Literature Trivia Questions — page 2
1,195 trivia questions with answers, all ages. Multiple-choice trivia with answers, sorted by topic and level. Reveal the answers below, pick one at random, or present them full-screen.
- 51.
The difference between a cat and a lie is that the cat only has nine lives. Which book by Mark Twain is this quote from?
- ATom Sawyer
- BThe Innocents Abroad
- CPudd nhead Willson
- DRoughing It
Answer: Pudd nhead Willson - 52.
Who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel Junkie, which gives an account of the lifestyle of heroin addicts in the early 1950s?
- AWilliam S. Burroughs
- BPhilip Roth
- CJack Kerouac
- DSaul Bellow
Answer: William S. Burroughs - 53.
What is the name of the main characters daemon in the novel The Golden Compass?
- APancedelamon
- BPrentaleman
- CPantalaimon
- DPrantolemon
Answer: Pantalaimon - 54.
What prize did John Steinbeck receive in 1962?
- APulitzer Prize Fiction Award
- BCommonwealth Club of California Gold Medal for Best Novel by a Californian
- CNew York Drama Critics Circle Award
- DNobel Prize for Literature
Answer: Nobel Prize for Literature - 55.
The famous line In the room the women come and go, talking of Michelangelo is from the poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by this influential 20th century poet.
- AW. H. Auden
- BRobert Frost
- CRobert Browning
- DT. S. Eliot
Answer: T. S. Eliot - 56.
Abel Magwitch is a character from which Charles Dickens novel?
- AThe Pickwick Papers
- BGreat Expectations
- CNicholas Nickleby
- DOliver Twist
Answer: Great Expectations - 57.
What book by Mark Twain is the following excerpt from: If man could be crossed with a cat - it would improve man - but it would deteriorate the cat.?
- ALife on the Mississippi
- BHuckleberry Finn
- CThe Autobiography of Mark Twain
- DPuddnhead Wilson
Answer: The Autobiography of Mark Twain - 58.
The novel "Jane Eyre" was written by what author?
- AJane Austen
- BLouisa May Alcott
- CEmily Brontë
- DCharlotte Brontë
Answer: Charlotte Brontë - 59.
In the Lord of the Rings, who is the father of the dwarf Gimli?
- ABombur
- BDwalin
- CThorin Oakenshield
- DGloin
Answer: Gloin - 60.
In the Magic: The Gathering universe, the Fallen Empires expansion takes place on which continent?
- AOtaria
- BTerisiare
- CSarpadia
- DShiv
Answer: Sarpadia - 61.
According to many scholars, Miguel Cervantes penned the first modern novel. What is its title?
- ALa Galatea
- BThe Impossible Dream
- CThe Iliad
- DDon Quixote
Answer: Don Quixote - 62.
What character does Harry Potter first meet at Madam Malkins?
- ADraco
- BRon
- CDudley
- DGinny
Answer: Draco - 63.
What is the veterinarians full name in the book All Creatures Great and Small?
- ADr. James Herriot
- BDr. James Tristan
- CDr. Calvert James
- DDr. James Siegfried
Answer: Dr. James Herriot - 64.
Which novel features the characters King Swishbert and Queen Olympia?
- AThe Frog Princess
- BDragons breath
- CThe Star of Kazan
- DOnce upon a Marigold?
Answer: Once upon a Marigold? - 65.
What character from the play Hamlet made famous the line, Something is rotten in the state of Denmark!?
- AOphelia
- BMarcellus
- CKing Claudius
- DHoratio
Answer: Marcellus - 66.
Billy Halleck, a rather rotund lawyer, is a character from which Stephen King story?
- ARose Madder
- BInsomnia
- CThinner
- DStorm of the Century
Answer: Thinner - 67.
Midnights Children, one of the books on Time magazines list of 100 Greatest Novels, was written by this author, who was sentenced to death following the publication of one of his literary works.
- ASalman Rushdie
- BZadie Smith
- CKazuo Ishiguro
- DJ.D. Salinger
Answer: Salman Rushdie - 68.
