Killer Literature Trivia Quiz

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

Capulets and Montagues in "Romeo and Juliet" were bitter enemies. When Romeo, a Montague, fell in love with Juliet, a Capulet, everyone on both sides was incensed. Juliet's cousin Tybalt went so far as to threaten Romeo, but Romeo refused to fight him; he and Juliet had secretly married and Romeo considered Tybalt kin. Tybalt ended up fighting with Mercutio, Romeo's good friend.

The battle ended in Mercutio's death at the hands of Tybalt.

Answer: Crime and Punishment

In "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Raskolnikov wasn't too happy with his circumstances when he dropped out of law school; he had no money and was about to be evicted from his tiny rented room. He came up with the idea of killing the local pawnbroker, a rather mean old woman who no one really liked, and using her money to restart his life.

But he didn't really think the plan through very well and left some clues. He also didn't realize how miserably guilty he'd be after the murder.

Answer: Oliver Twist

Bill Sikes was a villain in Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist". An abusive, jealous thief, he killed his girlfriend in a fit of rage and tried to drown his dog. Fortunately, he came to a bad end on his own. The novel presented the poor conditions street children lived in, subject to brutal labor and vulnerable to criminals.

Answer: The Stranger

Albert Camus's Mersault from "The Stranger" was a man who didn't show or seem to feel much emotion. But on edge after his friend was stabbed and feeling disoriented in the extreme heat on a French-Algiers beach, Mersault, without explaining his motive, shot another man. "The Stranger" is widely considered to be an existentialist novel, one that shares that philosophy's elements of disorientation, alienation, and confusion in a world that seems meaningless.

Answer: The Silence of the Lambs

Few antagonists are as villainous as the evil genius Hannibal Lecter from "The Silence of the Lambs" by Thomas Harris. He appeared in Harris's earlier thriller, "Red Dragon", but came to greater prominence in the next book, "The Silence of the Lambs", which was made into an award-winning movie. In that story, he killed two of his guards and was on his way to kill his former jailer.

Answer: American Pyscho

Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho" was a particularly chilling murderer, because he was identical to the other financially successful young professionals he worked with on Wall Street. The novel was a commentary on, among other things, the lack of morality in a generation of young, money-focused professionals.

Answer: No Country For Old Men

In Cormac McCarthy's novel "No Country for Old Men", Anton Chigurh was a particularly ruthless hitman, whose weapon of choice was a cattle stunner. McCarthy is a prolific American writer who is associated often with the Southern Gothic subgenre. He has been granted many awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for Literature.

Answer: Cruel and Unusual

Patricia Cornwell was already several novels into her Dr. Kay Scarpetta series when the evil Temple Gault appeared in "Cruel and Unusual". In this story alone, he killed a young boy, three women, and his former warden. Dr. Scarpetta was hot on his trail, but Temple went on to murder more victims in later novels.

Answer: Gone Girl

The book "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn took the world by storm with its breakneck pace, dynamic narration, and the presentation of the shockingly intelligent Amy Dunne. She knew her husband was cheating on her, and she decided to exact her revenge on him in a way that would destroy him financially, socially, personally, and, ultimately, physically.

Not everything went precisely as she planned -- and she did plan precisely -- and she ended up killing Desi, a man who was simultaneously her ally and her kidnapper.

Answer: White Oleander

Twelve-year-old Astrid Magnussen was dreading what she knew would happen at the start of "White Oleander". Her mother, Ingrid, was beautiful and captivating, and when she was dumped by her boyfriend, Barry, Astrid knew Ingrid wouldn't take it well. "Not taking it well" involved poisoning Barry. Hell hath no fury.