellow Wallpaper

Perhaps the best-known work of Victorian author Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper" took an approach to feminism that leaned into the Gothic horror sensibilities of the time, placing its protagonist into an isolated room of a new home and letting her suffer her alleged madness. When the narrator hears a woman creeping behind the yellow wallpaper, she tears it free from the walls before declaring herself free (though quite the opposite is obvious). The work was the inspiration for a number of radio plays and literary works over the years-- Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber" extrapolated on similar themes (such as oppression and madness) through the lens of contemporary fairy tale retellings the better part of a century later.

2. The phrase 'It was a dark and stormy night' is recorded as having first been used by which nineteenth century author?

From Quiz It was a dark and stormy night

Answer: Washington Irving

Although it is accepted that previous authors may coincidentally have also used the phrase, Washington Irving is first recorded as having used it in a mockfactual satirical 1809 work, 'The History of New York'. It is part of the opening sentence to the fourth paragraph of the book's fifth chapter. The whole sentence reads: 'It was a dark and stormy night when the good Antony arrived at the creek (sagely denominated Haerlem river) which separates the island of Manna-hata from the mainland.'

3. "And Then There Were None", also known as "Ten Little Indians" is one of the most famous works by this mystery author who also wrote "Murder on the Orient Express". Who is this author?

From Quiz Ten

Answer: Agatha Christie

First published in 1939, this mystery tells of ten people who have been brought to a small island off the English coast who die in different ways one by one. A common factor for all ten is that each is responsible in some way for another person's death but each has escaped responsibility for it--up until now. This novel alone has sold millions of copies and it is estimated that the collected works of Agatha Christie (1890-1976) have been outsold only by the works of Shakespeare and the Bible.

4. In 1865 fiction author Jules Verne wrote a novel about a space launch, which did happen much as he said, but in 1969. Jules took readers "From the Earth to..." where?

From Quiz Finally! You Realize I Was Write

Answer: the Moon

In 1865, 104 years before Apollo 11 took men to the moon, Jules Verne wrote his novel "From the Earth to the Moon". Verne described a launch into space from the state of Florida, with three astronauts, who experienced changes in gravity. He even fairly accurately made rough calculations required for a launch. Apollo 11 launched from Florida in July, 1969, shooting three men toward the moon, very like what Verne had described. This story had great influence on future space travel scientists and authors. Some believe Verne also predicted airships and submarines, though the technology did exist during his lifetime.

5. Killashandra Ree is the heroine of which book by Anne McCaffrey?

From Quiz The Music of Books

Answer: The Crystal Singer

Killashandra Ree has failed in her ambition to become an operatic soloist. She comes across an organisation called The Heptite Guild. Their members must have perfect pitch as they find seams of crystal hidden in the rocks of the planet Ballybran, and mine it by tuning cutters to the pitch of the crystal by singing. This has given them the name "Crystal Singers". She first appears in "The Crystal Singer" in 1982, a novel based on previously published short stories. This books is the first of a trilogy and recounts her disappointment at failing in her chosen occupation, her induction into the Guild and her early training and adventures on Ballybran. Anne McCaffrey was an acclaimed writer of science fiction/fantasy books. Her most famous series is probably "The Dragonriders of Pern". Since her death these continue to be written by her son, Todd.

6. "Second to the right and straight on 'til morning." If you followed these directions from author J.M. Barrie, where would you end up?

From Quiz On the Right Track

Answer: Neverland

In both the play "Peter Pan" (1904) and the novel "Peter and Wendy" (1911), the direction is given as "second to the right and straight on 'til morning." Walt Disney added the word "star" to this direction in 1953, making it "second star to the right and straight on 'til morning," and so it has been ever since.

7. All three novels ("The Catcher in the Rye" (1951) by J. D. Salinger, "The Bell Jar" (1963) by Sylvia Plath, and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (1999) by Stephen Chbosky) fall into what genre?

From Quiz The Perks of Being the Catcher in the Jar

Answer: coming-of-age

A coming-of-age novel deals with the protagonist growing up. It isn't just about growing older, but also the psychological and sociological changes that accompany becoming an adult and entering the world of adulthood. The characters need to find themselves and discover their true identities.

