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Famous First Lines Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Famous First Lines Quizzes, Trivia

Famous First Lines Trivia

Famous First Lines Trivia Quizzes

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A strong opening sentence is said to be one of the signs of good writing, and often leaves a lasting impression on the reader. How many of these do you recognise?
34 quizzes and 382 trivia questions.
1.
  Opening Lines of Literature    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Ten of the best selling books ever, but can you match the opening lines to the correct novel?
Easier, 10 Qns, 480154st, Jul 27 23
Easier
480154st gold member
Jul 27 23
1066 plays
2.
  Novel Opening Triptych   great trivia quiz  
Fun Fill-It
 12 Qns
This theme of this triptych is novels that deal with the issue of poverty. Fill in the words of the three novels' opening lines.
Easier, 12 Qns, trident, Sep 28 23
Easier
trident editor
Sep 28 23
124 plays
3.
  First in Line   great trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
The Amazing Trivia Race has almost reached its end, but there is still time for beginnings! Here are some opening lines from famous books, courtesy of the Last Ones In: can you match them to the book they belong to?
Easier, 10 Qns, LadyNym, Mar 20 17
Easier
LadyNym gold member
1412 plays
4.
  It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Another literature first line quiz? Yes, but with a twist. All of these stories mention some aspect of the weather in their first line.
Easier, 10 Qns, PDAZ, Mar 28 17
Easier
PDAZ gold member
1430 plays
5.
  First Lines of Famous Novels   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Welcome to my quiz about the opening lines of some of the most famous novels in the world. I'll give you the first line of a famous book and all you have to do is tell me which book it is from. Have fun and good luck!
Easier, 15 Qns, freddy_krueger, Feb 18 12
Easier
freddy_krueger
8255 plays
6.
  Famous (well, kinda famous) First Lines   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
The first lines of "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Moby Dick" were used in other quizzes, so I had to dig a little deeper. Nothing too obscure, though, I promise.
Average, 25 Qns, agony, Dec 14 20
Recommended for grades: 9,10,11
Average
agony editor
Dec 14 20
3178 plays
7.
  Famous First Lines   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Do you recognise these first lines from ten famous books?
Average, 10 Qns, MotherGoose, Dec 01 14
Average
MotherGoose editor
6841 plays
8.
  Literary First Lines   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This will deal with the first lines of ten well known books. Enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, mrbell, Sep 25 14
Average
mrbell
3667 plays
9.
  "The Adventures of..." Whom?   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
According to Ernest Hemingway, "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called 'Huckleberry Finn.'" Huck told his own story... can you determine who is telling these by their first lines?
Average, 10 Qns, reedy, Apr 30 14
Average
reedy gold member
788 plays
10.
  More (Kinda) Famous First Lines   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
"Call me Ishmael" and "It is a truth universally acknowledged..." were already taken, but you should be able to recognize the opening passages of most of these well-known stories and books.
Tough, 25 Qns, agony, Sep 30 17
Recommended for grades: 9,10,11
Tough
agony editor
Sep 30 17
2132 plays
11.
  Good Start   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here are the the first lines of well-known books. Would they make you want to continue reading, and do you know what they are? All multiple choice.
Average, 10 Qns, fringe, Jun 14 23
Average
fringe gold member
Jun 14 23
5337 plays
12.
  It Was the Blurst of Times    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A Blurst is a word change or a word typo. Identify the novel/story from these famous opening lines. Each line has a blurst in it. Some questions are Multi Choice, and some Fill in the Blank
Easier, 10 Qns, PhillyRex, Sep 22 22
Easier
PhillyRex
Sep 22 22
657 plays
13.
  The First Read    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The first page always grabs your attention. Let us take a flip through some great classics. Part of the Amazing Race with Running for Our Lives.
Average, 10 Qns, Abby_91, Sep 02 23
Average
Abby_91
Sep 02 23
1171 plays
14.
  First Lines of Famous Novels: Part 2    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Welcome to my second quiz on the most memorable first lines in literature. Have fun and good luck!
Average, 10 Qns, freddy_krueger, Feb 19 19
Average
freddy_krueger
Feb 19 19
5114 plays
15.
  Chapter Two: Opening Lines    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Everyone is familiar with quizzes about opening lines, but the first lines of Chapter Two often give just as many hints about the titles. From the following opening lines in Chapter Two, identify the novel.
Easier, 10 Qns, imahogg, Apr 05 19
Easier
imahogg gold member
Apr 05 19
473 plays
16.
  Classics' First Lines   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
My old English teacher always said the opening line can make or break a piece of writing. This quiz explores the opening line of some of mankind's greatest literary works.
Average, 10 Qns, Scrambledegg90, Sep 21 22
Average
Scrambledegg90
Sep 21 22
2508 plays
17.
  Literary "Firsts"    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Match the book title to the first line given in the clue.
