Ships and Sea Life Trivia

1. In 'Treasure Island' by Robert Louis Stevenson, Jim Hawkins discovers a mysterious map with an 'X' marking the spot of the location of buried treasure. To which former pirate, who had been staying in the Hawkins family's inn, did the map belong?

From Quiz X Marks the Plot

Answer: Billy Bones

Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' was responsible for introducing various things that have since become a ubiquitous part of the stereotypical image of a fictional pirate. Not only was it the first literary work to feature a treasure map where an "'X' marks the spot" of the hidden loot, but it also included a one-legged pirate, a pet parrot that sits on his master's shoulder and the 'Black Spot' - a warning to its recipient that they have been marked out for deposition or even death. Billy Bones was the first pirate to make an appearance in 'Treasure Island' when he recruited the novel's young hero, Jim Hawkins, to act as a lookout for a one-legged sailor. The one-legged sailor in question was Long John Silver, one of Bones' former crew-mates when they both sailed with the infamous pirate, Captain Flint. Silver was very keen on tracking down Bones - mainly because he was in possession of Captain Flint's precious treasure map. (Captain Flint should not be confused with his name-sake, the aforementioned parrot.) Israel Hands and Ben Gunn were other former members of Flint's crew.

From Quiz Write Your Ship, Mister!

Answer: Pequod

"Moby Dick" was published in 1851. Captain Ahab, Ishmael and Queequeg are all characters in this classic story of Ahab's obsession with catching the large sperm whale known as Moby Dick; Ishmael and Queequeg are crew members on Ahab's ship, the Pequod. Ahab's obsession ends up leaving only the narrator, Ishmael, alive; he used his friend Queequeg's coffin as a buoy to stay above water when the Pequod sank.

From Quiz It's Complicated

Answer: The Old Man and the Sea

Though two of the aforementioned watery choices are by Hemingway ("The Old Man and the Sea" and "The Current"), only "The Old Man and the Sea" has a protagonist named Santiago. "The Pearl" and "Cannery Row" were written by John Steinbeck.

From Quiz Ships in Fiction Novels

Answer: 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

In Jules Verne's novel, 'The Nautilus' is the submarine captained by Captain Nemo. In honour of Verne's creation, the first all-electric powered submarine, designed in 1886, and the first nuclear-powered submarine, designed in 1955, were both named 'The Nautilus'.

From Quiz All at Sea

Answer: Herman Melville

The novella was published in 1924, after Melville's death, under the title 'Billy Budd, Sailor' and has been revised a couple of times since. Melville himself had died in 1891. The story is about the title character being pressed into service in the navy at the end of the eighteenth century and being falsely accused of inciting mutiny. The 'other novel' mentioned in the question is called 'Moby-Dick; or, The Whale' from 1851.

From Quiz X Marks the Plot

Answer: A cryptogram

Edgar Allan Poe might now be best known for his tale 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' or his poems 'The Raven' and 'Annabel Lee', but during his lifetime 'The Gold-Bug' was one of his most popular works and even won him $100 in a writing competition. Its main character, the impoverished William Legrand, found a mysterious beetle-like creature and a scrap of parchment on Sullivan's Island in South Carolina. Legrand discovered a hidden cryptogram on the parchment, which, when decoded, provided instructions on how to locate a treasure chest filled with millions of dollars' worth of gold and jewels. One rather gruesome key to discovering the treasure was the act of dropping the gold-bug through the eye of a skull - presumed to be the remains of one of the unfortunate pirates who buried the treasure in the first place. Poe's use of a cryptogram was probably inspired by a growing interest in cryptography in the early 1840s. The cryptogram used by Poe in 'The Gold-Bug' was a substitution cypher and the story included detailed instructions for how to solve it.

From Quiz Write Your Ship, Mister!

Answer: A Voyage to Botany Bay

"A Voyage to Botany Bay" was written in 1795 and attributed to George Barrington. The sixth chapter of this novel makes reference to the Flying Dutchman, a "ghost ship" that can never make port, cursed to sail the waters of the world forever. The name "The Flying Dutchman" was used in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films as the flagship of legendary (fictional) pirate Davy Jones.

