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Quiz about John Irving
Quiz about John Irving

John Irving Trivia Quiz


This best-selling American author is highly praised - and still writing, too! How much do you know about John Irving and his books?

A multiple-choice quiz by regroce67. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
regroce67
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
363,830
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
164
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. New England and Austria are common settings in many of Irving novels. His "A Son of the Circus", however, is set in a complete different location. What is the primary setting of this story? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. A particular animal has been notably present in some of Irving's books, both symbolically and as characters. Which animal is this? (Take a second to think about it, and you'll be "setting free" the answer.) Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. A bear character in "The Hotel New Hampshire" is named after which U.S. state? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Which of the following Irving novels was NOT made into a movie in the 20th century? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. His grandfather, Dr. Frederick Irving, was a prominent obstetrician who wrote textbooks while teaching at Harvard's School of Medicine. Irving used his grandfather's writings to help him compose which novel? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which character is the narrator of "A Prayer for Owen Meany"? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. True or False: while known for his fiction, Irving also wrote a non-fiction book, which was about his work in films.


Question 8 of 10
8. Many of Irving's books have been made into movies. Can you name the novel that was released in motion picture format in 1984? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which of the following awards did Irving win for "The World According to Garp"? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The sport of wrestling frequently appears in Irving's novels due to his participation in the sport, and he was even inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992. Which of the following achievements in the sport has Irving NOT made? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. New England and Austria are common settings in many of Irving novels. His "A Son of the Circus", however, is set in a complete different location. What is the primary setting of this story?

Answer: India

Main character Dr. Daruwalla travels from his Canadian home to his native land of India, where he writes scripts for popular suspense movies and even attempts to solve crime himself.
2. A particular animal has been notably present in some of Irving's books, both symbolically and as characters. Which animal is this? (Take a second to think about it, and you'll be "setting free" the answer.)

Answer: Bear

Used metaphorically to indicate base and unrefined masculinity, bears are found in "The World According to Garp", "The Hotel New Hampshire", and (of course) "Setting Free the Bears".
3. A bear character in "The Hotel New Hampshire" is named after which U.S. state?

Answer: Maine

The bear named "State o' Maine" is featured in the beginning of the novel. Narrator John Berry's father Win Berry traveled with the (somewhat) trained circus bear, using the money earned from its performances to pay for a college education. State o' Maine remained with the family until an unexpected demise while John was still a child.
4. Which of the following Irving novels was NOT made into a movie in the 20th century?

Answer: The 158-Pound Marriage

All of the aforementioned novels were written in the 20th century, but only "The 158-Pound Marriage" had not been made into a movie by its end. "The Cider House Rules" film made in 1999 won two Academy Awards, as did the 1982 movie version of "The World According to Garp". The film version of "The Hotel New Hampshire" was produced in 1984.
5. His grandfather, Dr. Frederick Irving, was a prominent obstetrician who wrote textbooks while teaching at Harvard's School of Medicine. Irving used his grandfather's writings to help him compose which novel?

Answer: The Cider House Rules

"The Cider House Rules" is set in an orphanage operated by a doctor who also delivers babies and performs abortions. In the author's notes included at the end of the novel, Irving says he used his grandfather's publication "The Expectant Mother's Handbook: A Textbook of Obstetrics and Safe Deliverance" as a source for the story's detailed accounts of childbirth.
6. Which character is the narrator of "A Prayer for Owen Meany"?

Answer: John Wheelwright

John Wheelwright tells the story of his best friend Owen Meany, a young man who is small in size but large in character, and who knew of his upcoming, martyr-like demise while still a child.
7. True or False: while known for his fiction, Irving also wrote a non-fiction book, which was about his work in films.

Answer: True

In 1999's "My Movie Business", Irving tells of the film production of his novel "The Cider House Rules", for which he received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
8. Many of Irving's books have been made into movies. Can you name the novel that was released in motion picture format in 1984?

Answer: The Hotel New Hampshire

In 1984 the movie version of the 1981 novel "The Hotel New Hampshire" was released to cinemas. "The World According to Garp" motion picture was released in 1982 (following its initial print publication in 1979), while "The Cider House Rules" hit movie theaters in 1999. A film variation of Irving's "A Widow for One Year" was released in 2004 under the title "A Door in the Floor."
9. Which of the following awards did Irving win for "The World According to Garp"?

Answer: National Book Award for Fiction-Paperback (1980)

In 1980 Irving was honored with a National Book Award for the novel, but for its paperback edition that came out that year. The hardcover edition was a finalist in the preceding year, but didn't win top honors. "The World According to Garp" was also a finalist for the 1979 Pulitzer, but the award was given to another author's book. (There is, of course, no "John Irving Lifetime Achievement Award".)
10. The sport of wrestling frequently appears in Irving's novels due to his participation in the sport, and he was even inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992. Which of the following achievements in the sport has Irving NOT made?

Answer: Heavyweight champion of the World Wrestling Foundation

Irving competed in traditional Greco-Roman wrestling in high school and in college, and helped his sons do the same in their youth, too. He never participated in the field of "professional wrestling", however.
Source: Author regroce67

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