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Canadian Literature Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Canadian Literature Quizzes, Trivia

Canadian Literature Trivia

Canadian Literature Trivia Quizzes

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These quizzes are on books by a variety of authors, all of them Canadian. If you are looking for quizzes about a specific Canadian author, you need to look for them in the author-based categories.
10 Canadian Literature quizzes and 110 Canadian Literature trivia questions.
1.
  Canadian Lit 101   best quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Can you identify the Canadian (or Canadian-born) author who wrote each of these books?
Easier, 10 Qns, looney_tunes, Jul 10 17
Easier
looney_tunes editor
Jul 10 17
495 plays
2.
  Canadian Authors from Black and White to Screen    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
These great Canadian books have been turned into TV shows or movies. I'll name the book, you need to name the Canadian author who wrote the book.
Average, 10 Qns, ramonesrule, Jul 18 20
Average
ramonesrule gold member
Jul 18 20
454 plays
3.
  Can Lit? Can do!    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Even if you're not a Canadian, and didn't have to "do" these books for school, you should be familiar with many of these books and authors.
Average, 15 Qns, agony, Apr 16 21
Recommended for grades: 10,11,12
Average
agony editor
Apr 16 21
1063 plays
4.
  Canadian Literature -- Film Adaptations   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I just saw "Life of Pi," Ang Lee's awesome film based on Yann Martel's novel, which made me think about similar projects. These questions deal with Canadian works that started on the page and were adapted into films.
Average, 10 Qns, makidadi, Mar 21 17
Average
makidadi
276 plays
5.
  Canadian Mystery Fiction    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
A wide selection of Canadian mystery authors and stories, every one of them worth reading.
Average, 15 Qns, agony, Aug 12 14
Average
agony editor
415 plays
6.
  Name That Canadian Author    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I will give you three literary or dramatic works. It is your job to provide me with the Canadian author, poet, or playwright responsible for the pieces of literature. Good luck!
Average, 10 Qns, me132, Jan 01 18
Average
me132
Jan 01 18
594 plays
7.
  Canadian Authors   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Can you identify the Canadian authors who wrote these well-known works?
Average, 10 Qns, Astena, Jan 10 09
Average
Astena
571 plays
8.
  Canadian Literature    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
How much do you know of Canadian Literature? A mix of questions that are not too trivial (I hope) but a knowledge of Canadian authors and their work is a definite bonus. Bonne chance!
Tough, 10 Qns, kaha, Sep 06 10
Tough
kaha
1010 plays
9.
  Canadian Literature and Awards    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is about Canadian works of literature that have either been nominated for or have received an award.
Tough, 10 Qns, elspbeth, Nov 13 06
Tough
elspbeth
305 plays
10.
  Canadian Plays    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I'll give you author; you tell me the title of a play that they have written.
Tough, 10 Qns, egolover, Aug 10 07
Tough
egolover
256 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What play did Michel Tremblay write?

From Quiz "Canadian Plays"




Related Topics
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  Canadian Geography for Kids [For Children] (8 quizzes)

  Canadian TV [Television] (12 quizzes)

  Canadians: Famous & Historical [People] (31 quizzes)

  Coupland, Douglas [Literature] (2 quizzes)

  Davies, Robertson [Literature] (4 quizzes)


Canadian Literature Trivia Questions
1. "The Handmaid's Tale" is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian society called Gilead with a focus on reproduction. Who wrote this very famous Canadian novel?

From Quiz Canadian Authors from Black and White to Screen

Answer: Margaret Atwood

"The Handmaid's Tale" is a 1985 novel that won the 1985 Governor General's Award for Literature, the first Arthur C. Clarke Award (for science fiction novels) in 1987 and was nominated for the 1986 Nebula Award, the 1986 Booker's Prize and the 1987 Prometheus Award. It tells the story from the perspective of a woman who is being forced into the position of child bearer in an authoritative and oppressive society. It has been made into a 1990 movie starring Miranda Richardson in the lead role, a 2017 television series with Elisabeth Moss in the lead role and a 2000 opera. The first season of the 2017 TV series was nominated for thirteen Primetime Emmy Awards, winning eight of them, including Outstanding Drama Series. It also won a Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Drama. Elisabeth Moss won the Golden Globe for Best Actress.

