Literature Trivia Questions — page 5
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.
- 201.
What was Sir Handel's original name in "The Railway Series" and it's animated counterpart "Thomas and Friends?"
- ASwallow
- BEagle
- CFalcon
- DKyte
Answer: Falcon - 202.
Oscar Wilde is associated with this art movement that began in the late Victorian period and is considered to have ended with Oscar Wildes trial in in 1895.
- AArt Nouveau
- BAestheticism
- CSymbolism
- DNeo-Classicism
Answer: Aestheticism - 203.
Published in 1937, this is Dr. Seuss's first book. Its main character Marco is based on Marco McClintock, the son of Mike McClintock, Seuss's editor, and Helene McClintock, to whom he dedicated the book.
- AHorton Hatches the Egg
- BThere's a Wocket in My Pocket!
- CAnd to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
- DThe Cat in the Hat
Answer: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street - 204.
Published in January 1990, this is the last book written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. In the US, its a popular graduation gift.
- AI Am NOT Going to Get Up Today!
- BMy Book about ME
- CFox in Socks
- DOh, the Places Youll Go!
Answer: Oh, the Places Youll Go! - 205.
Who wrote the "A Song of Ice And Fire" fantasy novel series?
- AGeorge Lucas
- BGeorge Eliot
- CGeorge R. R. Martin
- DGeorge Orwell
Answer: George R. R. Martin - 206.
This novel focuses on the lives of Jake Barnes, Brett Ashley, Robert Cohn, Pedro Romero, Bill Gorton, and Michael Campbell.
- AThe Sun Also Rises
- BDay of the Locust
- CRagtime
- DThe Dog Soldiers
Answer: The Sun Also Rises - 207.
This book by D. H. Lawrence was banned in the USA, the UK and Australia.
- ALady Chatterley's Lover
- BThe Sun Also Rises
- CThe Day of the Locust
- DThe Great Gatsby
Answer: Lady Chatterley's Lover - 208.
What name does Bastian give to the Childlike Empress in The Neverending Story?
- AStar Child
- BMoon Child
- Cnone of these.
- DSun Child
Answer: Moon Child - 209.
What fantasy series tells us first about a sword, then about the elfstones and finally about a wishsong?
- AChronicles of Narnia
- BShannara
- CSword of Truth
- DDragon Riders of Pern
Answer: Shannara - 210.
Which Shakespearean tragic hero had a run in with cannibals?
- AHamlet
- BJulius Caesar
- CPericles
- DOthello
Answer: Othello - 211.
Who wrote the poem Break, Break, Break?
- AEmily Bronte
- BElizabeth Browning
- CAlfred, Lord Tennyson
- DOliver Wendell Holmes
Answer: Alfred, Lord Tennyson - 212.
Who are Dr. Malones new friends in The Amber Spyglass?
- ATualapi
- BConsistorial Court
- CMulefa
- DGallevespians
Answer: Mulefa - 213.
Which poet wrote the poems The Germ, Listen, A Word to Husbands, and Very Like a Whale?
- AC. Day Lewis
- BLangston Hughes
- CW. H. Auden
- DOgden Nash
Answer: Ogden Nash - 214.
What Shakespeare historical play was being performed at the Globe Theatre in 1613 when a fire broke out from a misguided theatrical cannon shot?
- AHenry IV Part II
- BHenry VIII
- CThe Tempest
- DRichard II
Answer: Henry VIII - 215.
The main character of which novel by Thorne Smith is turned into a skeleton?
- ATopper Takes a Trip
- BDid She Fall?
- CSkin and Bones
- DBats in the Belfry
Answer: Skin and Bones - 216.
This is a type of Japanese poem that is made of three parts; the first has five syllables, the second seven and the third have five.
- ABasho
- BJintishi
- CHaiku
- DHokku
Answer: Haiku - 217.
Goblet of Fire started a series of deaths in the books. Who died in Goblet of Fire?
- ACedric Diggory
- BWormtail
- CPadfoot
- DDumbledore
Answer: Cedric Diggory - 218.
