What Have I Been Reading? Quiz | Literature

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 'The Crimson Petal and the White' is a novel set in Victorian England by Michel Faber. Do you know which poet's work the title is adapted from?

Answer: Tennyson

"Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white" is the first line of a sonnet by the Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. 'The Crimson Petal and the White' tells the story of a London prostitute called Sugar and her growing involvement with the businessman William Rackham. It was published in 2002 and adapted into a TV miniseries by the BBC in 2010.

2. E.W. Hornung wrote a series of short stories about a "gentleman thief"; what was this character's name?

Answer: Raffles

The character of A.J. Raffles is often regarded as being the antithesis of Sherlock Holmes and was created by E.W. Hornung, who was one of Arthur Conan Doyle's brothers-in-law. Raffles appears to be the model gentleman, living at the Albany and playing cricket for the MCC; however his lifestyle is funded through his criminal activities.

The stories also feature a character called Harry "Bunny" Manders who acts as a sort of sidekick and assistant to Raffles as well as chronicling his exploits.

3. 'Wolf Hall' by Hilary Mantel is a fictionalised account of Thomas Cromwell's rise to prominence during the reign of Henry VIII, but do you know what the sequel to this novel is called?

Answer: Bring up the Bodies

'Wolf Hall' was published in 2009 and met with great success, winning the prestigious Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award as well as being named one of the "Ten Best Historical Novels" by 'The Observer' newspaper. The sequel, 'Bring up the Bodies', was published in 2012 and continues the story of Thomas Cromwell. 'Bring up the Bodies' also won the Man Booker Prize as well as being named the 2012 Costa Book of the Year.

4. Agatha Christie created the very famous detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. However she also created a detective duo collectively known as "The Young Adventurers" and the first novel they appeared in was called 'The Secret Adversary'. What are the names of these "Young Adventurers"?

Answer: Tommy and Tuppence

Tommy and Tuppence are two old friends who find themselves with nothing to do and needing jobs after World War I so set up "The Young Adventurers" in the hope of finding excitement and money. 'The Secret Adversary' was first published in 1922.

5. 'Sharpe's Company' is one of a series of books featuring the character Richard Sharpe, a soldier in the British Army who works his way up from the ranks to become an officer. Who wrote this series of novels?

Answer: Bernard Cornwell

The 'Sharpe' series of novels tells the story of Richard Sharpe, who, as a soldier in the British Army in the late 18th and early 19th century achieves the remarkable and rare feat of being promoted from the ranks to become an officer. Many of the books are set during the Napoleonic Wars but a few of the earlier novels are set in India. 'Sharpe's Company' tells of Sharpe's involvement at the siege and storming of Badajoz in 1812, one of the bloodiest battles for the British in the whole of the Napoleonic Wars.

6. 'The Silver Chair' is the sixth book in which seven book series by C.S. Lewis?

Answer: The Chronicles of Narnia

'The Chronicles of Narnia' is a seven book series by C.S. Lewis, the most well known of which is 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'. 'The Silver Chair' features the character of Eustace Scrubb, who appeared in the fifth book 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' and his school friend Jill Pole.

It tells of their travels in Narnia to try and find Prince Rilian the only heir to the Narnian throne. Although it is chronologically the sixth book in the series it was the fourth book to be published.

7. Although it was written in the 1920s this novel was not published in its entirety in Britain until the 1960s because it was deemed too obscene for publication. Even then it was only published after the publisher was found not guilty of breaking the Obscene Publications Act in a court of law. Which novel by D.H. Lawrence is this?

Answer: Lady Chatterley's Lover

'Lady Chatterley's Lover' was deemed scandalous because it told very explicitly the story of Lady Constance Chatterley's affair with her husband's gamekeeper Mr. Mellors. It was also deemed obscene due to its frequent use of certain four letter words! The trial in the 1960s was a landmark for the British publishing industry as the not guilty verdict paved the way for the publication of other works previously banned for being obscene.

8. This mischievous little boy with an answer for everything was the subject of many short stories by Richmal Crompton. What was the title of the first collection of stories featuring this character?

Answer: Just William

The British public were first introduced to William Brown and his gang of friends 'The Outlaws' in 1922 when the first volume of short stories 'Just William' was published. The mischievous antics of William and 'The Outlaws' have been adapted for TV and radio many times and continue to delight readers today.

9. Who wrote the best-selling novel 'The Help' which explores issues surrounding race relations in 1960s Mississippi?

Answer: Kathryn Stockett

Published in 2009 'The Help' tells the story of black household maids in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s. The book was a 'New York Times' best-seller and has won and been nominated for numerous fiction awards. A film adaptation was released in 2011.

10. Which novel by Oscar Wilde features a man who owns a painting which ages instead of him?

Answer: The Picture of Dorian Gray

'The Picture of Dorian Gray' was first published in the July 1890 edition of 'Lippincott's Magazine'. The only published novel by Oscar Wilde, it caused outrage in Britain when it first appeared and even led to calls for Wilde to be prosecuted for writing an immoral text. Wilde made adjustments to the text when it was published in book form, including deleting some of the more controversial passages and adding a preface in defence of the novel which contains one of Wilde's most famous lines: "there is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are either well written or badly written. That is all".

Source: Author HCR1

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

What Have I Been Reading? Trivia Quiz

The only connection between the books in this quiz is that they are things I have read recently! It's quite a varied mixture but I hope there's nothing too obscure!

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>