2. Whose works include "St. Urbain's Horseman", "Solomon Gursky Was Here", "The Incomparable Atuk", and "Joshua Then and Now"?

From Quiz Canadian Authors

Answer: Mordecai Richler

Amongst many other novels not mentioned here, Richler also wrote the popular "Jacob Two-Two" children's books.

3. What is the name of the award-winning Ken McGoogan novel that told the story of John Rae, a 19th century Arctic explorer?

From Quiz Canadian Literature and Awards

Answer: Fatal Passage

This book won four literary awards and was short-listed for three others. It solved two mysteries - who really discovered the final link in the Northwest Passage and what happened to the lost expedition of Sir John Franklin, famous British explorer. "Lady Franklin's Revenge" is about Franklin's wife and is amazing if only for the chronicling of her extensive travel. "Ancient Mariner" is another non-fiction work from Canadian writer McGoogan, and tells the life of Samuel Hearne, who was the first European to reach the Arctic coast of North America. "An Adventure in the Arctic" is a made up title.

4. Who is the author of "Dance Me Outside", "Shoeless Joe", and "Magic Time"?

From Quiz Name That Canadian Author

Answer: W. P. Kinsella

Kinsella's most famous novel, "Shoeless Joe", was published in 1982. It is based on the infamous 1919 Black Sox scandal. The novel was turned into the highly-successful film "Field of Dreams", released in 1989.

5. What play did Daniel MacIvor write?

From Quiz Canadian Plays

Answer: Here Lies Henry

MacIvor won the Chalmers Award in 1991, for "Here Lies Henry", which first ran at the 1996 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Daniel Brookes co-wrote the play and directed the first production.

6. This author, along with her sister, wrote about her experiences pioneering in Upper Canada.

From Quiz Can Lit? Can do!

Answer: Susanna Moodie

Susanna Moodie and her sister, Catharine Parr Traill, were born in England, and immigrated to Canada in 1832. They settled in what is now the Kawartha region of Ontario. Their books, such as Susanna's "Roughing it in the Bush" (1852) and Catharine's "The Backwoods of Canada" (1834), give vivid descriptions of pioneer life.

7. Who writes the Benny Cooperman mysteries?

From Quiz Canadian Mystery Fiction

Answer: Howard Engel

Engel is a founding member of the Crime Writers of Canada.

8. Who is the author of 'A Fine Balance'?

From Quiz Canadian Literature

Answer: Rohinton Mistry

Written in 1997 set in India in the '70s. Excellent novel.

9. The 1997 novel "Barney's Version" is written as an autobiographical novel by an unreliable narrator named Barney. Which writer from Montreal famous for the "Jacob Two-Two" children's series wrote this book?

From Quiz Canadian Authors from Black and White to Screen

Answer: Mordecai Richler

This novel tells the story of the life of Barney Panofsky, who recounts his life, including three previous marriages and a mysterious disappearance. "Barney's Version" was made into a 2010 movie starring Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and Dustin Hoffman. The movie was nominated for the Golden Lion (highest award) at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. It was nominated for a number of other awards including the Golden Globe for Best Actor - Musical/Comedy for Paul Giamatti, which he won. It was directed by Canadian director Paul Lewis, who has also worked on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The movie had a number of cameos by other Canadian directors, including Paul Gross, Atom Egoyan, Denys Arcand and David Cronenberg.

10. Whose works include "A Jest of God", "This Side Jordan", "The Diviners", and "The Fire Dwellers"?

From Quiz Canadian Authors

Answer: Margaret Laurence

"A Jest of God" was adapted into the 1968 movie "Rachel, Rachel" with Joanne Woodward.

11. What is the name of Joseph Boyden's first novel, which describes the horrors of WW1 trench warfare through the experiences of two Metis soldiers?