Average, 10 Qns, Shadowmyst2004, Mar 21 17
Average
Shadowmyst2004
920 plays
18.
  First Sentence Frenzy    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
First sentences are one of the most important lines in a book and often draw the reader in. Let's see how many opening lines of classic books you know. This is my first quiz so hopefully you enjoy it.
Average, 10 Qns, NielD, Jan 17 17
Average
NielD
340 plays
19.
  Average Famous First Words Quiz - 10 Questions    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Okay, maybe these opening lines are not all that famous, but I tried to pick books that you should have heard about, even if you never read them. Just name the title of the book from which they come.
Average, 10 Qns, Onionsauce, Jan 19 13
Average
Onionsauce
808 plays
20.
  The Beginning of a Classic    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I'll give you the first sentence of a classic novel. You chose the novel it comes from and who it was written by.
Tough, 10 Qns, rapcoregirl, Apr 29 23
Tough
rapcoregirl
Apr 29 23
902 plays
21.
  First Lines    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
First lines are important in any book; they are there to grab you, and to leave you wanting more. In this quiz, I will give you the first line, or lines; all you have to do is give the book's title. O.K. I'll name the writer as well. Makes it easy, yes
Tough, 10 Qns, ArthurR, Mar 12 11
Tough
ArthurR
553 plays
22.
  Take this Famous First Words Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
In the beginning was the word... All great books and stories start with a great first sentence. Can you recognise which books, all written before 1900, start with these sentences? To help, a stingy hint is given.
Average, 10 Qns, smulgje, Jan 03 11
Average
smulgje
651 plays
23.
  Guess the book by reading these first few lines    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here are the first lines of some of my favorite books. Can you guess the title?
Tough, 10 Qns, lck423, Feb 26 06
Tough
lck423
1853 plays
24.
  First Lines of English Literature Novels    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The challenge is for you to identify the novel from which the following opening line or lines may have been taken. A key word or two may be omitted from the quotation where this might have identified the novel too easily.
Tough, 10 Qns, bracklaman, Feb 26 06
Tough
bracklaman
639 plays
25.
  First Lines from Famous Works of Literature    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here's a pretty easy quiz for all you literature fans. I will provide the first line from a famous work of literature (novel, poem, or short story), and you decide where it comes from. Have fun and good luck!
Tough, 10 Qns, saturnchick23, Jun 13 23
Tough
saturnchick23
Jun 13 23
1101 plays
26.
  Opening Lines from Books    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Do you love reading as much as I do? Do you think you remember the opening lines from some of your favorite books? Test your knowledge here with every kind of book from classic children's books, to modern best-sellers and everything in between.
Tough, 10 Qns, shermanator7, Jul 17 21
Tough
shermanator7
Jul 17 21
1529 plays
27.
  First Lines from Famous Works of Literature 2    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Here's another quiz for all you literature fans. I tried to make it a little more challenging than the last. Once again, I will provide the first line from a famous work of literature (novel, poem, play, or short story), you decide where it comes from.
Difficult, 15 Qns, saturnchick23, Jul 05 13
Difficult
saturnchick23
745 plays
28.
  Opening Lines    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I hope you love literature as much as I do. In this test I give you the line and you tell me the novel it comes from.
Tough, 10 Qns, LadyMacbeth, May 15 11
Tough
LadyMacbeth
2748 plays
29.
  First Lines of Recent Bestsellers    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Do you read all the latest bestsellers? All these books were published between 2000 and 2004 and spent some time on a bestseller list. Match the first lines with the book they came from.
Average, 10 Qns, clg18057, Jan 16 15
Average
clg18057
402 plays
30.
  Openings of Literary Classics    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I'll give you the opening of a literary classic, you name the novel.
Tough, 10 Qns, oink, Feb 26 06
Tough
oink
3026 plays
31.
  First Words Part 2    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Basically the same as Part 1...here are the first lines of 10 different classics. Choose the right one from four. What novel begins with the lines.....
Tough, 10 Qns, bookworm2711, Sep 25 14
Tough
bookworm2711
858 plays
32.
  Bookshelf Scramble    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The following questions give the first lines to books on my shelf. You have to analyze the lines to figure out the name of each book.
Tough, 10 Qns, Potter07, Jun 16 18
Tough
Potter07
Jun 16 18
511 plays
33.
  First Words    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Can you spot which classics these famous first lines come from? Some are from pre-twentieth century literature and others are from famous children's classics.....
Tough, 10 Qns, bookworm2711, Feb 04 11
Tough
bookworm2711
940 plays
34.
  Novel's Opening Lines    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Match up the novels with their opening lines. Some are hard, some are easy, but if you read a lot you shouldn't have too hard of a time.
Difficult, 10 Qns, Ressas, Feb 26 06
Difficult
Ressas
1105 plays
Related Topics
  Presidential Firsts [World] (13 quizzes)

