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Quiz about Which End of the World is This
Quiz about Which End of the World is This

Which End of the World is This? Quiz


I describe the plot of an "end of the world" book; all you have to do is decide which one it is.

A multiple-choice quiz by Rowena8482. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
Rowena8482
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
307,804
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
552
Question 1 of 10
1. The Solanum virus spreads across the world, infecting billions of people. The dead rise up as zombies and attack the remaining uninfected ones. Told from the point of view of a journalist, recording events during and just after the "beginning of the end" for posterity, which book is this? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Set in what was once Moscow, 200 years after "The Blast", this book is narrated by Benedikt, the Golubchik scribe, who has never read a book in his life. People survive on mice and "wurrums" and the few remaining "Oldeners" (survivors of the original Blast) are mocked and derided for their longing for the life they once knew. Which book is this? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. This book tells the story of geology student Isherwood Williams, who returns from a solo trip to the mountains to find he has survived a plague which has killed almost everyone else. He returns to his home in San Francisco and gradually meets up with a few other survivors. They work together to build a new life for themselves amid the wreckage of the old. By the end of the story their descendants are an established tribe, and have a good, albeit very different, lifestyle. Which book is this? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Meteor shower. Blind population. Poisonous mobile plants. Need I say more? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Massive earthquakes shatter the Channel Islands, and the English Channel is left dry, while the southeastern end of England vanishes beneath the waves.
This story tells of one man's journey through the devastation, accompanied by a young boy he rescues, to search for his daughter. Which novel by John Christopher is it?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. "Captain Trips"; "Walkin' Dude"; "M-O-O-N spells Moon"; atomic bomb goes off in Las Vegas - what else needs to be said? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. One of, if not the only, book ever written where every single person on Earth is dead at the end, this classic tells the story of the residents of Melbourne facing the approach of deadly nuclear fallout. The last surviving members of the US Navy have taken refuge there in a submarine; they carry out one last mission before scuttling their vessel. Which book is this? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In this novel, a man and his young son journey through a devastated land. The reader never finds out their names, where they have come from, or where they are going to; even the cause of the devastation is left to the imagination.
Along the way, the travellers endure great hardship, and also have moments of hope when they find supplies to help them on their way. Eventually the father dies, and the son is taken in by a small family group who are also travelling.
Which novel is this?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This book features just about every disaster there is; first comes a nuclear war, followed by earthquakes and tsunamis. As if that wasn't bad enough, the survivors are then decimated by a plague, while desperate gangs ravage and loot the devastated landscape. Mary Hope and her best friend Rachel try to save as many books as they can, as they eke out a bare living on their small farm, but a group of religious fanatics arrive and call for the destruction of all the books. Which book is this? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Strange glowing red lights streaking across the sky and landing in the sea are at first dismissed as "silly season" news. Soon though, ships mysteriously vanish, and coastal towns and villages are under attack, with the citizens carried off into the sea. The sea levels then begin to rise, and rise, until large portions of the coastlines are underwater. Told by a news reporter based in London, which story is this? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Solanum virus spreads across the world, infecting billions of people. The dead rise up as zombies and attack the remaining uninfected ones. Told from the point of view of a journalist, recording events during and just after the "beginning of the end" for posterity, which book is this?

Answer: World War Z

"World War Z" by Max Brooks was published in 2006, and is written as though it is a factual account of zombies spreading across the world.
Another novel by Brooks, "How to Survive a Zombie Uprising", published in 2003, is also written as though it were non-fiction.
I started reading these as fiction, then by about half way through, was thinking "hmm, where DOES one buy a machete and a trenching tool?" :-D
2. Set in what was once Moscow, 200 years after "The Blast", this book is narrated by Benedikt, the Golubchik scribe, who has never read a book in his life. People survive on mice and "wurrums" and the few remaining "Oldeners" (survivors of the original Blast) are mocked and derided for their longing for the life they once knew. Which book is this?

Answer: The Slynx

"The Slynx", by Tatyana Tolstaya, was written over fourteen years in the late 20th Century, and translated into English in 2007 by Jamey Gambrell.
Tolstaya is the great great niece of Leo Tolstoy.
3. This book tells the story of geology student Isherwood Williams, who returns from a solo trip to the mountains to find he has survived a plague which has killed almost everyone else. He returns to his home in San Francisco and gradually meets up with a few other survivors. They work together to build a new life for themselves amid the wreckage of the old. By the end of the story their descendants are an established tribe, and have a good, albeit very different, lifestyle. Which book is this?

Answer: Earth Abides

Published in 1949, "Earth Abides" was the recipient, in 1951, of the inaugural International Fantasy Award. Written by George R. Stewart, it was also included in the list of "Best All Time Science Fiction", published in "Locus Magazine" in 1998.
4. Meteor shower. Blind population. Poisonous mobile plants. Need I say more?

