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Mostly European Literature Trivia Quiz

Thanks to my lit class in college, I've been inspired to produce this quiz concerning the writings of the western world. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by GypsyQueen. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
GypsyQueen

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
57,148

Updated
Sep 18 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1695

Last 3 plays: Nehabharti (4/10), Guest 89 (7/10), Guest 85 (5/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In Homer's 'The Odyssey', what is the name of Odysseus' son? Hint

Anchises

Megaerus

Metis

Telemachus

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Madame de Lafayette's 'The Princesse of Cleves' is a tale of failed romance and court deception, and many of the characters in the novel die. Who is the first to pass on? Hint

The Queen

The Dauphine

The princess' husband, M. de Cleves

The princess' mother, Mme de Chartres

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. What is the name of Hamlet's mother in William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'? Hint

Ophelia

Gertrude

Titania

Lucia

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Why was Henrik Ibsen's play 'Ghosts' so shocking when it emerged in the late 1800's? Hint

It discussed adultery

All the answers are correct

It discussed sexually transmitted diseases

It discussed incest

5. Bocaccio's 'The Decameron' contains short stories told by the characters in order to entertain each other. One story involves a 'holy man' and a young virgin. What does the friar teach the girl how to do? Hint

Dance for his enjoyment

Perform his duties at church

Cook his food and clean his house

Have sexual intercourse

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. This concerns history more than it does literature, but let's see if you English majors can figure it out anyway. Who was the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England? Hint

Anne of Cleves

Jane Seymour

Anne Boleyn

Catherine Parr

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Which of the following was not written by Leo Tolstoy? Hint

Man and Superman

Master and Man

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Anna Karenina

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Who wrote 'The Sorrows of Young Werther'? Hint

Marlowe

Goethe

Jonson

Hugo

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Agamemnon is mentioned in the 'Odyssey' and is called a hero. What do readers learn about Agamemnon in the play of the same name? Hint

He murdered his wife

He assassinated a king

He was a thief

He sacrificed his daughter

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Who wrote 'Cymbeline'? Hint

Goethe

Marlowe

Shakespeare

Jonson

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Most Recent Scores

Today : Nehabharti: 4/10
Dec 19 2024 : Guest 89: 7/10
Dec 14 2024 : Guest 85: 5/10
Dec 05 2024 : Guest 71: 8/10
Nov 16 2024 : Guest 82: 6/10
Nov 13 2024 : Guest 157: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In Homer's 'The Odyssey', what is the name of Odysseus' son?

Answer: Telemachus

Telemachus was the firstborn of Odysseus and Penelope. He proved himself an intelligent, strong and brave young man by the end of the epic, and worthy of being his father's son.

2. Madame de Lafayette's 'The Princesse of Cleves' is a tale of failed romance and court deception, and many of the characters in the novel die. Who is the first to pass on?

Answer: The princess' mother, Mme de Chartres

Mme de Chartres' dying words to her daughter foreshadowed the rest of the novel: she begged the princess not to fall in love with the duke. It would eventually be her downfall.

3. What is the name of Hamlet's mother in William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'?

Answer: Gertrude

Seems to me to be a modest and prudish name for so devious a lady!

4. Why was Henrik Ibsen's play 'Ghosts' so shocking when it emerged in the late 1800's?

Answer: All the answers are correct

Far less startling by modern standards, Ibsen's play frankly involved three then-unbroken taboos, all circling around the great sin of lust. Ibsen's other plays are equally involved but focus less on the results of carnality than on social issues.

Answer: Have sexual intercourse

The sexually depraved man taught the overly penitent girl how to put the 'devil' (his manhood) in 'hell' (her maidenhead).

6. This concerns history more than it does literature, but let's see if you English majors can figure it out anyway. Who was the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England?

Answer: Anne of Cleves

Henry, bored that Anne's beauty was not what his messengers had claimed it to be, divorced her after a few brief months of unhappily married life.

7. Which of the following was not written by Leo Tolstoy?

Answer: Man and Superman

'Man and Superman' is a play by Shaw.

8. Who wrote 'The Sorrows of Young Werther'?

Answer: Goethe

This novel's manic-depressive hero was so popular that the book sparked a rash of suicides in Europe!

9. Agamemnon is mentioned in the 'Odyssey' and is called a hero. What do readers learn about Agamemnon in the play of the same name?

Answer: He sacrificed his daughter

Agamemnon's wife and her lover murdered him as soon as he returned, triumphant, from war. Clytemnestra had never forgiven her husband for his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia.

10. Who wrote 'Cymbeline'?

Answer: Shakespeare

Not one of his best.

Source: Author GypsyQueen

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