  Historical Firsts [History] (35 quizzes)


Famous First Lines Trivia Questions

1. Which novel's Chapter Two begins with the following line? "It was pleasant to wake up in Florence, to open the eyes upon a bright bare room,..."

From Quiz
Chapter Two: Opening Lines

Answer: A Room With a View

In Chapter One of E. M. Forster's "A Room with a View," Lucy Honeychurch and Miss Bartlett (a young Englishwoman and her older cousin/chaperone) complain that their rooms in Florence do not have a view of the Arno. The rest of that chapter gives the reader an amusing view of the characters and their society. By Chapter Two, they have been able to exchange rooms with other guests and have the views they desired.

2. Excusing the blurst, what novel starts with these words? "It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times..."

From Quiz It Was the Blurst of Times

Answer: A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens wrote 15 novels plus 27 shorter works. "A Tale of Two Cities" was his twelfth novel, and one of the two historical novels he wrote. Dickens died of a stroke in 1870, leaving his final novel, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", unfinished. The actual quote from "A Tale of Two Cities", written in 1859, has the longest opening sentence that I know. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

3. Where is this first sentence from? "A squat grey building of only thirty-four stories. Over the main entrance the words, CENTRAL LONDON HATCHERY AND CONDITIONING CENTRE, and, in a shield, the World State's motto, COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY."

From Quiz First Sentence Frenzy

Answer: Aldous Huxley - "Brave New World"

The dystopian novel was written in 1932 and pictures a "perfect" society in the future where people are divided into classes ranging from Alphas to Epsilon based on their intellect and beauty.

4. "Behavioral Science, the FBI section that deals with serial murder, is on the bottom floor of the Academy building at Quantico, half-buried in the earth. Clarice Starling reached it flushed after a fast walk from Hogan's Alley on the firing range."

From Quiz Famous First Words

Answer: The Silence of the Lambs

This Thomas Harris book, first published in 1988, was the first to feature Clarice Starling. Hannibal Lecter, the charming yet creepy cannibal, was introduced in an earlier novel, "Red Dragon".

5. In a book by Leo Tolstoy, the first line is "Happy families are all alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." What's the book?

From Quiz First Lines

Answer: Anna Karenina

Tolstoy one of the greats of Russian literature. Born into a family of Russian aristocrats in September 1828, his full name was Count Lyev Nikolayevich Tolstoy. The title of Count had been conferred on his ancestor in the early 18th century by Peter the Great.

