Clued Into Literature Trivia Quiz

Answer: Through the Looking-Glass

"Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There" was published in 1871, and was written as a sequel to Lewis Carroll's original novel "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". In this novel, Alice wonders what life is like on the other side of a looking glass (mirror), and discovers that she could step through one to find an alternate world. The book contains Alice's adventures 'through the looking glass', and events in this novel take place six months after Alice fell in the rabbit hole to discover Wonderland.

The clues all relate to "Through the Looking-Glass". Humpty Dumpty is a character Alice met in this world, and the poem starring Humpty actually came from this book. "Mirrors", the 2013 single from Justin Timberlake's "20/20 Experience Part 1", is in reference to the looking-glass, the titular mirror. Finally, the clue to the game of chess is in reference to the general theme of the entire novel. While "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" took its theme from a deck of cards (The Queen of Hearts, as you may recall, had many card soldiers), "Through the Looking-Glass" draws its theme from the game of chess.

Answer: Animal Farm

George Orwell wrote "Animal Farm", which was published in 1945. The book followed the lives of farm animals found on Manor Farm, owned by Mr. Jones. The pigs on this farm wanted to rule, and created a system of laws that stated all animals were created equal (though this rule changed to "all animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others"). The pigs took over the farm, and began to prove they believed that pigs were the greatest farm animal. At the end of the story, the pigs are seen at a table with men, and the animals were unable to distinguish the difference between hog and human.

The picture clue in the question shows a windmill, which played a part in "Animal Farm" as the animals tried to run the farm themselves with the aid of a windmill. The song lyrics belong to "Mr. Jones", a 1993 Counting Crows single found on their album "August and Everything After". Mr. Jones was the human owner of Manor Farm. Finally, Napoleon Bonaparte was referenced, as he was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. In the novel, "Animal Farm", Napoleon was the leader of the pigs.

Answer: The Hunger Games

In Suzanne Collin's 2008 novel "The Hunger Games", Katniss Everdeen volunteers to replace her younger sister in a tournament. The tournament pits 24 children against each other, where they fight to the death to emerge victorious. When she befriends her District's own Peeta Mellark, however, Katniss hatches a plan that would defy the Capitol and their Hunger Games. Threatening the Gamemakers with poison berries, it becomes apparent that either there must be two winners of the Games, or no winner at all. This plan works, and both Katniss and Peeta make it out alive, but, as the following two books in the trilogy make apparent, the plan was not without ramifications.

The picture shows a simple bow and arrow, which is Katniss Everdeen's weapon of choice. Her skills in archery play a major roll in the "Hunger Games" trilogy. The song lyrics belonged to Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire", which came from the album of the same name from 2012. At the start of the Hunger Games, Katniss wore a flaming dress, effectively making her "Katniss, the girl on fire". The final clue refers to one of the "Three Men in a Tub", which, in this instance, is Baker. Peeta, the boy with the bread, is a baker who plays quite a "roll" in the series (pun pun pun).

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" was published sometime around the 1590s, perhaps in 1591 (11 years after the earthquake of 1580; there is a reference to an earthquake 11 years prior in one line of the story). The story of "Romeo and Juliet" is often thought of as a love story, though the tale of two young teenagers killing themselves in the end is quite the tragedy.

The picture shows a bottle of poison. In "Romeo and Juliet", Juliet drinks a poison, and Romeo believes her to be dead. He then drinks a poison so that he may die. Of course, Juliet then awakens, and finds her love dead, and she then stabs herself with a dagger. The song is "Die Young", a 2012 single from Ke$ha's "Warrior" album. Since Romeo was 17, and Juliet was 13, they both certainly died young. Finally, the Arc de Triomphe is found in Paris, France. Paris is another character from "Romeo and Juliet", who also suffers death when he is killed by Romeo.

Answer: Lord of the Flies

"Lord of the Flies" was written by William Golding in 1954. The novel begins with a plane crash, and the only survivors are a group of young boys. On the island, Ralph finds a conch shell, and it soon becomes the official symbol of leadership among the young group. The boys find a way to survive, but they do not stay unified for long. A beast is in their midst, but is it one found on the island, or the beast found within us all?

Glasses are important in "Lord of the Flies". Piggy's spectacles are the only means available to start a fire for the boys to survive. The lyrics in the question are to the song "Airplanes", a single by B.o.B. and Hayley Williams, which can be found on the album "B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray" (2010). The boys are first stranded on the island due to a plane crash. Finally, the childhood game referred to is "Simon Says". Simon emerges as a leader who overthrows Ralph and Piggy in "Lord of the Flies".

