Totally Cool Literature Trivia Quiz

Answer: True crime novel

"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote is the true-crime novel about the vicious quadruple murder of the Clutter family that occurred in 1959. Truman Capote went to the Kansas murder site within a week of the crime being reported on the news. With the assistance of his friend Harper Lee, the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird", he interviewed everyone associated with the murders.

The killers, who were both ex-convicts, were arrested six weeks after the crime and executed by hanging in 1965. This novel is considered by many to be one of the best true-crime novels ever written, partially because it delved into the psychological aspects of the crime.

The novel inspired a 1967 movie of the same name, which filmed many of the scenes at the actual location of the crime.

Answer: The Lion in Winter

"The Lion in Winter" delved into the life of Henry II and his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is set at Christmas of 1183 and features the king's family and their guests at the Chateau de Chinon. It focuses on the fight for power that went on between the family members and some of the guests, most notably Philip II, the King of France.

While it does contain some historical accuracy, the play is definitely a work of fiction. The play was made into a popular film of the same name in 1968 featuring Hollywood legends Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole.

Answer: Laura Ingalls Wilder

This remarkable book takes place during the bitterly cold winter of 1880-1881. This semi-historical, semi-autobiographical novel takes place in the Dakota Territory and provides a somewhat realistic view of the difficulties faced by those who settled the west.

The real threat of starvation follows seven months of blizzards before mother nature eases up. A turkey is slaughtered and the whole family celebrates their long-delayed Christmas in May.

Answer: True

This is true, the 1868 poem "The Snow That Never Drifts was written by Emily Dickinson.

"The snow that never drifts
The transient, fragrant snow
That comes a single time a year
Is softly driving now.

So through the tree
At night beneath the star
That it was February's foot
Experience would swear

Like winter as a face
We stern and former knew
Repaired of all but loneliness
By Nature's Alibit

Were every storm so spice
The value could not be
We buy with contract...Pang is good
As near as memory"

Answer: Robert Frost

"Fire and Ice" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" are two of the poems included in Robert Frost's Pulitzer Prize-winning volume of poetry named "New Hampshire". Some other poems from this collection that would fit into this quiz would be "Looking for a Sunset Bird in Winter", "Dust of Snow", and possibly "A Hillside Thaw". Robert Frost was one of literature's most respected poets and his works are still popular today.

Answer: Historical fiction

"Cold Mountain" is considered to be historical fiction and is set at the end of the American Civil War. The main character in the novel is named W.P. Inman, and he is a Confederate soldier who has deserted and is attempting to walk back home to find Ada, the love of his life. An unusual feature of the novel is that the story is told from the view of both of these characters, in alternate chapters.

The novel is a commentary on the class differences at the time as well as the gender bias of this time in history.

A surprising twist at the end of the novel makes this a story that keeps you reading from beginning to end.

Answer: The Snows of Kilimanjaro

First published in a 1936 edition of the "Esquire" magazine, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is about the memories of a dying writer and his time in Africa. Dying a slow death from an infected puncture wound, incapable of movement, the dying writer becomes introspective and looks at his past life.

He realizes how little he actually accomplished and how much time he wasted pursuing pleasure. He is filled with fear, self-loathing, and disappointment. As he gets closer to death, he has a dream of a small plane that is coming to get him and take him to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

This is possibly a metaphor for the Christian belief of a guardian angel coming to escort one to heaven.

Answer: New York City

"Winter's Tale" is a fantasy novel set in New York City in the early 1900s. The city itself is an important character in the novel which focuses on an orphan named Peter Lake. He has a flying horse that helps him throughout the book. The novel deals with Lake's growth into manhood, his falling in love with a dying girl, and the changes that were occurring through the industrial age. Throw in a dense cloud wall that sometimes obscures the city, time-travel and a flying horse and you have a very unusual novel that mixes history, political commentary, and fantasy in a manner guaranteed to keep the reader spellbound.

Answer: Eugene O'Neill

Written by noted playwright Eugene O'Neill, this play did not premier until 1946. "The Iceman Cometh" is an introspective piece of literature which features a group of alcoholic men who frequent the same bar and rooming house. It also features three women who have fallen into prostitution as a way to make a living.

When one of the characters admits to everyone that he had murdered his long-deceased wife, the group must take a look at themselves and decide what the proper course of action is. This is a sad look at a group of characters who have become caught up in their personal problems and fallen into the deadly trap of alcoholism and have been stripped of all self-dignity.

Answer: Jack London

"Children of the Frost" is just one of the many works by author Jack London that were set in the far north. This set of short stories included ten novels all set in the Yukon territory. Some of the stories in this set include "In the Forests of the North" and "The League of Old Men".