6. Which dystopic fantasy begins "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen"?

From Quiz Classics' First Lines

Answer: 1984

"1984" by George Orwell is a fascinating novel that explores a dystopian future in which society is repressed by a sinister group known as The Party, headed by Big Brother.

7. "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind, Paul Newman and a ride home." Which book has this classic first line, based on two rival gangs in the 1960s?

From Quiz Literary First Lines

Answer: The Outsiders

S.E. Hinton's classic novel depicts the story of Ponyboy Curtis, a 14-year old orphan who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is mixed in with the conflicts between his gang, The Greasers, and the rich Socs. When Ponyboy's best friend kills a Soc, the two boys run from the law and live in an old abandoned church until they decide to come clean with the law. When the church burns, and the boys risk their lives to save others, they begin to realize the true meaning of life. However, it may be too late to save some of their own pals from imploding.

8. "He rode into our valley in the summer of '89. I was a kid then, barely topping the backboard of father's old chuck-wagon." Which famous western novel begins with these words?

From Quiz More (Kinda) Famous First Lines

Answer: Shane

The 1953 movie, with Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Jack Palance and Van Heflin is a faithful rendition of this novel. It was written by Jack Schaefer in 1949.

9. "There is no lake at Camp Green Lake." What book opens with this line?

From Quiz Bookshelf Scramble

Answer: Holes

Did you know Louis Sachar who wrote the book "Holes", also wrote the script for the movie?

10. "'Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the Buonapartes.'"

From Quiz First Lines of Famous Novels: Part 2

Answer: 'War and Peace' - Leo Tolstoy

An all-time classic, 'War and Peace' is a story of war and covers a period of seven years. It has been portrayed on film numerous times.

11. "Serene was a word you could put to Brooklyn, New York."

From Quiz Opening Lines from Books

Answer: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith tells the story of a girl growing up in poverty and hard times.

12. "When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton"

From Quiz First Lines of Famous Novels

Answer: 'The Fellowship of the Ring' - J. R. R. Tolkien

'Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' tells of the young Frodo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire, and his quest to destroy the Ruling Ring of Power.

13. "If it be true that a man's useful life is over on the day when his thoughts begin to dwell in the past, then I have served little purpose in living since my retirement from His Majesty's Navy fifteen years ago."

From Quiz The Beginning of a Classic

Answer: "Mutiny on the Bounty" by James Norman Hall and Charles Nordhoff

James Norman Hall was browsing in a Paris bookshop in 1916 when the idea of making a novel out of the mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Bounty in 1787 occurred to him. He shared this idea with a fellow American flying for France in the Lafayette Escadrille, Charles Nordhoff, and thus 'Mutiny on the Bounty' was written. 'Pitcairn's Island' relates the fate of the mutineers, outward bound from Tahiti, and 'Men Against the Sea' follows Captain Bligh on his 3600-mile voyage. 'Falcons of France' was a memorial of the First World War in which both the authors served and was the first novel they wrote together.

14. "My father and mother should have stayed in New York where they met and married and where I was born."

From Quiz First Lines from Famous Works of Literature 2

Answer: "Angela's Ashes"

Before publishing "Angela's Ashes", Frank McCourt taught at several public schools in New York City. McCourt did not begin writing "Angela's Ashes" until he was in his sixties.

15. "Sing goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilleus and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians..."

From Quiz First Lines from Famous Works of Literature

Answer: "The Iliad"

"The Iliad", an epic poem written by Homer, centers around the Trojan War between the Achaians (Greeks) and the Trojans. Although the poem is most widely known for its plot revolving around the abducted Helen of Troy, it is really a story about how Achilleus struggles to overcome his anger and fulfill his duties to the Achaian state.

16. Just choose the novel this first line is from. "Norman Bates heard the noise and a shock went through him."

From Quiz Famous (well, kinda famous) First Lines

Answer: Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 movie, with Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, was a faithful rendition of Robert Bloch's 1959 novel.

17. 'In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the Army.'

From Quiz Famous First Lines

Answer: A Study in Scarlet (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

'A Study in Scarlet' is the first book in which we meet the famous Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.