Answer: Angels and Demons

"Angels and Demons" was released by Dan Brown in 2000, and is the first in the series featuring Robert Langdon. The novel is set in the Vatican City, which is in danger of destruction from a small piece of antimatter hidden in a darkened room. The Pope, as well as other important members of the Vatican, are also in danger as they are killed, one at a time, by the Illuminati.

You will notice that the picture is the word air, but it is an ambigram. This means that, if you flip the picture upside down, it still reads the word "air". Ambigrams are used extensively throughout "Angels and Demons", and words such as "air", "water", "fire", and "earth" are all ambigrams in the novel. The song is from Maroon 5's 2002 album "Songs About Jane", and is called "Harder to Breathe". This is in reference to the method of death for the four cardinals in the novel (one was suffocated with dirt, one was drowned, one had punctured lungs, and one was burned). The final clue was referencing the phrase "All roads lead to Rome". Of course, the novel is set in Rome, and many roads are taken throughout Robert Langdon's journey of Rome.

Answer: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", written by Roald Dahl, was first published in 1964 in the US, and in 1967 in the UK. The book follows Charlie Bucket as he finds a golden ticket, which gives him an opportunity to tour Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Four other children tour along with him, but they are disqualified along the journey as they get into various bizarre situations. When only Charlie is left, Willy Wonka reveals to him that he gets to inherit the entire chocolate factory.

The picture is simply that of a bucket, which is the last name of the titular Charlie. The song is one from Weird Al Yankovic's album ""Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D". The 1984 song is called "Eat It", which is exactly what Augustus Gloop did to get himself into trouble in the first place. Finally, the squirrel is the nut-collecting bushy-tailed rodent. Squirrels play a part in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", as they are the sorters of nuts to determine good nuts and bad nuts. Veruca Salt and her parents are bad nuts, according to the squirrels.

Answer: The Hobbit

"The Hobbit, or There and Back Again" was written by J. R. R. Tolkien and published in 1937. The book follows Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Wizard, and a group of dwarves as they travel to the home of a dragon named Smaug. It is their intent to take Smaug's treasure, but the journey to the bounty is not that easy...

The picture is that of a ring, which plays a prominent role in "The Hobbit" and even more so in the following trilogy by Tolkien, "The Lord of the Rings". The song is "Treasure" by Bruno Mars, and can be found on the 2013 album "Unorthodox Jukebox". Of course, treasure is important in "The Hobbit". Without the loot as motive, the entire story would not have taken place! Of course, the creature on the flag of Wales is a dragon, which is the guardian of the treasure the dwarves are after.

Answer: Winnie-the-Pooh

A. A. Milne published "Winnie-the-Pooh" in 1926, though the character of Pooh was first introduced in 1924. In "Winnie-the-Pooh", we follow the life of Pooh Bear in a world created by the imagination of a boy named Christopher Robin. Winnie-the-Pooh gets into all sorts of trouble, and meets many friends throughout his adventures. Sadly, though, one of the most popular characters, Tigger, is not found in the novel. He is introduced in the sequel, "The House at Pooh Corner".

The picture is of Eeyore's tail, which creates an entire story in the book "Winnie-the-Pooh". Eeyore loses his tail, as he does often, and Pooh and his friends go in search of finding Eeyore a new tail. The song is "Honey Bee", which is found on Blake Shelton's 2011 album "Red River Blue". The honeybee plays a part in one of the most known stories of Winnie-the-Pooh, where he uses a balloon to hoist himself up towards the honey found in a big honey tree. The final clue points to an owl, and Owl is one of the characters of "Winnie-the-Pooh".

Answer: Life of Pi

"Life of Pi" was published in 2001, and written by Yann Martel. The story follows a boy named Piscine (nicknamed Pi) who lived in India, where his father had a zoo. On a move to Canada, the ship containing Pi's family and many zoo animals sink, and only Pi and a few animals survive by retreating to a lifeboat. After the deaths of a hyena, zebra, and orangutan, the only surviving members of the shipwreck are Pi and Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger from the zoo. The two drift away in their boat for a very long time before they finally make it to dry land, where the two go their separate ways.

The picture shows a whale, which plays a minor role in "Life of Pi". In one fantastical experience, Pi finds himself in the middle of a beautifully lit ocean, and a whale leaps out of the water right by his boat. The scene is also one of the most magnificent to see in the 2012 film of the same name. The song is "Eye of the Tiger" (which is performed by Survivor, and can be found on the 1982 album "Rocky III Original Soundtrack"), which, of course, references one of the main characters, a tiger by the name of Richard Parker. The meerkat also plays a role in the book. At one point during his journey, Pi comes across a carnivorous island that is home to a mob of meerkats, and the island gives Pi a religious experience.