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Quiz about Authors FAQs on Writing
Quiz about Authors FAQs on Writing

Authors' FAQs on Writing Trivia Quiz


This quiz concerns writer's opinions about their craft. Each question will involve facts about the author, the author's name and a quotation (FAQ). Two of the three will be provided, and you must choose the third.

A multiple-choice quiz by uglybird. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
uglybird
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
195,214
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
2271
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 173 (4/10), Guest 120 (4/10), angostura (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Fact: This British fantasy author submitted his manuscripts to his friend C. S. Lewis to comment on. Lewis admitted that his own fantasy series, the "Chronicles of Narnia" were conscious allegory.

Quote: This author in response to speculation that his own fantasy series was allegorical said, "I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence."

Who is the author?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In this question you will be supplied with the author's identity and a fact. You will be asked to complete the quote.

Poet T. S. Eliot used the phrase "For Thine is the Kingdom" in his 1922 poem "The Hollow Men". Some might point out that the phrase was borrowed from the section of scripture commonly referred to as "The Lord's Prayer". However, T. S. Eliot maintained that "Immature poets borrow". What did Eliot indicate was the appropriate practice for mature poets?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Once again in this question I will provide author and fact and ask you to complete the quote.

Many have conjectured as to the symbolism contained in Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea", whose characters included a boy, a fish and an old man. Interpretations have ranged from the Freudian to the Christian. Ernest Hemingway personally clarified the issue of symbolism. Speaking about "The Old Man and the Sea" Hemingway said, "the fish ___________.
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Fact: This former insurance agent has written a number of best selling espionage novels notable for their convoluted plots. One of his best-known books involves a search for a submarine.

Quote: "The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense."

Who is the author?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Fact: This Dutch scholar tried to find a middle ground between the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Church. His book "In Praise of Folly" published in 1511 attempted to shame the Catholic clergy into reform.

Quote: "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes."

Who is the author?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Fact: This Algerian born philosopher was a member of the French resistance in World War II. In "The Myth of Sisyphus", the author maintains that the questionable worthiness of life to be lived makes suicide the fundamental issue in philosophy.

Quote: "Those who write clearly have readers, those who write obscurely have commentators."

Who is the author?
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In this question I will supply the author's name and a fact and ask you to complete the quote.

Fact: Winston Churchill's books include the four-volume work "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples".

The quote begins, "History will be kind to me..."

Which of the following completes the quote?
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Fact: An editor asked this Chicago journalist and poet to write a book on Abraham Lincoln for children. The result was the start of a multiple volume history on the American president for adults resulting in the author becoming a renowned biographer.

Quote: "Here is the difference between Dante, Milton, and me. They wrote about hell and never saw the place. I wrote about Chicago after looking the town over for years and years."

Who is the author?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Fact: A detective-priest, Father Brown, became this author's best known character.

Quote: "A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author."

Who is the author?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Fact: The mother of this playwright, novelist and poet wrote revolutionary poems for an Irish newspaper. The author's exceedingly popular play detailing the adventures of two "earnest" men was published anonymously in 1899.

Quote: "All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling."

Who is the author?
Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 173: 4/10
Mar 21 2024 : Guest 120: 4/10
Mar 07 2024 : angostura: 9/10

Score Distribution

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Fact: This British fantasy author submitted his manuscripts to his friend C. S. Lewis to comment on. Lewis admitted that his own fantasy series, the "Chronicles of Narnia" were conscious allegory. Quote: This author in response to speculation that his own fantasy series was allegorical said, "I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence." Who is the author?

Answer: J. R. R. Tolkien

Many reading J. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" in the first ten years after its publication found parallels with World War II and speculated that it might be an allegorical tale. Tolkien's long association with C. S. Lewis, author of the admittedly allegorical "Narnia" series, could only have strengthened this speculation.

However, Tolkien, in the forward to the 1966 edition of "Lord of the Rings", stated flatly of his book, "It is neither allegorical nor topical." Tolkien went on to point out that, although much of the book was written under the shadow of World War II, the seminal chapter, on which the narrative ultimately depended, had been written prior to 1939.
2. In this question you will be supplied with the author's identity and a fact. You will be asked to complete the quote. Poet T. S. Eliot used the phrase "For Thine is the Kingdom" in his 1922 poem "The Hollow Men". Some might point out that the phrase was borrowed from the section of scripture commonly referred to as "The Lord's Prayer". However, T. S. Eliot maintained that "Immature poets borrow". What did Eliot indicate was the appropriate practice for mature poets?

Answer: Mature poets steal

Thomas Stearns Eliot, known both for a caustic wit as well as complex poetry, wrote "The Hollow Men". The last lines of this poem are well known and oft quoted:

"This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper."

