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Quiz about Stephen Kings Dark Tower PopCulture References

Stephen King's "Dark Tower" Pop-Culture References Quiz

Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series includes numerous references to general pop-culture and other works by the author. Can you identify some of the more major and minor instances of these crossovers?

A multiple-choice quiz by ScaryKoolaid. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
ScaryKoolaid

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
380,152

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
168

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Let's start at the beginning: "The Dark Tower" series begins with Roland Deschaine following a character familiar to King readers through the desert; who is Roland following? Hint

Johnny Smith

Pennywise the Clown

Randall Flagg

Mother Abigail

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Question 2 of 10

2. As we learn more about Roland Deschaine, it becomes clear that the city which he called home, his lineage, and his role as a gunslinger all derive from a specific, non-King created myth. Which mythology are these aspects of Roland derived from? Hint

Greek mythology and the Gods of Olympus

H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulu Mythos

Egyptian mythology and the Host of Ra

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

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Question 3 of 10

3. In their quest along the Path of the Beam, Roland and his ka-tet come to the ruined city of Lud. Speakers throughout the city and controlled by ancient, malfunctioning computers play a specific drum beat, which some of the residents of Lud believe to be the drums of God. Which band is actually responsible for the beat? Hint

ZZ Top

The Rolling Stones

New Order

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Question 4 of 10

4. After escaping from Blaine the Mono, the ka-tet finds itself in an alternate version of Topeka, KS. The ka-tet encounters two odd phenomena here based on what two other works? Hint

"The Stand" and "The Wizard of Oz"

"The Jabberwocky" and "Alice in Wonderland"

"The Wizard of Oz" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

"The Shining" and "The Stand"

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Question 5 of 10

5. Another major character in "The Dark Tower" series is Pere Callahan, who appears in Books V, VI, and VII ("The Wolves of the Calla", "Song of Susannah", and, "The Dark Tower"). Callahan's first appearance in a King novel was not in this series, however; can you name the book in which the character originates? Hint

The Shining

'Salem's Lot

Carrie

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Question 6 of 10

6. When the ka-tet of Roland, Susannah, Eddie, and Jake meet Pere Callahan and the other townsfolk of Calla Bryn Sturgis, they are asked to assist in confronting the Wolves of Thunderclap. The sinister Wolves use technologically advanced weapons and wear clothes which are reminiscent of items in other pop-culture works. Which of the following provide some of the basis for the Wolves' equipment? Hint

Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Marvel Comics

Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Trek

Star Wars, Star Trek, and Dr. Who

Marvel Comics, Lord of the Rings, and Dr. Who

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Question 7 of 10

7. We learn that the Wolves abduct the children of Calla Bryn Sturgis to supply brain matter to a group of powerful telepaths known as The Breakers. One of the more prominent Breakers in "The Dark Tower" series is Ted Brautigan- prior to meeting Brautigan in TDT's Book V, where may the reader have first encountered him? Hint

The Tommyknockers

Brautigan is original to The Dark Tower series

Hearts in Atlantis

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Question 8 of 10

8. In order to defeat the Crimson King at The Dark Tower, Roland relies on the assistance of Patrick Danville. Danville is gifted with the almost God-like ability to alter reality simply by drawing the world around him as he wishes it. Danville plays a small but important role in which other King book? Hint

Insomnia

The Stand

Firestarter

Needful Things

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Question 9 of 10

9. It is generally accepted that the events of King's novella "The Mist" and its corresponding 2007 movie adaptation are based on a military experiment which results in which reality-altering phenomenon that is depicted at various times in The Dark Tower series? Hint

A Beam collapse

A thinny

Activation of Maerlyn's Rainbow

A Guardian's demise

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Question 10 of 10

10. Finally, The Dark Tower series breaks the fourth wall a number of times and incorporates historical events that transpired after King began writing the series but prior to its conclusion. The efforts feel like a way of tying the reader's world into the interwoven multiverse. Which of the following is perhaps the most obvious meta-reference in the series? Hint

The ka-tet must assist the Keystone World's George W. Bush in becoming elected President of the United States

The reader becomes referenced as the final member of the ka-tet on the journey to The Dark Tower

The ka-tet must assist Stanley Kubrick in re-creating the story of The Shining on film

Stephen King is a character and needs to be saved from a real-world event

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Let's start at the beginning: "The Dark Tower" series begins with Roland Deschaine following a character familiar to King readers through the desert; who is Roland following?