From Quiz Canadian Literature and Awards

Answer: Three Day Road

Although this book is not easy to read due to the graphic depiction of war, it takes the reader on an amazing journey and tells the tale of two Metis friends and how they react so differently to their war experiences. It has been nominated for several awards, including the Books in Canada First Novel Award. "Born With a Tooth" is a collection of short stories by Boyden. "War and Peace" is penned by Tolstoy of course and "Soldiers" I just made up.

12. Which Manitoban wrote "The Tin Flute", "The Hidden Mountain", and "Garden in the Wind"?

From Quiz Name That Canadian Author

Answer: Gabrielle Roy

Roy was born in Manitoba in 1909. All of her novels were originally written in French.

13. Wendy Lill wrote which play?

From Quiz Canadian Plays

Answer: The Fighting Days

Written in 1984, "The Fighting Days" focuses on the women's suffrage movement but also includes themes of racism.

14. What Police Force does Charlie Salter work for?

From Quiz Canadian Mystery Fiction

Answer: Metro Toronto Police

Written by Eric Wright, the Charlie Salter mysteries are intelligent and gently amusing. These books are good puzzles, big on realistic detail and police department politics, but not much action.

15. Whose works include "In the Skin of a Lion", "Anil's Ghost", "Divisadero", and "The English Patient"?

From Quiz Canadian Authors

Answer: Michael Ondaatje

Although a Canadian citizen, Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka.

16. Which Margaret Atwood novel was based on a real-life Canadian murderer of the 1800s?

From Quiz Canadian Literature and Awards

Answer: Alias Grace

"Alias Grace" won the Giller Prize and the Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the year Award for 1996. It would be hard to find a book of Atwood's that hasn't won an award. Although I haven't found every single one of her books fantastic, "Alias Grace" was fabulous.

17. Which Canadian author is responsible for "The Luck of Ginger Coffey", "I Am Mary Dunne", and "Black Robe"?

From Quiz Name That Canadian Author

Answer: Brian Moore

Moore was actually born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but he moved to Canada in 1948. Despite moving to the US in 1959, he maintained his Canadian citizenship.

18. Canadians like to have the best of all possible worlds. We claim as our own not only those authors born here who have moved elsewhere, but those born elsewhere who have moved here! Which Sri Lankan-born author shared the Booker Prize in 1992?

From Quiz Can Lit? Can do!

Answer: Michael Ondaatje

"The English Patient" shared first place that year with Ian McEwan's "Black Dogs". All the other authors named are also originally from South Asia, and are now proudly claimed by Canada.

19. Who is the detective in Scott Young's "The Shaman's Knife" and "Murder in a Cold Climate"?

From Quiz Canadian Mystery Fiction

Answer: Matteesie Kitologitak

Michael Kusagak is a noted Inuit children's author, Alex Kequahtooway is the detective and love-interest in Gail Bowen's Joanne Kilgour mysteries, and Jim Chee is a Tony Hillerman character.

20. Who wrote the poems 'Towards the Last Spike' and 'The Truant'?

From Quiz Canadian Literature

Answer: E.J. Pratt

E.J. Pratt wrote 'Towards the Last Spike' about the of promise of MacDonald's government to B.C. that the railway to connect to the East would be completed within ten years of joining confederation. 'The Truant' is '...an indictment of absolute power without recognition of moral ends,' (in Pratt's own words).

21. The 2008 novel "Through Black Spruce" is narrated by Will and Annie Bird and set in Moosonee, Ontario. Famous for writing "The Orenda" and for some controversy surrounding his ancestry, who wrote this book?

From Quiz Canadian Authors from Black and White to Screen

Answer: Joseph Boyden

"Through Black Spruce" was made into a 2010 movie by Don McKellar and nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards. It was nominated for Best Actor (Brandon Oakes) and Best Original Score. It won in the Best Original Score category. Author Joseph Boyden is primarily of Scottish and Irish descent but has written novels telling the stories of Indigenous people. He began to publicly speak out about Indigenous issues and received a fair bit of backlash and asked by a number of Indigenous writers to stop speaking on behalf of their community.

