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Works of Herman Wouk Trivia Quiz

"For reasons of the human spirit which could not be fathomed by ten empiric psychologists running a hundred rats through a thousand mazes for ten days, [I] felt that this [quiz] was [yours] for the taking." - Herman Wouk (slightly modified)

A multiple-choice quiz by skylarb. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
skylarb

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
118,514

Updated
Feb 02 24

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
370

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. My descriptive blurb for this quiz comes, with some modification, from a Herman Wouk novel. The novel mocks a variety of subjects, from psychology to advertising to those who think of evil as nothing more than "an absence of being where being should be." What is the book in question? Hint

The Caine Mutiny

This Is My God

Aurora Dawn

The City Boy

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Take a glance upon this scene. You are watching a tension-filled court martial, and Queeg is on the stand. What book are you reading? Hint

The Caine Mutiny

Winds of War

Moby Dick

War and Remembrance

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Wouk is best known for his war novels. Now, there's war between the nations, and then there's war between the sexes. This classic summer camp story tells the tale of Herbie Bookbinder, who has a painful crush on Lucille Glass. Hint

Aurora Dawn

Inside, Outside

The Caine Mutiny

The City Boy

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. In what work did Wouk write, "Religious people tend to encounter, among those who are not, a cemented certainty that belief in God is a crutch for the weak and the fearful." Hint

Aurora Dawn

Winds of War

War and Remembrance

This is My God

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Above all, this is a book about human (and more particularly Jewish) suffering. So it is fitting that one of its characters, Aaron Jastrow, should deliver a moving speech about Job. Hint

Inside, Outside

War and Remembrance

The City Boy

The Caine Mutiny

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Here's a little analogy for you. C.S. Lewis is to "Mere Christianity" as Herman Wouk is to:
Hint

City Boy

This Is My God

The Winds of War

The Glory

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. It began with "The Hope," but it ended with: Hint

The Despair

The Glory

The Winds of War

The Caine Mutiny

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. This book explores the American Jewish experience as a sort of comedy of manners, running the gambit from war, to politics, to business. Hint

Inside, Outside

The Caine Mutiny

The City Boy

The Glory

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. And now we leave New York for the West Indies. What Wouk novel tells the tale of a Jewish man who desires to start afresh as a hotel owner? Hint

Marjorie Morningstar

Inside, Outside

The Caine Mutiny

Don't Stop the Carnival

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Though Herman Wouk was born Jewish, and though many of his works concentrate on Jewish characters, he was not a practicing Jew.

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Aurora Dawn

In the quote I use for my description, replace the bracketed words with "Andrew", "girl", and "his", and you will have Wouk's quote from "Aurora Dawn." For the most part, the novel is a parody of novelists. It is extremely enjoyable and filled with subtle humor as well as some not-so-subtle laughs. I consider it to be one of the better satires of the 20th century, but it seems to be a little-known book.

2. Take a glance upon this scene. You are watching a tension-filled court martial, and Queeg is on the stand. What book are you reading?

Answer: The Caine Mutiny

Humphrey Bogart played Queeg in a classic movie version of the novel. Wouk won a Pulitzer Prize for the book.

Answer: The City Boy

One of Herman Wouk's earlier and lesser-known works, "The City Boy" is an excellent satire that touches upon some real human truths. I kick myself for ever giving away my used copy of this book. Now it's out of print.

4. In what work did Wouk write, "Religious people tend to encounter, among those who are not, a cemented certainty that belief in God is a crutch for the weak and the fearful."

Answer: This is My God

What is Wouk's reaction to this "cemented belief"? Well, he reasons, "in the country of the halt, the man who is surest he has no limp may be the worst-crippled."

5. Above all, this is a book about human (and more particularly Jewish) suffering. So it is fitting that one of its characters, Aaron Jastrow, should deliver a moving speech about Job.

Answer: War and Remembrance

This rather long novel, along with its prequel "Winds of War," forms a kind of epic of World War II. From personal betrayal to the horrors of the Holocaust, these works plumb the depths of human suffering.

6. Here's a little analogy for you. C.S. Lewis is to "Mere Christianity" as Herman Wouk is to:

Answer: This Is My God

I threw in one non-fiction book, because I believe it is one of Wouk's most important. "This is My God" is an apologetic work much like Lewis's "Mere Christianity," though in this case the subject is Judaism. The books is written for those who, according to Wouk, "have at least an open mind on God, and who would like to know something about the Jewish way to him." More than apologetics, however, "This is My God" is a simple but fairly comprehensive survey of the Jewish religion.

7. It began with "The Hope," but it ended with:

Answer: The Glory

"The Glory" is a sequel to Wouk's earlier, 1993 novel "The Hope." Both books are works of historical fiction that tell the tale of several families who live through the birth and development of Israel.

8. This book explores the American Jewish experience as a sort of comedy of manners, running the gambit from war, to politics, to business.

Answer: Inside, Outside

Written in 1985, the novel covers a large portion of the 20th century, as it tells the story of a Jewish boy who comes of age in New York.

9. And now we leave New York for the West Indies. What Wouk novel tells the tale of a Jewish man who desires to start afresh as a hotel owner?

Answer: Don't Stop the Carnival

"Marjorie Morningstar" is a novel about a Jewish girl who dreams of one day becoming an actress.

10. Though Herman Wouk was born Jewish, and though many of his works concentrate on Jewish characters, he was not a practicing Jew.

Answer: False

Wouk was a practicing Jew who studied the Talmud daily. In "This is My God", he expressed a deep concern about the tendency of American Jews to assimilate fully into society, thus losing their religious identity. According to an article by Elaine Margolin, "Wouk believes that the long-term survival of the Jewish people depends on a 'massive return to our sources, in faith, in literature, and in history.'" ("Wouk and Remembrance")

Source: Author skylarb

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bullymom before going online.
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