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Quiz about 25 Centuries of Literature
Quiz about 25 Centuries of Literature

25 Centuries of Literature Trivia Quiz


Each question in this quiz covers a different century in the history of world literature, offering a little something for everyone.

A multiple-choice quiz by skylarb. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
skylarb
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
152,192
Updated
Mar 16 22
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
13 / 25
Plays
7073
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 71 (17/25), Guest 111 (12/25), lamole (18/25).
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Question 1 of 25
1. What 1st century BC poet and author of "The Aeneid" serves as a guide in Dante's "Inferno"? Hint


Question 2 of 25
2. What 2nd century AD theologian wrote a work entitled "Against the Heresies," which was aimed at Gnosticism? Hint


Question 3 of 25
3. What Hindu epic and literary masterpiece was completed by the 3rd century AD? Hint


Question 4 of 25
4. What canon of religious literature was finally, firmly fixed at the end of the 4th century AD? Hint


Question 5 of 25
5. What 5th century BC Greek dramatist authored "Alcestis" and "Andromache"? Hint


Question 6 of 25
6. What language has written literature first dating from about the 6th century AD? Hint


Question 7 of 25
7. What 7th century BC Greek poet may have been the first to write choral lyrics in the strophic form? Hint


Question 8 of 25
8. What 8th century AD monk preserved for us "Caedmon's Hymn," which may be the oldest poem written in English? Hint


Question 9 of 25
9. What 9th century AD English King translated many works of literature into Old English and West Saxon, including "St Augustine's Soliloquies"? Hint


Question 10 of 25
10. What Old English epic, preserved in a late 10th century AD manuscript, takes place largely in a mead hall called Heorot? Hint


Question 11 of 25
11. What Jewish king, who reigned during the 11th century BC, is credited with writing many of the Psalms? Hint


Question 12 of 25
12. This 12th century AD Anglo-Norman work, written for Eleanor of Aquitaine, was attributed to Benoît de Saint Maure. Hint


Question 13 of 25
13. The following lines are here translated into English by Coleman Barks: "And my heart, I'd say it was more / like a donkey sunk in a mudhole, / struggling and miring deeper. / But listen to me: for one moment, / quit being sad. Hear blessings / dropping their blossoms / around you. / God." What 13th century AD mystical poet originally penned these lines?
Hint


Question 14 of 25
14. What 14th century AD morality poem contains the allegorical characters Gluttony, Envy, Meekness, and Conscience? Hint


Question 15 of 25
15. What 15th century AD author's work, which tells of the war between Arthur and Lancelot, begins, "In May when every lusty heart floursheth...."? Hint


Question 16 of 25
16. What 16th century AD playwright introduced blank verse to the stage with "Tamburlaine"? Hint


Question 17 of 25
17. What early 17th century AD poet and playwright included in one of his last plays these lines: "Now my charms are all o'erthrown / And what strength I have's mine own / Which is most faint..."? Hint


Question 18 of 25
18. What 18th century AD poet, in his vindication of God, writes, "Cease then, nor ORDER Imperfection name: / Our proper bliss depends on what we blame"? Hint


Question 19 of 25
19. What 19th century AD English writer wrote a novel that Virginia Woolf described as "one of the few written for grownups"? Hint


Question 20 of 25
20. What 20th century AD American writer has penned both an apology for Judaism and a famous tale involving a Naval court martial? Hint


Question 21 of 25
21. Even in the 21st century AD, the historical novel has wide appeal. Who has written a series of novels set during the Napoleonic wars, featuring a rough but honorable soldier by the name of Richard Sharpe? Hint


Question 22 of 25
22. Some scholars date the building of the Tower of Babel in the 22nd century BC. In what work of religious literature do we first learn of the Tower of Babel? Hint


Question 23 of 25
23. In the 23rd century BC, Sargon of Akkad conquered Mesopotamia, and became the subject of legends. It is from a Sumerian legend that we learn how Sargon established himself as the cupbearer of the king of Kish in Sumer. What early form of writing did the Sumerians invent? Hint


Question 24 of 25
24. I don't have anything for the 24th century, either BC or AD. But we haven't covered the first century AD yet. What historian wrote "The Jewish War" during that time? Hint


Question 25 of 25
25. We haven't covered the 8th century BC, either. So tell me, what reputedly blind bard's epics were probably recorded during this time? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Dec 12 2024 : Guest 71: 17/25
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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What 1st century BC poet and author of "The Aeneid" serves as a guide in Dante's "Inferno"?

