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Dramatic Childhood Trivia Quiz

"As the twig is bent, so grows the tree" is a popular saying. Otherwise stated, the events of the early years often have a huge impact on the course of a life. Here are some famous people who have experienced early drama in their lives.

A multiple-choice quiz by robert362. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
robert362

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
174,739

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
5489

Awards
Editor's Choice

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This author's obsession with death and death-related themes may be traced to the death of his mother (and the death or abandonment by others) early in his life. Hint

Jonathan Swift

D.H. Lawrence

Edgar Allan Poe

Oscar Wilde

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Question 2 of 10

2. Abraham Lincoln's dislike of slavery has been said by many authors to have had its roots during his early years. In what way? Hint

Lincoln as a young boy was romantically attracted to a young slave girl

The plantation on which Lincoln grew up owned many slaves (who were treated harshly)

Lincoln often felt as if he were being treated like a slave

Lincoln's closest friends as a young boy were slaves

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Question 3 of 10

3. This composer's extraordinary fame at a remarkably early age led to him being labeled a "child prodigy" and made him the toast of Europe. Hint

Mussorgsky

Haydn

Beethoven

Mozart

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Question 4 of 10

4. Freud once made some psychoanalytic observations about this artist, based on the artist's reminiscence of a childhood memory. Hint

Vincent Van Gogh

Leonardo da Vinci

Breughel

Rembrandt

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Question 5 of 10

5. This author's happy early life was disrupted by the loss of his father and by his mother's subsequent re-marriage to another man. Hint

Stephen Mallarme

Arthur Rimbaud

Paul Verlaine

Charles Baudelaire

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Question 6 of 10

6. The unhappy childhood of this actress was complicated by the institutionalization of her mother for "insanity". Hint

Marilyn Monroe

Joan Crawford

Bette Davis

Inger Stevens

7. This theorist had an interesting family life: he was closer in age to his mother than was his father. That being said, it's easy to understand how this relationship may have found its way into his theories. Who was he? Hint

John B. Watson

Wilhelm Reich

Sigmund Freud

Carl Jung

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Question 8 of 10

8. Eugene O'Neill lived with the knowledge that his very birth had severely complicated his mother's life. In what way? Hint

She became an alcoholic

She became addicted to drugs

She became partially paralyzed

She was confined to a wheelchair as a result of complications

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Question 9 of 10

9. This president nurtured a lifelong distrust and dislike of British soldiers, deriving to a large degree from incidents that occurred when British soldiers were stationed in this president's home when he was a boy. Who was he? Hint

Thomas Jefferson

Andrew Jackson

Abraham Lincoln

George Washington

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Question 10 of 10

10. Heinrich Schliemann, businessman turned adventurer and explorer, pursued his dream of finding a magical land that he had read about as a boy. What did Schlieman ultimately discover? Hint

The site of Troy

The Valley of the Kings

The site of Atlantis

The Tomb of King Tut

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This author's obsession with death and death-related themes may be traced to the death of his mother (and the death or abandonment by others) early in his life.

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

Poe's life was as colorful as his writing was unique. His father took off; his mother died young. His relationship with his stepfather was rocky; and deteriorated after the death of Poe's stepmother. (Later, Poe's very young wife would also die.) "I could not Love except where Death had mingled hers with Beauty's breath ..."

2. Abraham Lincoln's dislike of slavery has been said by many authors to have had its roots during his early years. In what way?

Answer: Lincoln often felt as if he were being treated like a slave

Lincoln grew up hardscrabble poor. He was often "loaned out" by his father (with whom he did not have a warm relationship) to do work for others ... but Abe never saw any of the proceeds of that work. So, when Lincoln spoke later of the right of a man to enjoy the fruits of his labors and the result of his toil, he had a basis for the feeling in his own childhood experiences.

3. This composer's extraordinary fame at a remarkably early age led to him being labeled a "child prodigy" and made him the toast of Europe.

Answer: Mozart

Few people in any area of life have ever enjoyed such prominence and recognition at such an early age. Undoubtedly a genius, Mozart struggled with his father and with his own early fame. His life proved to be all-too-brief.

4. Freud once made some psychoanalytic observations about this artist, based on the artist's reminiscence of a childhood memory.

Answer: Leonardo da Vinci

Freud analyzed a brief childhood reminiscence by Leonardo da Vinci. Unfortunately, the analysis is flawed: Freud misinterpreted the Italian word for "kite" as "vulture".

5. This author's happy early life was disrupted by the loss of his father and by his mother's subsequent re-marriage to another man.

Answer: Charles Baudelaire

Baudelaire's life was fine until it was disrupted by the untimely death of his father. His mother re-married; Baudelaire did not get along well with his stepfather.

6. The unhappy childhood of this actress was complicated by the institutionalization of her mother for "insanity".

Answer: Marilyn Monroe

Monroe was always concerned with the possibility that what had happened to her mother would happen to her. (And, when Monroe was "locked up" for a period, it seemed as if her darkest fears were coming to pass.) For Marilyn, it was a sad and short life.

Answer: Sigmund Freud

Freud is best known for his oedipal theory about a boy's attraction to his mother and rivalry with his father. Considering the age situation decribed above, one can understand how this might occur.

8. Eugene O'Neill lived with the knowledge that his very birth had severely complicated his mother's life. In what way?

Answer: She became addicted to drugs

O'Neill portrays the family constellation in his masterpiece, "Long Day's Journey Into Night". He knew that the difficulty involved in his birth had caused his mother to take drugs to ease the pain; the drugs later became a source of addiction. That's a load for anyone to carry.

Answer: Andrew Jackson

Jackson had British soldiers stationed in his home when he was young. He didn't like it at all; it left a decidedly bad taste in his mouth.

10. Heinrich Schliemann, businessman turned adventurer and explorer, pursued his dream of finding a magical land that he had read about as a boy. What did Schlieman ultimately discover?

Answer: The site of Troy

Schliemann read Homer and set out to find the legendary Troy and prove that such a place was not fictional. Apparently, he succeeded.

Source: Author robert362

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