Once Upon A Midnight Dreary Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nevermore

The narrator asks the bird its name and the raven replies "Nevermore". However, this is all the bird says in the poem, so it may simply be the only word it knows. "The Raven" with its famous first line of "Once upon a Midnight dreary..." was first published in 1845. The poem made Poe famous, but not wealthy. It has become a cultural icon, appearing in many other works and forms over the past 150 years.

"The Raven," like the other poems in the quiz, is written in trochaic octameter. Trochaic comes from Greek Trokos "wheel" and khoros "dance" so "wheel dance." This indicates the stressed-unstressed nature of a trochaic foot. The first syllable is stressed, the second is unstressed.
Octameter simply means there are eight feet to the line.
In the Raven it comes out like this:
ONCE up-ON a MID-night DREAR-y, WHILE (i) PON-dered WEAK and WEAR-y
Troachic octamater is very tough to write in. I would be amazed if there were more than fifty good poems written in it.

Answer: Charles Dickens

"Barnaby Rudge" is a historical novel centered on the Gordon riots of 1780. Poe reviewed "Barnaby Rudge" and argued that the raven in the story should have a more symbolic purpose. The novel was published as a serial (as were many of Dickens' works) in 1840-41. James Russell Lowell notes Poe's use of "Barnaby Rudge" in "A Fable for Critics". As for Dickens, he is probably the best-known English writer of the 19th century. His works include "Oliver Twist", "A Christmas Carol" and "Great Expectations." Dickens is often noted for his vividly drawn characters.

Answer: Alfred Lord Tennyson

These line are from Alfred Lord Tennyson in "Locksley Hall". The poem is about a soldier visiting his boyhood home and dwelling on a possible utopian future that contrasts with the bleak life he currently lives. Tennyson wrote it in 1835. He wrote a sequel "Locksley Hall Sixty Years After" in 1886, which is considerably less optimistic about the future. Tennyson was Poet Laureate of England from 1850 to 1892. The poem has appeared in a variety of cultural venues, ranging from the film "Marathon Man" (1976) to "Star Trek: Voyager".

Answer: Bruges

Those lines come from "The Belfry of Bruges", an ode to the history of Belgium. Longfellow (1807-1882) is one of the more prominent American poets of the 19th century. He is best known for looking nostalgically at historical events, in poems such as "Paul Revere's Ride" and "Song of Hiawatha." Longfellow also published the first US interpretation of Dante's "Divine Comedy".

Answer: March

Swinburne starts "Ere frost-flower and snow-blossom faded and fell, and the splendor of winter had passed out of sight, The ways of the woodlands were fairer and stranger than dreams that fulfil us with sleep in delight".
Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) was known for his decadent lifestyle as well as his poetry. He was part of the Pre-Raphaelite movement and was a friend of poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Answer: Venice

Browning says in the second stanza "What, they lived once thus at Venice, where the merchants were the kings... where St Marks is, where the Doges used to wed the sea with rings?" The poem is about two lovers having a conversation as they listen to the music of Galuppi. Galuppi (1706-1785) is best known for his operas and harpsichord sonatas.

Answer: Battle of Killecrankie

On July 27, 1689, Scottish forces supporting James VII (Jacobites) defeated forces loyal to William of Orange at the Pass of Killecrankie. Unfortunately, Viscount Dundee, the leader of the Jacobite forces, was killed during the battle. Dunkeld took place in August 1689. Bannockburn was in 1314, the key battle in the fight for Scottish independence. Agincourt was a British victory over France in 1415. Ayton writes of Graham and his Scottish warriors: "Last of Scots and Last of Freemen, Last of all that dauntless race - Who would rather die unsullied, Than outlive the land's disgrace!"

Answer: Wales

Mumbles is in Swansea, Wales. Catherine Zeta-Jones grew up in Mumbles and she and Michael Douglas own a home there. The poem tells the tale of Jessie Ace and Margaret Wright, who rescued a group of German sailors in January 1883. Scott begins the poem "Bring novelists your notebook. Bring dramatists your pen... And I'll tell you a simple story of what women do for men".
Scott notes that the action takes place in Wales: "And have you sailed your yacht in summer, in the blue of Swansea Bay".

Answer: Yukon

Service was known as "The Bard of the Yukon" for his works about the lives of early settlers and gold miners. Two of his more famous poems are "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and "The Shooting of Dan McGrew". Service begins "Song of the Camp Fire" with "Heed me, feed me, I am hungry, I am red-tongued with desire; Boughs of balsam, slabs of cedar, gummy fagots of the pine".

Answer: Britney Spears

"Womanizer," the first track on Spears' 2008 album "Circus" was one of the biggest songs of 2009. It topped the charts in the United States, Canada and many European nations. Britney Spears (born 1982) is a native of Louisiana. She has been active as an entertainer since 1992. "Circus" was seen as a comeback effort for the often controversial singer.