You Could Win a Pulitzer Prize for That! Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. An astronomer and cosmologist at Cornell University and an author, this man wrote the script for a 13-part TV series viewed by over a half-billion people. He won a Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction writing in 1978. What was his name?

Answer: Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan may be best known for his TV series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" but he was very active in astronomy, astrophysics and writing until his death in 1996. He won the Pulitzer for his book "The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence" which took into account anthropology, evolutionary biology, psychology and computer science.

There are many categories of Pulitzer Prizes; not all are awarded each year and the jury may issue special prizes as they see fit. The Pulitzer Prize was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, a newspaper publisher. It is overseen by Columbia University in New York City, where Pulitzer left money to establish a journalism school. Each winner receives a certificate and $10,000 (U.S.) and the winner of the public service category in journalism receives a gold medal.

2. Alex Haley was a U.S. Coast Guardsman in World War II who taught himself how to write stories. Which of these television miniseries, which concerned his ancestor's native country, gained him a Pulitzer Prize?

Answer: Roots

After a 20-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard, Haley retired with the rating of Chief Journalist in the Coast Guard, a rating created for him because of his literary ability. He wrote some magazine articles before writing his first book "The Autobiography of Malcolm X". But it was his work on "Roots: The Saga of an American Family" that won him a special Pulitzer Prize in 1977. Doing research in Africa and in records of colonial America, Haley found evidence that the protagonist in the story, Kunta Kinte, was an ancestor of his. The novel and TV miniseries chronicled Kinte's capture in Africa, his enslavement in America and the beginnings of his family.

Sadly, Haley was accused of plagiarism from the novel "The African" by Harold Courlander. The charge was substantiated but Haley was allowed to keep his Pulitzer.

3. Generations of us kids from northern New England grew up learning the poems of this man - and lucky us! Who was the author who had us "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", to ponder "Birches" or sadly contemplate "The Death of the Hired Man"?

Answer: Robert Frost

Robert Frost is considered one of the greatest American poets. The Pulitzer Prize jury apparently agreed, they gave him the award four times. Born in California, Frost spent most of his life in New England, where the poems he wrote frequently used the colloquialisms of the region to examine social and philosophical themes.

Though achieving great literary acclaim Frost's personal life was filled with sadness. His parents died early, his wife died at age 43, and of his six children, only two lived past age 60. He died in 1963, at age 88.

4. Some people seemed destined to receive awards of merit, others come as a complete surprise. Though having received many Grammy Awards, this musician received a special Pulitzer Prize in 2008. Who is this 'Freewheelin' singer/songwriter who was "Bringing It All Back Home"?

Answer: Bob Dylan

A man who described social unrest but didn't want to be a spokesperson for change, Bob Dylan's 50-plus year career has chronicled changes in society and social mores, pointing out foibles and injustices. The Pulitzer Prize jury awarded Dylan a special citation in 2008 for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture".

5. John Steinbeck was an American writer who had his finger on the pulse of the Great Depression in America. Which of these novels won a Pulitzer Prize for its depiction of the effects of the Depression on an average family?

Answer: The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck, a native Californian, wrote many of his novels and short stories concerning the effects on people living in, or moving to, California during the Depression of the 1930s. "The Grapes of Wrath", for which Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer for Fiction in 1940, was the story of the Joad family, forced from their land in Oklahoma by drought and the Depression and their trip toward a hopefully better life in California.

6. An American musical composer, highly identified with the American style of composition, received a Pulitzer Prize for a ballet which premiered in 1944. Who was this noted composer, conductor and teacher?

Answer: Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland became so identified with an American style of music composition he became known as "the dean" of American composers. His style suggested the openness and spirit of America. "Appalachian Spring" received the Pulitzer Prize in musical composition in 1945. Martha Graham, a dancer and choreographer, commissioned Copland to write music for an American ballet. Copland originally titled the work "Ballet for Martha".

7. An American playwright who seemed to come out of nowhere in the 1940s penned classic plays which became successful movies, one of which starred Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie. Who was this man?

Answer: Tennessee Williams

Elizabeth Taylor starred in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" for which she received an Academy Award nomination. Williams was also the author of "A Streetcar Named Desire". He received a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for each of them. "The Glass Menagerie" and "Orpheus Descending" were two more of his works.

8. If you "Take the A Train" watch out for the "Moonglow" because it might put you in "Mood Indigo". Instead we could just have "Cocktails For Two" because we "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". Who was this member of jazz 'royalty'?

Answer: Duke Ellington

Edward "Duke" Ellington's career as a jazz musician and bandleader spanned fifty years. His personal style and charisma is often cited as the reason jazz became a mainstream music genre. The Pulitzer jury posthumously awarded him a special award and citation in 1999, 100 years after his birth.

9. A man who had wanted to be a magician found magic in writing science fiction. Who was the man who let us know the temperature at which book paper burns?

Answer: Ray Bradbury

Book paper ignites at 451 degrees fahrenheit as we learned in Ray Bradbury's book "Fahrenheit 451", a novel about a society in which books were outlawed and any found were burned, along with the house they were found in. Bradbury's works in the science fiction and horror genres included "The Martian Chronicles" and "The Illustrated Man". He was awarded a special citation by the Pulitzer Prize jury in 2007 for his "prolific, and deeply influential career"as a science fiction and fantasy writer.

10. What do you do when you have a diploma from a prestigious Ivy League college? Write about green eggs, cats in hats and grinches, of course. Who would do that?

Answer: Dr. Seuss

Theodore Geisel was an American writer and cartoonist. While attending Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire in the 1920s he was caught drinking gin with other students. The college dean insisted he give up all extracurricular activities including his work on the college humor magazine. In order to continue contributing to the magazine, Geisel used the pseudonym Seuss.

Geisel was first a cartoonist and advertising artist and later a children's book author. He received a special Pulitzer Prize in 1984, citing his lasting contributions to children's literature.

Source: Author CmdrK

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

The Pulitzer Prize is awarded to Americans for achievement in journalism, literature and musical composition. Many winners have international reputations so let's see how many of these people who had the magic touch in arts and letters you recognize.

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