This spell was used by Hermione to create an exact replica of an object.
- AGeminio
- BThe Twin curse
- CReparo
- DConfundus Charm
Answer: Geminio - 219.
Fannie Flag wrote this 1991 Academy Award-nominated movie, starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy, which was based on her best selling-novel written 4 years earlier.
- AMisery
- BFried Green Tomatoes
- CScent of a Woman
- DDriving Miss Daisy
Answer: Fried Green Tomatoes - 220.
Ironically, the essay Areopagitica, which dealt with censorship, was banned in England. Who wrote this essay?
- AFelton Edward Lewis
- BDr. William Bowlder
- CPhillip Marlowe
- DJohn Milton
Answer: John Milton - 221.
Which story features a character named Jim Smiley who was responsible for one of the tallest tales of the Old West?
- AAt Adams Tomb
- BInnocents Abroad
- CRoughing It
- DThe Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Answer: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County - 222.
What was the name of Nero Wolfes nemesis?
- AArnold Zeck
- BAlbert Hall
- CAnson Street
- DArthur Dent
Answer: Arnold Zeck - 223.
Which of the Bronte sisters wrote Shirley, a novel set in Yorkshire during the industrial depression?
- AEmily
- BElizabeth
- CCharlotte
- DAnne
Answer: Charlotte - 224.
In this 1954 Dr. Seuss book the moral of the story (and a repeated phrase throughout the book) is: a person's a person no matter how small. This was the first of two Seuss books starring this kind-hearted elephant.
- AThere's a Wocket in My Pocket!
- BHooper Humperdink...? Not Him!
- CHorton Hears a Who!
- DHop on Pop
Answer: Horton Hears a Who! - 225.
When was Dorothy Parker born?
- AJune 1897
- BJanuary 1899
- CAugust 1893
- DSeptember 1900
Answer: August 1893 - 226.
There were four of us. This is the beginning of a humorous story of 1889 by Jerome K. Jerome, which has some real-life characters and was initially intended to be a serious work, but ended up one of the most successful comedy books, with a humour that has proven to be fresh and witty even nowadays.
- AThey and I
- BThe Diary of a Pilgrimage
- CThree Men in a Boat
- DThe Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
Answer: Three Men in a Boat - 227.
Dying is an art like everything else. I do it so it feels like hell. I do it so it feels real.
- AEmily Dickenson
- BGregory Corso
- CAnne Sexton
- DSylvia Plath
Answer: Sylvia Plath - 228.
Who wrote the poems titled Epithalamion (a song in celebration of a wedding) and Amoretti?
- AEdward Spenser
- BGeoffrey Chaucer
- CJohn Milton
- DSir Walter Raleigh
Answer: Edward Spenser - 229.
Three men are given credit as directors of the movie Gone with the Wind. Which one of the following directors is not among them?
- ASam Wood
- BRaoul Walsh
- CGeorge Cukor
- DVictor Fleming
Answer: Raoul Walsh - 230.
Who gave Harry his invisibility cloak in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone?
- AMolly Weasley
- BHagrid
- CDumbledore
- DHermione
Answer: Dumbledore - 231.
Into what creature did Mad Eye Moody turn Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?
- AA rat
- BA mouse
- CA toad
- DA ferret
Answer: A ferret - 232.
Which classic book opens with the line "Call me Ishmael"?
- AMoby Dick
- BA Tale of Two Cities
- CWuthering Heights
- DKidnapped
Answer: Moby Dick - 233.
Which American author was also a budding travel writer and wrote of his adventures with his dog Charley?
- AWilliam Faulkner
- BErnest Hemingway
- CJohn Steinbeck
- DF. Scott Fitzgerald
Answer: John Steinbeck - 234.
Why was a diagonal red line painted on the jeeps in the book Jurassic Park?
- AThe triceratops didn't like the red line, therefore they wouldn't charge the jeeps.
- BThe velociraptors regarded red as a color that signified some larger predator.
- CThe apatosaurs thought that stripes were an indication of a predator so they stayed away.
- DIt was the symbol of Jurassic Park Theme Park.
