Literature Grab Bag Trivia Quiz

Answer: "The Grapes of Wrath"

"The Grapes of Wrath" was written by John Steinbeck. Hemingway received the Nobel Prize for Literature for "The Old Man and the Sea", one of his later works. All three Hemingway novels were made into movies, with Spencer Tracy starring in "The Old Man and the Sea" (1958), Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes starring in "A Farewell to Arms" (1932), and Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman starring in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1943).

Answer: Mary Shelley

Though there are some who believe that Percy Bysshe Shelley actually wrote "Frankenstein", his wife, Mary Shelley, is the generally accepted author of the novel. Mary wrote that the idea for the novel came to her in a dream.

Answer: Joseph Stalin's

"Animal Farm" was first published in 1945 and is a direct response by Orwell to the policies of Joseph Stalin in World War II-era Russia and the Soviet Union. The novel won a retrospective Hugo Award for best science-fiction novel in 1996 and was included in "Time" magazine's 100 best English-language novels in 2005.

Answer: Objectivism

Objectivism is expressed in Ayn Rand's fiction works, including "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged", and was the subject of several newsletters created by Rand, such as "The Objectivist". Rand believed that Objectivism was "a philosophy for living on Earth" and was in direct contrast with all forms of collectivism, including Communism, Socialism, and all forms of altruism.

Answer: Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was an Irish author, poet, and playwright, who is best known for the novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and the play "The Importance of Being Earnest". Born in 1854, Wilde died of cerebral meningitis in 1900.

Answer: False

"Brave New World" was written by Aldous Huxley and first published in 1932. Like George Orwell's "1984", the novel is centered around a futuristic, dystopian society. Many comparisons have been made between the two novels, though they were written more than 15 years apart ("1984" was first published in 1949).

Answer: Arthur Miller

Miller was married to Monroe from 1956-1961, who was the second of his three wives. Aside from being well-known as a playwright and husband of Marilyn Monroe, Miller was also in the public eye as a suspected Communist and was fined and sentenced to 30 days imprisonment by the House Un-American Activities Committee, though this conviction was later overturned. Miller was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1949 for "Death of a Salesman."

Answer: Sherlock Holmes

Though Conan Doyle is best known for Sherlock Holmes, he also wrote many works not featuring the famous detective, including historical novels, science fiction stories, and plays. Sherlock Holmes was so popular that, after killing him off in 1893 in his book, "The Final Problem", Conan Doyle was forced to bring him back in 1901 after public outcry.

Answer: Stephenie Meyer

J.K. Rowling is the author of the "Harry Potter" series of books, while Danielle Steel is the author of numerous romance novels. Carolyn Keene is the penname under which all of the the Nancy Drew books have been written. The "Twilight" series is comprised of four books: "Twilight" (2005), "New Moon" (2006), "Eclipse" (2007), and "Breaking Dawn" (2008).

The first three books have been made into films, while the fourth book will be split into two films. As of early 2011, the first of the two films is currently in production.

Answer: "The Little Mermaid"

"The Little Mermaid" was written by Hans Christian Andersen, who is also well-known for writing fairy tales such as "Thumbelina" and "The Ugly Duckling." Contrary to popular belief, the Brothers Grimm were not the actual authors of the tales they published, but rather collected and published folk tales that were already being circulated.