Numerical Novels Trivia Quiz

Answer: "Chief" Bromden

The story is narrated by "Chief" Bromden. The half Native American is a long time resident of the Oregon Psychiatric Hospital who feigns being deaf and mute. The name of the novel is taken from a nursery rhyme told to Bromden by his grandmother:

"Vintery, mintery, cutery, corn,
Apple seed and apple thorn,
Wire, briar, limber lock
Three geese in a flock
One flew East
One flew West
And one flew over the cuckoo's nest".

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" has seen much controversy throughout the years, including being banned at various times in various U.S. states. It was included in "Time" magazine's "100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005" list. The novel was adapted into a multiple Academy Award winning film, starring Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy, in 1975.

Answer: Orthanc

"The Lord of the Rings" trilogy was published in 1954 and is made up of "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King". It is one of the most popular series of all time and been translated into thirty-eight different languages. The towers mentioned in the book are Cirith Ungol (location of Shelob's lair), Orthanc (Saruman's tower), Minas Tirith (capital of Gondor), Minas Morgul (city of the Nazgûl) and Barad-dûr (Sauron's tower).

Regarding the title of the book, Tolkien states in letters to publisher Rayner Unwin that he considered naming any combination of the five towers as the two towers of the title. Later he wrote a note, published at the end of "The Fellowship of the Ring" and drew a cover illustration which indicate that the towers probably are Minas Morgul and Orthanc.

Answer: Thames

Jerome K. Jerome wrote a vast number of novels and collections, the first of which was "Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)". It is a true account of a trip taken by Jerome and two friends sans dog in a skiff on the Thames River. Jerome states that the dog "developed out of that area of inner consciousness which, in all Englishmen, contains an element of the dog". Strangely enough, the book was incredibly popular in Russia, becoming a standard school textbook.

Answer: South Africa

"Four Fires" was one of twenty-four novels written by Courtenay during is illustrious career, starting with his first novel in 1989, "The Power of One". Most of his books are set either in South Africa or Australia. Courtenay was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1933 and he emigrated to Australia in 1958.

He was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia in 1995 and his likeness was placed on a postage stamp in 2010.

Answer: Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death

"Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death" is the official title of the book. The lead character, Billy Pilgrim, was imprisoned in a slaughterhouse in Dresden and hid in a meat locker when the Allies bombed Dresden. This is an actual account of Vonnegut's war experience.

The book was a bestseller for Vonnegut, reaching fourth position on the "New York Times" bestseller list and was placed on "Time" magazine's "100 Best English-language Novels Written Since 1923" list.

It has also copped its fair share of censorship being banned in numerous U.S. states. It was even described as "depraved, immoral, psychotic, vulgar and anti-Christian" by a circuit judge.

Answer: Nobel Prize

Nadine Gordimer published her first story at age fifteen in the late 1930s. She won her first award in 1961, the W.H. Smith Literary Award which has subsequently been won by Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul and Pulitzer Prize winner Phillip Roth as well. She became an anti-apartheid activist and even proofread Nelson Mandela's statement given at his Rivonia Trial for treason in 1964, which led to his nearly three decade long incarceration. Many of her books were banned under the apartheid government due to her subject matter which was deemed "subversive" as they touched on political themes and the racial segregation policy in the country. Her 1991 Nobel Prize for Literature was one of over thirty awards and honours she received in a career spanning seven decades.

"Six Feet of the Country" was her third collection of short stories, published in 1956. She went on to publish twenty-one such collections in her career.

Answer: Maurice Sendak

"Seven Little Monsters" is about monsters numbered one to seven that start causing mischief. One goes up and down. Two uses his extra long nose to dig a hole. Three comes creeping into town, Four chomps down on the trees and Five has a mighty thirst for the tumbling seas. Six likes to nap on houses and Seven can unscrew his head. Sendak wrote a number of books from 1956 to 2013, but illustrated significantly more.

He won a number of awards for "Where the Wild Things Are" which was adapted into a film in 2009.

Answer: Bounty hunter

Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter. Evanovich published the first Stephanie Plum book, "One for the Money" in 1994. Plum describes herself in every book as being only five feet seven inches tall and weighing only 130 pounds. Not really what one expects from your local bounty hunter. After being laid off from her job and having her car repossessed, she starts working for her cousin Vincent, a bail bondsman. Against all odds and with the help of Ranger, a mysterious and really well connected fellow bounty hunter, as well as her on again off again cop boyfriend Joe Morelli she does fairly well.

In almost every book, Plum has cars destroyed. In "Hard Eight" alone she lost three cars. One fire bombed by a man dressed up as a rabbit, another burned with lighter fluid and a match and the third burned after a package was thrown in the back of it. Only her grandmother's powder blue 1958 Buick, nicknamed "Big Blue" seems to be indestructible and has survived all attempts at assassination.

Answer: The bell tower bells

Dorothy L. Sayers was to write eleven Lord Peter Wimsey novels in her career, but wrote a number of other novels, plays and non fiction works. In "The Nine Tailors", Wimsey suffers a car accident and is stuck in a small village. One of the bell ringers falls ill and Wimsey participates in a nine hour bell ringing. He finds out about a twenty year old jewel theft that has never been solved and a mutilated body is discovered in what was thought to be a sealed grave. After much to and fro and stellar investigation, Wimsey determines that the man dies as a result of the nine hour bell ringing and states that the murderers are already "hanged higher than Haman".

I have given only snippets of information; the actual book is obviously far more in depth and a very good read.

Answer: Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss (Theodore Seuss Geisel), is an immensely popular children's author and has authored over sixty books. Most people are familiar with "The Cat in the Hat" (1957), "The Lorax" (1971), "Horton Hears a Who" (1954) and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" (1957), all of which have been made into popular films at some point.

He also wrote "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" which is referred to in the limerick and of course the ever popular "Green Eggs and Ham", both in 1960.