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Quiz about The LIfe and Works of Paul Theroux

The LIfe and Works of Paul Theroux Quiz

A quiz about the life and work of one of my favorite authors.

A multiple-choice quiz by PJLBewdy. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
PJLBewdy

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
173,890

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
195

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Paul Edward Theroux, author of renown was born on 10 April 1941 where? Hint

Medford, Massachusetts

Portland, Maine

Montreal, Canada

Hartford, Connecticut

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Question 2 of 10

2. Theroux attended several universities before joining the Peace Corps and ending up where? Hint

Venezuela

Kenya

Samoa

Malawi

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Question 3 of 10

3. Why was Theroux was thrown out of the Peace Corps? Hint

he was very rude to some visiting Supervisors

he was arrested for drug offences

he was implicated in a failed coup d'etat

he was spending all his time writing

4. Theroux taught English at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Here he met not only his future wife, Anne Castle, a schoolteacher from London, but also another author who would achieve great fame and with whom Theroux would have a long association. Who was the author? Hint

Chinua Achebe

J.M. Coetzee

Laurens Van der Post

V.S. Naipaul

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Question 5 of 10

5. Whilst living in Africa, Singapore and Britain, Theroux produced a string of well-received and moderately successful novels. One of these novels deals with the career of a pimp and conman who wants to achieve more in life. This novel was made into a film in 1979, directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starred Ben Gazarra and Denholm Elliott. What is its title? Hint

Jungle Lovers

Waldo

Saint Jack

Fong and The Indians

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Question 6 of 10

6. Theroux's world wide popularity has been as a travel writer. Theroux's astute observations of his fellow travellers and the people that he meets along the way make his travel works much more than a 'how to get there' narration. His first 'travel book', published in 1975 sees Theroux set out from London and travel to Japan and back by rail. What is the book's title? Hint

The Kingdom By The Sea

Worlds End

The Great Railway Bazaar

Riding The Iron Rooster

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Question 7 of 10

7. Published in 1981, Theroux found a wide circulation for this allegorical novel; probably because it was made into a movie directed by Peter Weir and starring Harrison Ford (1986). What was its title? Hint

The Family Arsenal

The Mosquito Coast

My Other Life

Chicago Loop

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Question 8 of 10

8. Enthusiasm for which sport/recreation prompted Theroux to write 'Fresh Air Fiend'? Hint

Bird Watching

Mountaineering

Sea Kayaking

Sailing

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Question 9 of 10

9. Theroux divides his time these days between Cape Cod and Hawaii. As well as writing he's become a keen practitioner of another profession. What is his second profession? Hint

Vulcanologist

Chef

Bee Keeping

Tour guide

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Question 10 of 10

10. 'Dark Star Safari' is a sometimes very bleak revisitation of Theroux's old African haunts. Theroux believes that Western nations need to provide more extensive aid to help African nations get back on their feet. True or False?

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Paul Edward Theroux, author of renown was born on 10 April 1941 where?

Answer: Medford, Massachusetts

The son of a French-Canadian father and an Italian mother, Theroux was one of seven children.

2. Theroux attended several universities before joining the Peace Corps and ending up where?

Answer: Malawi

Theroux taught at Soche Hill College in what was then the Nyasaland Protectorate and now forms Malawi.

3. Why was Theroux was thrown out of the Peace Corps?

Answer: he was implicated in a failed coup d'etat

Theroux was not an active participant in the attempted overthrow of Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Prime Minister of Nyasaland and later President of Malawi but was associated with a lot of people that were. Banda went on to rule as 'President for Life' until 1994.

Answer: V.S. Naipaul

V.S. Naipaul, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001 was a long time friend and mentor for the developing Theroux but the relationship soured later in their lives. 'Sir Vidia's Shadow' (1998) saw Theroux portraying Naipaul as snobbish, miserly, unforgiving and blunt to the point of brutality.

Answer: Saint Jack

Published in 1973, Saint Jack was written in Britain but formed while Theroux was teaching at the University of Singapore.

Answer: The Great Railway Bazaar

In his biography of V.S. Naipaul, 'Sir Vidia's Shadow', Theroux identifies a pivotal moment in his long affair with train travel, on a journey from London to Oxford:
'Travelling on this train, reading newspapers, was so pleasant I would not have minded going further. My only other real experience of trains were the overnighter to Nairobi and the Mombasa express and the gasping steam locomotives of Malawi and Rhodesia. The train soothed and comforted me and stimulated my imagination. It offered me a glimpse of the best of England and provided access to my past by activating my memory. I had made a discovery: I would gladly go anywhere on a train.'
- p.145

Answer: The Mosquito Coast

I have read interviews with Theroux, Harrison Ford and Peter Weir about the making of 'Mosquito Coast' and have seldom encountered such a mutual admiration society; these guys LOVED each other and it shows in a good movie that's fairly faithful to the book.

8. Enthusiasm for which sport/recreation prompted Theroux to write 'Fresh Air Fiend'?

Answer: Sea Kayaking

After reading this account of the author's involvement in this pursuit I was impressed by his unauthorly athleticism - he really sounds like he knows what he's doing and looks really fit and muscly on the book cover.

9. Theroux divides his time these days between Cape Cod and Hawaii. As well as writing he's become a keen practitioner of another profession. What is his second profession?

Answer: Bee Keeping

Theroux is a successful apiarist and sells his honey using the brand name 'Oceania Ranch Pure Hawaiian Honey'.

Answer: False

Theroux believes that dependence on foreign aid is a major part of the malaise that he witnessed in his return to Africa. Typically, he is never afraid to describe what he sees and how he feels about it regardless of political correctness or conventional wisdom.

Source: Author PJLBewdy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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