Answer: Virgil

Homer brought us such epics as "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey." Virgil composed his famous epic, about the mythical founding of Rome, in about 29 BC.
2. What 2nd century AD theologian wrote a work entitled "Against the Heresies," which was aimed at Gnosticism?

Answer: Irenaeus

In the same century, Marcus Aurelius brought forth his "Meditations."
3. What Hindu epic and literary masterpiece was completed by the 3rd century AD?

Answer: The Mahabharata

"The Upanishads," a collection of Hindu teachings, were not completed until about 600 AD. The most famous portion of the "Mahabharata" is perhaps "The Bhagavad-Gita," which has served as an inspiration for many poets, including T.S. Eliot.
4. What canon of religious literature was finally, firmly fixed at the end of the 4th century AD?

Answer: The New Testament

Before the Council of Carthage in 397 AD, there was much debate between Christians over which books should be considered canonical. The books officially confirmed by this council have remained the New Testament canon ever since. The Hebrew canon had already been fixed by the Palestinian rabbis in the first century.

The Koran was not written until the 7th century AD, and the Mishnah was compiled by Rabbi Judah around 200 AD.
5. What 5th century BC Greek dramatist authored "Alcestis" and "Andromache"?

Answer: Euripides

Sophocles, another dramatist from the same century, brought us the Oedipus trilogy, as well as "Ajax."
6. What language has written literature first dating from about the 6th century AD?

Answer: Irish

Latin, Greek, and Hebrew are much older written languages. Both Old Irish heroic sagas and lyrical poetry survive from the 6th century.
7. What 7th century BC Greek poet may have been the first to write choral lyrics in the strophic form?

Answer: Alcman

Alcman was a Spartan poet, and his verse was sung during festivals.
8. What 8th century AD monk preserved for us "Caedmon's Hymn," which may be the oldest poem written in English?

Answer: Venerable Bede

Bede's "An Ecclesiastical History of the English People" contains both a Latin translation of the poem and the story of its origin.
9. What 9th century AD English King translated many works of literature into Old English and West Saxon, including "St Augustine's Soliloquies"?

Answer: Alfred

Alfred also translated many of the Psalms.
10. What Old English epic, preserved in a late 10th century AD manuscript, takes place largely in a mead hall called Heorot?

Answer: Beowulf

This poem is preserved in a late 10th century manuscript, but some date it as early as the 1st half of the 8th century. "Sir Gawain" belongs to the Middle, and not the Old, English period.
11. What Jewish king, who reigned during the 11th century BC, is credited with writing many of the Psalms?

Answer: David

David's son Solomon is credited with "Proverbs" and "Ecclesiastes."
12. This 12th century AD Anglo-Norman work, written for Eleanor of Aquitaine, was attributed to Benoît de Saint Maure.

Answer: Romance of Eneas

A "romance" originally simply meant a vernacular narrative. We now tend to use it to describe a love story. Marie de France also wrote "Fables" and "Lais."
13. The following lines are here translated into English by Coleman Barks: "And my heart, I'd say it was more / like a donkey sunk in a mudhole, / struggling and miring deeper. / But listen to me: for one moment, / quit being sad. Hear blessings / dropping their blossoms / around you. / God." What 13th century AD mystical poet originally penned these lines?

Answer: Rumi

Rumi was born in 1207, but his poetry is amazingly modern. He practiced Sufism, or Islamic mysticism, and became a spiritual leader. Moses de Leon composed "The Zohar," a set of Jewish mystical writings. Lao Tzu is credited with the "Tao Te Ching."
14. What 14th century AD morality poem contains the allegorical characters Gluttony, Envy, Meekness, and Conscience?

Answer: The Vision of Piers Plowman

The author of "Piers Plowman" is assumed to be William Langland. "Pilgrim's Progress" is a 17th century allegorical novel by John Bunyan.
15. What 15th century AD author's work, which tells of the war between Arthur and Lancelot, begins, "In May when every lusty heart floursheth...."?

