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Quiz about Signing on the Dotted Line
Quiz about Signing on the Dotted Line

Signing on the Dotted Line Trivia Quiz


The final point in buying a house is the completion of the contract - when you sign on the dotted line! What do you know about these fictional houses and the part they played in the story that surrounds them?

A multiple-choice quiz by balaton. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
balaton
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
370,651
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
246
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. She thought to be a happy bride,
But alas her would-be spouse
Caused this jilted one to hide
In a dark decaying house.
"Stop all the clocks!", this lady said,
"Leave the bridal cake to rot.
I'll stay here till I am dead
And by all the world forgot!"

In Charles Dickens' novel,"Great Expectations", what is the name of the "dark decaying house"?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Young David Balfour sought his rights,
But evil uncle wished him dead
And in the blackest of all nights
Sent him up broken stairs instead!
Almost he plunged down from the wreck
Of the house's dizzy heights
But with the help of Alan Breck
He at last regained his rights!

In Stevenson's "Kidnapped", of what property is David the rightful heir?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. First grandfather had to die,
Josephine saw it must be so.
Do you know the reason why?
-To ballet school she could not go!
Then poor nanny was the next-
The family should be aware-
For if Josephine is vexed
Then they'd better all take care!

According to an Agatha Christie book, where does this obnoxious child live?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. There was a maiden all forlorn
Who knew about Jack's rich malt vat.
She milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that killed the cat
That put an end to the thieving ways
Of a scoundrel rat who soon was dead!
In doing so she earned the praise
Of the ragged man and they were wed.

What is the English nursery rhyme that tells this intriguing tale?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. A hero mild whose life was passed
Striving towards his longed for goal
Of owning his own house at last,
By family he'd not be swallowed whole.
Resisting anonymity,
Watching colonial culture crumble,
A tragi-comic figure he
Saw matriarchal structure tumble,

A Trinidadian sign writer who became a journalist is the humble and unassuming hero of this novel by V.S. Naipaul. His ambition is to own a house of his own.
Tricked into marriage he is determined not to be absorbed into his wife's matriarchal family.

What is the title of the book?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Esther didn't know her history,
Told she was her mum's disgrace
Her father too was long a mystery-
Disappeared and left no trace.

Alan Woodcourt had her heart,
Though John Jarndyce wanted her to wed-
In her life he knew he'd no such part
And he gave her to Woodcourt instead.

Çharles Dickens wrote a book which attacked the Court of Chancery and the protracted conduct of cases which often ruined the lives of those involved in them as suitors. Mr. Jarndyce was connected to such a case. What was the name of his house, which had the same name as the book?
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. "A bear of very little brain" was Pooh
And very fond of honey.
His friends were Piglet and Tigger too
And Eeyore both dour and funny!
Then there was Wol who lived in tree
And Kanga with baby Roo
"But his very best friend of all was me!"
Said Christopher Robin, who knew!

A.A. Milne wrote two books about this delightful group of friends. One, written in 1926, was "Winnie-the-Pooh". What was the second one called?
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Matthew Maule worked his plot
In a small New England town
Colonel Pyncheon liked it not.
He wanted that land for his own!
To be hanged he sent Matthew Maule
Said to witchcraft he'd a link.
So Matthew said on him his curse would fall
And God would give him blood to drink!

The name of the house in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel is the title of the novel. What does the title of the book tell us about the gables of the house?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Buried while she still had breath,
Madeline rose from her tomb,
Dragged her brother to his death,
Precipitated house's doom!
As the House of Usher fell,
Narrator watched in trembling fear,
In less time than it took to tell,
It crumbled beneath the turgid mere!

Who is the author of "The Fall of the House of Usher"?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. A tale of envious lies that tend
To tragic internecine strife -
Here's a countdown to its end:
THREE claimed attempts to take a life,
TWO cousins who shared a Christian name,
TWO tricksters supposedly from down under,
ONE airman rich in cash and fame,
ONE sleuth - the Belgian wonder!

What is the title of the Agatha Christie book referred to here?
Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. She thought to be a happy bride, But alas her would-be spouse Caused this jilted one to hide In a dark decaying house. "Stop all the clocks!", this lady said, "Leave the bridal cake to rot. I'll stay here till I am dead And by all the world forgot!" In Charles Dickens' novel,"Great Expectations", what is the name of the "dark decaying house"?

Answer: Satis House

"Great Expectations" is the story of Pip, a poor blacksmith's apprentice who is given a large fortune anonymously by a transported felon to whom he once was kind. Pip wrongly believes he owes his fortune to the recluse Miss Havisham, a belief which leads to many misunderstandings and many heartaches. Dickens intended the book to end unhappily, but public opinion made him change his mind.
2. Young David Balfour sought his rights, But evil uncle wished him dead And in the blackest of all nights Sent him up broken stairs instead! Almost he plunged down from the wreck Of the house's dizzy heights But with the help of Alan Breck He at last regained his rights! In Stevenson's "Kidnapped", of what property is David the rightful heir?