From Quiz It's Complicated

Answer: A ship

Lucy and Edmund are staying with their cousin Eustace while their older siblings are away. A painting of a ship hangs in the guest bedroom of Eustace's house and ends up transporting the three children to the kingdom of Narnia, where they find themselves near the actual ship "Dawn Treader". The children then accompany Caspian, now the king of Narnia, on a voyage to the eastern world.

From Quiz Ships in Fiction Novels

Answer: The Antelope

Gulliver was the ship's surgeon aboard 'The Antelope' before he was shipwrecked. Swift was inspired by Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' when he wrote 'Gulliver's Travels', which was published in 1726. It was the only work for which he received any money - the princely sum of £200 - since most of the satirist's work was regarded as politically subversive.

From Quiz X Marks the Plot

Answer: Tales of a Traveller

Geoffrey Crayon was a pseudonym that Irving used regularly for his works of fiction, although he published historical and biographical books under his own name. Irving's well known stories 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' and 'Rip Van Winkle' were both originally published in a collection named 'The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'. 'Tales of a Traveller' was first published in 1824 and consisted of a total of 32 short stories in four "books". The tales in question both come from the fourth book, which is appropriately titled 'Part IV: The Money Diggers'. 'Kidd the Pirate' is a story based on the real-life Scottish sailor and 17th century pirate and privateer William Kidd. In it Kidd buries a significant amount of his ill-gotten gains prior to his arrest and execution and inspires other pirates to secure their treasure in a similar fashion. Although the real-life Kidd is associated with the myth of buried treasure, there is no historical evidence to suggest that any major hoard buried by him remains undiscovered. 'The Devil and Tom Walker' was a story about a man selling his soul to the devil in order to gain access to Captain Kidd's buried treasure.

From Quiz Write Your Ship, Mister!

Answer: Roger Byam

The novel "Mutiny on The Bounty" is a fictional account of the real-life 1789 mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty, in which crew members, led by master's mate Fletcher Christian, put Captain William Bligh and eighteen loyal crew members off the boat in a launch in the Pacific Ocean. Christian and Bligh were both real-life participants in the mutiny; Byam was a composite character devised to narrate the tale and James T. Kirk is, of course, the captain of the USS Enterprise on "Star Trek".

From Quiz It's Complicated

Answer: An earthquake

The SS Poseidon is a refurbished luxury cruise liner undertaking a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from Lisbon to South America. Unfortunately, the ship capsizes when an undersea earthquake strikes directly below its location. The rest of the novel follows a band of passengers as they attempt to make their way towards the keel and then onward to safety. The novel was adapted into a movie with the same name in 1972, which was remade in the early 2000s.

From Quiz Ships in Fiction Novels

Answer: Hispaniola

'Treasure Island' was inspired by an imaginary map drawn by R L Stevenson's 12 year-old stepson, Lloyd. Stevenson wrote a story based on it as an entertainment for the rest of the family during a rather wet holiday in 1881. The novel was published in book form in 1883 and marked the beginning of his popularity and his career as a profitable writer.

From Quiz All at Sea

Answer: Cruel

The book was based on the author's own experiences during the war, serving on escorts to ships crossing the Atlantic to bring much needed supplies to Britain. They faced constant danger from German U-boats, and the book also described the difficulties faced by the civilians at home. 'The Cruel Sea' was adapted for a film version in 1953.

From Quiz X Marks the Plot

Answer: Biography

The writer behind the pseudonym Captain Charles Johnson and the actual author of the 1724 work 'A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates' remains unknown, despite the efforts of some literary scholars to attribute the book to Daniel Defoe. The less than snappily titled work contains biographies of a number of well-known pirates of the time and is often credited as the main source of information about their lives. Subjects include the infamous Blackbeard (Edward Teach or Thatch) who was killed in 1718; Anne Bonny and her partner "Calico Jack" Rackham, who were captured in 1720; and Captain William Kidd, who was executed for piracy in 1701. The book was published in two parts - the first detailed the pirates of the early 18th century and the second dealt with those who were active in the latter part of the 17th century.

From Quiz Write Your Ship, Mister!

