Fix Some Titles Trivia Quiz

Answer: Shift

'Switch' is a synonym of 'Shift', hence the inspiration for this mistitling. The titles in this anthology were either previously unpublished or had been published during the late '60s or '70s, mainly in magazines like 'Cavalier' or 'Penthouse'. Stephen King's career as an author has been very long-lived indeed! This anthology of horror and suspense titles was itself published in 1978.

Answer: Times

'Hard Times', which rhymes with 'Rhymes', was an appropriate title. The book's content featured the hard times of mill workers, but Dickens himself was also inspired in part by his own financial struggles as his magazine 'Household Words' needed a boost in circulation.

This 1854 publication ticked a lot of the Dickens boxes: satire, social commentary on Victorian society, and a sprawling plot. It particularly criticised Utilitarian philosophy for depersonalising the employer-employee relationship, and was likely inspired by the Preston mill strike of 1853-4.

Answer: Shrew

A 'Lion' might be as hard to tame as a 'Shrew', albeit for different reasons. The touchy theme of 'taming' a woman has made it a challenge for some theatres to tastefully interpret this comedy written between 1590 and 1592, though many have risen to that challenge over the centuries.

The titular 'shrew', Katherina, was treated very poorly by Petruchio, who starved her and tried to mentally break her down so that she would submit to using the same language as him. Although Katherina in her final speech purportedly submitted to her husband, there has never been consensus as to whether said speech should be taken literally, ironically or as farce.

Answer: Twits

The inspiration for this mistitling stuck with the animal theme and resembled the sound an owl might make: 'twit' and 'twoo'. They likely weren't owls, but some African birds did help monkeys glue the Twits upside-down. This ultimately crushed them under their own weight.

This wasn't a morally gray book: the Twits were mean to each other and mean to their animals and, ultimately, paid the price for that. Dahl personified their ugliness as coming from their 'ugly thoughts', and indicated that, despite one's physical features, someone with 'good thoughts' could never be ugly.

Answer: Space

This mistitling was inspired by the 'Space' key being close to the 'Control' key on a keyboard. The three books in this trilogy were 'Out of the Silent Planet', 'Perelandra' and 'That Hideous Strength', published in 1938, 1943 and 1945 respectively. In these titles, C.S. Lewis explored themes of theology, morality and mythology, infusing Christian themes in a perhaps subtler way than in 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.

Answer: Trial

'Kafkaesque' is defined as either relating to Kafka (or his style of writing) or of having a bizarre, nightmarish quality. 'The Trial' - there also happens to be a 'Court' in the novel - certainly fits with that description. The protagonist, Josef K., was arrested and put on trial, but was not told what the charges were. Roughly a year after this arrest, during which time he had dealt with frustratingly opaque bureaucratic institutions, Josef was led out of town and executed.

Answer: Taken

In this case, 'There' relates to the title used in the U.S. initial publication, 'There is a Tide...'. This Hercule Poirot book was set in post-World War II England and wove in themes related to the societal upheaval experienced in those times. Not to spoil anything explicitly, but the quote "When you caught hold of me by the throat and said if I wasn't for you, no one should have me - well - I knew then that I was your woman!" may suggest why Michael had a raised eyebrow during the epilogue.

Answer: Tolls

'Tinkles' and 'Tolls' are both different sounds that bells can make. 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' reflected the similarly named John Donne poem, where 'no man is an island'. It was published in 1940, just after the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939. In the four days the book takes place within, protagonist Robert Jordan fell in love, savoured hedonistic pleasures as though each day could be his last, and by the end of the book had made an ultimate sacrifice.

Answer: Sepia

Each word has a colourful connotation, but 'Sepia' also happened to be an anagram of 'Paise' (the plural of a subunit of the rupee). This book was published in 2000 and was the second of three titles involving the del Valles. Its plot was mainly centered on Aurora del Valle, an adopted girl who held no recollection of the first five years of her life.

Whilst there was a focus on her character growth, missing memories and transition into adulthood, the supporting characters and their backgrounds were also integral to the overall scene.

Answer: Small

'Tall' happens to rhyme with 'Small', and also happens to be an antonym of it. 'Small Gods', the thirteenth book in the popular 'Discworld' series, was published in 1992. It poked fun at the foibles of organised religion, where gods were only as powerful as their believers allowed them to be.

As a reversal of an oft-mocked theme, one fun quirk here is that the main Church in this novel was actually trying to convince people that Discworld is round.