Who wrote "A Tale of Two Cities"?
- AMark Twain
- BRoald Dahl
- CCharles Darwin
- DCharles Dickens
Answer: Charles Dickens - 69.
What is the name of the magic sea in the book The Great and Secret Show?
- AMeritania
- BQuiddity
- CAquaratine
- DAtaraxia
Answer: Quiddity - 70.
This 1999 film, based on the novel The Positronic Man, was co-written by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg and starred Robin Williams. It was nominated for Academy award for best make-up.
- AA.I.: Artificial Intelligence
- BI, Robot
- CS1m0ne
- DBicentennial Man
Answer: Bicentennial Man - 71.
Why does the protagonist buy new shoelaces in the novel The Mezzanine?
- AHis wife asked him to.
- BHe did it on impulse.
- CHe's buying them for a co-worker.
- DHe broke one earlier that morning.
Answer: He broke one earlier that morning. - 72.
What American hero does Henry Wadsworth Longfellow write about in this poem: Through all our history, to the last, In the hour of darkness, and peril, and need, The people will waken and listen to hear The hurrying hoof-beats of that stead And the midnight message of?
- AGeorge Washington
- BPaul Revere
- CPatrick Henry
- DEthan Allen
Answer: Paul Revere - 73.
In the novel Inkspell, what animal always goes around with the black prince?
- AA dog
- BA tiger
- CA snake
- DA bear
Answer: A bear - 74.
When was the original movie The Grapes of Wrath released?
- A1950
- B1960
- C1940
- D1970
Answer: 1940 - 75.
This comedy by Shakespeare, characterized by a lot of mix-ups and witty dialogue, involves two sets of identical twins.
- AThe Merchant of Venice
- BTaming of the Shrew
- CThe Comedy of Errors
- DAs You Like It
Answer: The Comedy of Errors - 76.
This character, often regarded as one of Shakespeare's most malevolent villains, is an expert manipulator, who states, "I am not what I am."
- AClaudius
- BIago
- CCassius
- DPolonius
Answer: Iago - 77.
Complete this quote by Oscar Wilde: But what is the difference between literature and journalism?........................................
- AJournalism is an account of facts and literature is fiction. That is all.
- BLiterature is art and journalism is rubbish. That is all.
- CLiterature is the only thing worth reading. That is all.
- DJournalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all.
Answer: Journalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all. - 78.
What is the name of Jacks werewolf friend in the novel The Talisman?
- AWolf
- BJojo
- CHarry
- DMike
Answer: Wolf - 79.
Which one of these plays by English poet and playwright William Shakespeare is not a comedy?
- AMacbeth
- BAs You Like It
- CLoves Labours Lost
- DA Midsummer Nights Dream
Answer: Macbeth - 80.
It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the expression as pretty as an airport. As is typical for author Douglas Adams, this 1988 detective novel begins with a humorous and unusual line, grabbing attention from the very first sentence.
- AThe Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
- BThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe
- CThe Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
- DLife, the Universe and Everything
Answer: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul - 81.
In the Magic: The Gathering universe, the Antiquities, Ice Age, and Alliances expansions take place on which continent?
- AShiv
- BTerisiare
- CAerona
- DJamuraa
Answer: Terisiare - 82.
Did Rayford Steele ever have an affair with senior flight attendant Hattie Durham in the novel Left Behind?
- ANo
- BYes
Answer: No - 83.
Finish this line from Oscar Wildes play The Importance of Being Earnest: To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both ................................
- Alooks like carelessness
- Bis fortunate
- Clooks like abandonment
- Dis foolish
Answer: looks like carelessness - 84.
Aunt Polly is a character from which book?
- ALife on the Mississippi
- BHuckleberry Finn
- CThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- DRoughing it
Answer: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - 85.
What is Dean Koontzs middle name?
- ARay
- BRon
- CRoy
- DHe does not have a middle name.
Answer: Ray - 86.
What is the name of the three headed dog in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?
- APoofy
- BSpike
- CSpot
- DFluffy
Answer: Fluffy - 87.