8. Of course, we'll begin with Jack Kerouac's prototypical road trip novel, "On the Road". In what interesting fashion was Kerouac's roman a clef novel first written in 1951?

From Quiz On the Road, Again?

Answer: It was printed on a scroll.

When "On the Road" was finally published in 1957, six years after Kerouac finished the novel, critical responses were all over the board. They ranged from "The New York Times" as "the most beautifully executed" expression of the Beat movement, all the way to "not a well made novel, nor a saleable one, nor even, I think, a good one." Contemporaries judge Kerouac's novel, accurately, as the epitome of the 50s and 60s counterculture movement in the US. Even the creation of the novel was abnormal. Kerouac printed the manuscript on one continuous scroll, eventually measuring 120 feet long. He claimed to have written the book in three weeks, directly onto the scroll. Sections of the manuscript were excised from the scroll in the six years between authorship and publication. The novel is called a "roman a clef" because each character in it corresponds to a person in the real world, from Kerouac's experiences. The narrator of the novel, Sal Paradise, is a thinly-disguised depiction of Kerouac himself. Paradise meets Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady), who introduces him to the Beat generation and takes him all over the US on a jazzed-up, drug-induced roller coaster ride. Another Beat poet, Allen Ginsberg, is represented in the novel as Moriarty's companion, Carlo Marx. Ray Bradbury's sci-fi classic "Fahrenheit 451" actually was first published in "Playboy".

9. Where did the phrase, "Days of wine and roses" originate?

From Quiz The Daze of Wines and Roses

Answer: Ernest Dowson, "Vitae Summae Brevis"

The phrase has become ubiquitous as a symbol of fleeting times of pleasure. It was also the title of a 1962 movie about the dangers of alcoholism. The movie stars Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon and is based on the screenplay of the same name by JP Miller.

10. John Steinbeck mentions the use of liniment by the crippled stable hand, Crooks, in which novel, which also features Slim and Curley?

From Quiz Antimacassars and Liniment

Answer: Of Mice and Men

Crooks is so named because of his deformed back, and the novel refers to him using liniment to ease his pain. He works on the ranch owned by Curley's father and is isolated, because of his disability and also as he is black. He hopes to join the main characters, George and Lennie, in their dream of owning their own land, which is an aspiration doomed to failure. The story was originally published in 1937 and is set during the Great Depression. It has been filmed for both the cinema and television, with the first adaptation coming out in 1939, only two years after the publication date. The other novels listed are also by Steinbeck.

11. In "1984" (1949), George Orwell painted a vivid and terrifying picture of a future totalitarian state. By what name do the characters refer to the dictator who rules their lives?

From Quiz The Number You Have Reached...

Answer: Big Brother

Probably modeled after the friendly face with which "Uncle Joe" Stalin masked Soviet dictatorship, Big Brother is supposedly concerned only with his people's best interests. He will take on any burden to help them, be it spreading propaganda through the Ministry of Truth; watching individuals constantly through television-like screens; or even torturing or killing the insufficiently grateful. And what can one person do about it? Remember, Big Brother is watching ...

12. Which author of an epic novel about the Napoleonic Wars once famously described England's national poet William Shakespeare as "a fourth-rate artist whose powers of characterisation are nil"?

From Quiz A Selection of Literary Insults

Answer: Count Leo Tolstoy

As indefensible assertions go this one takes some beating, I reckon. For good measure Tolstoy went on to characterise England's favourite dramatist as "crude, immoral, vulgar and senseless". Apparently Tolstoy was not well when he made these observations.

13. To be a true Quest, the Hero's journey always follows several discrete stages, collectively known as the "Monomyth". The term was first popularised by Joseph Campbell in his seminal work on the subject; what is the title of this 1949 book?

From Quiz Quest - The Hero's Journey

Answer: The Hero with a Thousand Faces

As evidenced by stories such as the "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars" series in modern times, and epic myths such as the story of "Gilgamesh" from ancient times, the Quest tale follows the same pattern each time. Campbell's writings detailed seventeen stages of a quest, but authors such as Phil Cousineau and David Adams have proposed eight stages - essentially the same, but with less differentiation of various smaller details. The actual word 'monomyth' was taken by Campbell from James Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake".