Answer: The triceratops didn't like the red line, therefore they wouldn't charge the jeeps. - 235.
In The Grapes of Wrath, we meet the first character, Tom, as he walks and hitchhikes home. Why is he away from home?
- AHe served time in prison for homicide.
- BHe served time in prison for burglary.
- CHe lost his job in the Chicago slaughterhouses and had to walk the two miles to the Adams home.
- DHe had no money for the subway, so he had to walk home.
Answer: He served time in prison for homicide. - 236.
What was Nero Wolfes hobby, which he engaged in for four hours each day?
- ARaising orchids
- BCollecting stamps
- CBuilding intricate models
- DWriting detective stories
Answer: Raising orchids - 237.
Fictional officer Horatio Hornblower is dispatched round the Horn to assist the Spanish in the Pacific. Hornblower meets and assists a despotic, psychopathic Spanish commander. What is his name?
- AHugo Chavez
- BAugusto Pinochet
- CEl Supremo
- DEl Rey Del Mundo
Answer: El Supremo - 238.
Who is the author of the series "Malazan Book of the Fallen"?
- AGeorge R. R. Martin
- BSteven Erikson
- CJ. R. R. Tolkien
- DIan Cameron Esslemont
Answer: Steven Erikson - 239.
Who wrote the book Running with Scissors?
- AAugusten Burroughs
- BWilliam S. Burroughs
- CAnn Coulter
- DDavid Sedaris
Answer: Augusten Burroughs - 240.
Name the movie that ends with the following line: Louis. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
- AThe African Queen
- BThe Maltese Falcon
- CCasablanca
- DSahara
Answer: Casablanca - 241.
What character, depicted by English writer H. G. Wells, discovers a formula capable of rendering a human being invisible?
- ADr. Moreau
- BProfessor Lidenbrock
- CGriffin
- DDr. Montgomery
Answer: Griffin - 242.
Discworld, the fictional planet on which Terry Pratchetts famous series of novels is set, is carried on the back of four great space elephants. What are the elephants standing on?
- ANothing
- BThe Milky Way
- CFour space mice
- DATuin, the star turtle
Answer: ATuin, the star turtle - 243.
A heap of broken images, where the Sun beats...
- AGertrude Stein
- BAllen Ginsberg
- CEzra Pound
- Dwill show you fear in a handful of dust.
- ET.S. Eliot
Answer: T.S. Eliot - 244.
Based on Audrey Niffenegger's novel, this 2009 movie starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams chronicles a romance over time between Henry DeTamble and Clare Abshire.
- ASunshine Cleaning
- BThe Time Travelers Wife
- CDuplicity
- DThe International
Answer: The Time Travelers Wife - 245.
This Lewis Carrolls work was banned in China because in it humans and animals used the same language.
- AThrough The Looking Glass
- BAlices Adventures in Wonderland
- CThe Hunting of the Snark
- DSylvie and Bruno
Answer: Alices Adventures in Wonderland - 246.
In Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel 'Wyrd Sisters', which of these are not one of the three main witches?
- AWinny Hathersham
- BNanny Ogg
- CGranny Weatherwax
- DMagrat Garlick
Answer: Winny Hathersham - 247.
The famous evil female Baba Yaga comes from:
- AA Norse legend
- BRussian folklore
- CAn Uzbekistanian fairy-tale
- DA Moroccan song
Answer: Russian folklore - 248.
What was Harry Potter's first Famous Witches and Wizards card according to the first volume of the series?
- AAlbus Dumbledore
- BGodric Gryffindor
- CHelga Hufflepuff
- DMerlin
Answer: Albus Dumbledore - 249.
What was Edgar Allan Poes only completed novel?
- AEureka: A Pose Poem
- BThe Balloon Hoax
- CThe Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
- DThe Philosophy of Composition
Answer: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket - 250.
This literary character has an obssessive love affair with Mildred Rogers, a shallow and self-centerd woman he encounters in London.
- AAtticus Finch
- BNick Caraway
- CDorian Gray
- DPhilip Carey
Answer: Philip Carey
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?