Answer: Treasure Island

"Treasure Island" was first published as a series of stories in Young Folks magazine in 1881-1882, then as a novel in 1883. A lot of what we identify with pirate lore and treasure hunts on the open seas - like "X marks the spot", peg-legged buccaneers and parrots on the pirate's shoulder - originated with this novel. The best-known character from this novel is Long John Silver.

From Quiz It's Complicated

Answer: Pequod

The narrator of "Moby Dick" (a novel by Herman Melville) is the former school teacher Ishmael. Other crew members of the Pequod are Captain Ahab, shipmates Starbuck, Stubb and Flask, and harpooners Queequeg, Tashtego, Daggo and Fedallah. This story that is rife with complications is well known: the Pequod is a whaler, and Captain Ahab is obsessed with killing the white whale Moby Dick, because Moby cost Ahab a leg.

From Quiz Ships in Fiction Novels

Answer: Billy Budd, Sailor

Many of Herman Melville's works were novels and stories about the sea. 'Billy Budd, Sailor' (or 'Blly Budd, Foretopman' as it was otherwise entitled) was unfinished at the time of his death in 1891. It was not published until 1924, and then not in its definitive form until 1962.

From Quiz All at Sea

Answer: Swallows and Amazons

While all the options listed had numerous books about the same characters, it was Arthur Ransome who placed most of his stories on water, although primarily on the lakes of the English Lake District. The first book was called 'Swallows and Amazons' and the name was then attached to the complete series of twelve books. 'We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea' was published in 1937, with the story, as might be surmised from the title, covering an accidental journey from Essex to the Netherlands across the North Sea.

From Quiz X Marks the Plot

Answer: The Red Rover

James Fenimore Cooper may be better known for his tales of the American Frontier in the 18th century, but many of his works relate to the sea and several include pirate characters. 'The Red Rover' was first published in 1827 and told the story of how Wilder, along with his friends Dick Fid and Scipio Africa, joined the crew of the Dolphin - a ship that turned out to be captained by the eponymous wanted pirate, the Red Rover. The novel was also adapted into a play shortly after its initial publication and performed in both the United States and in Europe. In writing 'The Red Rover' and his other maritime stories, Cooper drew heavily upon his own experience in both merchant shipping and the U.S. Navy. He also wrote several historical and biographical works about the navy and some of its notable sailors. The incorrect options are all novels in the 'Leatherstocking' series that also features Cooper's most famous work, 'The Last of the Mohicans'.

From Quiz Write Your Ship, Mister!

Answer: Marlin

"The Old Man and the Sea" is one of Hemingway's masterpieces of fiction and is based on a real incident in Hemingway's life in 1935 in the Bahamas. It was published in 1952, and tells the story of a Cuban fisherman who hasn't caught a fish in 83 days; he sets sail in a skiff and does battle with a large marlin. I'd tell you the rest, but I don't want to spoil it for you... :)

From Quiz It's Complicated

Answer: Hawaii

Like many of Michener's novels, "Hawaii" was written as a series of episodes, showing the effects of the arrival over water by various different groups to the Hawaiian islands over the years, from the initial settlement by Bora Bora residents through to the archipelago's inclusion via statehood as part of the US. The main protagonists are the Kee family, Chinese immigrants, with a complicated life that provides the main themes of the novel. Though the novel is meant to be historically accurate, it is a work of fiction, and some feel details were glossed over and romanticized in Michener's telling.

From Quiz Ships in Fiction Novels

Answer: Orca

To write the book, Peter Benchley had to do a lot of academic research into marine biology - which he confessed was difficult since he had majored in English at university. He made his name with 'Jaws', his first novel, while the film version (for which Benchley also wrote the screenplay) established Steven Spielberg securely on his way to becoming a top film director and producer.

From Quiz All at Sea

Answer: Jack Aubrey

The first book came out in 1969, and set in motion a series of twenty novels in total. Only the death of the author in 2000 brought the stories to an end. Jack Aubrey has been newly promoted to the rank of Commander at the beginning of the story, and given a warship to command. The tale, with echoes of the Montsarrat novel also in this quiz, has Aubrey's ship acting as an escort to merchant ships, before Aubrey goes on to a spot of privateering. Hornblower features in the books of C S Forester, Marlow was created by Joseph Conrad and Norrington is a character in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' tales.

