Test Your Knowledge of Sylvia Plath

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Sylvia Plath wrote only one novel which was published, 'The Bell Jar'. It was published under an assumed name. This name was: Esther Greenwood Aurelia Schober Anne Sexton Victoria Lucas

2. True or False: 'The Bell Jar' is entirely fiction. True False

3. Hospitalized at age 20 for an attempted suicide, Plath stayed at which hospital? Saint Botolph's Massachusetts General McLean St. George

4. In the fall of 1950 Plath began college, which college did she attend? Wellesley Harvard Smith Cambridge

5. Plath and Hughes had two children, what were their names? Otto and Aurelia Sylvia and Warren Ted and Sylvia Frieda and Nicholas

6. In 1953 Plath won a Guest Editorship at Mademoiselle magazine for a short story she wrote. What was the name of that story? Youth's Appeal for World Peace Bitter Strawberries And Summer Will Not Come Again Sunday at the Minton's

7. Plath wrote a poem about an animal entitled 'Ariel', what type of animal was this poem about? horse dog lion bird

8. To my knowledge,Plath published only one children's book, what was the name of this book? Tinker Jack and the Tidy Wives The Bull of Bendylaw Ella Mason and her Eleven Cats The Bed Book

9. 'The Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath' won a prize in 1981 (18 years after her death). Which prize was this? Answer: (One Word)

10. For many years after her suicide, a vast majority of people believed a specific person was responsible for driving Plath to it, who was this person? Aurelia Plath Olwyn Hughes Otto Plath Ted Hughes

11. Plath wrote a peom titled 'Metaphor' - what is the metaphor this poem is alluding to? a year animals the sea pregnancy

12. What is the date of Plath's birth? February 11, 1932 October 27, 1932 June 16, 1932 ******************************

13. Which of the two children born to Plath and Hughes is now a poet and painter? Answer: (Frieda or Nicholas)

14. True or False: Plath's death could have been avoided? (Just referring to the facts of her death, not her underlying mental condition) True False

15. 'Letters Home' is a published collection of letters between Plath and another person. Who is this person? Ted Hughes Aurelia Plath Warren Plath Otto Plath

16. What is the date of Sylvia Plath's death? October 27, 1963 ******************************** June 16, 1963 February 11, 1963

17. Two editions of Sylvia Plath's journals have been published - which one was highly edited by Ted Hughes (abridged or unabridged)? Answer: (abridged or unabridged)

18. At which college, in March 1957, was Plath offered a teaching position? Smith Cambridge Oxford Wellesley

19. Which well known poem of Plath's was written after her stay in St. Pancras hospital due to a miscarriage and an appendectomy (in 1960)? I Am Vertical Tulips Insomniac Barren Woman

20. One of Plath's published poems was accomplished through a writing assignment given to her by Hughes. Which poem was this? Monologue at 3a.m. Love Letter The Moon and the Yew Tree Conversation Among the ruins

21. How old was Sylvia when her father died of diabetes mellitus? 12 10 8 6

22. In which poem does Plath use a panther to describe Hughes? Love Letter Ode for Ted Pursuit The Glutton

23. Which of Plath's collections of poetry was published 2 years after her death? Ariel Crossing The Water The Colossus Winter Trees

24. Which Indiana Library holds the Plath Estate? Lilly Purdue Indiana University Ball State

25. In what area of Massachusetts was Plath's first home? Wellesley Haverford Boston Jamaica Plain