22. Whose works include "The Telling of Lies", "Famous Last Words", "The Piano Man's Daughter", and "Pilgrim"?

From Quiz Canadian Authors

Answer: Timothy Findley

Findley's work often employed tormented characters struggling with mental illness, gender and sexual psychoses.

23. This 1990 winner of the Governor General's Award was written by Nino Ricci and is the first part of a trilogy about a boy, born in a small town in Italy, who moves to rural Ontario.

From Quiz Canadian Literature and Awards

Answer: Lives of the Saints

"Anils Ghost" by Michael Ondaatje was the GG recipient in 2000. "Such a Long Journey" by Rohinton Mistry was the winner of the GG in 1991. "Man Descending", written by Guy Vanderhaeghe, was the GG recipient in 1982. "Lives of the Saints" was made into a tv movie a few years ago with Sophia Loren starring - unfortunately, it wasn't very good.

24. Whose short stories include "Prayers of a Very Wise Child", "The End", and "The Hockey Sweater"?

From Quiz Name That Canadian Author

Answer: Roch Carrier

Carrier's short stories earned him the Order of Canada in 1991. In 1999, he was named National Librarian of Canada.

25. What play did Sharon Pollock write?

From Quiz Canadian Plays

Answer: Doc

"Doc" premiered at Theatre Calgary in 1984. It is about a young woman named Catherine and her relationship with her father. When Catherine returns home on the eve of ceremonies honouring her physician father, she unleashes many old memories as she and her father attempt to lay old ghosts to rest.

26. This author of "Sajo and her Beaver People" was found after his death to have been posing as a Native American. He was actually an Englishman.

From Quiz Can Lit? Can do!

Answer: Grey Owl

Archie Belaney was born in 1888 in Hastings, Sussex. He immigrated to Canada in 1906, and soon entered the wilderness life he had dreamed of as a boy. For twenty years he lived in the bush, trapping and guiding. In 1925 he started writing under the name of "Grey Owl", passing himself off as a half-Apache. He soon came to the notice of the Parks Service, under whose wing he became widely known, travelling as far as Buckingham Palace, speaking about the wilderness. In the summers, crowds of pilgrims came to his cabin in the woods. He died in 1938, and soon after, his secret was exposed. Although he was in some ways a fraud, Grey Owl did have a genuine love and knowledge of the bush. You can still visit his cabin, in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan.

27. Who wrote 'Who Has Seen the Wind'?

From Quiz Canadian Literature

Answer: W.O. Mitchell

Written about prairie life in the 1900s. Canadian classic.

28. "Love You Forever" is a tear-inducing children's book from a prolific writer of children's books that include "The Paper Bag Princess", "We Share EVERYTHING!", "Mortimer" and "Smelly Socks". Who is this American-Canadian author?

From Quiz Canadian Authors from Black and White to Screen

Answer: Robert Munsch

So technically, "Love You Forever" has never been adapted into a movie or TV screen, however it has been included in some pretty iconic moments in screen history. This beautiful children's book that makes many adults cry, is a tender tale of the relationship between a mother and her son and was written after author Robert Munsch and his wife had two stillborn babies. On screen, one of the most memorable moments happened in the episode "The One with the Cake" from the TV series "Friends" when Joey reads the book to the one year old daughter of Rachel and Ross, moving everyone to tears.

29. Willem Dafoe struggles with a Canadian accent in this adaptation of a Michael Ondaatje novel which was famously alluded to in a Seinfeld episode. What is the title of the book and the film directed by Anthony Minghella?

From Quiz Canadian Literature -- Film Adaptations

Answer: The English Patient

The complicated story includes a severely burned "soldier" played by Ralph Fiennes (who turns out not to really be English), a Sikh bomb defuser (Naveen Andrews), an Anglo-Canadian thief (Dafoe), a Franco-Canadian nurse (Juliette Binoche) and a married British woman (Kristin Scott Thomas) who is up for a little extra-marital fun. Despite the complexity of the flashbacks and density of the story, Ondaatje and Minghella make it all riveting, no matter what Elaine Benes says.

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