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Quiz about Forgotten American Women Authors

"Forgotten" American Women Authors Quiz

Most of these women authors were famous in their lifetimes (or for a time after death), but spent decades virtually forgotten. They are increasingly studied in universities today, receiving more of the attention they deserve.

A multiple-choice quiz by LipstickC. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
LipstickC

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
388,930

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
184

Question 1 of 10

1. Willa Cather's novel "Death Comes for the Archbishop" blends history and fiction. In it, the fictional priest, Latour, oversees the construction of what real-life cathedral? Hint

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville, Texas

Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo in Monterrey, California

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In Edith Wharton's novel "The House of Mirth", protagonist Lily Bart falls in love with Laurence Selden, but never marries him for which of the following reasons? Hint

Selden married Lily's cousin, who was pregnant.

He did not have enough money.

Lily wants to pursue a career in millinery (hat making).

Lily's mother persuades her to marry her distant cousin.

3. Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" features a character called Uncle Tom. Today, calling someone an "Uncle Tom" is an insult. Originally, his character was viewed as which of the following? Hint

A daring engineer in the Underground Railroad

A perfect example of the imitation of Christ

The editor of an abolitionist newspaper

A promiscuous lover and a con man

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Question 4 of 10

4. In Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find", a family goes on a road trip to Florida, only to meet up with an escaped-convict murderer along the way. This murderer is known in the story only by his nickname, which was what? Hint

Bailey Boy

The Claw

The Misfit

Black Hat

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Question 5 of 10

5. Pulitzer-Prize Winner Eudora Welty was known for writing humorous tales of the American South. Yet the murder of which civil-rights activist inspired the serious (and seriously creepy!) short story, "Where is the Voice Coming From?" Hint

Malcolm X

Harriette Moore

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Medgar Evers

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Question 6 of 10

6. Many refused to accept that the slave Phillis Wheatley, who became the first African-American published poet in 1773, actually wrote her own work. What evidence was used to help prove Wheatley's authorship? Hint

Wheatley met with President George Washington in the White House

The publication of her diary

The written testimony of 17 men, including John Hancock

Wheatley wrote a poem in front of a live audience

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Question 7 of 10

7. Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" describes the emotional liberation a woman feels upon being told of her husband's death. What kind of accident was her husband said to be in? Hint

a railroad accident

a fall from scaffolding

a mine explosion

a building collapse

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Question 8 of 10

8. Emily Dickinson did not title her poems, so some editors simply use each poem's first words as its title. One of her most famous poems begins with the words "Hope is the thing with ...". What is the next word? Hint

blossoms

feathers

legs

history

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Question 9 of 10

9. In Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", protagonist Janie has three husbands. What is the nickname of her third husband, the only man she really loved? Hint

Onnie Jay Holy

Stamp Paid

Tea Cake

Big Boy

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Question 10 of 10

10. Rebecca Harding Davis' novella "Life in the Iron Mills" tells the story of two cousins, Deborah and Hugh Wolfe. Hugh is a poor laborer, but he also has artistic talent in what field? Hint

painting

sculpture

music

pottery

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Willa Cather's novel "Death Comes for the Archbishop" blends history and fiction. In it, the fictional priest, Latour, oversees the construction of what real-life cathedral?

Answer: Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Jean Marie Latour was based on the real-life priest Jean-Baptiste Lamy, who became the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of New Mexico after the state was annexed by the United States. His friend Joseph Valliant is based on Joseph Projectus Machebeuf. The book includes a number of fictionalized versions of other historical characters, including Kit Carson and Manuel Antonio Chaves.

2. In Edith Wharton's novel "The House of Mirth", protagonist Lily Bart falls in love with Laurence Selden, but never marries him for which of the following reasons?

Answer: He did not have enough money.

Lily wanted to marry for love, but her mother had trained her from birth to appreciate new and fashionable things. When she gave up her materialistic pride, Selden hesitated too long. Lily died before he realized his mistake.

Answer: A perfect example of the imitation of Christ

In the end, Uncle Tom sacrifices his life, offering it to Jesus in atonement for the sins of his cruel master. Modern usage emphasizes his subservience as an acknowledgement of an inherently inferior status, but this is based on later works, not the original book.

Answer: The Misfit

The macabre tale uses the slogan seen on a billboard for its title. O'Connor's overt theme is that people are not as good as they often think they are.

Answer: Medgar Evers

Medgar Wiley Evers was shot in the back in 1963 outside his home in Mississippi. A veteran, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Answer: The written testimony of 17 men, including John Hancock

If Wheatley had a diary, it was never published. I find no reference to her making any public performance. And although she wrote several poems about General George Washington, and she did meet him in 1776, Washington was not elected president until 1789.

7. Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" describes the emotional liberation a woman feels upon being told of her husband's death. What kind of accident was her husband said to be in?

Answer: a railroad accident

The actual accident is described as a "railroad disaster," but the details are not given. The short story describes her emotions in the hour following the moment when she was told he had died.

Answer: feathers

"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all."

Dickinson usually wrote her poems for herself and her friends and family, apparently never wanting publication.

9. In Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", protagonist Janie has three husbands. What is the nickname of her third husband, the only man she really loved?

Answer: Tea Cake

Stamp Paid is in Toni Morrison's novel "Beloved"; Big Boy is in Richard Wright's "Big Boy Leaves Home"; Onnie Jay Holy is in Flannery O'Connor's novel "Wise Blood".

10. Rebecca Harding Davis' novella "Life in the Iron Mills" tells the story of two cousins, Deborah and Hugh Wolfe. Hugh is a poor laborer, but he also has artistic talent in what field?

Answer: sculpture

Davis' 1861 novella exposes the harsh conditions of industrial factories in nineteenth-century America, and is a precursor of literary naturalism in the 1890s.

Source: Author LipstickC

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