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Quiz about California Novels The Match Game
Quiz about California Novels The Match Game

California Novels: The Match Game Quiz


All of these novels are set entirely or partially in the varied state of California. See if you can match the title with the author. Good luck!

A matching quiz by PootyPootwell. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Time
4 mins
Type
Match Quiz
Quiz #
392,346
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
309
Last 3 plays: Guest 24 (10/10), Guest 47 (2/10), Guest 209 (4/10).
(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.
QuestionsChoices
1. A is for Alibi  
  Douglas Coupland
2. Big Sur  
  Sue Grafton
3. Cannery Row  
  Jack Kerouac
4. The Man in the High Castle  
  John Steinbeck
5. Island of the Blue Dolphins  
  Scott O'Dell
6. The Jane Austen Book Club  
  Janet Fitch
7. Mildred Pierce  
  Raymond Chandler
8. Generation X  
  Philip K. Dick
9. The Big Sleep  
  James M. Cain
10. White Oleander  
  Karen Joy Fowler





Select each answer

1. A is for Alibi
2. Big Sur
3. Cannery Row
4. The Man in the High Castle
5. Island of the Blue Dolphins
6. The Jane Austen Book Club
7. Mildred Pierce
8. Generation X
9. The Big Sleep
10. White Oleander

Most Recent Scores
Mar 26 2024 : Guest 24: 10/10
Mar 20 2024 : Guest 47: 2/10
Mar 20 2024 : Guest 209: 4/10
Mar 11 2024 : gogetem: 6/10
Feb 27 2024 : krajack99: 10/10
Feb 03 2024 : 1995Tarpon: 10/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. A is for Alibi

Answer: Sue Grafton

Sue Grafton published "A is for Alibi", the first of her alphabet murder mysteries, in 1982. The series was based on the adventures of private investigator Kinsey Millhone, who lived in Santa Teresa, which is actually Santa Barbara. Grafton used the name Santa Teresa in homage to mystery writer Ross Macdonald, who had also renamed Santa Barbara as Santa Teresa.

The alphabet series ended with "Y is for Yesterday", as Grafton passed away in her beloved Santa Barbara in December, 2017.
2. Big Sur

Answer: Jack Kerouac

Beat generation writer Jack Kerouac published his novel "Big Sur" in 1962. It was based somewhat on his own life: unsure how to deal with emerging success, a writer retreated to the isolated beauty of Big Sur, a rugged Central Coast area where sea meets mountains.
3. Cannery Row

Answer: John Steinbeck

"Cannery Row" is one of many books John Steinbeck set in California. Although "Of Mice and Men" and "The Grapes of Wrath" are considered Steinbeck's best works, "Cannery Row" is lighter in tone, following the lives of a group of eccentric people living in the Monterey Bay area.
4. The Man in the High Castle

Answer: Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick was a prolific science fiction writer; he wrote "The Man in the High Castle", an alternative history in which Germany won World War II, in 1962. The novel had several plotlines, one of which was based in Japan-occupied San Francisco.
5. Island of the Blue Dolphins

Answer: Scott O'Dell

"Island of the Blue Dolphins" was published in 1960. It was loosely based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleņo Native American who lived alone for 18 years after the rest of her family and fellow villagers sailed to the mainland. It was set on the small San Nicolas Island, which is located about 50 miles southwest of Los Angeles.
6. The Jane Austen Book Club

Answer: Karen Joy Fowler

Karen Joy Fowler had already written a few books before she published "The Jane Austen Book Club" in 2004. The story followed six members of a Sacramento-area book club, and showed how their own stories paralleled those in six of Austen's works. Fowler was born in Indiana, but has lived in California since she was 11 years old.
7. Mildred Pierce

Answer: James M. Cain

"Mildred Pierce" was a rather grim story by James M. Cain set in Los Angeles in the Great Depression. The story follows Mildred, a middle-class housewife desperate to keep social standing despite her family's plummeting finances. Cain's first novel was "The Postman Always Rings Twice", which earned instant acclaim when he published it in 1934.
8. Generation X

Answer: Douglas Coupland

Douglas Coupland named a generation when he published "Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture" in 1991. Narrated by characters who were born between the early 1960s and the early 1980s, "Generation X" was set in a desert valley in southern California.
9. The Big Sleep

Answer: Raymond Chandler

When Raymond Chandler published "The Big Sleep" in 1939, he debuted Philip Marlowe, a hardboiled private detective who could navigate the glitzy as well as the gritty side of Los Angeles. "The Big Sleep" depicts a wealthy man, his adult daughters, and a complex murder.
10. White Oleander

Answer: Janet Fitch

Janet Fitch published "White Oleander" in 1999. The story follows Astrid, daughter of the beautiful but vengeful Ingrid, living in southern California. As the warm Santa Ana winds blow through the area, Astrid navigates life with and without her mother.
Source: Author PootyPootwell

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