Author Biography: queenofsheba

Of all Charles Dickens' characters David Copperfield is the one who resembles his author most. Also unforgettable are Uriah Heep, Mr Micawber, Little Emily and many others. Recommended for grades: 8,9,10,11

The twentieth century saw the rise and fall of many a dictator, in all parts of the world. A dictator is anyone who has absolute power in a country without being democratically elected. My sources are the Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia.

"Ulysses" is one of the most famous novels of the twentieth century, but also one of the most difficult and controversial. Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom walk through Dublin on Bloomsday, while Molly stays at home.

There are thousands of languages, some spoken by millions, some almost extinct.

"The Quiet American" is Graham Greene's novel about Vietnam. It's partly based on real persons and places, but the main story is fictional. Greene knew the political situation of the country very well.

"The Golden Notebook" by Doris Lessing, published in 1962, is arguably the most important novel of the 2007 Nobel Prize winner. It's about Anna, a novelist with a writer's block.

This is for those with a penchant for older women, or who just like history. Most of these women are associated with politics, but some female artists are included as well. My sources are the Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia.

Dickens said it was the best story he had written. Every event and every character in this 1859 novel is part of a highly sophisticated plot. Recommended for grades: 9,10,11,12

Ten actresses talk about one or two roles they've played. Can you identify them?

"The House of Mirth" was a bestseller in 1905 and is one of the great American novels of that period. Lily Bart can't choose between marrying a rich man or the man she loves. It also illustrates the hypocrisy of American high society back then.

Nothing is certain in this quiz. Test your calculation of probability. The questions are tricky, but can all be solved by logical thinking and a little bit of mathematics. E.g. a probability of 1/4 means one chance out of four, or 25%.

Here are ten descriptions of plants. It's a mixture of flowering plants, shrubs, trees and others. My sources are the Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia.

If you're a bit familiar with French prose, you will probably enjoy this quiz.

Two kind of people can score well at this quiz: those who know a lot about card games and those who know a lot about literature.

From Pushkin over Dostoevsky and Tolstoy to more recent authors. How well do you know the highlights of Russian prose?

Alessandra Mussolini is one of Italy's best known female politicians and a member of the European Parliament. Here are some questions about her life and career.

The 11th IAAF World Championships in outdoor track and field athletics took place in August 2007. Here are some questions about the highlights.

Scarlett Johansson is admired by many for her acting skills as well as for her beauty.

It's one of the greatest sports to watch, but how much do you remember about it?

Sometimes pop artists collaborate with jazz musicians, play jazz themselves or are simply inspired by it.

It's one of the three major tours. How well do you know its history?

When you say "classical music", most people think of music before 1900. However there were also a lot of great composers in the twentieth century. Test your knowledge about them.

La Vuelta a Espana, or The Tour of Spain is one of the three major cycling tours. How much do you know about it?

Fifteen questions about girl bands from the 60s until now!

Female top stars in track and field don't always get the recognition they deserve. How well do you know these athletes?