'The English Patient' by Michael Ondaatje Quiz

Answer: Hungarian

Count Ladislaus (Laslo) de Almasy was Hungarian. The fictional character is based on a real person, who really did discover the Cave of Swimmers.

Answer: International Sand Club

They were exploring on behalf of the Royal Geographical Society in London. The team included Almasy, Madox, Geoffrey and Katherine Clifton and several others.

Answer: Zerzura

Zerzura was the 'Lost Oasis'. They eventually found it, and discovered cave paintings depicting swimmers in the middle of the desert. The Cave of Swimmers is real, and shows cave paintings many thousands of years old. These have helped scientists to prove that there was once a vast lake where the Sahara Desert now lies. The other places were mentioned in the novel too.

Answer: nurse

She met Almasy when he was being treated for his burns in her hospital, and later decided to stay with him in the deserted Villa San Girolamo.

Answer: He had been friends with her father before the war.

This is one place where the movie differs from the novel. In the book, Caravaggio had been a friend of Hana's father, and had known Hana when she was a young girl.

Answer: All of these reasons

Hana was heartbroken after the deaths of her father and fiancé, and was determined to keep the English Patient alive as long as she could.

Answer: sapper

He was clearing the area of mines, laid by the Germans during their retreat. He had specialised in bomb diffusal in England. The book has much more about Kip's background than is given in the film.

Answer: It was not public knowledge, but Madox suspected.

Geoffrey Clifton found out somehow too before the end, and tried to kill Katherine and Almasy by crashing his plane into Almasy.

Answer: A copy of Herodotus, which he has added to.

Herodotus was known as one of the first historians. He wrote many tales set in north Africa, which Almasy relates during the course of the novel. He also added notes, drawings and photographs of his own to the book, making what is called a 'commonplace book'.

Answer: starvation and cold

She was injured in the plane crash, and Almasy carried her to the Cave of Swimmers. She had some broken bones, but nothing too serious. He left her in the cave while he went to get help, but was arrested by the British army, who believed he was German. He eventually managed to get back to Katherine, but by then she had died.

This book is romantic, passionate, and deeply moving. I loved the film, and read the book after seeing it. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the book is even better.