Authors Quiz: "Angela's Ashes" By Frank McCourt | 20 Questions

Answer: Brooklyn

The story begins with a bit of background information on his parents, and Frank's earliest memories as a small child living in a Brooklyn slum. While their circumstances were poor, they would become even worse after their return to Ireland.

Answer: Malachy

Malachy McCourt grew up to be a successful nightclub owner, and has also written a number of books describing his early years.

Answer: All of these

Frank's grandmother also complained that he had the "odd manner" of his father, and took after him.

Answer: Oliver and Eugene

Unfortunately, both little boys became ill and died before their 3rd birthdays, within a year of their arriving in Ireland. Frank McCourt attributes their deaths to sheer "ignorance", and their deaths are among the saddest moments in the book (although there are many).

Answer: Margaret

Mary Margaret, or Margaret as she was called, was the apple of her father's eye during her short life. It's unfortunate that Malachy didn't feel inspired to sobriety for the sake of any of his sons.

Answer: Minnie MacAdorey and Mrs Liebowitz

Kathleen O'Connell owned the shop in Limerick where Angela often had to ask for food on credit because they had no money, and Aggie Keating was Angela's irritable sister. Bridey Hannon was Angela's friend from next door in Limerick, and Paddy Clohessy was Frank's friend from Leamy's School. Theresa Carmody was Frank's girlfriend, and Mrs Finucane was the old woman who paid Frank to write threatening collection letters to her customers.

Answer: To die for Ireland

Strange priorities!

Answer: true

However, when he went to the IRA for financial help after they returned to Ireland, they turned him down, saying they had no record of him "doing his bit".

Answer: From Angela's mother

After Angela's cousins, the MacNamara sisters, were contacted by the neighbours in Brooklyn and told of the desperate situation the McCourts are in, they wrote to Angela's mother, who sent them the money to return to Ireland. Not that this improved their circumstances in any way whatsoever.

Answer: Toome

They spent their first night back with Grandma and Grandpa McCourt just outside of Toome, County Antrim. They were told they could not stay any longer, however, as there was no room for them, so they went the next day to Dublin. When Malachy was refused assistance from the IRA in Dublin they had to spend the night at the police station, where they were given money to go to Limerick where Angela's mother lived.

Answer: 7

Angela was pregnant 7 times: with Frank, Malachy, the twins (Oliver and Eugene), Margaret, Michael, and Alphie, as well as a miscarriage between Margaret and Michael when they first arrived in Ireland. Tragically, only four of the children survived infancy.

Answer: The river Shannon

All of these are part of their experience of grinding poverty in the lanes of Limerick, but Malachy blames the dampness of "the river Shannon that kills".

Answer: He sold newspapers

"He never learned to read or write, but God blessed him in another way. When he started to sell newspapers at the age of eight he could count money better than the Exchequer himself. No one knew why he was called Ab Sheehan, The Abbott, but all Limerick loved him." He always wanted to sing "The Road To Rasheen" and nobody understood what it was supposed to be about.

Answer: Pig's head

Poor Frank had to lug that pig's head all the way home, and all the boys from school taunted him.

Answer: Leamy's

The school masters were very harsh, and the children were all very poor (many of them did not even have shoes).

Answer: Seventh

"I sit on the seventh step a long time and I'm sure the angel is there. I tell him all the things you can't tell your mother or father for fear of being hit on the head or told to go out and play. I tell him about school and how I'm afraid of the master and his stick when he roars at us in Irish and I still don't know what he's talking about because I came from America and the other boys were learning Irish a year before me. I stay on the seventh step till it gets too cold and Dad gets up and tells me go back to bed.

He's the one who told me the angel comes to the seventh step in the first place and you'd think he'd know why I'm sitting there. I told him one night that I was waiting for the angel, and he said, Och, now, Francis, you're a bit of a dreamer."

Answer: Quigley

Paddy Clohessy and Fintan Slattery were also in Frank's class, and Mr O'Dea was the name of one of his instructors.

Answer: A raisin

The students were all given a raisin bun and milk at lunch time, however there was a distinct lack of raisins in the buns. One day Frank actually found one, much to everyone's surprise.

Answer: Threw up the Communion wafer

She dragged Frank to confession and he told the priest: "I overslept. I nearly missed my First Communion. My grandmother said I have standing up, North of Ireland, Presbyterian hair. I threw up my Firsty Communion breakfast. Now Grandma says she has God in her backyard and what should she do." The priest found his confession amusing.

Answer: Mr Timoney

Mr Coffey and Mr Kane are the bureaucrats in charge at the dispensary who give all the people a hard time and make jokes about them when they come for financial relief or a docket to see the doctor. Mr Harrington is the Englishman who complains that Frank stole food and sherry and wrecked his rosebushes when he delivered a telegram there.