Old Man River Trivia Quiz

Answer: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The novel, despite it being a favourite classic for many generations, has not been without controversy. It has been denounced for its racist theme by moralists even though at the time it was written such things, while repugnant, prevailed.

Answer: The Wind in the Willows

Upon retirement from the Bank of England, Kenneth Grahame moved to Berkshire where he spent a good deal of time on and by the River Thames, much like his characters, Ratty and Mole. His fertile imagination brought the characters to life in the form of bedtime stories for his son. The stories eventually became the book we know and love today.

Answer: Death on the Nile

"Death on the Nile" was one of 34 books featuring Poirot. Christie eventually became tired of him, even going so far as to describe him as a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep" despite his popularity with her fans. She didn't kill him off for quite some time, citing her duty to give the public what they liked.

Answer: Deliverance

"Deliverance", published in 1970, became an immediate critical success. The story of four men heading into the wilderness, encountering hostility and aggression from the locals, and their eventual deliverance from that particular brand of evil, was riveting.

The book was so popular that it was adapted for film a year after its release. Dickey had enjoyed many hours in his canoe on the rivers of northern Georgia which provided him with the basis for the novel.

Answer: The African Queen

Charlie Allnut was the drunk riverboat captain who comes to the aid of missionary, Rose Sayer, when she concocts a plan to blow up a German gunboat anchored at the mouth of the Ulanga River in German East Africa (now Tanzania). Portions of the screen adaptation were filmed on location on the Congo in Africa. Humphrey Bogart, who portrayed Allnut, noted that he was one of the few cast members to avoid illness during filming, due to imbibing large quantities of his personal stockpile of whiskey.

Answer: A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

"A River Runs Through It", set on and near the Blackfoot River in western Montana, depicts the lives of a religious family, their passion for fly-fishing, and the downfall of the brother who strayed and became a hardened streetfighter. The material is based on Maclean's own experiences. He was deeply affected by his brother's death and was moved to write the book because of it.

Answer: The Call of the Wild

Although a river is not entirely central to the book, it plays an important part in introducing the main character, Buck, to his rescuer. Buck is a large dog who is stolen from his kindly owners in California and shipped to Seattle. He ultimately ends up in the Klondike where he is used for heavy sled work and is mistreated terribly by his new owners.

He is rescued by Thornton, an experienced outdoorsman, when Buck instinctively refuses to take his sled across a dangerous river ice crossing. His owners thrash him, which results in Thornton cutting him free and taking him from them.

His owners cross the ice and are drowned along with the rest of the dog team. Thornton and Buck become devoted to each other until Thornton is killed by natives.

After taking his revenge on the murderers, Buck hears the "call of the wild" and returns to his adopted pack of wolves in the forest.

Answer: The King of the Golden River

Ruskin wrote this lovely story for Effie, as she was known, no doubt managing to charm the girl in the process, as they eventually wed in 1848. However, their marriage was annulled in 1854 after she fell in love with the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais while modelling for him.

The marriage with Ruskin had not been consummated, which resulted in an annulment causing a major scandal of the day. Another case of all fairytales not ending happily. The book, however, is considered a children's classic.

Answer: Heart of Darkness

Conrad joined the Merchant Navy, and eventually became a Captain. His experiences of captaining a steamship on the Congo in 1890 prompted him to write this book. He was deeply affected by his experiences on the Congo during which time he became very ill and had to return to Europe without completing his naval contract.

It took another eight years for him to write the book. The screenplay for the film "Apocalypse Now" was adapted from this novel.

Answer: The Bridge Over the River Kwai

"The Bridge Over the River Kwai" uses the building of the actual Burma-Siam Railway (nicknamed the "Death Railway") as its main theme. The deplorable conditions described in the book were much worse in real life, according to POW camp survivors. The death toll was horrendous: around 40% of all prisoners died during the construction. The bridge spanning the Mae Klong River was never fully destroyed, contrary to what the glorified 1957 film version would have us believe. The novel was awarded France's Prix Sainte-Beuve in 1952.