In what 1851 novel would you find the characters Ishmael, Captain Ahab, Queequeg and Starbuck?
- AMoby Dick by Herman Melville
- BVoyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
- CHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
- DThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Answer: Moby Dick by Herman Melville - 88.
This novel by Charles Dickens, published in 1850, is considered his most autobiographical. It begins with: Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. Characters include Wilkins Micawber and Uriah Heep.
- AGreat Expectations
- BA Tale of Two Cities
- CBleak House
- DDavid Copperfield
Answer: David Copperfield - 89.
Who is the author of the novel Inkspell?
- AClive Barker
- BJudy Blume
- CCornelia Funke
- DFrank Baum
Answer: Cornelia Funke - 90.
In the novel The Clique, what school do the members of the Pretty Committee go to?
- AOCD
- BDDR
- CCCD
- DWHMS
Answer: OCD - 91.
According to psychologists villains in fairy-tales actually have an important role for the childrens mind formation, namely:
- AThey always lose the battle
- BThey are interesting models of behaviour
- CThey help children decide what is bad
- DThey make the story really funny
Answer: They help children decide what is bad - 92.
This expression means an audible pause that breaks up a line of poetry.
- AShwa
- BHokku
- CCaesura
- DRubiyat
Answer: Caesura - 93.
T. S. Eliot was the last of 6 children surviving. How old were his parents when he was born?
- A38
- B28
- C33
- D44
Answer: 44 - 94.
What two objects are used in the novel The Grapes of Wrath to symbolize evil?
- Athe telephone and the gun
- Bthe car and the bank
- Cthe gun and the tractor
- Dthe tractor and the slot machine
Answer: the tractor and the slot machine - 95.
In the book Wizard and Glass, Roland and his young friends defeat a troop of Farsons men by making them ride into a canyon which houses a thinny - an eerie dimensional hole through which people can travel across dimensions. What is the name of the canyon?
- AEyebolt
- BThunderbolt
- CThunderclap
- DScreamer
Answer: Eyebolt - 96.
In the horror novel Misery, Annie Wilkes was referred to by the newspapers as what?
- AMisery
- BThe Dragon Lady
- CThe Baby Slayer
- DThe Black Widow
Answer: The Dragon Lady - 97.
In 2007 Marvel started a series of comic books based on The Dark Tower. What is the name of the first volume?
- AThe Last Gunslinger
- BRoland of Gilead
- CThe Gunslinger Born
- DRoland The Gunslinger
Answer: The Gunslinger Born - 98.
Which of the following does not happen with the protagonist in the novel, The Mezzanine?
- AHe sits on a park bench across from the office.
- BHe buys shoelaces at CVS.
- CHe rides an escalator.
- DHe eats a hamburger
Answer: He eats a hamburger - 99.
Central to the plot of the novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the fact that the New Head of the Service, Percy Alleline has come across a source supplying Soviet Intelligence. The name of the Intelligence supplied is codenamed Witchcraft, but what is the codename of the source supplying it?
- AGandalf
- BGenie
- CWitch of the East
- DMerlin
Answer: Merlin - 100.
Find the correct statement about the original movie The Grapes of Wrath.
- AFrank Galatai was portrayed by Robert J. Douglas.
- BThe director refused to let anyone use makeup for the movie.
- CThe producer had to raise $5,000,000 to make this movie.
- DThe character of Nick Adams was played by Robert J. Douglas.
Answer: The director refused to let anyone use makeup for the movie.
How to use these trivia questions
- Warm-up. Open a lesson or meeting with 3–5 questions — enough to wake the room, short enough to keep the agenda.
- Review game. Pick 10 questions on the topic you just taught and play them in teams; discuss every wrong answer.
- Quiz night. Mix two or three topics, read each question twice, and give 20 seconds before revealing the answer.
Run them live
Want every person to answer on their own phone, with a timer and a live leaderboard? Use these questions in an EngageSlide Quiz with a live leaderboard — free to start.
Tick questions on any page — your set is kept while you browse (or take the first 10 here) — and they become ready-to-play slides. What is EngageSlide?