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HG Wells' "War of the Worlds" Trivia Quiz

The "War of the Worlds" was a seminal work, one of the forerunners of modern science fiction. Although it has been poorly represented on the screen to this day, the book has stood the test of time. Now test yourself!

A multiple-choice quiz by Ajax23. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
Ajax23

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
252,230

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
7 / 15

Plays
871

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 94 (8/15), Guest 203 (11/15), Guest 77 (7/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. In which year was "War of the Worlds" published in London? Hint

1938

1898

1918

1878

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Question 2 of 15

2. Who is the narrator of the book? Hint

Ogilvy

Stent

Henderson

He is un-named

3. In which daily newspaper (still going strong today!) did a "little note" inform us that: "...a huge outbreak of incandescent gas....suddenly and violently squirted out of the planet...as flames rush out of a gun." Hint

The Times

The Observer

The Guardian

The Daily Telegraph

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Question 4 of 15

4. Who first discovers the Martian 'canister'? Hint

Ogilvy

Shelby

Henderson

The Narrator

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Question 5 of 15

5. Why did the Martians leave their home planet and invade Earth? Hint

Mars began to cool off.

It was part of an inter-galactic invasion plan

They desired Earth and all its riches

The previous century had seen a 1000% increase in the Martian population

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Question 6 of 15

6. To combat the "Men from Mars", which Regiment (of 400) was dispatched to form a cordon around Horsell Common? Hint

The Cardigan Regiment

Queen Victoria's Royal Rifles

The Grenadier Guards

The Royal Green Jackets

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Question 7 of 15

7. Where did the first Martian canister land? Hint

Ranmore Common

Bookham Common

Headley Common

Horsell Common

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Question 8 of 15

8. How many days were the narrator and the curate trapped in a house on the edge of the pit? Hint

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Question 9 of 15

9. Who was the first victim of the Martian attack? Hint

A curate

An artilleryman

A group of men

An astronomer from Ottershaw

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Question 10 of 15

10. Where did people jump into the river to escape the Martian 'heat ray'? Hint

Byfleet

Leatherhead

Weybridge & Shepperton

Dorking

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Question 11 of 15

11. What was the name of the ship that destroyed a tripod in a valiant but futile attempt to save fleeing refugees? Hint

HMS Polyphemus

HMS Dreadnought

HMS Ocean

HMS Thunder Child

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Question 12 of 15

12. Where did the battle take place between Thunder Child and the tripods? Hint

Maldon Sound

Chelmer Bay

Tillingham Bay

West Mersea Bay

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Question 13 of 15

13. According to the book, how many canisters were fired at the Earth by the Martians? Hint

100

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Question 14 of 15

14. What was the narrator singing when he was found "wandering, weeping and raving" by a house of kindly people in St John's Wood? Hint

God save the Queen

The last man left alive

Pretty little Polly Perkins of Paddington Green

Home sweet home

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Question 15 of 15

15. Where was the site of the Martians last encampment? Hint

Chelsea

Primrose Hill

Kensington

Blackheath

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 23 2024 : Guest 94: 8/15
Apr 19 2024 : Guest 203: 11/15
Apr 17 2024 : Guest 77: 7/15
Apr 16 2024 : Guest 74: 3/15
Apr 15 2024 : Guest 47: 6/15
Apr 08 2024 : Guest 24: 6/15
Apr 07 2024 : Guest 31: 10/15
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 24: 8/15
Mar 26 2024 : Guest 5: 8/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In which year was "War of the Worlds" published in London?

Answer: 1898

Despite the book being written while the 'Old Queen' was still on the throne, it was way ahead of its time. It reflected the fears of the balance of power in Europe at the time, which was to explode in the Great War in 1914. The book was dedicated to Frank Wells (HG's brother) and reads: "The rendering of his idea"

2. Who is the narrator of the book?

Answer: He is un-named

No clue is given as to the identity of the narrator.

Answer: The Daily Telegraph

Little more notice was really taken of the events around 12th August 1900. "The Telegraph", though not the oldest newspaper (that title goes to the "Observer" - the oldest in the world!) is still going strong today.

4. Who first discovers the Martian 'canister'?

Answer: Ogilvy

Ogilvy got up early in the morning and discovered the 'meteorite' in sandpits that lay between Horsell, Ottershaw and Woking. The area of Horsell common is pretty much the same today as it was in the 1890s. I still walk my dog there, and so is the sandpit.

5. Why did the Martians leave their home planet and invade Earth?

Answer: Mars began to cool off.

"The secular cooling that must some day overtake our own planet has already gone far indeed with our neighbour" The gradual cooling down of Mars had turned the war-like creatures attention to our own, warmer, invitingly lush planet.

6. To combat the "Men from Mars", which Regiment (of 400) was dispatched to form a cordon around Horsell Common?

Answer: The Cardigan Regiment

By 11:00 the next day; a squadron of Hussars, two Maxims and about 400 men of the Cardigan Regiment were deployed from Aldershot. The 'Home' of the British Army.

7. Where did the first Martian canister land?

Answer: Horsell Common

Horsell Common today, is very much as HG would have known it. It is part of a lengthy network of commons and open areas that have been in existence since Saxon times.

8. How many days were the narrator and the curate trapped in a house on the edge of the pit?

Answer: 15

After hiding in the rubble he finally emerges, and after an encounter with a dog, he views the landscape. Seeing no Martians on the horizon he decides to risk venturing forth.

9. Who was the first victim of the Martian attack?

Answer: A group of men

The narrator first sees the Heat-Ray of the Martians on Horsell Common, when it opened up on a deputation sporting a white flag. "It was as if each man suddenly and momentarily turned to fire".

10. Where did people jump into the river to escape the Martian 'heat ray'?

Answer: Weybridge & Shepperton

On the arrival of 5 Martian fighting machines, people huddled on the river bank & panicked. The surge of the mass of humanity forces them into the water, the only available cover. They rushed right along "the gravelly beach and headlong into the water. Others did the same."

11. What was the name of the ship that destroyed a tripod in a valiant but futile attempt to save fleeing refugees?

Answer: HMS Thunder Child

Thunder Child was described as a 'Torpedo-Ram'. The only example of this at the time was HMS Polyphemus (1881); but it was Thunder Child that "....streaming headlong, coming to the rescue of threatened shipping" destroyed the tripod.

12. Where did the battle take place between Thunder Child and the tripods?

Answer: Tillingham Bay

Tillingham Bay does not actually exist, as Tillingham is actually a few miles inland. But it does mention the mouth of the river Blackwater off the Essex coast in the North Sea.

13. According to the book, how many canisters were fired at the Earth by the Martians?

Answer: 10

We only really hear about the invasion of the British Isles...there undoubtedly would have been more, as the title may suggest.

14. What was the narrator singing when he was found "wandering, weeping and raving" by a house of kindly people in St John's Wood?

Answer: The last man left alive

Describing himself as a "...demented man" he drifted aimlessly amid the red weed strewn ruins of the greatest city in the world until he was "sheltered" and "protected" from himself.

15. Where was the site of the Martians last encampment?

Answer: Primrose Hill

The narrator, pushing his way across a devastated London, crosses Regents Park and heads towards Kilburn. Finally, weary and exhausted, he spies a lone Martian fighting machine (the third "Martian, erect and motionless like the others."). He decides to, finally, end it all and rushes towards the machine. Only to find it motionless.

Source: Author Ajax23

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
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