FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about The Waste Land
Quiz about The Waste Land

The Waste Land Trivia Quiz


One of the most brilliant and seminal poems of the 20th century.

A multiple-choice quiz by akatwasborn. Estimated time: 4 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Literature Trivia
  6. »
  7. Authors D-G
  8. »
  9. T. S. Eliot

Author
akatwasborn
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
176,902
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
956
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 58 (4/10), Guest 223 (9/10), Guest 169 (9/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The poem is dedicated to which poet and friend of TS Eliot?

Answer: (Two Words)
Question 2 of 10
2. The opening line of the poem, "April is the cruellest month", is an allusion to a quote from which English poet? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The passage in "What The Thunder Said" that begins "Who is the third who walks always beside you?" was inspired by which event, according to Eliot in his notes? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. There are a lot of Shakespearean allusions in the poem, including the line, "Good night ladies, good night sweet ladies". Which Shakespearean play is this taken from? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. There are also lots of classical allusions in the poem. What is the name of the character who is both male and female? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which mythological character, referred to in the poem, became a nightingale when she was raped and her tongue cut out? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Eliot mentions a Queen of England and her lover, Leicester, in "The Fire Sermon". Which Queen is this? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The section of the poem "The Fire Sermon" takes its name from an important text in which religion? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In "The Burial Of The Dead" one of the characters is a tarot card reader. Which card is picked first? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In "What The Thunder Said" a fragment of a children's rhyme is mentioned. Which rhyme? Hint





Most Recent Scores
Nov 16 2024 : Guest 58: 4/10
Oct 12 2024 : Guest 223: 9/10
Oct 03 2024 : Guest 169: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The poem is dedicated to which poet and friend of TS Eliot?

Answer: Ezra Pound

He also helped with the writing of the poem.
2. The opening line of the poem, "April is the cruellest month", is an allusion to a quote from which English poet?

Answer: Geoffrey Chaucer

It is from "The Canterbury Tales".
3. The passage in "What The Thunder Said" that begins "Who is the third who walks always beside you?" was inspired by which event, according to Eliot in his notes?

Answer: An account of an explorer's expedition in Antarctica

It was an account written by the explorer, Shackleton.
4. There are a lot of Shakespearean allusions in the poem, including the line, "Good night ladies, good night sweet ladies". Which Shakespearean play is this taken from?

Answer: Hamlet

It is spoken by Ophelia in her madness.
5. There are also lots of classical allusions in the poem. What is the name of the character who is both male and female?

Answer: Tiresias

All these characters are mentioned in the poem. Tiresias is the blind prophet who knows everyhing because he is both male and female. He crops up throughout ancient Greek myth. I remember he was in "Oedipus" and probably many more.
6. Which mythological character, referred to in the poem, became a nightingale when she was raped and her tongue cut out?

Answer: Philomel

Strange occurrences in these Greek Myths. She pops up in "A Game Of Chess" here.
7. Eliot mentions a Queen of England and her lover, Leicester, in "The Fire Sermon". Which Queen is this?

Answer: Elizabeth I

They are sailing down the river - it is unlikely any of the others would have had a lover!
8. The section of the poem "The Fire Sermon" takes its name from an important text in which religion?

Answer: Buddhism

Buddhism is an important theme running throughout the poem, as Eliot was very interested in Eastern mythologies as well as European.
9. In "The Burial Of The Dead" one of the characters is a tarot card reader. Which card is picked first?

Answer: The Drowned Sailor

The Drowned Sailor appears later in the poem in "Death By Water". Eliot apparently just made up names for the tarot cards because he didn't know any real ones.
10. In "What The Thunder Said" a fragment of a children's rhyme is mentioned. Which rhyme?

Answer: London Bridge Is Falling Down

As the poem is set in London it makes sense!
Source: Author akatwasborn

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
11/21/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us