Eddie Whitlock's Blog: Reader and Writer - Posts Tagged "questions"
Some Literary Trivia for You
This week I was honored to be the host of "Between the Covers" Book Trivia at the Athens-Clarke County Library. Below are the questions used in the event.
See how you do!
AUTHORS
1. Time magazine listed this author as one of the 100 most influential people in the world last year. His book series A Song of Fire and Ice began in 1996 with the book A Game of Thrones. Who is this New Jersey-born author?
A. George R. R. Martin
B. Clive Barker
C. Harry Turtledove
D. John Sandford
2. She is a Pulitzer-prize winning author and biographer as well as being an often-seen political commentator. Her works have included Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream; The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga; No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (which won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995); and her most recent book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Who is this American writer?
A. Joyce Carol Oates
B. Doris Kearns Goodwin
C. J. K. Rowling
D. Eleanor Clift
3. Her novels often center on mother-daughter relationships. The Joy Luck Club is her best-known work, having been made into a very successful film. Her other works include The Kitchen God’s Wife and The Bonesetter’s Daughter. Who is this California-born author?
A. Jade Snow Wong
B. Virginia Lee
C. Amy Tan
D. Kathy Reichs
4. This 80-year-old author has written or co-authored more than 50 books, many of which have made the best-seller list. His works include Raise the Titanic, Cyclops and Crescent Dawn. In addition to being an author, he is the founder the National Underwater and Marine Agency, which has located more than 60 shipwreck sites. Who is this well-known author?
A. Michael Crichton
B. Timothy LaHay
C. Vin Packer
D. Clive Cussler
5. Using strong female protagonists, this author came to national attention with her third novel Waiting to Exhale in 1992. She has become a regular on the best-seller list with How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Getting to Happy. Who is this author from Michigan?
A. Gwendolyn Brooks
B. Octavia Butler
C. J. J. Nance
D. Terry McMillan
CHARACTERS
1. This character is one of the great villains of literature. Described as pasty white, sweaty, filthy, and smelly, this person repeatedly threatens to beat his son to death if he doesn’t stop trying to be polite. Although the character is found dead mid-novel, his death isn’t revealed until the end—and it’s a relief. Who is this villain?
A. Bill Sykes from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist
B. Pap Finn from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
C. Iago from William Shakespeare’s Othello
D. Police Inspector Javert from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables
2. Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2010 hit novel turned a respected American President into a hero who slays vampires in secret. Into which Commander in Chief’s hands did Grahame-Smith put wooden stakes and mallets for a story that will soon be turned into a major motion picture?
A. George Washington
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. Woodrow Wilson
D. Ronald Reagan
3. Everyone knows the name of the heroine of the novel Gone With the Wind. Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlett O’Hara has become one of the best-known characters in literature. Her name, though, wasn’t originally Scarlett O’Hara. What did Mitchell originally call the feisty Miss O’Hara?
A. Prissy
B. Pansy
C. Penelope
D. Phoebe
4. Old Gringo is a 1985 novel written by Carlos Fuentes. The novel took Fuentes twenty years to write before it was published. It was inspired by historic events surrounding a famous American who went to Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. The English version of the book became the first novel by a Mexican Author to become a US bestseller. Who is the famous American Fuentes used for the central character of the book Old Gringo?
A. Teddy Roosevelt
B. Samuel Clemmons
C. Ambrose Bierce
D. William Randolph Hearst
5. Author Thomas Harris created one
of the great villains of all time. He used this evil fellow as a character in the novel Red Dragon in 1981 and again in Silence of the Lambs in 1988. Two other Harris novels subsequently focused on this wicked criminal. What is his name?
A. Hannibal Lector
B. Archibald Dumont
C. Harrison Bergeron
D. Thomas Hayden Church
TITLES
1. Author E. L. James has scored a literary hit this year with a trilogy of books about a recent college graduate and her relationship with a manipulative billionaire. Begun as fan fiction based on the Twilight series characters, the books have already sold over ten million copies. What is the name of the first book in this series?
