Great Humorists and Satirists Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson was born on 1951 in Iowa. However, he decided to move to England and stayed there until 1995. Before going back to the United States, Bryson decided to write a book about the country he had lived in for so many years, so he came up with "Notes From a Small Island", a humorous approach on almost everything in England.

The book was published in 1995 by HarperCollins Publishers, and later adapted to a documentary in 1999.

Answer: James Thurber

James Thurber was an American cartoonist and author. His short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", which is arguably his most famous short story, was first published in "The New Yorker" magazine in 1939. In 1947, it was adapted to a film starring Danny Kaye. Thurber did not like the movie at all. Ben Stiller was the main actor in the 2013 adaptation.

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is about a man who is constantly daydreaming about different situations, like seeing himself as a surgeon and envisioning himself as a pilot.

Thurber wrote works such as "My Life and Hard Times" and "The Last Flower".

The Thurber Prize, which recognizes humor literature since 1997, is named after him.

Answer: Robert Rankin

Robert Rankin's "The Brentford Chainstore Massacre", which is the fifth novel of the Brentford Trilogy series, was nominated in 1997 by the British Fantasy Society for best novel but did not win. "The Brightonomicon", eighth novel of the series, was also nominated in 2006. This last novel, however, won "The Hub" award for best audio series.

Rankin mostly writes fantasy. Some of his other works include "The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse", and "The Toyminator".

Answer: Catch-22

American writer Joseph Heller was critically acclaimed after releasing this novel. "Catch-22" is a term that refers to a situation where you will not be benefited in any way, or a "no-win situation".

The book was adapted into a movie in 1970. The novel was categorized by "TIME" as one of the top 100 English language modern novels.

All of the other options are also novels written by Heller.

Answer: Dave Barry

Dave Barry, an American author, humorist and columnist, wrote several works of fiction with novelist Ridley Pearson. Barry won a Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for his work as a humor columnist.

His book "Big Trouble", which was his first novel, was adapted into a 2002 movie.

Answer: Popcorn

"Popcorn" was published in 1996, and won the Gold Dagger Award in that same year. "Gridlock" was published in 1991, "Dead Famous" in 2001, and "Past Mortem" in 2004. They all made it to the UK Top 5 list.

Ben Elton also wrote "Love Never Dies", a sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera". "We Will Rock You" features several songs from British band Queen. Elton worked with former members Brian May and Roger Taylor in order to fit the music with the script.

Answer: Patrick McManus

Patrick McManus's columns have been used as material for books, some of which are "Avalanche", "The Blight Way" and "The Huckleberry Murders".

He mainly writes about the outdoors, with fictional and semi-fictional characters.

Answer: Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray is a character created by Oscar Wilde, who appears in his novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray".

All of the other characters appear in the "Jeeves" stories by Wodehouse. Reginald Jeeves, or simply "Jeeves", works as a valet for Bertie Wooster, an English socialité. Rosie M. Banks works as a romance novelist.

Answer: Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett, who was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1998, published "The Colour of Magic" in 1983, and since then, his "Discworld" series has grown steadily. Some of the famous writers who are parodied are J.R.R Tolkien and William Shakespeare.

Pratchett announced in 2007 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which led him to publicly suggest his desire to die by assisted suicide in the following years. He died in March 2015 after a long fight with Alzheimer's.

Answer: Helen Fielding

"Bridget Jones's Diary" sold millions of copies worldwide, and won the prize for British Book of the Year in 1997. The book was adapted to a movie in 2001, starring Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.

In 1999, a sequel entitled "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" was published.