14. Which 'lovely' title is one of the most famous works by the English novelist Nancy Mitford?

From Quiz A Lovely Quiz

Answer: Love in a Cold Climate

The title derives from George Orwell's novel 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying'.

15. If the following appeared, which story would go no further? "I don't care if you have one thing, two things, or a thousand things under your hat! Sally told you that our Mom's away and no one can come in!" "Slam," went the door!

From Quiz Plot Killers

Answer: The Cat in the Hat

Sally and her brother let the Cat in the Hat inside, and things go downhill from there. That is, until Thing 1 and Thing 2 help clean up. If you've never read Dr. Seuss, get yourself some kids right now and read!

16. This 2009 novel by Dan Simmons is narrated by Wilkie Collins (author of "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone"), and the other main character is Charles Dickens. What is this unnerving, powerful book?

From Quiz Hey! There Are Real People in my Fiction!

Answer: Drood

Charles Dickens died before finishing his "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", and Simmons's book postulates that there may--MAY--have been an actual creature named 'Drood' acting as bĂȘte noire and muse for Boz. It's a stunner of a novel.

17. Which Aldous Huxley novel deals with the one thing that Mr Stoyte's money cannot buy?

From Quiz When I'm Sixty Four

Answer: After Many A Summer Dies The Swan

Mr Stoyte is an American millionaire who has absolutely everything and who can buy anything he desires until he is forced to face his own mortality and realises he cannot buy the one thing he desperately needs, the secret of eternal life. Written in 1939 this book is still fresh and relevant today.

18. United States: Which author's novel about a Lithuanian family struggling in Packingtown led to the creation of the Pure Food and Drug Act?

From Quiz Around the World of Literature

Answer: Upton Sinclair

Sinclair's "The Jungle" tells the story of Jurgis and his family struggling in the brutal conditions of a meatpacking factory in Chicago. Sinclair's motive for writing the book was to promote his socialist viewpoint by striking out at the inhumane treatment of capitalist-owned factories. However, the major public response was one of outrage at the unhygienic meatpacking plants. As Sinclair famously said, "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach."

19. What game does Poirot play in Agatha Christie's "Cards on the Table"?

From Quiz Card Games in Literature

Answer: Bridge

Two groups of four people play bridge at the time of the murder. Poirot analyzes the bidding system of the suspects. The player who took the highest risks turns out to be the murderer.

20. Dr Thomas Arnold (1795-1842) is one of the most famous headmasters in 19th century Britain with the added distinction of appearing in a famous novel written at that time. What was the name of the school over which he presided?

From Quiz Head Hunting

Answer: Rugby

'Tom Brown's Schooldays', set in Rugby School, was written by Thomas Hughes. Thomas Arnold was a great reforming educator, although his ideas were not widely accepted at first. His son was Matthew Arnold the poet.

21. In which book supposedly written for children would you find the following epistle? "GON OUT BACKSON BISY BACKSON"

From Quiz Literary Letters

Answer: The House at Pooh Corner

This is the first letter taken from the chapter 'In which Rabbit has a busy day, and we learn what Christopher Robin does in the mornings'. The second letter reads: 'GONE OUT. BACK SOON' - Christopher Robin goes to school in the mornings to learn to spell. As Rabbit so wisely says: 'You can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right'.

22. Which Russian author won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 but was forced by the Kremlin to refuse it?

From Quiz Great Non-English Novels

Answer: Boris Pasternak

The author was Boris Pasternak who wrote "Doctor Zhivago", an epic novel about the Bolshevik Revolution. The Russian government refused to allow its publication because of its "subjective anti-revolutionary views". However, the manuscript was smuggled out of Russia and it was published in Italy. After Pasternak won the Nobel Prize, the Kremlin exiled him to the country (to Peredelkino, about 25 km west of Moscow) and he was banned from writing.

23. Which Pulitzer-Prize winning novel takes place in Maycomb, which the narrator describes as "a tired old town when I first knew it"?

