Dystopian Fact or Fiction Trivia Quiz

Answer: Interracial relationships

Oliver Bolokitten is a pseudonym for Jerome B. Holgate (1812-1893). He approaches his topic from the point of view of an anti-Abolitionist, imagining a future city (probably Philadelphia, PA) where interracial marriages are required, or at the very least strongly encouraged.

The novel offensively suggests that for this, white residents use various devices on their noses to block the smell of the black residents. Holgate's ultimate solution to these problems is separation of the races and removal of those of African descent to Africa. Concerns of tensions between whites and blacks without the institution of slavery was frequently mentioned by proponents of slavery in the United States.

The concern about smell was mentioned by Thomas Jefferson in his "Notes on the States of Virginia". All in all, Holgate's novel presents a dystopia, though perhaps not for the reasons he mentioned: in the 21st century, a person would be less likely to be offended by an interracial marriage than by a marriage where one or both of the participants were unwilling.

Answer: STEM education

This novel was written by Jules Verne (1827-1905) in 1863 but was not published until 1994. At the time, Verne's editor thought the story was too depressing to be popular. Set in 1960, this is a Paris (and by extension the world) where technology and business are the only important subjects and arts and literature are downgraded.

In the 21st century STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is sometimes emphasized at the expense of the arts and humanities. The protagonist, Michel Dufrénoy, is a poet who is discouraged by a world where he can only find employment working at a bank.

Another character is described as the last Professor of Rhetoric at a university. As with Verne's other books, it is interesting to see what Verne got right (department stores, suburbs) and what he got wrong (automobiles).

Answer: Socialism

In this story, set in the 21st century, a visitor from Sweden has come to the United States, which has transformed into a socialist republic in the early 1900s. To the narrator, the socialist state seems a dreary place where an enforced equality is more like widespread mediocrity. People wear identical clothing and lead boring lives. Feminism and technology are also targets.

In this world, technology can lead to mistakes like food being replaced by nutrition pills. "The Republic of the Future" was written by Anna Bowman Dodd (1858-1929).

Answer: Fascism

Jack London's (1876-1916) literature sometimes reflected his views on real life issues and "The Iron Heel" is one such example. It is interesting that London uses a female first-person narrator, unusual for a male author of the time. Set in San Francisco, the novel features a 27th century historian looking back at the rise of a Fascist force in the early 20th century: the Oligarchy, or "Iron Heel".

The Oligarchy is a group of Monopolists/Robber Barons who take control and slowly but surely squeeze the workers dry.

Some literary scholars feel the novel predicts the Fascist movements of the 1920s and 1930s (Mussolini, Hitler, etc.)

Answer: Eugenics

Eugenics is an important theme of "Brave New World" as many of the inhabitants of the World State are bred to have a certain level of intelligence and play certain roles in the society. Eugenics is an attempt to control the genetic material in a population.

The citizens of the World State are artificially bred in laboratory settings and most people are purposely kept sterile. The people are also kept in a perpetual state of contentment through the use of the mind-altering drug, soma. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was the author of many works of fiction and non-fiction.

Answer: Censorship

In the world of "Fahrenheit 451", books are forbidden and fire fighters, rather than putting out fires have the job of burning books that are discovered. In this world, it is not so much the physical books that are feared as the ideas they contain. In this world, the favored entertainment comes from mindless programs broadcast on parlor walls (sounding strangely like television). Eventually, the main character, Montag, finds a group of exiles who attempt to maintain at least some of the ideas found in books. Science-fiction author Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) wrote "Fahrenheit 451". Ironically, the book itself has been the subject of censorship at various times and places.

Answer: Nuclear War

"Alas, Babylon" is one of the first fictional looks at a world that has been destroyed, or at least severely damaged by atomic and/or nuclear war. The novel looks at the impact of a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union on a small Florida town.

The impact of atomic and/or nuclear radiation was a common threat in the world of the 1950s and 1960s from duck and cover drills to fallout shelters. Author Pat Frank (1908-1964) wrote "Alas, Babylon".

Answer: Overpopulation

Author Anthony Burgess (1917-1993) wrote "The Wanting Seed". In the novel, the subject of overpopulation is a major focus. The idea of the dangers of overpopulation goes back at least to economist Thomas Malthus who envisioned the dangers if human population were to grow more rapidly than food supply.

In the world of "The Wanting Seed", homosexuality is encouraged and heterosexuality is discouraged as a way of slowing population growth, along with strong encouragement for voluntary sterilization.

As can be imagined, living conditions are extremely crowded and materials are used and reused as much as possible.

Answer: Environment

If you have ever wondered what a dystopian story for children would look like, this is it. In "The Lorax", the Once-ler encourages the harvesting of the Truffla trees as a way to grow his factory and improve the economy. The attempt of the Lorax to "speak for the trees" and slow growth is largely ignored until too late. Once the trees are largely gone and the factory has closed down, the Once-ler considers the idea that the Lorax may have been right. Concerns with the environment were significant in the 1970s as reflected by the establishment of "Earth Day" (1970) and the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States (1971). Dr. Seuss is the pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991).

Answer: Disease

Horror novelist Stephen King (born 1947) is the author of "The Stand". In the novel, he imagines that a biological weapon has been accidentally released, killing 99% of the population of the United States. King intertwines the stories of several survivors. Survivors of the disease gather in two places--Boulder, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada--and prepare for a final showdown. Fear of pandemics has been a common thread in history ranging from the Bubonic Plague to smallpox.