Answer: Randall Flagg

The Walking Dude himself is actually the first character mentioned in "The Dark Tower" series as Book I, "The Gunslinger", opens with the lines, "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed;" with Flagg being the 'man in black' and Roland 'the gunslinger'. Flagg is widely known as the main antagonist in King's "The Stand" and has made appearances in other works by Stephen, such as "Hearts in Atlantis" and "The Eyes of the Dragon".

Answer: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Roland's mythos is based heavily in Arthurian legend. Stephen King does not even attempt to hide this, as Roland's descended from the first king of All-World, Arthur Eld, who used his sword, Excalibur, to help him bring order to the realm. Excalibur itself provided the metal used to forge the guns which Roland now bears. The Man in Black is a direct descendant of Maerlyn the Magician.

Answer: ZZ Top

The drumbeat of the ZZ Top song "Velcro Fly" is the one heard echoing through Lud. The Pubes believe the drums to be a signal from God to sacrifice one of their own or be confronted with the ghosts of Lud. Unfortunately for them, it is simply the result of malfunctioning di-polar computers and not a message from beyond.

4. After escaping from Blaine the Mono, the ka-tet finds itself in an alternate version of Topeka, KS. The ka-tet encounters two odd phenomena here based on what two other works?

Answer: "The Stand" and "The Wizard of Oz"

The ka-tet finds the abandoned city of Topeka, KS, with evidence that the Captain Trips superflu of "The Stand" has ravaged the world. The ka-tet encounters Randall Flagg within the Emerald City, which has appeared along the highway in the city.

Answer: 'Salem's Lot

Pere Callahan, or Father Donald Callahan, first appears in King's 1975 horror novel, "'Salem's Lot". He is one of the protagonists in the book seeking to destroy the master vampire Kurt Barlow. Callahan is defeated in "'Salem's Lot" when Barlow forces the priest to drink vampiric blood, making him "unclean"; Callahan flees and is not seen again until "The Dark Tower Book V", residing in the Calla Bryn Sturgis.

Answer: Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Marvel Comics

The Wolves of Thunderclap are robotic, anthropomorphic wolves who wear green capes resembling Marvel Comics' Dr. Doom, wield "energy swords" similar to the lightsabers of Star Wars, and throw golden, self-propelled homing grenades called "sneetches," which reference the game of Quidditch's Golden Snitch from the Harry Potter series.

Answer: Hearts in Atlantis

Ted Brautigan was first introduced as a character in King's "Hearts in Atlantis". Specifically, the short story 'Low Men in Yellow Coats' was about Brautigan's attempts to evade the agents of the Crimson King, known as Low Men, or the can-toi, from abducting him for use as a Breaker. In the film adaptation of the story, Brautigan is portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Answer: Insomnia

Patrick Danville is a mere child in King's 1994 novel "Insomnia". The book revolves around a handful of residents of Derry, ME who suffer from insomnia and in the process gain the ability to interact with beings residing on a slightly higher plane of existence than the reality we perceive. One of these planar beings, acting at the behest of The Crimson King, drives one of the insomniacs to attempt a terrorist attack on the Derry Civic Center.

It is revealed that the reason the attack is of cosmic importance is because Danville will be at the Center with his mother. Danville will go on to essentially draw The Crimson King out of existence in Book VII of The Dark Tower series, but to the reader of Insomnia it is entirely unclear as to why Danville is of such importance.

Answer: A thinny

The eponymous mist of the novella and movie shares much in common with the "thinnies" Roland and his ka-tet encounter throughout Mid-World. This is particularly true of the thinny Roland's original ka-tet used to trap John Farson's men within at Eyebolt Canyon during the events of Book IV: "The Wizard and Glass". The thinny in the canyon is described as a dense fog or mist with tentacle like appendages which capture Farson's men.

Thomas Jane's character, David Drayton, is seen painting an image of Roland Deschaine, The Dark Tower, and a rose in the opening sequence of the 2007 movie adaptation of "The Mist".

Answer: Stephen King is a character and needs to be saved from a real-world event

The author writes himself into Books VI ("Song of Susannah") and VII ("The Dark Tower") of the series as a character. The ka-tet learns that King is responsible for writing their own story, but the overarching antagonist of the series, The Crimson King, has attempted to kill the author on a number of occasions. Stephen writes his 1999 real life, serious car accident into Book VII specifically as another attempt on his life by The Crimson King. Roland and Jake Chambers save King from the accident being fatal, but Jake dies in the process.

Source: Author ScaryKoolaid

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