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Quiz about Audio Books Youll Like What You Hear
Quiz about Audio Books Youll Like What You Hear

Audio Books: You'll Like What You Hear Quiz


You are taking a long boring car trip and need some entertainment to break the monotony. How about an audio book on tape? Which one to choose? Here is a list of some top selling audio books that span a variety of different literature genres.

A multiple-choice quiz by adam36. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
adam36
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
370,363
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
497
Last 3 plays: LauraMcC (9/10), Dorsetmaid (10/10), ankitankurddit (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. If science fiction is your speed, you can't go wrong by listening to this modern classic where the future Earth is saved by an amazing child duped into commanding space battles under the guise of playing a training game. What Orson Scott Card novel won the Nebula and Hugo awards as the best science fiction book of 1985-86? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. How about a little self-help while you are spinning your wheels on a long drive? Considered by many as the most influential guide to improving communication and people skills, what 1937 book by American author Dale Carnegie taught you how to succeed in business and life? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Feel like listening to one of the classic novels of the 20th Century? Then dive into this tale of a day in the lives of Stephen Dedalus, Leopold and Molly Bloom - just three ordinary denizens of Dublin Ireland. What seminal novel by James Joyce is the extraordinary story of the everyday events of June 16, 1904? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. How about listening to a biography? The fascinating tale of the co-founder of Apple, Inc. topped The New York Times Bestsellers list in 2011. Whose authorized biography was first published less than three weeks after his death?

Answer: (First and Last or Only Last Name)
Question 5 of 10
5. Audio books are not just to ease boredom on a long road trip. In 1934, the Talking Books Program released the first of many works of literature to aid the lives of the vision impaired. One of the first books recorded under this program is also the best-selling book of all time. What is the text that is always sought after whether in print or via audio book? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. You have just returned from a prolonged absence from access to any form of popular culture and decide that you want to see what all the fuss is with that Harry Potter fellow. If listening to each book in the "Harry Potter" series requires you to drive round-trip from New York to Los Angeles, how many times will you cross the Mississippi River? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. You're on your way to work and realize that you need to motivate your business team but only have one minute to listen. Which of the following is the title of the influential management skills book first published in 1981? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. If I am listening to a novel and the lead character is named John Yossarian, then I am probably laughing causing other drivers to think I am slightly addled. I don't care because this satire about the absurdity of war is just plain hilarious. Name this classic novel from 1961. Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. You want to listen to a children's book classic. You select one of your favorites first published in 1952. What story is about life on a farm and the unlikely (and literate) friendship between an arachnid and a porcine? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Fifty years after its publication, themes of child molestation and eroticism make Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel detailing Humbert Humbert's illicit relationship with Dolores Haze controversial. By what titular name does Mr. Humbert refer to the young Ms. Haze in this classic novel?

Answer: (One Word)

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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. If science fiction is your speed, you can't go wrong by listening to this modern classic where the future Earth is saved by an amazing child duped into commanding space battles under the guise of playing a training game. What Orson Scott Card novel won the Nebula and Hugo awards as the best science fiction book of 1985-86?

Answer: Ender's Game

"Enders Game" is a 1985 masterpiece that is at first glance a genre story of how a group of children are trained to be remote commanders of an interstellar air force required to protect Earth from alien attackers. However, "Ender's Game" is filled with subtext and nuance that elevates the story above simple science fiction. The book is a discussion on the meaning of family and a discourse on nationhood with a sophisticated understanding of modern geopolitics. At its core the book explores the theme of what it means to be human. "Ender's Game" and the equally if not even more brilliant sequel "Speaker for the Dead" were winners of the Nebula and Hugo Awards for best science fiction novels and are frequently included in the lists of the best books of the 20th century..

Discussing audio books can be a tricky topic because of variances in language and personal preference. Some listeners prefer the consistency of a single narrative, while others prefer the novel be transformed into a radio play where dialogue is voiced in character. With that being said, a beautiful version of "Enders Game" is the audio version created to celebrate the book's 20th anniversary of publication. The narration is performed by voice actor Stefan Rudnicki with the key parts of Peter Wiggins read by acclaimed science fiction author Harlan Ellison and Valentina Wiggins read by Grammy nominated voice actress Gabrielle de Cuir.
2. How about a little self-help while you are spinning your wheels on a long drive? Considered by many as the most influential guide to improving communication and people skills, what 1937 book by American author Dale Carnegie taught you how to succeed in business and life?