Answer: Day of the Triffids

"Day of the Triffids" by John Wyndham was first published in 1951, and was the first book to be published under his own name. The story was made into a film in 1967, although various plot elements were different from the book. A TV serial was made by the BBC in 1981, starring John Duttine as Bill Masen.
5. Massive earthquakes shatter the Channel Islands, and the English Channel is left dry, while the southeastern end of England vanishes beneath the waves. This story tells of one man's journey through the devastation, accompanied by a young boy he rescues, to search for his daughter. Which novel by John Christopher is it?

Answer: A Wrinkle in the Skin

"A Wrinkle in the Skin", also titled "The Ragged Edge", was first published in 1965. It was considered quite 'daring' at the time as some female survivors are sexually molested by a gang. Although the scene is not explicit, it caused some controversy.
6. "Captain Trips"; "Walkin' Dude"; "M-O-O-N spells Moon"; atomic bomb goes off in Las Vegas - what else needs to be said?

Answer: The Stand

"The Stand" by Stephen King is a gripping story about two groups of plague survivors, caught up in a battle between 'Good' and 'Evil'. First published in 1978, it was extensively revised and updated by King, before being re-released in 1990. Stephen King also wrote the script for, and made a cameo appearance in, the TV series which was first broadcast in 1994. Did you spot him when you watched?
7. One of, if not the only, book ever written where every single person on Earth is dead at the end, this classic tells the story of the residents of Melbourne facing the approach of deadly nuclear fallout. The last surviving members of the US Navy have taken refuge there in a submarine; they carry out one last mission before scuttling their vessel. Which book is this?

Answer: On the Beach

First published in 1957, "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute was made into a film in 1959. Shute portrays the people as stoical and accepting of their fate; they go about their normal daily business until just a short time before the end, and there is none of the rioting, looting, or violence often associated with the plotlines of apocalyptic fiction.
8. In this novel, a man and his young son journey through a devastated land. The reader never finds out their names, where they have come from, or where they are going to; even the cause of the devastation is left to the imagination. Along the way, the travellers endure great hardship, and also have moments of hope when they find supplies to help them on their way. Eventually the father dies, and the son is taken in by a small family group who are also travelling. Which novel is this?

Answer: The Road

Written by Cormac McCarthy and first published in 2006, "The Road" is written with very little use of punctuation, and is not divided into chapters.
In 2007, it was awarded the Pulitzer prize for fiction, and achieved wider readership after Oprah Winfrey recommended it as her "Book Club" choice.
9. This book features just about every disaster there is; first comes a nuclear war, followed by earthquakes and tsunamis. As if that wasn't bad enough, the survivors are then decimated by a plague, while desperate gangs ravage and loot the devastated landscape. Mary Hope and her best friend Rachel try to save as many books as they can, as they eke out a bare living on their small farm, but a group of religious fanatics arrive and call for the destruction of all the books. Which book is this?

Answer: A Gift Upon the Shore

Written by (Martha) M.K. Wren, "A Gift Upon the Shore" was first published in 1990. As well as her writing, M.K. Wren is known for her art, and has had several well received exhibitions of both oils and watercolours.
10. Strange glowing red lights streaking across the sky and landing in the sea are at first dismissed as "silly season" news. Soon though, ships mysteriously vanish, and coastal towns and villages are under attack, with the citizens carried off into the sea. The sea levels then begin to rise, and rise, until large portions of the coastlines are underwater. Told by a news reporter based in London, which story is this?

Answer: The Kraken Wakes

"The Kraken Wakes" was written by John Wyndham, and first published in 1953. It was also released with the title "Out of the Deeps". Even though, in this case, it is alien invaders rather than global warming which cause the rise in sea levels, the book paints a bleak picture for the future of humanity should such a massive rise ever actually happen.
Source: Author Rowena8482

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
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Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Rowena's Sci-fi Quizzes:

All the science fiction quizzes I have written, apart from the ones about books by Robert A. Heinlein and C. J. Cherryh which have their own quiz lists.

  1. Anne McCaffrey's "Tower and Hive" books Average
  2. Raising Dragons Average
  3. Old Man's War Average
  4. The Last Colony Average
  5. Let's Hear it for the Girls Tough
  6. Joy to the Jovian Tough
  7. Which End of the World is This? Tough
  8. Science Fiction First Lines Average
  9. Red Pill, Blue Pill Tough
  10. Xenobiology, Xenophobia, Xenophily Tough
  11. Root for the Home Team Tough
  12. Where Angels (Still) Fear to Tread Tough

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