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Quiz about Texas Literature
Quiz about Texas Literature

Texas Literature Trivia Quiz

Texas has a rich and deep body of literature, as varied and expansive as the state itself.

A multiple-choice quiz by deaconblues63. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
deaconblues63
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
375,968
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
208
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Question 1 of 10
1. Walter Prescott Webb published a history of what famed Texas law enforcement agency? Hint


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Question 2 of 10
2. J. Frank Dobie, the dean of Texas literature, wrote a book about which animal, which was eventually named the official state large animal in 1995? Hint


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Question 3 of 10
3. Who wrote "Goodbye to a River" (1960)? Hint


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Question 4 of 10
4. "The Gay Place" (1961) is a series of three novellas by Billy Lee Brammer. The Governor of Texas, Arthur Fenstemaker, is said to be based upon which Texas politician? Hint


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Question 5 of 10
5. What was the name of Larry McMurtry's debut novel, published in 1961? Hint


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Question 6 of 10
6. Which work by Benjamin Capps is a fictionalized account of the kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker by Comanche Indians? Hint


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Question 7 of 10
7. The underrated Texas writer Elmer Kelton wrote which novel, an historical account of a drought lasting from 1950 to 1957?

 Hint


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Question 8 of 10
8. For which novel was Larry McMurtry awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1986? Hint


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Question 9 of 10
9. Which Cormac McCarthy novel tells the story of a drug deal gone bad in the desert of southwest Texas?

 Hint


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Question 10 of 10
10. For which novel was Cormac McCarthy awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2007? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Walter Prescott Webb published a history of what famed Texas law enforcement agency?

Answer: The Texas Rangers

 J. Frank Dobie stated that Webb's book, "The Texas Rangers" (1935), was "the beginning, middle, and end of the subject." Many consider Webb's work to be the definitive account of the "one riot, one Ranger" law enforcement agency, whose origin predates the Civil War.
2. J. Frank Dobie, the dean of Texas literature, wrote a book about which animal, which was eventually named the official state large animal in 1995?

Answer: The Longhorns

 J. Frank Dobie taught the first class devoted to Texas Literature at the University of Texas at Austin. "The Longhorns" (1941) depicts the hearty breed as surviving against all odds through a myriad of harsh and unforgiving conditions and circumstances, a metaphor for the State of Texas itself. Dobie's work is credited with saving the breed from extinction.
3. Who wrote "Goodbye to a River" (1960)?

Answer: John Graves

 John Graves was a writer and naturalist whose work in "Goodbye to a River" is often compared to Henry David Thoreau's "Walden". The book depicts a final canoe trip down the Brazos River from Possum Kingdom Dam to Lake Whitney, before the river will be destroyed by a series of dams. Graves' work is credited with saving the river.
4. "The Gay Place" (1961) is a series of three novellas by Billy Lee Brammer. The Governor of Texas, Arthur Fenstemaker, is said to be based upon which Texas politician?

Answer: Lyndon Baines Johnson

 The larger than life Fenstemaker is said to be based upon Lyndon Baines Johnson, on whose Senate staff Brammer served. Fenstemaker is a master manipulator and a consumate politician who meets his demise suffering a heart attack in the bed of his mistress.
5. What was the name of Larry McMurtry's debut novel, published in 1961?

Answer: Horseman, Pass By

 "Horseman, Pass By" was made into the movie "Hud" starring Paul Newman. It depicts life on a Texas cattle ranch in the 1950s. The title comes from the poem "Under Ben Bulben" by William Butler Yeats:

"Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by."
6. Which work by Benjamin Capps is a fictionalized account of the kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker by Comanche Indians?

Answer: A Woman of the People

 "A Woman of the People" (1966) depicts the kidnapping of Helen Morrison from her home on the plains of Texas and her transformation from a frightened girl to a full-fledged member of the Comanche tribe. It is a fictionalized account of the life of Cynthia Ann Parker, mother of the famed Comanche chief Quanah Parker.
7. The underrated Texas writer Elmer Kelton wrote which novel, an historical account of a drought lasting from 1950 to 1957?

Answer: The Time It Never Rained

 "The Time It Never Rained" (1973) is a fictionalized account of a severe drought that the entire state of Texas suffered in the 1950s. The novel tells the story of Charlie Flagg, a cattle rancher, and his struggle for the survival of his family business and his way of life in the face of adversity.
8. For which novel was Larry McMurtry awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1986?

Answer: Lonesome Dove

 "Lonesome Dove" (1985) is the grand, sweeping tale of Captain Augustus "Gus" McCrae and Captain Woodrow F. Call, retired Texas Rangers and their adventures driving a cattle herd from Texas to Montana. It was made into a brilliant mini-series starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones.
9. Which Cormac McCarthy novel tells the story of a drug deal gone bad in the desert of southwest Texas?

Answer: No Country for Old Men

 "No Country for Old Men" (2005) contains the chilling character of Anton Chigurh, the cold blooded hitman who decides the fate of people with the flip of a coin. In 2007, Joel and Ethan Coen adapted the book into a movie that won four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Joel and Ethan Coen), Best Adapted Screenplay (Joel and Ethan Coen), and Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh).
10. For which novel was Cormac McCarthy awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2007?

Answer: The Road

 "The Road" 2006 is a post-apocalyptic tale of the struggle for survival of an unnamed father and his son in a dystopian society following a disaster that has destroyed civilization. The nature of the disaster is never revealed.
Source: Author deaconblues63

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Referenced Topics
Movies   Literature   History   People   Animals   Literature by Region   Names   American Literature   Texas   Rivers   Cattle   Deserts   Lakes   Law Enforcement   Montana   Larry McMurtry   Transformations   Cormac McCarthy   Henry David Thoreau  

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