Answer: How to Win Friends and Influence People

Dale Carnegie was an American entrepreneur who dreamed of being a lecturer. In the early 20th Century, he began offering seminars designed to teach public speaking and salesmanship. His open and positive techniques for making people like you and seeing the world from the listeners point of view were succinctly expressed in his 1936 international best-seller "How to Win Friends and Influence People". Carnegie's book, his subsequent collections of advice and a multinational string of training institutes spread his ideas to millions of people.

"How to Win Friends and Influence People" is perfect for an audio book. The narrative is designed to be a lecture, and Carnegie himself was most at home as a speaker. In 2011, a special edition of the book was released to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its initial publication. There are several versions of the book in the audio collection including a rare surviving recording of Dale Carnegie.
3. Feel like listening to one of the classic novels of the 20th Century? Then dive into this tale of a day in the lives of Stephen Dedalus, Leopold and Molly Bloom - just three ordinary denizens of Dublin Ireland. What seminal novel by James Joyce is the extraordinary story of the everyday events of June 16, 1904?

Answer: Ulysses

"Ulysses" was published as a novel in 1922, but the majority of the work was disseminated in serialized form between 1918-1920. "Ulysses" is the story of events that happen to Leopold Bloom, his unfaithful wife Molly and a family friend, Stephen Dedalus on June 16, 1904. The story is told as a series of 18 vignettes that affect the characters over the course of the day. The story is both homage and parody of life in Dublin and Homer's "The Odyssey". The erstwhile Bloom is a stand in for Odysseus and Molly is Penelope. Stephen Dedalus represents Telemachus and reprises his role from "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" as the alter ego of Joyce.

The 1994 audio version of "Ulysses" narrated by Irish stage and screen star Jim Norton is a popular and enjoyable experience. Be prepared, however; the audio version of "Ulysses" contains 22 CDs.
4. How about listening to a biography? The fascinating tale of the co-founder of Apple, Inc. topped The New York Times Bestsellers list in 2011. Whose authorized biography was first published less than three weeks after his death?

Answer: Steve Jobs

Walter Isaacson spent two years interviewing Steven Jobs and was given unlimited access to Jobs' family and business contacts to create the 2011 biography. The result was a nuanced portrait of a complicated and passionate man and an international best-seller. Steve Jobs, along with his high school friend Steve Wozniak, created the original Apple computer and formed Apple, Inc. Under Jobs' leadership, Apple grew from a start up in his parents California garage to a global icon. Jobs was also the founder of Pixar, Inc., the groundbreaking computer-generated animation giant. Jobs died in October 2011 and the publication of his authorized biography during the same month served as a fitting epitaph to cap his brilliant career.

Walter Isaacson was handpicked by Steve Jobs to write his biography. Previously, Isaacson had been the managing editor of "Time Magazine", CEO of CNN and author of well-respected biographies of Henry Kissinger, Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. A popular audio book version of "Steve Jobs" is narrated by actor Dylan Baker. Baker is perhaps best known for his recurring portrayal of Colin Sweeney on American television's "The Good Wife".
5. Audio books are not just to ease boredom on a long road trip. In 1934, the Talking Books Program released the first of many works of literature to aid the lives of the vision impaired. One of the first books recorded under this program is also the best-selling book of all time. What is the text that is always sought after whether in print or via audio book?

Answer: The Holy Bible (Old and New Testament)

It is estimated that various versions of "The Holy Bible" have been reproduced over six billion times. When sound recording was invented in the late 19th Century, amongst the earliest records were passages (and later complete versions) of "The Bible". In 1931 under the Pratt-Smoot Act, the American Foundation for the Blind and the Library of Congress were allocated $100,000 and exemption from copyright laws to produce audio recordings for use by the vision impaired. One of the first offerings from the Talking Books Program released in 1934 was "The Holy Bible".

A remarkable audio book version of the combined "Old and New Testament" is the 79 CDs that comprise the "Inspired By... The Bible Experience". This audio experience features the voices of 400 African-American artists including Cuba Gooding Jr. as Jonah, Forest Whitaker as Noah and Angela Basset as Esther.
6. You have just returned from a prolonged absence from access to any form of popular culture and decide that you want to see what all the fuss is with that Harry Potter fellow. If listening to each book in the "Harry Potter" series requires you to drive round-trip from New York to Los Angeles, how many times will you cross the Mississippi River?

Answer: 14

The "Harry Potter" series has seven books. Thus, a round trip would require fourteen crossings across the Mississippi River. There were eight Potter movies because the final book "Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows" was so large it was split into two parts. It is estimated that combined the Potter books have sold over 450 million copies.