A. The Lady and the Tramp
B. Biting Back
C. Fifty Shades of Grey
D. Anna and the King of Wall Street
2. Ralph Ellison’s 1953 novel about the anonymous life of a black man living in New York City has been hailed as one of the greatest works of American literature. Ellison himself didn’t think much of the book, calling it “an attempt at a novel.” What was Ralph Ellison’s famous literary one-hit wonder?
A. The Souls of Black Folk
B. Invisible Man
C. Black Like Me
D. Native Son
3. I recently finished reading Phillip Roth’s controversial 1969 novel in which patient Alexander rambles on to his psychoanalyst, Dr. Spielvogel. I was both shocked and amused at Alexander’s discussion of sexual matters as well as his religious comments. What was the title of this Roth novel?
A. The Quartzsite Trip
B. Goodbye, Columbus
C. Catch-22
D. Portnoy’s Complaint
4. L. Divine was a Los Angeles school teacher concerned about declining literacy among youth. To address that matter, she began writing a series of books in April of 2001. L. Divine began work on her series of books for young adults that would simply inspire them to read for pleasure. With titles like Pushin’, The Fight and Keep It Movin’, the series has succeeded at reaching teens who have made it a best seller. What is the name of this series?
A. Drama High
B. L.A. Times
C. Up Straight
D. Straight Up
5. Khalid Hosseini’s first novel, released in 2003, was the third best-selling work of fiction of the decade. About-dot-com described the book as “a page turner with complex characters and situations that will make you think hard about friendship, good and evil, betrayal, and redemption.” What is the title of this novel that begins in Afghanistan and ends in the United States?
A. Gilead
B. The Kite Runner
C. The White Tiger
D. A Fraction of the Whole
FINAL QUESTION
It should come as no surprise to you that the best-selling fiction writer of all time is William Shakespeare. Which of the following authors is the second best-selling fiction author of all time? (Sales estimated between 2 and 4 BILLION books!)
A. Agatha Christie
B. Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
C. Danielle Steele
D. Sidney Sheldon
See how you do!
AUTHORS
1. Time magazine listed this author as one of the 100 most influential people in the world last year. His book series A Song of Fire and Ice began in 1996 with the book A Game of Thrones. Who is this New Jersey-born author?
A. George R. R. Martin
B. Clive Barker
C. Harry Turtledove
D. John Sandford
2. She is a Pulitzer-prize winning author and biographer as well as being an often-seen political commentator. Her works have included Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream; The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga; No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (which won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995); and her most recent book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Who is this American writer?
A. Joyce Carol Oates
B. Doris Kearns Goodwin
C. J. K. Rowling
D. Eleanor Clift
3. Her novels often center on mother-daughter relationships. The Joy Luck Club is her best-known work, having been made into a very successful film. Her other works include The Kitchen God’s Wife and The Bonesetter’s Daughter. Who is this California-born author?
A. Jade Snow Wong
B. Virginia Lee
C. Amy Tan
D. Kathy Reichs
4. This 80-year-old author has written or co-authored more than 50 books, many of which have made the best-seller list. His works include Raise the Titanic, Cyclops and Crescent Dawn. In addition to being an author, he is the founder the National Underwater and Marine Agency, which has located more than 60 shipwreck sites. Who is this well-known author?
A. Michael Crichton
B. Timothy LaHay
C. Vin Packer
D. Clive Cussler
5. Using strong female protagonists, this author came to national attention with her third novel Waiting to Exhale in 1992. She has become a regular on the best-seller list with How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Getting to Happy. Who is this author from Michigan?
A. Gwendolyn Brooks
B. Octavia Butler
C. J. J. Nance
D. Terry McMillan
CHARACTERS
1. This character is one of the great villains of literature. Described as pasty white, sweaty, filthy, and smelly, this person repeatedly threatens to beat his son to death if he doesn’t stop trying to be polite. Although the character is found dead mid-novel, his death isn’t revealed until the end—and it’s a relief. Who is this villain?
