A Authors Match Quiz | Literature: Something in Common

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "The Heart Goes Last", "The Edible Woman", "Cat's Eye"

Answer: Margaret Atwood

Canadian author Margaret Atwood may have seen a resurgence in popularity and international appeal after the release of the TV show "The Handmaid's Tale" (adapted from, by far, her most popular novel), but she's been writing books since the late 1960s, making a name for herself amongst Canada's best.

Although many of her works take a feminist viewpoint (like her debut novel "The Edible Woman"), many of her works in the 1990s and onward take dystopian plots including her "MaddAddam" trilogy and "The Heart Goes Last".

She has won the Governor General's Award twice and received honorary degrees from more than two dozen universities worldwide.

2. "Convivio", "La Vita Nuova", "Purgatorio"

Answer: Dante Alighieri

Best-known for 'The Divine Comedy' (of which "Purgatorio" is a part along with "Inferno" and "Paradiso"), Dante Alighieri made his name as a writer in Florence, Italy in the 13th century, writing most of his works in Latin as was the preferred language of literature at the time. Known for his poetic verses, his works have since become influential across all creative media, reoccurring in films, video games, books, TV shows, and music through the ages.

He died in the 1320s after a lengthy period of exile.

3. "The Stars, Like Dust", "The Caves of Steel", "Second Foundation"

Answer: Isaac Asimov

A writer of science fiction for most of his career, Asimov's works very much shaped what would develop technology in robotics; his short stories and novels like "I, Robot", the "Foundation" series, and the "Galactic Empire" series were influential for writers in the genre to this day.

Although he passed away in 1992, he left behind a legacy of hundreds of books and as many short stories and also wrote on history, religion, etymology, geoscience, and math in non-fiction formats.

4. "Jo's Boys", "Under the Lilacs", "An Old Fashioned Girl"

Answer: Louisa May Alcott

The author of "Little Women", Louisa May Alcott lived in America in the 19th century, basing said novel on her own home life. She did, however, write many other books, some of which (like "Little Men" and "Jo's Boys"), continued where "Little Women" left off. Aside from several novels, she's known for writing dozens of stories for children and for being a noteworthy feminist in an era lacking severely on that front, especially in the Civil War period, despite clear changes being made across the pond in Victorian England by her contemporaries.

5. "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul", "Mostly Harmless", "The Meaning of Liff"

Answer: Douglas Adams

Best-known for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (a series of which "Mostly Harmless" is a part), Douglas Adams was an English author who worked in radio, TV, film, and the literary world, often creating absurdist sci-fi works that influenced both the genre and media of the time. Adams worked closely with members of Monty Python as well as, briefly, the band Pink Floyd.

He passed away in 2001, shortly before the release of the film "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which was dedicated to him, of course.

6. "The Invasion", "Search For Senna", "The Mayflower Project"

Answer: K. A. Applegate

A teen author since the mid-1990s, K. A. Applegate got her start in the industry writing the "Animorphs" series for young adults chronicling humans who could transform into animals they came into contact with. As that series wrapped up in the 2000s, she also dabbled in fantasy with "Everworld", paranormal sci-fi with "Remnants", and teen drama with "Making Out".

She won the Newbery Medal in 2013.

7. "Persuasion", "Emma", "Northanger Abbey"

Answer: Jane Austen

While Austen wrote only a handful of novels, her works are amongst the most popular of her time. Books like "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility", while occasionally repetitive amongst each other, have become some of the most widely read classics of the Romantic Era in Great Britain.

Although she was never really popular during her life, her books found success after her death, eventually becoming classics and being adapted for film and television numerous times over.

8. "Things Fall Apart", "Arrow of God", "A Man of the People"

Answer: Chinua Achebe

Nigerian author Chinua Achebe is best known for the first of those books listed-- "Things Fall Apart"-- which has since been known by scholars as one of the most read novels from the African continent. Written in 1958, it chronicles a man's life in a Nigerian village, tracking his younger years, colonialism, and religious pressures. Achebe won the Man Booker International Prize in 2007.

9. "City of Glass", "Ghosts", "The Locked Room"

Answer: Paul Auster

All three of these books are part of Auster's "New York Trilogy", all of which combined together as a full collection in the 1980s and started off his writing career. All three are metafictive mystery novels which disassemble common tropes in the genre.

His later works are similarly critical of genre and form with titles like "In the Country of Last Things", "Leviathan", "Sunset Park", and "4 3 2 1" being notable releases over the decades.

10. "Shardik", "The Ship's Cat", "The Plague Dogs"

Answer: Richard Adams

UK author Richard Adams (not related to Douglas Adams) wrote his first and most famous novel, "Watership Down", in the early 1970s and continued writing until shortly before his passing in 2016. While "Watership Down" is likely his most celebrated, having been adapted several times over, his fantasy works have also been well-received with "Shardik", about a bear worshipped as a God, being influential to others (like Stephen King) later on.

Source: Author kyleisalive

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Questions		Choices
1. "The Heart Goes Last", "The Edible Woman", "Cat's Eye"		Chinua Achebe
2. "Convivio", "La Vita Nuova", "Purgatorio"		Richard Adams
3. "The Stars, Like Dust", "The Caves of Steel", "Second Foundation"		Douglas Adams
4. "Jo's Boys", "Under the Lilacs", "An Old Fashioned Girl"		Paul Auster
5. "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul", "Mostly Harmless", "The Meaning of Liff"		Margaret Atwood
6. "The Invasion", "Search For Senna", "The Mayflower Project"		Louisa May Alcott
7. "Persuasion", "Emma", "Northanger Abbey"		K. A. Applegate
8. "Things Fall Apart", "Arrow of God", "A Man of the People"		Dante Alighieri
9. "City of Glass", "Ghosts", "The Locked Room"		Isaac Asimov
10. "Shardik", "The Ship's Cat", "The Plague Dogs"		Jane Austen

A Authors Match Quiz | Literature: Something in Common

Match the works listed to the authors, all with surnames beginning with the letter A. I'll give you three works for each, and most will be deeper cuts. Good luck!