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Second Only to Shakespeare? Trivia Quiz

William Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest writer of the English language - and perhaps the greatest writer anywhere. If this is true, who is in second place? Here are a few possibilities.

A multiple-choice quiz by robert362. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
robert362

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
92,090

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1032

Last 3 plays: Guest 24 (9/10), wellenbrecher (10/10), Guest 73 (6/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Fyodor Dostoevsky is best known for "Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamazov", but he also wrote other works. Which
of the following is NOT one of them? Hint

The House of the Dead

The Double

The Plague

The Gambler

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Leo Tolstoi is best known for "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina". Which of the following of his works was banned when first published? Hint

What I Believe

I Accuse

The Counterfeiters

The Penal Colony

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Victor Hugo is best known for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Les Miserables". His life - like his writing - was dramatic. His wedding day was marred by what personal tragedy? Hint

The death of his father

Receipt of devastating financial news

Abandonment by his wife-to-be

The mental breakdown of his brother

4. Charles Dickens is certainly one of the most prolific of the "great writers". Poe's raven may have been inspired by "Grip", the raven that belonged to Barnaby Rudge (in Dickens' novel of the same name.) What may accurately be said about the character, Rudge? Hint

Foolish

Sinister

Power-hungry

Greedy

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Dante is best known for "The Divine Comedy". Beatrice was one of the "guides" in that work; which of the following was also a "guide"? Hint

Cicero

Plato

Seneca

Virgil

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. John Milton is best known for "Paradise Lost". Which of the following is NOT one of his works? Hint

De Profundis

Il Penseroso

Lycidas

Areopagitica

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. John Donne is perhaps best known for his poetry, but man does not live by poetry alone. Which of the following statements about him is accurate? Hint

He was appointed Royal Barrister

He was appointed Royal Philosopher

He was appointed Royal Chaplain

He was appointed Royal Physician

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Thomas Mann is best known for "Death in Venice". Which of the following is NOT one of his works? Hint

Magister Ludi (The Glass Bead Game)

Buddenbrooks

The Magic Mountain

Dr. Faustus

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Eugene O'Neill is America's foremost dramatist. Which of these plays by O'Neill does not deal with sailors and the sea? Hint

The Long Voyage Home

Long Day's Journey Into Night

The Hairy Ape

Anna Christie

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Arthur Miller is also a great American dramatist. Which of the following of his works is a (somewhat) autobiographical look at one of his marriages? Hint

The Ride Down Mt. Morgan

The Crucible

The Price

After the Fall

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 04 2024 : Guest 24: 9/10
Mar 11 2024 : wellenbrecher: 10/10
Mar 08 2024 : Guest 73: 6/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Fyodor Dostoevsky is best known for "Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamazov", but he also wrote other works. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

Answer: The Plague

"The Plague" is by Albert Camus, author of "The Stranger". Dostoevsky is considered by many to be a novelist par excellence. "Brothers" is considered one of the great novels of all time. "Crime" is also regarded as a masterpiece.

2. Leo Tolstoi is best known for "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina". Which of the following of his works was banned when first published?

Answer: What I Believe

"Counterfeiters" is by Andre Gide. "Accuse" is by Emil Zola. "Colony" is by Franz Kafka. Is any novel more well-known or well-respected than "War and Peace"?

3. Victor Hugo is best known for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Les Miserables". His life - like his writing - was dramatic. His wedding day was marred by what personal tragedy?

Answer: The mental breakdown of his brother

Hugo's brother, never very stable, considered himself a rival for Hugo's intended. Her marriage to Hugo caused him to break down.
(Hugo would endure other family hardships - his daughters would have hard, short, tragic lives.)His writing, however, continues to receive critical acclaim.

Answer: Foolish

Barnaby Rudge is not the sharpest tack in the literary wall. Dickens turned out such well known and enduring tales as "David Copperfield", "Oliver Twist", "Tale of Two Cities", "Christmas Carol",
"Great Expectations" and many others. Few could come close to matching his productivity.

5. Dante is best known for "The Divine Comedy". Beatrice was one of the "guides" in that work; which of the following was also a "guide"?

Answer: Virgil

After the best of Shakespeare's works are mentioned, "Divine Comedy" is often the next work that comes to mind for many who study great literature.

6. John Milton is best known for "Paradise Lost". Which of the following is NOT one of his works?

Answer: De Profundis

"De Profundis" is a confession memoir by Oscar Wilde. "Paradise" is beloved by English teachers everywhere - it is a staple in college courses. Hard reading, to be sure. A hard life, too: blindness.

7. John Donne is perhaps best known for his poetry, but man does not live by poetry alone. Which of the following statements about him is accurate?

Answer: He was appointed Royal Chaplain

Money and politics affect even poets and writers - leading Donne to reluctantly accept an appointment as Royal Chaplain. Best known for his line about "for whom the bell tolls".

8. Thomas Mann is best known for "Death in Venice". Which of the following is NOT one of his works?

Answer: Magister Ludi (The Glass Bead Game)

"Glass Bead Game" is by Hermann Hesse - and is considered by many to be his masterpiece. "Venice" is regarded by many as a work of greatness.

9. Eugene O'Neill is America's foremost dramatist. Which of these plays by O'Neill does not deal with sailors and the sea?

Answer: Long Day's Journey Into Night

"Journey" is set in O"Neill's family home and really doesn't deal with the sea, sailors, etc. "Voyage" is all about the life of sailors - a topic that O'Neill knew quite well from his own personal experience. "Ape" is all about a sailor - who is given that unflattering description" by another character. "Anna" involves a seaman, his daughter, and a man they meet at sea.

10. Arthur Miller is also a great American dramatist. Which of the following of his works is a (somewhat) autobiographical look at one of his marriages?

Answer: After the Fall

Miller's life with Marilyn Monroe - he was her husband for a while - is the basis for "Fall".

Source: Author robert362

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