FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

The Life Of Samuel Johnson Trivia Quiz

I've always been an admirer of Samuel Johnson, both as a man and as a writer. If you share my tastes, can you answer the following questions on his life?

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

Author
TabbyTom

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
61,507

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
564

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 157 (7/10), Guest 42 (5/10), Guest 152 (2/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In which cathedral city was Johnson born on September 18, 1709? Hint

Oxford

Durham

Gloucester

Lichfield

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. As a 2-year-old child Johnson was brought to London to be touched by the monarch, in the hope that the touch would cure him of scrofula. Who was the monarch? Hint

King George I

King William III

Queen Anne

Queen Mary II

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Johnson's college days were cut short by poverty, and he left without taking a degree. Which university did he attend? Hint

Oxford

Edinburgh

Cambridge

Trinity College, Dublin

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. After an unsuccessful spell as a schoolmaster, Johnson left Lichfield for London. He was accompanied by a former pupil, who made a name for himself in the theatre. Who was this companion? Hint

James Quin

David Garrick

Charles Macklin

Sam Foote

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. One of Johnson's first literary works was the satirical poem entitled 'London'. It is based on a satire about Rome by which Roman poet? Hint

Juvenal

Persius

Horace

Virgil

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Who was the nobleman and politician to whom Johnson dedicated the Plan for his Dictionary? Hint

The Duke of Marlborough

The Earl of Chatham

The Earl of Chesterfield

The Earl of Sandwich

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. In January 1759 Johnson produced 'Rasselas', and asked for an advance of thirty pounds from his publisher. For what was this money needed? Hint

His mother's funeral

Tavern bills at the 'Cheshire Cheese'

A journey to Scotland

Rent

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. In 1777, Johnson played a leading part in an unsuccessful campaign to secure a reprieve for William Dodd, a clergyman who had been sentenced to death. What was Dodd's crime? Hint

Highway robbery

Murder

Forgery

Treason

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. At dinner on April 15, 1778, Johnson declared 'I am ready to love all mankind, except ________________'. Complete his sentence. Hint

an American

a Roman Catholic

a Whig

James Boswell

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Johnson had a cat, whom he described as 'a very fine cat indeed' and for whom he bought oysters. What was the cat's name? Hint

Puss

Tom

Hodge

Tiger

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Most Recent Scores

Nov 20 2024 : Guest 157: 7/10
Nov 11 2024 : Guest 42: 5/10
Oct 22 2024 : Guest 152: 2/10
Oct 19 2024 : colbymanram: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In which cathedral city was Johnson born on September 18, 1709?

Answer: Lichfield

Johnson seems to have retained an affection for his home town. There are at least two references to it in his Dictionary.

2. As a 2-year-old child Johnson was brought to London to be touched by the monarch, in the hope that the touch would cure him of scrofula. Who was the monarch?

Answer: Queen Anne

Scrofula was known as the 'King's Evil'. The belief that it could be cured by the royal touch goes back at least as far as the reign of Edward the Confessor. Anne was the last sovereign to 'touch for the evil'. In Johnson's case, the cure didn't work.

3. Johnson's college days were cut short by poverty, and he left without taking a degree. Which university did he attend?

Answer: Oxford

Johnson spent four terms at Pembroke College, Oxford before returning to Lichfield. By all accounts he was not an easy student to teach.

4. After an unsuccessful spell as a schoolmaster, Johnson left Lichfield for London. He was accompanied by a former pupil, who made a name for himself in the theatre. Who was this companion?

Answer: David Garrick

In later life Johnson and Garrick liked to recount the tale of their journey, but probably exaggerated their hardships. Johnson's reported statement that they arrived in London with fourpence between them is almost certainly false.

5. One of Johnson's first literary works was the satirical poem entitled 'London'. It is based on a satire about Rome by which Roman poet?

Answer: Juvenal

Like Juvenal's Rome, Johnson's London is depicted as a city of squalor, violent crime, immorality, foreign influence and political corruption in which a decent man can't hope to make a living. But in time Johnson came to believe that 'when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life'.

6. Who was the nobleman and politician to whom Johnson dedicated the Plan for his Dictionary?

Answer: The Earl of Chesterfield

The Earl took little interest in the project after it was launched, but commended it heartily when it was completed. Johnson's letter to Chesterfield, declining his lordship's belated support, is one of the greatest put-downs in the language.

7. In January 1759 Johnson produced 'Rasselas', and asked for an advance of thirty pounds from his publisher. For what was this money needed?

Answer: His mother's funeral

Sarah Johnson died in Lichfield at the age of ninety. Although Johnson had never showed any strong emotions towards his mother, he was devastated by her death.

8. In 1777, Johnson played a leading part in an unsuccessful campaign to secure a reprieve for William Dodd, a clergyman who had been sentenced to death. What was Dodd's crime?

Answer: Forgery

Dodd was a popular preacher and had been tutor to the fifth Earl of Chesterfield, the son of Johnson's patron. He ran into debt and forged Chesterfield's signature to a bond. The death sentence was not commuted, and on June 27, 1777 he was carted from Newgate Prison to Tyburn and publicly hanged.

9. At dinner on April 15, 1778, Johnson declared 'I am ready to love all mankind, except ________________'. Complete his sentence.

Answer: an American

Johnson expressed his views on 'the ridiculous claims of American usurpation' in his usual forthright way. They can be found in 'The Patriot' and 'Taxation No Tyranny', published in 1774 and 1775.

10. Johnson had a cat, whom he described as 'a very fine cat indeed' and for whom he bought oysters. What was the cat's name?

Answer: Hodge

As a cat-lover myself, I find Johnson's fondness for Hodge one of his most endearing traits. I wish Boswell had told us more about Hodge, and I'm grateful to Polygon for pointing out that there's more information about him at http://www.moggies.co.uk/stories/finecat.html

Source: Author TabbyTom

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