Answer: Sir Thomas Malory

"Le Morte Darthur" was the work. Malory was arrested and imprisoned, under accusation of theft, ambush, and rape, but he never stood trial.
16. What 16th century AD playwright introduced blank verse to the stage with "Tamburlaine"?

Answer: Christopher Marlowe

Whereas "Tamburlaine" dealt with the power of rule ("Sweet fruition of an earthly crown"), Marlowe's most famous play, "Dr. Faustus," dealt with the power of knowledge. In it, Faustus makes a pact with the devil for knowledge and magical powers.
17. What early 17th century AD poet and playwright included in one of his last plays these lines: "Now my charms are all o'erthrown / And what strength I have's mine own / Which is most faint..."?

Answer: William Shakespeare

Prospero, at the close of "The Tempest," goes on to beg the audience for applause: " As you from crimes would pardon'd be, / Let your indulgence set me free...."
18. What 18th century AD poet, in his vindication of God, writes, "Cease then, nor ORDER Imperfection name: / Our proper bliss depends on what we blame"?

Answer: Alexander Pope

Pope's "An Essay on Man" aims to justify God in the midst of a world of suffering. "But ALL subsists by elemental strife," the poet argues. "And Passions are the elements of Life."
19. What 19th century AD English writer wrote a novel that Virginia Woolf described as "one of the few written for grownups"?

Answer: George Eliot

Eliot's "Middlemarch" earned this praise. Eliot was also known for her works "Adam Bede", "Silas Marner", and "Daniel Deronda", among others.
20. What 20th century AD American writer has penned both an apology for Judaism and a famous tale involving a Naval court martial?

Answer: Herman Wouk

Wouk's "Caine Mutiny" was brought to the silver screen, with Humphrey Bogart playing Captain Queeg. Wouk's "This is My God" contains an explanation and defense of Judaism. In it he writes that "the belief in God may turn out at the last trump to be a mistake. Meantime, let us be quite clear, it is not merely the comfort of the simple--though it is that too, much to its glory--it is a formidable intellectual position with which most of the first-class minds of the human race, century in and century out, have concurred, each in his own way."
21. Even in the 21st century AD, the historical novel has wide appeal. Who has written a series of novels set during the Napoleonic wars, featuring a rough but honorable soldier by the name of Richard Sharpe?

Answer: Bernard Cornwell

"Waterloo: Sharpe's Final Adventure" appeared at the beginning of the 21st century, published in November of 2001. The books have also been made into a television series ('Sharpe') starring Sean Bean. The books of Jeff and Michael Shaara are set during the Civil War.
22. Some scholars date the building of the Tower of Babel in the 22nd century BC. In what work of religious literature do we first learn of the Tower of Babel?

Answer: The Book of Genesis

In the story, mankind, in its arrogance, attempts to build a tower to reach the heavens. In response, God confounds human language. "Genesis" is part of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptural canons, and the stories contained therein were probably handed down by oral tradition until the book was written somewhere between the 14th and 7th century BC. (depending on whether you use a conservative or liberal timeline).
23. In the 23rd century BC, Sargon of Akkad conquered Mesopotamia, and became the subject of legends. It is from a Sumerian legend that we learn how Sargon established himself as the cupbearer of the king of Kish in Sumer. What early form of writing did the Sumerians invent?

Answer: Cuneiform

This is the first known form of written language in the world. It was made by drawing symbols on clay tablets. It resembles Egyptian hieroglyphics, but it tends to be more abstract.
24. I don't have anything for the 24th century, either BC or AD. But we haven't covered the first century AD yet. What historian wrote "The Jewish War" during that time?

Answer: Josephus

Josephus was also author of " Jewish Antiquities." He was appointed commander of the Gaililean forces in the rebellion against Rome, and held out for a 47-day siege. He entered into a suicide pact with his soldiers, but he did not kill himself and instead surrendered to General Vespasian, who later became emperor. Josephus was eventually granted Roman citizenship.
25. We haven't covered the 8th century BC, either. So tell me, what reputedly blind bard's epics were probably recorded during this time?

Answer: Homer

Homer is attributed with authorship of "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey," which were probably written down sometime between 875 and 750 BC.
Source: Author skylarb

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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