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Christianity and Literature Trivia Quiz

A quiz over both classic and contemporary novels that incorporate theological issues into their plots.

A multiple-choice quiz by musettae. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
musettae

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
62,341

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
3099

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of the following novels is a modern retelling of Dante's 'Inferno'? Hint

I Heard the Owl Call My Name

Sula

Gehenna

The Last Temptation of Christ

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Question 2 of 10

2. Who is the priest torn between his obsessive lust for the gypsy dancer Esmeralda and his devotion to God in Victor Hugo's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'? Hint

Phoebus de Chateaupers

Pierre Gringoire

Claude Frollo

St. John Rivers

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Question 3 of 10

3. In Nikos Kazantzakis's 'The Last Temptation of Christ', which character does not appear in the final 'dream sequence' Satan presents to Christ as his last temptation? Hint

Virgin Mary

St. Paul the Apostle

Mary Magdalen

Mary, sister of Lazarus

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which of the following roles does the title character of Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' NOT assume at some point in the novel? Hint

school teacher

wife

governess

missionary

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Question 5 of 10

5. In Graham Greene's novel 'The End of the Affair', why does Sarah leave Bendrix? Hint

She is still in love with her husband.

She wants to become a nun.

She is pregnant.

She promises God that she will leave Bendrix if God will spare his life.

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Question 6 of 10

6. In Victor Hugo's 'Les Miserables', which character shows the ex-convict Jean Valjean kindness and thus succeeds in turning Valjean's life over to God? Hint

Javert

Thenardier

Cosette

Bishop of Digne

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Question 7 of 10

7. In John Irving's 'A Prayer for Owen Meany', what is the title character's conviction? Hint

God does not exist.

He is God's instrument.

He is sinless.

Faith cannot exist without reason.

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Question 8 of 10

8. What is the setting of Barbara Kingsolver's 'The Poisonwood Bible'? Hint

The Amazon Basin

The Belgian Congo

Calcutta, India

The Australian Outback

9. In Margaret Craven's 'I Heard the Owl Call My Name', what is the fate of Mark Brian, the young priest sent to the Native American village of Kingcome in an effort to spread the influential sphere of Christianity? Hint

He leaves the village after realizing that the Native Americans have their own firmly rooted belief

He is ousted from the village for his disrespect of Native American customs and beliefs.

He dies of a terminal illness after both spreading the Christian message to the villagers and learning from their beliefs in return.

He marries Keeta, a member of his congregation, and adopts a Native American name to symbolize his conversion.

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Question 10 of 10

10. In Toni Morrison's 'Sula', which of these acts does the title character NOT commit? Hint

She allows her mother to burn to death while she watches.

She sleeps with her best friend's husband.

She kills herself.

She causes Chicken Little to drown.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of the following novels is a modern retelling of Dante's 'Inferno'?

Answer: Gehenna

Paul Thigpen is the author of this contemporary account of a journey through hell. Thigpen states in his introduction that he feels such a story is necessary in today's world because society's 'moral compass is skewed'.

2. Who is the priest torn between his obsessive lust for the gypsy dancer Esmeralda and his devotion to God in Victor Hugo's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'?

Answer: Claude Frollo

Frollo's guilt-ridden desire ultimately leads to the deaths of himself and Esmeralda.

3. In Nikos Kazantzakis's 'The Last Temptation of Christ', which character does not appear in the final 'dream sequence' Satan presents to Christ as his last temptation?

Answer: Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary plays a surprisingly small role in the whole of the novel. Christ is tempted by Satan with happiness, which comes in the form first of Mary Magdalen, and later Lazarus' sister Mary, who becomes his wife. Finally, Christ meets Paul, who presents a distorted account of Jesus's life and teachings.

4. Which of the following roles does the title character of Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' NOT assume at some point in the novel?

Answer: missionary

Though St. John Rivers asks Jane to marry him and become a missionary alongside him in Calcutta, she is instead led by God back to her true love, Edward Rochester.

5. In Graham Greene's novel 'The End of the Affair', why does Sarah leave Bendrix?

Answer: She promises God that she will leave Bendrix if God will spare his life.

When a bomb blast shatters the lovers' shelter and the peace of their Godless existence, Sarah prays to God that she will go back to her husband and believe in Him if He will spare Bendrix's life.

6. In Victor Hugo's 'Les Miserables', which character shows the ex-convict Jean Valjean kindness and thus succeeds in turning Valjean's life over to God?

Answer: Bishop of Digne

In return for the Bishop's offer of shelter, Valjean steals the man's silver. When he is caught by the police, the Bishop lies to them to save Valjean from prison, then gives him his candlesticks also. Valjean, touched and humbled, resolves to serve God thereafter.

7. In John Irving's 'A Prayer for Owen Meany', what is the title character's conviction?

Answer: He is God's instrument.

Owen Meany believes that God created him for a specific purpose, and that he is destined to do God's work in the world.

8. What is the setting of Barbara Kingsolver's 'The Poisonwood Bible'?

Answer: The Belgian Congo

The novel centers around a Baptist preacher and his family who travel to the Congo in 1959 as missionaries.

Answer: He dies of a terminal illness after both spreading the Christian message to the villagers and learning from their beliefs in return.

Craven's story is one of religious pluralism in a cross-cultural environment. Mark learns as much, if not more, from the villagers as they learn from him.

10. In Toni Morrison's 'Sula', which of these acts does the title character NOT commit?

Answer: She kills herself.

Though many would agree that Sula is a sinful character, Morrison characterizes her in a positive light, as one 'not afraid of the free fall' or of nonconformity. Sula's sins redeem the townsfolk, who are spurred to goodness in uniform reaction to her 'evil'.

Source: Author musettae

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