If All Else Fails Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joe Gargery

Joe Gargery was a somewhat browbeaten man who earned a small living through blacksmithing. Unlike Joe, Pip had greater ambitions than to be a blacksmith for his life. When Miss Havisham, a rich spinster, took a shine to Pip and sponsored him, he headed to the big city, London, to find his fame and become a gentleman, leaving Joe behind in the process.

Whilst there were numerous ups and downs in the story, eventually Pip and Joe were reunited and Joe finally ended up forgiving Pip.

Answer: Hazel

Hazel, a rabbit from 'Watership Down', written by Richard Adams and published in 1972, was the protagonist of that tragic book. Mole, Ratty and Mr. Toad were also anthropomorphic characters who featured in the rather more whimsical 'The Wind in the Willows'. Mole and Ratty enjoyed the simple pleasures of life, e.g., boating down a river.

However, Mr. Toad was obsessed with the current trends e.g. motorcars (in which he had a predilection for crashing!) and this obsession eventually landed him in prison.

He eventually changed for the better, compensating those he did harm to, although he got off a little lightly having never had to serve his full sentence...

Answer: Turkish Delight

C.S. Lewis' 'Narnia' series all began with 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', arguably the most well known book of the series. The Pevensie siblings were evacuated to the countryside and, one day, they found the magical world of Narnia hidden in a wardrobe. Jadis, the White Witch, knew of a prophecy where two 'sons of Adam' and two 'daughters of Eve' would help restore Narnia to its former glory. Before Edmund knew of her ways, she tricked him to come with her using some Turkish Delight, with the hopes of killing all the Pevensies. Throughout the story, Edmund atoned for his betrayal and eventually helped thwart Jadis' tyranny.

Answer: The Return of the King

Being the last in the trilogy, 'The Return of the King' (published in 1955) brought a sense of finality to the long, arduous journey Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, Gandalf and others had to face to put an end to Sauron. The main plotline of the story concerned the destruction of the One Ring, a ring that held immeasurable power for Sauron should he have obtained it.

However, the book had many side plotlines and interesting minor characters that ran aside the main plot. Whilst it is a long set of books, reading them is a journey in itself, and rewarding.

Answer: To find an heir for the factory

Willy Wonka was a famous chocolatier who created some of the most exotic confectionery in the land; however, he was mostly isolated from humanity in his factory, having only the curious Oompa Loompas as company. One day, he noticed he had a grey hair, and needed to find an heir for the factory, so decided to distribute five golden tickets in his confectionery and determine if any of the winners was worthy of being his heir. Four of the winners fell short of his requirements, but a young humble boy, Charlie Bucket, passed Wonka's tests and inherited the factory, bringing hope to him and his poor family.

Answer: The Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything

According to the book, nobody actually knew what the question was, and thus Earth was created as a bigger computer to determine what the 'Ultimate Question' was really asking to begin with. Earth was destroyed five minutes before its program was to be completed, so as to make way for an alien species' express route through space. Only one Earthly survivor, Arthur Dent, survived the destruction, and he was the protagonist of the book and the series that followed thereafter.

Answer: During World War II

William Beech was a young, abused and physically weak child who was evacuated to the countryside during World War II. He was placed in the care of Mister Tom, the book's namesake and a rather reclusive and gruff character. Mister Tom sympathised with William's plight and warmed to him, helping him to develop interests and feeding him properly.

However, the story took a tragic turn when his mother requested that he return to London, and William had to face trials many others hope not to face until later in life.

Answer: Brian Jacques

The 'Redwall' series was particularly expansive, taking place over 22 books. The first book, 'Redwall', was published in 1986, and the last book, 'The Rogue Crew', was published in 2011 posthumously after Brian Jacques died aged 71. The books were often centred around Redwall Abbey, which was a safe refuge for creatures of the woods. Friendly mice, rabbits and badgers (amongst other creatures) were often opposed by seemingly less moral creatures such as rats and ferrets, and fierce wars and battles were often centrepieces of the books.

Answer: "Death is going to die."

The unabridged quote goes as follows: "Somewhere out there is the origin of all the Dust, all the death, the sin, the misery, the destructiveness in the world. Human beings can't see anything without wanting to destroy it, Lyra. That's original sin. And I'm going to destroy it. Death is going to die."

Lord Asriel believed that the Dust, strange elementary particles that attract to adults more than children, was the cause of all sin and death and misery, and he sought to destroy it. By the end of the book, he tore a hole through the northern lights (hence the book's name) to a parallel universe, but left his daughter, Lyra, wondering if the Dust was a force of ill at all.

In terms of the incorrect answers, "The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience" comes from Frank Herbert's 'Dune'; "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'; and "Death and taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them" from Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With the Wind'.

Answer: False

As the book's title might suggest, the story is about atonement as opposed to licentiousness or sinful frivolity. The story was set over four distinct time periods, and detailed Briony's reflections over the years. As a young girl, Briony watched her cousin being raped by a mystery assailant.

She decided to name her older sister's lover, Robbie, as the culprit because she felt him to be an immoral person. However, she ultimately came to the conclusion that she was incorrect and had to shoulder the guilt of the consequences for Robbie and others because of her mistake.