Islands of the Mind Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sir Thomas More

Sir Thomas More published this fictional, somewhat ironic depiction of the customs and mores of an ideal society in 1516. The word "utopian," a state of idealistic perfection, derives from this Renaissance tale.

Answer: Geoffrey of Monmouth

The paradisaical island of Avalon was created in the 12th century by Geoffrey of Monmouth when writing a supposedly historical account of the legendary British King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table.

Answer: H. G. Wells

Science fiction novelist H. G. Wells wrote "The Island of Doctor Moreau" in 1896 and it remains today a classic of the literary genre.

Answer: Robert Louis Stevenson

Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson spun a tale of pirates, buccaneers and buried treasure in a serialized story for a British weekly children's literary magazine in 1881 and 1882. The tale was supposedly written by "Captain George North," but Stevenson used his real name when "Treasure Island" was published in book form in 1883.

Answer: TV series

Gilligan's Island was an American television snow that ran from 1964 to 1967. It depicted the adventures and misadventures of a group of seven castaways who had gone out for a three hour sail but were stranded on a deserted island when a storm arose.

Answer: Jonathan Swift

Anglo-Irish satirist Jonathan Swift wrote "Gulliver's Travels" in 1726 in response to what he perceived to be the utopianism of the Enlightenment. He introduced the island of Lilliput, a world of tiny people ruled by an egocentric and despotic emperor. Supposedly Swift modeled the emperor on King George I of Great Britain.

Answer: The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys recorded "Kokomo" for the soundtrack of the Tom Cruise film "Cocktail" which was released in 1988. It became a number one hit for them after a drought of 22 years. The imaginary island escape in the Caribbean and bouncy tune had broad appeal and the song became a number one hit in Australia and Japan as well as the States.

Answer: David Guterson

Guterson located his first novel "Snow Falling on Cedars" on fictional San Piedro Island, one of the San Juan Islands north of Washington state. The novel, written over the course of a decade while Guterson worked as a teacher, won the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award. Set in 1954, "Snow Falling on Cedars" poignantly details the aftermath of the forced internment of Japanese/American residents from their homes during WWII.

Answer: Video game

The 3D action/adventure video game, Lego Island, was released for Microsoft Windows in 1997. Its popularity initiated a series of Lego inspired games. There are now dozens of Lego games offering a large variety of series to choose from.

Answer: Video game

An adventure puzzle video game, Myst was released for play on a Macintosh platform in 1993. Updates have made it compatible with diverse platforms including Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Atari, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo and Android and, as of 2015, an iPhone app is available.