From Quiz Me, Myself and I - First Person Narratives

Answer: "To Kill A Mockingbird" (Harper Lee)

"To Kill a Mockingbird" was published in 1960 and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1961. The character of Jean Louise ("Scout") Finch is the narrator of the story. In 1962, it was made into a movie starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch and Mary Badham as Scout. It was Harper's Lee's only novel for 55 years until the publication of the sequel, "Go Set a Watchman", in 2015.

24. King's "Dark Tower" series is inspired by a Robert Browning poem. The theme of Browning's poem, in turn, was suggested by a line of nonsense spoken by Edgar in what William Shakespeare play?

From Quiz Mixed Literature in "Wolves of the Calla"

Answer: King Lear

Browning's poem was published in 1855 as part of the two volume work "Men and Women." He said "King Lear" gave him the idea for the poem. In Shakespeare's play, at the end of Act 3, Scene 4, the disguised Edgar speaks the line of nonsense with which Browning ends his poem: "Childe Roland to the dark tower came."

25. Some of the earliest short stories can be found in the Bible. But the short story, as a form, took a major shift in the 14th century, thanks in part to this writer.

From Quiz The Short Story

Answer: Boccaccio

Up until the 14th century, short stories were primarily written in order to provide exempla and convey Judeo-Christian morals. With Boccacio's "The Decameron" and Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," however, the shift moved from the sacred to the profane. These writers focused primarily on human folly rather than on religious instruction.

26. According to Plato, who became king of Lydia by using a magic ring that rendered him invisible?

From Quiz Rings of Power in Legend and Literature

Answer: Gyges

According to the Republic (Glaucon), Gyges “was a [seventh century BCE] shepherd laboring for the then ruler of Lydia [i.e., Candaules, a descendant of Lydia’s first and eponymous King Lydus] and some part of the earth was shattered by a violent thunderstorm developing along with an earthquake and a chasm appeared at the place where he was pasturing. Seeing this and wondering, he went down and the fable says that he saw, among other wonders, a hollow bronze horse having openings, through which, peeping in, he saw that there was a corpse inside, as it seemed, greater than is usual for men, and wearing nothing else but a golden ring at his hand, that he took off before leaving. When time came for the shepherds to hold their customary assembly in order to prepare their monthly report to the king about the state of the flocks, he came too, wearing this ring. While he was sitting with the others, it chanced that he moved the collet of the ring around toward himself into the inside of his hand; having done this, he disappeared from the sight of those who were sitting beside him, and they discussed of him as of someone who had left. And he wondered and once again feeling for the ring, he turned the collet outwards and, by turning it, reappeared. Reflecting upon this, he put the ring to the test to see if it indeed had such power, and he came to this conclusion that, by turning the collet inwards, he became invisible, outwards, visible.” (Republic, II, 359b-360b.) Gyges used the power of the ring to get into Candaules’ court, where he seduced Candaules’ queen and slew Candaules himself, taking the kingship and founding the Mermnad dynasty, the strongest dynasty to rule ancient Lydia. Plato argues that even the most just of men would be corrupted by the power of such a ring. (Lydus was an Anatolian king at around the year 1000 BCE; Croesus, Gyges’ great-great-grandson, was the last and most powerful Mermnad king; Alcibiades was a student of Socrates and a ward of Pericles, notable for his overweening ambition.)

27. What is meant by subscription publishing?

From Quiz Books And Book-Publishing.

Answer: Publication based on pre-payment for the book by its readership before the book has actually been written.

This technique is usually limited to specialist books or books for which there is only a limited market.

28. When epic stories were very fashionable there always were people who felt they should mock at the genre. Already in Homer's Greece there was a famous 'mock-epic' the 'Batrachomyomachia'. What heroic war did it report on?

From Quiz Anecdotes, Mockery, Scandals In Literature

Answer: mice against frogs

This parody of Homer's "Iliad" describes a war that is fought over the accidental drowning of a mouse prince while being carried across a lake by the frog king. The Greek gods get involved, but it is all over by sunset. The term has come to be applied to any altercation over something trivial.

29. OK. You're punched in (good start). The first shopper wants 'The Cat Who Came For Christmas'. Who wrote the book?

From Quiz You're Hired At The Bookstore!

Answer: Cleveland Amory

The book sells like hotcakes at Christmas. Amory used to write for TV Guide.

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