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Classic Short Stories Trivia Quiz

See how familiar you are with some well-known short stories.

A multiple-choice quiz by robert362. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
robert362

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
13,708

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1117

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

1. 'The Gift of the Magi' Hint

Saki

Stephen Crane

Saul Bellow

O Henry

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2. 'The Lottery' Hint

John Cheever

John O'Hara

Shirley Jackson

John Hersey

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3. 'The Lady or the Tiger' Hint

Jack London

Frank Stockton

D.H. Lawrence

Joseph Conrad

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4. Which story by Poe is about a man's obsessive guilt for a crime that he has committed? Hint

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Tell-Tale Heart

Murders in the Rue Morgue

The Raven

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5. 'The Birds' (The short story that led to the Hitchcock movie) Hint

Daphne DuMaurier

John Fowles

Evan Hunter

Irving Wallace

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6. 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' Hint

James Thurber

Will Rogers

Mark Twain

Louisa May Alcott

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7. 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' (Again, the story that gave rise to a movie - this time with Bogart) Hint

Ambrose Bierce

B. Traven

Roald Dahl

I.A.L. Diamond

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8. Which story is NOT a Sherlock Holmes tale? Hint

The Speckled Band

The Hound of the Baskervilles

A Study in Scarlet

The Purloined Letter

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9. 'Witness for the Prosecution' (Also giving rise to a movie) Hint

Arthur Conan Doyle

Agatha Christie

Raymond Chandler

Dashiell Hammett

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10. 'The Killers' Hint

Ernest Hemingway

Richard Matheson

E.T.A. Hoffmann

Jorge Luis Borges

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Most Recent Scores

Mar 05 2025 : Guest 100: 3/10
Mar 02 2025 : DCW2: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 'The Gift of the Magi'

Answer: O Henry

Legendary short story with a wise message.

2. 'The Lottery'

Answer: Shirley Jackson

Prize-winning story. Disturbing.

3. 'The Lady or the Tiger'

Answer: Frank Stockton

Clever story. Food for thought.

4. Which story by Poe is about a man's obsessive guilt for a crime that he has committed?

Answer: The Tell-Tale Heart

All four are by Poe; "Heart" is perhaps the most famous.

5. 'The Birds' (The short story that led to the Hitchcock movie)

Answer: Daphne DuMaurier

Hunter did the fine screenplay.

6. 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'

Answer: James Thurber

Classic tale of daydreams and fantasies.

7. 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' (Again, the story that gave rise to a movie - this time with Bogart)

Answer: B. Traven

The mysterious, shadowy Traven would be an interesting subject for a movie.

8. Which story is NOT a Sherlock Holmes tale?

Answer: The Purloined Letter

'Letter 'is by Poe.

9. 'Witness for the Prosecution' (Also giving rise to a movie)

Answer: Agatha Christie

Charles Laughton did the movie (with Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone
Power).

10. 'The Killers'

Answer: Ernest Hemingway

A young Burt Lancaster stars in the movie.

Source: Author robert362

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