18. Which Charles Dickens novel begins with the words "Marley was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that"?

From Quiz Good Start

Answer: A Christmas Carol

One of Dickens' best known novels, "A Christmas Carol" was published in 1843, just in time for Christmas and became a classic yuletide story.

19. "This is the story of a five-year sojourn that I and my family made on the Greek Island of Corfu."

From Quiz First Words Part 2

Answer: My Family and Other Animals

Gerald Durrell story, based on his true life experience.

20. 'It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.'

From Quiz First Words

Answer: Pride and Prejudice

Written by Jane Austen, first called 'First Impressions.' If you picked 'Sense and Sensibility' right author - but wrong book.

21. 'Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.'

From Quiz Opening Lines

Answer: A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens.

22. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .

From Quiz Openings of Literary Classics

Answer: A Tale of Two Cities

By Charles Dickens.

23. Which novel's Chapter Two begins with the following line? "Jo was the first to wake in the gray dawn of Christmas morning."

From Quiz Chapter Two: Opening Lines

Answer: Little Women

At the beginning of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women", Jo is lamenting that there will be no Christmas presents for her and her sisters. Chapter Two takes the reader to Christmas morning. Although there are no filled stockings nor packages under the tree, each of the girls does get a gift; their mother had made a book for each of them.

24. Excusing the blurst, what novel begins chapter one with this quote? "Call me Blishmael."

From Quiz It Was the Blurst of Times

Answer: Moby-Dick; or, the Whale

The first line from Chapter 1 of Herman Melville's novel "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale" written in 1851 is: "Call me Ishmael." But Melville starts the book with an etymology (writing giving the background of a story). So you might say the novel starts with this line: "The pale usher-threadbare in coat, heart, body, and brain; I see him now." "Moby Dick" got good reviews from critics, but sold poorly. The Epilogue, explaining how Ishmael survived, was originally omitted from first publication, leaving many readers displeased with the ending that all on board perished, as well as not explaining how Ishmael could recount the story.

25. "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." From which book, by George Orwell, is this the opening line?

From Quiz First Lines

Answer: Nineteen Eighty-Four

George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair), born in Motihari, Bengal, India. His mother was the daughter of a tea-merchant, and his father a civil servant in the opium department. Orwell once got himself arrested as a drunk, to have some knowledge about life in prison. He was released after 48 hours.

26. The preface of which novella begins "The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim"?

From Quiz Classics' First Lines

Answer: The Picture of Dorian Gray

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" was Oscar Wilde's only novel. In the novel, Dorian exchanges his soul in return for eternal youth. The novel is challenging but its exploration of aestheticism and hedonism are fascinating.

27. What English classic's first sentence is "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife"?

From Quiz Literary First Lines

Answer: Pride and Prejudice

This classic, written by Jane Austen, was published in 1813. Elizabeth Bennet is the main character. There is no male heir in her family, as she is one of five daughters. The daughters must find suitable husbands or they will be forced to leave their home.

28. Bodies are not just for the art of loving...Which book starts with the words: "I want to speak about bodies changed into new forms."

From Quiz Famous First Words

Answer: Ovid- "The Metamorphoses"

Another work Ovid is famous for is the "Ars Amatoria", the art of loving. Most poems I have struggled to translate were however out of "The Metamorphoses", relaying myths, in many of which a person or god changes shape, often quite spectacularly. His "Ars Amatoria" got him in trouble with Augustus, however, who banished him to the Black Sea because his poems offended the establishment in Rome... Kafka's "Metamorphosis" is the author's bad trip description of waking up and finding himself in the form of a giant cockroach. Darwin's "The Origin of Species" are his published notes from his voyage to amongst other places the Galapagos Islands, where he witnessed first-hand specialization traits in species of birds, tortoises etc. This book caused a bit of a stir, and still does... Newton also wrote about bodies, but more on the attraction and repulsion thereof.

29. "Wham." What book opens with this line?

From Quiz Bookshelf Scramble

Answer: Sticks

Joan Bauer won the Newbery Honor award for her book "Hope was Here!"

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