Answer: The House of Shaws

This is a swashbuckling tale of the Jacobite rebellion. Perhaps the real hero is Alan Breck, a staunch supporter of the Stuart cause. "Am I no' a bonnie fighter?"
he boasts - and he certainly is!
3. First grandfather had to die, Josephine saw it must be so. Do you know the reason why? -To ballet school she could not go! Then poor nanny was the next- The family should be aware- For if Josephine is vexed Then they'd better all take care! According to an Agatha Christie book, where does this obnoxious child live?

Answer: Crooked House

Crooked House is an apt name for the home of the Leonides family. Old Leonides is a little old man, rich, sharp and dictatorial. When he is murdered his large and diverse family all suspect each other, but it is left to a live-in poor relation to spot the awful truth and take the unexpected but most merciful action.
4. There was a maiden all forlorn Who knew about Jack's rich malt vat. She milked the cow with the crumpled horn That tossed the dog that killed the cat That put an end to the thieving ways Of a scoundrel rat who soon was dead! In doing so she earned the praise Of the ragged man and they were wed. What is the English nursery rhyme that tells this intriguing tale?

Answer: The house that Jack built

This rhyme probably goes back to Tudor times, although it does not refer to specific events but rather reflects rural life. It was first printed in 1775.
It goes on to tell of the farmer growing the corn to feed the cock that woke the priest that married the happy couple.
5. A hero mild whose life was passed Striving towards his longed for goal Of owning his own house at last, By family he'd not be swallowed whole. Resisting anonymity, Watching colonial culture crumble, A tragi-comic figure he Saw matriarchal structure tumble, A Trinidadian sign writer who became a journalist is the humble and unassuming hero of this novel by V.S. Naipaul. His ambition is to own a house of his own. Tricked into marriage he is determined not to be absorbed into his wife's matriarchal family. What is the title of the book?

Answer: A House for Mr. Biswas

V.S. Naipaul was born in Trinidad in 1932. "A House for Mr. Biswas" is witty and ironic and can be classed as a comic novel, although it is concerned with the life of the Trinidadian poor.
6. Esther didn't know her history, Told she was her mum's disgrace Her father too was long a mystery- Disappeared and left no trace. Alan Woodcourt had her heart, Though John Jarndyce wanted her to wed- In her life he knew he'd no such part And he gave her to Woodcourt instead. Çharles Dickens wrote a book which attacked the Court of Chancery and the protracted conduct of cases which often ruined the lives of those involved in them as suitors. Mr. Jarndyce was connected to such a case. What was the name of his house, which had the same name as the book?

Answer: Bleak House

The book tells the story of Richard and Ada, wards in Chancery and beneficiaries in the notoriously ongoing case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce and of Esther Summerson,
the unbelievable unselfish and sweet natured illegitimate daughter of an aristocratic mother. The plot is a vehicle for Dickens' exposure of the slow workings of Chancery and also of Victorian hypocrisy in the treatment of the poor and needy.
7. "A bear of very little brain" was Pooh And very fond of honey. His friends were Piglet and Tigger too And Eeyore both dour and funny! Then there was Wol who lived in tree And Kanga with baby Roo "But his very best friend of all was me!" Said Christopher Robin, who knew! A.A. Milne wrote two books about this delightful group of friends. One, written in 1926, was "Winnie-the-Pooh". What was the second one called?

Answer: The House at Pooh Corner

The second book was written in 1928 and was written for his son Christopher Robin, who was said to be very embarrassed in his adult life by them. Milne also wrote two books of verse - "When We Were Very Young" and "Now We Are Six".

One of his best loved poems begins:-
"They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace,
Christopher Robin went down with Alice!"
8. Matthew Maule worked his plot In a small New England town Colonel Pyncheon liked it not. He wanted that land for his own! To be hanged he sent Matthew Maule Said to witchcraft he'd a link. So Matthew said on him his curse would fall And God would give him blood to drink! The name of the house in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel is the title of the novel. What does the title of the book tell us about the gables of the house?

Answer: There were seven of them

"The House of the Seven Gables" is a Gothic novel by the writer of "The Scarlet Letter", and seems to show the same distrust of the motives and sometimes the morals of extremely strict Puritans. Hawthorne's great grandfather had been a magistrate at the infamous Salem witch trials and it seems that the Hawthorne family had been cursed in the same way as the Pyncheon family had.
9. Buried while she still had breath, Madeline rose from her tomb, Dragged her brother to his death, Precipitated house's doom! As the House of Usher fell, Narrator watched in trembling fear, In less time than it took to tell, It crumbled beneath the turgid mere! Who is the author of "The Fall of the House of Usher"?

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

Poe was born in Massachusetts in 1809 and led a chequered and somewhat dishonourable life. After suffering a period of poverty and ill-health, alcoholism and mental instability, he died in 1849 from alcohol poisoning, heart failure and epilepsy. His works are for the most part macabre, although he did write some critical works.
10. A tale of envious lies that tend To tragic internecine strife - Here's a countdown to its end: THREE claimed attempts to take a life, TWO cousins who shared a Christian name, TWO tricksters supposedly from down under, ONE airman rich in cash and fame, ONE sleuth - the Belgian wonder! What is the title of the Agatha Christie book referred to here?

Answer: Peril at End House

The book was first published in 1932 and is one of Christie's most ingenious plots. The situations are a bit melodramatic, and the story line turns on a confusion of names and nicknames. A similar name confusion trick appears in "A Murder is announced".
Source: Author balaton

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