T.S. Eliot was awarded the 1948 Nobel Prize for literature. Some have perceived a paradox in the Christian Eliot's conventional views on society and his innovations in poetic form. T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" became the basis for the musical "Cats". "Mature poets are mad" is an "allusion" to Robert Burton's well-known assertion, "All poets are mad."
3. Once again in this question I will provide author and fact and ask you to complete the quote. Many have conjectured as to the symbolism contained in Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea", whose characters included a boy, a fish and an old man. Interpretations have ranged from the Freudian to the Christian. Ernest Hemingway personally clarified the issue of symbolism. Speaking about "The Old Man and the Sea" Hemingway said, "the fish ___________.

Answer: Is a fish

Of "The Old Man and the Sea" Ernest Hemingway said, "There isn't any symbolism. The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish." He went on to indicate that "All the symbolism that people say is" dung (utilizing a word for dung not appropriate for this site.) However, Hemingway cautioned that the absence of defined symbolism did not mean that the story was without transcendent meaning.

He also added, "What goes beyond is what you see beyond when you know".

In responding to what he felt was criticism of his writing by William Faulkner, Hemingway said, "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use."
4. Fact: This former insurance agent has written a number of best selling espionage novels notable for their convoluted plots. One of his best-known books involves a search for a submarine. Quote: "The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." Who is the author?

Answer: Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy's novels require an attention to detail and plausibility that is seldom mirrored in real life. Many credit Tom Clancy with the creation of a genre: the techno-thriller. His first novel, "The Hunt for Red October" became a best-selling novel, as have all of his subsequent efforts. "Clear and Present Danger" was the top selling novel of the 1980s.

His riveting books lend themselves to successful movie adaptation.
5. Fact: This Dutch scholar tried to find a middle ground between the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Church. His book "In Praise of Folly" published in 1511 attempted to shame the Catholic clergy into reform. Quote: "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes." Who is the author?

Answer: Erasmus

Erasmus was a critic of the practices of the Catholic clergy and desired reform. He did not, however, join the Reformation. He predicted that the Reformation would bring about just the kind of schism and warfare that did, in fact, develop. His collection of New Testament Greek manuscripts became the basis for the New Testament portion of the King James translation of the Bible and for many other translations into a wide range of languages.
6. Fact: This Algerian born philosopher was a member of the French resistance in World War II. In "The Myth of Sisyphus", the author maintains that the questionable worthiness of life to be lived makes suicide the fundamental issue in philosophy. Quote: "Those who write clearly have readers, those who write obscurely have commentators." Who is the author?

Answer: Albert Camus

Curiously, the much-commented-upon William Faulkner was one of Camus' two favorite American authors (the other being Herman Melville). Albert Camus' best-known views are, perhaps, those on suicide. Some are willing to speculate that Camus' own death in 1960 in a motor vehicle accident, just three years after receiving the Nobel Prize for literature, was a suicide.

However, Camus was sitting in the back seat, and it would have to be supposed that he grabbed the steering wheel to force the collision.

This being the case, we would also be assuming that Camus was indifferent to the safety of the others riding in the car with him.
7. In this question I will supply the author's name and a fact and ask you to complete the quote. Fact: Winston Churchill's books include the four-volume work "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples". The quote begins, "History will be kind to me..." Which of the following completes the quote?

Answer: ... for I intend to write it.

Winston Churchill's views on all aspects of his life and the history of his time (and many other times) have been duly recorded. Apart from his personal and political motivations, writing was also a major source of livelihood for Churchill.
8. Fact: An editor asked this Chicago journalist and poet to write a book on Abraham Lincoln for children. The result was the start of a multiple volume history on the American president for adults resulting in the author becoming a renowned biographer. Quote: "Here is the difference between Dante, Milton, and me. They wrote about hell and never saw the place. I wrote about Chicago after looking the town over for years and years." Who is the author?

Answer: Carl Sandberg

Carl Sandburg's work as a biographer came to overshadow his poetry, journalism and novels - bringing him a Pulitzer Prize in 1940. However, in 1951, Sandburg's poetry brought him his second Pulitzer Prize.
9. Fact: A detective-priest, Father Brown, became this author's best known character. Quote: "A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author." Who is the author?

Answer: G. K. Chesterton

G. K. Chesterton flirted with diabolism early in life after a period of depression before returning to the Anglican faith. He later converted to Catholicism. A prolific writer, Chesterton's character Father Brown ultimately appeared in 50 books. In addition to fiction he wrote poetry and biographies, including a highly regarded biography of Charles Dickens.
10. Fact: The mother of this playwright, novelist and poet wrote revolutionary poems for an Irish newspaper. The author's exceedingly popular play detailing the adventures of two "earnest" men was published anonymously in 1899. Quote: "All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling." Who is the author?

Answer: Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde's understated yet caustic witticisms are an irresistible lure for this quotation quiz maker. Wilde seems to be able to state sweeping and poignant truths in single compact sentences. His best-known novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray", includes this: "Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them." I find that I must both read and see his plays since I am slow on the uptake and some of his humor is well worth savoring. Consider the well-known line from "The Importance of Being Earnest". "To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness."
Source: Author uglybird

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