To listen to the entire Harry Potter series will require completing 99 CDs. The unabridged and official audio book series is voiced in a US release by acclaimed voice talent Jim Dale and in the UK by the equally amazing Stephen Fry. In the Dale version the versatile actor creates different voices for over 130 characters.
7. You're on your way to work and realize that you need to motivate your business team but only have one minute to listen. Which of the following is the title of the influential management skills book first published in 1981?

Answer: The One Minute Manager

Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson created a management revolution with the publication of their 1981 guide to managing people and problems "The One Minute Manager". The book is told in parable form and has a simple premise that a good manager learns to set goals for employees, masters simple praising and short reprimands. Like any good series Dr. Blanchard went on to publish numerous books with the "one minute" theme. A personal favorite of mine is the "One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey", which sound like it should be a mash-up with "Curious George" but is not.

Unfortunately, while short, you cannot listen to the entire "One Minute Manager" audio book in a minute. A popular version of the book is one hour and fifty minutes long and features the narration of award winning voice actor Eric Conger.
8. If I am listening to a novel and the lead character is named John Yossarian, then I am probably laughing causing other drivers to think I am slightly addled. I don't care because this satire about the absurdity of war is just plain hilarious. Name this classic novel from 1961.

Answer: Catch-22

"Catch-22" is black humor at its finest, a tale of the absurdity of war and the lengths soldier have to go to preserve their sanity. The titular Catch-22 is a made up rule of military justice that justifies anything the military does. The novel's theme of questioning authority and the motives behind military action presages the anti-war movement and increasing distrust of government that characterized the later 1960s. Interestingly, Joseph Heller wanted to name the book Catch-18 but his publisher was concerned that the title would be confused with "Mila 18" by Leon Uris that was published around the same time.

There are several fantastic audio book versions of "Catch-22" to choose from. A 1994 version is read by Alan Arkin. Arkin starred as John Yossarian in the 1970 movie version of the book. A 2007 audio book features character actor Jay O Sanders. Sanders has appeared in dozens of movies and television programs including a fine turn as the troubled preacher Billy Tuttle in HBO's sensational first season of "True Detective".
9. You want to listen to a children's book classic. You select one of your favorites first published in 1952. What story is about life on a farm and the unlikely (and literate) friendship between an arachnid and a porcine?

Answer: Charlotte's Web

"Charlotte's Web" is the beautifully written story of a young pig whose life is saved by a PR campaign organized by a motherly and worldly spider named Charlotte. The tale has been a beloved classic since author E.B. White published the story in 1952. Early in his career White was a writer for "The New Yorker Magazine". On a whim in 1945, White published his first children's novel, "Stuart Little". "Charlotte's Web" grew out of short story White wrote in 1949 called "Death of a Pig" that dealt with the author's emotions at not being able to save the life of a sick animal. Many people (outside of FT editors of course) do not recognize that EB White was also the editor of the influential 1959 book on English grammar, "The Elements of Style".

For me, the best audio version of "Charlotte's Web" is a recording from 1967 that was reissued in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of the book's publication. The clean and simple reading is done by author E.B. White shows the great affection and emotional connection he has for his characters.
10. Fifty years after its publication, themes of child molestation and eroticism make Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel detailing Humbert Humbert's illicit relationship with Dolores Haze controversial. By what titular name does Mr. Humbert refer to the young Ms. Haze in this classic novel?

Answer: Lolita

Some audio books are probably best listened to when you are alone. In "Lolita", Humbert Humbert is a literature professor recently released from a mental institution, who has always been attracted to prepubescent girls. He rents a room from Charlotte Haze and becomes obsessed with Charlotte's twelve year old daughter Dolores (whom he calls Lolita). There ensues a complicated and unhappy series of events that center either on Humbert's molestation of Dolores or clever sexual manipulation by Dolores. Nabokov's stunning prose and clever cultural satire made "Lolita" a critical and commercial success. The novel has been included in numerous lists of the greatest books written in the 20th Century and made the term "Lolita" a part of the English lexicon to describe a sexually advanced young girl.

For many, Humbert Humbert requires a voice with an English accent. The book has been filmed twice for major motion pictures both times with British actors as the lead. A 1962 Stanley Kubrick directed offering starred James Mason and Sue Lyons (herself only 15 when the movie filmed). A 1997 remake starred Jeremy Irons and 16 year old Dominique Swain. While the 1997 movie fared poorly at the box office, Iron's emotive voice is wonderful in the highly popular audio book version.
Source: Author adam36

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