From Quiz X Marks the Plot

Answer: The Waverley Novels

'The Pirate', a novel set in the 1690s on various islands in the far north of Scotland, was first published in 1822 by "the author of 'Waverley'". It was the eighth novel after the publication of 'Waverley' to be attributed in this manner and it took a further five years before the author of the whole series was identified as the famous Sir Walter Scott - who had earned his baronetage by leading a successful search for the Scottish Crown Jewels on behalf of the Prince Regent a few years earlier. Other well-known works included in the collection were 'Rob Roy', 'Ivanhoe' and 'Kenilworth'. In 'The Pirate', the local people of Shetland rescued and cared for a shipwrecked sailor, oblivious to the fact that he was actually (or at least had been until his unfortunate shipwreck) the captain of a pirate ship. Dramatic scenes then unfolded when one of the local women fell in love with the pirate and it turned out that the mysterious man had an unexpectedly close family connection to the area. The incorrect options are all works by other famous Scottish authors. 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' is a short story collection by Arthur Conan Doyle; '44 Scotland Street' and its sequels are by Alexander McCall Smith; and the Culture Novels are a collection of science fiction works by Iain M. Banks.

From Quiz Write Your Ship, Mister!

Answer: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" was published in 1870. In it, the United States sends a ship called the "Abraham Lincoln" to hunt down what they believe to be a harmful sea creature, but which turns out to be an electrically-powered submarine known as the "Nautilus", helmed by Captain Nemo. Three crew members from the "Abraham Lincoln" are captured and taken aboard the "Nautilus" - which is not affiliated with any nation - and Nemo explains their mission and takes them on a series of adventures, including one to the lost city of Atlantis.

From Quiz It's Complicated

Answer: A tiger

The family of Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, the protagonist of "Life of Pi", own a zoo in the city of Pondicherry in India. A change in government policies prompts the family to move to North America along with the animals from their zoo. Caught in a storm, the Tsimtsum, the ship transporting the family and their animals, sinks, leaving Pi stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Written by Yann Martel, the novel won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2002.

From Quiz Books for Sail!

Answer: The Orca

"Jaws", the film, is perhaps more familiar to people than the book written by Peter Benchley--a story that has a few major differences from that told by the movie. For one thing, Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss in the movie, dies in the book. "Jaws" was published in 1974 and remained on the best seller list for around 44 weeks. According to Wikipedia, it was based on a conglomeration of real life events, including the catching of several great whites off Long Island and Block Island in 1960 and the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 that resulted in four deaths over twelve days.

From Quiz All at Sea

Answer: Wolf

'The Sea-Wolf' was published in 1904, the year after 'The Call of the Wild', the book which had brought London to a wide reading audience. The 'Wolf' of the title is a man named Wolf Larsen who rescues a man who has survived the sinking of a ferry. Wolf keeps the man aboard his ship, used for hunting seals, forcing him to work as a lowly crew member.

From Quiz X Marks the Plot

Answer: The Coral Island

'The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean' was first published in around 1858 and told the story of three boys who had survived a shipwreck and their subsequent life as castaways on an remote island. It was one of the earliest novels aimed at children that also featured children as the main protagonists. The three teenagers marooned on the coral island were Ralph Rover (the story's narrator), Jack Martin and Peterkin Gay. They had all been members of the crew of a merchant ship on a voyage from England that was wrecked on the island's reef during a fierce storm. Although uninhabited, the island turned out to have plentiful food and shelter and the trio's life there would have been idyllic if not for the intrusion of cannibalistic Polynesian islanders and bloodthirsty British pirates - the latter of which captured and sailed off with Ralph. Luckily, the pirates were later attacked and killed, leaving Ralph in possession of their ship and able to sail back to the coral island to rescue his friends. The incorrect options all involve groups of people stranded on uninhabited islands; however 'Lord of the Flies' (which was inspired by 'The Coral Island') is by William Golding, 'The Mysterious Island' (which also features pirates) is by Jules Verne and 'The Blue Lagoon' is by Henry De Vere Stacpoole.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:51 AM

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