A. Bill Sykes from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist
B. Pap Finn from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
C. Iago from William Shakespeare’s Othello
D. Police Inspector Javert from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables
2. Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2010 hit novel turned a respected American President into a hero who slays vampires in secret. Into which Commander in Chief’s hands did Grahame-Smith put wooden stakes and mallets for a story that will soon be turned into a major motion picture?
A. George Washington
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. Woodrow Wilson
D. Ronald Reagan
3. Everyone knows the name of the heroine of the novel Gone With the Wind. Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlett O’Hara has become one of the best-known characters in literature. Her name, though, wasn’t originally Scarlett O’Hara. What did Mitchell originally call the feisty Miss O’Hara?
A. Prissy
B. Pansy
C. Penelope
D. Phoebe
4. Old Gringo is a 1985 novel written by Carlos Fuentes. The novel took Fuentes twenty years to write before it was published. It was inspired by historic events surrounding a famous American who went to Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. The English version of the book became the first novel by a Mexican Author to become a US bestseller. Who is the famous American Fuentes used for the central character of the book Old Gringo?
A. Teddy Roosevelt
B. Samuel Clemmons
C. Ambrose Bierce
D. William Randolph Hearst
5. Author Thomas Harris created one
of the great villains of all time. He used this evil fellow as a character in the novel Red Dragon in 1981 and again in Silence of the Lambs in 1988. Two other Harris novels subsequently focused on this wicked criminal. What is his name?
A. Hannibal Lector
B. Archibald Dumont
C. Harrison Bergeron
D. Thomas Hayden Church
TITLES
1. Author E. L. James has scored a literary hit this year with a trilogy of books about a recent college graduate and her relationship with a manipulative billionaire. Begun as fan fiction based on the Twilight series characters, the books have already sold over ten million copies. What is the name of the first book in this series?
A. The Lady and the Tramp
B. Biting Back
C. Fifty Shades of Grey
D. Anna and the King of Wall Street
2. Ralph Ellison’s 1953 novel about the anonymous life of a black man living in New York City has been hailed as one of the greatest works of American literature. Ellison himself didn’t think much of the book, calling it “an attempt at a novel.” What was Ralph Ellison’s famous literary one-hit wonder?
A. The Souls of Black Folk
B. Invisible Man
C. Black Like Me
D. Native Son
3. I recently finished reading Phillip Roth’s controversial 1969 novel in which patient Alexander rambles on to his psychoanalyst, Dr. Spielvogel. I was both shocked and amused at Alexander’s discussion of sexual matters as well as his religious comments. What was the title of this Roth novel?
A. The Quartzsite Trip
B. Goodbye, Columbus
C. Catch-22
D. Portnoy’s Complaint
4. L. Divine was a Los Angeles school teacher concerned about declining literacy among youth. To address that matter, she began writing a series of books in April of 2001. L. Divine began work on her series of books for young adults that would simply inspire them to read for pleasure. With titles like Pushin’, The Fight and Keep It Movin’, the series has succeeded at reaching teens who have made it a best seller. What is the name of this series?
A. Drama High
B. L.A. Times
C. Up Straight
D. Straight Up
5. Khalid Hosseini’s first novel, released in 2003, was the third best-selling work of fiction of the decade. About-dot-com described the book as “a page turner with complex characters and situations that will make you think hard about friendship, good and evil, betrayal, and redemption.” What is the title of this novel that begins in Afghanistan and ends in the United States?
A. Gilead
B. The Kite Runner
C. The White Tiger
D. A Fraction of the Whole
FINAL QUESTION
It should come as no surprise to you that the best-selling fiction writer of all time is William Shakespeare. Which of the following authors is the second best-selling fiction author of all time? (Sales estimated between 2 and 4 BILLION books!)
A. Agatha Christie
B. Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
C. Danielle Steele
D. Sidney Sheldon
Reader and Writer
I began to write because it seemed to be a realm in which one could exercise omnipotence. It's not.
My characters demand to make their own decisions and often the outcomes are wildly different from wha ...more
My characters demand to make their own decisions and often the outcomes are wildly different from wha ...more
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