20th Century Fiction Trivia Game | Literature

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In this book, my father defended a young man called Tom who had "the temerity to feel sorry for a white woman". Which book?

Answer: To Kill A Mockingbird

"To Kill A Mockingbird" was the first and only (to date) novel written by Harper Lee. It is considered a defining work in US literature, and addresses issues including latent racism and the loss of innocence - as seen through the eyes of the seven-year-old girl 'Scout'.

2. I'm an author from the UK. My first names are Clive Staples and my surname is the SAME as the first name of a 19th century children's author who wrote about a place called Wonderland My series of seven books featured the Pevensie kids. What did I write?

Answer: The Chronicles of Narnia

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) is the author of these books.

He was a member of the writer's group 'The Inklings', who met regularly at the Eagle & Child pub in Oxford, UK. Another famous author who was also a member was JRR Tolkien, of "The Lord of the Rings" fame.

"The Chronicles of Narnia" are seen by some as a Christian allegory, with the benevolent lion Aslan assuming the role of Jesus Christ. Although Lewis was a Christian convert, and went as far as to suggest that the books were indeed inspired by events in the Bible in a work entitled "Yours, Jack", it must remain for each reader to draw their own personal conclusion.

Regardless of its provenance, the books remain a firm children's favorite, having sold over 100 million copies Worldwide.

3. My name is Eric Blair. OK, that wasn't my more famous pen-name, but telling you exactly would be cheating. I wrote a book that featured a tyrannical dictator called Napoleon, who was such a swine! Which book was it?

Answer: Animal Farm

Eric Blair was, of course, better known as George Orwell. He wrote two of the incorrect answers too, but "A Farewell To Arms" was written by Ernest Hemingway.

The book "Animal Farm" is considered a thinly-veiled critique of communism, and the corruptible nature of absolute power.

The Napoleon of this novel was an actual pig, by the way! That's where the clue "swine" came from.

4. So we've had one of America's favorite novels. Which of these is considered a major work in German literature? Started in 1912, interrupted by the start of WWI and dramatically re-jigged as a result of that conflict, it was written by Thomas Mann and features the protagonist Castorp.

Answer: The Magic Mountain

Thomas Mann is probably one of the most famous German-language fiction novelists known to English readers. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1929.

Interestingly, since "Mein Kampf" was one the options to this question, Mann was a firm and vocal opponent of National Socialism and so - by extension - of Nazism. He also helped to write anti-Nazi propaganda speeches after moving to the USA, hoping that they would be heard by German listeners.

This type of novel is known as a 'Bildungsroman'. It literally means 'a novel of education', although English speakers are probably more familiar with the term 'coming of age'.

5. Like any father with two young daughters to entertain on dreary car journeys, I just HAD to come up with SOMETHING! Being little girls, I thought they'd like bunnies. Being an ex-army man, I couldn't let it all go without a hitch! It was only after my kids insisted that I write my tales down that I became a well-known author - even if the story does have moments of cruel sadness! What did I write?

Answer: Watership Down

Richard Adams recited his thoughts to his children in the car as they drove around on family outings, sometimes visiting the "places" where the rabbits of Watership Down had lived, eventually committing them to paper and having them published to acclaim.

...Now that's good parenting!

"Bambi" is a Disney animated movie based on the work of Austrian writer Felix Salten.

"Miffy" is the creation of Dutch artist and author Dick Bruna.

"La Folie Aux Lapins" is a figment of my imagination, at least, in the literary sense...!

6. "Ahh! Is that the emergency service? My name is Gregor Samsa! I've just grown another two limbs! I'm stuck in bed, and I feel like all I can do is write a short story about my experiences! Heeeelp!" ...I don't want to seem Kafkaesque here, but what was all that about?!

Answer: The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka's chilling short story is about a man who suddenly wakes up as an insect/bug, and is forced to deal with the futility of fighting against the tide and the uselessness of appealing against the current. Hence the term Kafkaesque! If you've ever used that term in reference to yourself, please accept my deepest sympathies!

"An Unexpected Awakening" was my own clumsy alternative title.
"Fahrenheit 401" is a book which does not exist, as far as I'm aware ("Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury does).
"Gravity's Rainbow" was written by Thomas Pynchon.

7. The dancing men? Six, count them, SIX Napoleons [Bonaparte]?! And where did that missing three-quarter go...? Books/short stories about whom connect these things?

Answer: Sherlock Holmes

All of those "two-pipe" problems were tackled by the indomitable Holmes, whose escapades did indeed just about burst into our remit of the 20th century.

Seen one of the movies? Seen one of the TV dramas? Try reading one of books...

...Seriously, it's like reading a court transcript of a petty vandalism charge (No offence intended, Dr. Conan-Doyle!)

8. E.M. Forster wrote a book in 1905, "Where Angels Fear To Tread". Let's just say he didn't come up with the title (He bloody well didn't!)... So who did?

Answer: Alexander Pope

Perhaps it's just as well that Forster adopted the title for this novel from a work by Alexander Pope - the original title was "RAT"!

A tragic novel set in the Tuscany region of Italy, it is chock full of charming handsome 'Casanovae', stiff-upper lip British morality and the wrench of unrequited love.

So a bit of light reading then...!

9. "Well, this State Prison sucks. So I'm outta here! Just kidding! Or am I? Tell you what, either way, get me a poster of this delightful lady to cover up what I am, or am not, 'up to' will you Red?" Which of these names is included in the title of what's described above?

Answer: Rita Hayworth

"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" is a novella by Stephen King. Andy Dufresne used the poster of Rita Hayworth that he obtained from Red to conceal the escape tunnel he was digging. King is known as the master of both suspense, and the same basic thing over and over again...

10. What is the first book in a certain Canadian novelist's "Maddaddam" trilogy called?

Answer: Oryx and Crake

Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake" was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2003. The novel starts in a world in which civilization has collapsed, and events are revealed in flashbacks. Excellent, even though I say so myself!

Source: Author tom888mot

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

20th Century Fiction Trivia Quiz

If you've come to a quiz website, you've probably read more than just the TV Guide in your time! But how many of these novels can you identify from the descriptions given? Some of them may be tricky...!

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>