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Quiz about I Have a Novel Idea
Quiz about I Have a Novel Idea

I Have a Novel Idea! Trivia Quiz


Good poets and playwrights often try their hands at writing novels. Some succeed. Others, well, probably should have stayed away from prose. The authors in this quiz are all Americans.

A multiple-choice quiz by adams627. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
adams627
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
323,581
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
6739
Awards
Editor's Choice
Last 3 plays: Guest 73 (10/10), DCW2 (10/10), Guest 24 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. He authored two novels, "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" and "Moise and the World of Reason", in addition to a handful of unremarkable short stories. More famous are his depictions of characters, overwhelmed by their surroundings, who go insane. Who was this American playwright of "The Glass Menagerie"? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Only one novel, "Hyperion," exists in the list of works by this early American poet of "The Children's Hour" and "Evangeline." Who was this writer, also famous for "Tales of a Wayside Inn" and "The Song of Hiawatha"? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. A novel titled "Franklin Evans" was one of this author's only attempts at prose. By 1855, however, he had published a poetry collection that contained the body of his life's work. Who was this American poet, most famous for "Leaves of Grass"? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. 1930's "Not Without Laughter," a story about the enlightenment of Sandy Williams, is probably the most well-known novel by this American poet, better known for "Let America Be America Again" and "Dream Deferred." Who was this Harlem Renaissance author? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. This author's grand oeuvre includes one novel, "Focus," in addition to several short stories, but he's most famous for writing plays. Which American playwright of the 20th century described a town beset by paranoia in "The Crucible"? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In addition to the several volumes of poetry published by this author, he authored a novel, "Remembrance Rock." He's better known for writing a biography of Abraham Lincoln. Who was this poet of "Fog" and "Grass"? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" was influential in its time for writers like Jules Verne, but today, it's not highly regarded in the canon of this master of the short story and poem. Who wrote that novel before penning such enduring works as "The Black Cat" and "The Cask of Amontillado"? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. This poet's 1922 novel "The Enormous Room" preceded the release of his first published poems, "Tulips and Chimneys." He only ever wrote one more novel, probably because readers didn't enjoy sifting through entire books written without punctuation and capitalization. Who was this experimental poet? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The title of this author's only novel is unknown because it was never published-- after writing it, he turned to drama. There, he found success, with works like "The Sandbox," and "Three Tall Women." Who is this American playwright of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Author of several short stories and essays, probably the only work by this author that can be considered a novel is "The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus," a fictional "biography" of the Italian. Who published his more famous works (like "Rip van Winkle") in "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon" and "Tales of the Alhambra"? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 21 2024 : Guest 73: 10/10
Mar 21 2024 : DCW2: 10/10
Mar 21 2024 : Guest 24: 9/10
Mar 20 2024 : Guest 50: 8/10
Mar 20 2024 : genoveva: 9/10
Mar 19 2024 : Reamar42: 9/10
Mar 19 2024 : Guest 165: 10/10
Mar 18 2024 : PrairieRose78: 10/10
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 109: 6/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. He authored two novels, "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" and "Moise and the World of Reason", in addition to a handful of unremarkable short stories. More famous are his depictions of characters, overwhelmed by their surroundings, who go insane. Who was this American playwright of "The Glass Menagerie"?

Answer: Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams (born Thomas Lanier Williams) is far better known for his plays such as "The Glass Menagerie", "A Streetcar Named Desire", and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" than for his novels. Williams didn't even mention "Moise" in his memoirs; biographers refer to it as one of the failures in his canon. "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" is far more well-known because it was made into a film in 1961 by Jose Quintero, starring Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty.
2. Only one novel, "Hyperion," exists in the list of works by this early American poet of "The Children's Hour" and "Evangeline." Who was this writer, also famous for "Tales of a Wayside Inn" and "The Song of Hiawatha"?

Answer: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Longfellow's achievements in poetry overshadowed his one novel and his other exploits, such as translating Dante's "Divine Comedy." Immortalized by his "Paul Revere's Ride", Longfellow's more sophisticated poetry includes his epic, "The Song of Hiawatha," and "The Courtship of Miles Standish." In 1884, Longfellow was honored with a bust in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey, the first non-British writer so honored.
3. A novel titled "Franklin Evans" was one of this author's only attempts at prose. By 1855, however, he had published a poetry collection that contained the body of his life's work. Who was this American poet, most famous for "Leaves of Grass"?

Answer: Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman's crowning achievement was his poetry collection "Leaves of Grass," which included his most famous poems, such as "Song of Myself," "I Sing the Body Electric," "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," and poems about Abraham Lincoln: the metaphorical "O Captain! My Captain!" and the elegy "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd."
4. 1930's "Not Without Laughter," a story about the enlightenment of Sandy Williams, is probably the most well-known novel by this American poet, better known for "Let America Be America Again" and "Dream Deferred." Who was this Harlem Renaissance author?

Answer: Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes' career was initiated by his famous poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," which was first published in 1921. He published several novels beginning in the 1930s, although his first attempt with "Not Without Laughter" was probably his most famous. By that point, the Harlem Renaissance (a reawakening of African-American culture centered in Harlem, New York) was raging, and Hughes became the figurehead for the movement.

While his novels, plays, and nonfiction have since declined in popularity, his poetry remained influential. "Dream Deferred" contains the line "a raisin in the sun," which was used to title Lorraine Hansberry's famous 1959 Broadway play.
5. This author's grand oeuvre includes one novel, "Focus," in addition to several short stories, but he's most famous for writing plays. Which American playwright of the 20th century described a town beset by paranoia in "The Crucible"?

Answer: Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" describes the Salem witch hunts and the futile efforts by John Proctor to stop paranoia from engulfing the town. It's often cited as an allegory to the McCarthy-ism of the American 1950s, where claims of Communism in government officials created a so-called "Red Scare." "Focus" details the difficulties faced by a New York Gentile who is mistaken to be Jewish and suffers anti-Semitism on all fronts. With "The Crucible," "Death of a Salesman" is Miller's most enduring work.

It describes the title character, Willy Loman, and his madness that results from a relentless pursual of wealth and social acceptance.
6. In addition to the several volumes of poetry published by this author, he authored a novel, "Remembrance Rock." He's better known for writing a biography of Abraham Lincoln. Who was this poet of "Fog" and "Grass"?

Answer: Carl Sandburg

"Remembrance Rock" was intended to be "The Great American Novel," but it was a critical flop. Sandburg's poetry is far better- in addition to "Fog" and "Grass," he wrote the famous poem "Chicago," where the title city is described as "Hog Butcher for the World." His multi-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln earned a Pulitzer Prize, as did another of his poetry collections.

Another famous work by Sandburg is a series of stories for children, entitled "Rootabaga Stories."
7. "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" was influential in its time for writers like Jules Verne, but today, it's not highly regarded in the canon of this master of the short story and poem. Who wrote that novel before penning such enduring works as "The Black Cat" and "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

Despite Poe's large output of short stories and poetry, he wrote only one novel, about the title character who sneaks onto a whaling vessel. The jittery plot was poorly-received by many critics and today, "Arthur Gordon Pym" can't come close to matching the success of Poe's other works. Short stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" illustrate Poe's fondness for the mysterious and eerie, while his poetry like "Annabel Lee" and "The Raven" are among the most famous in American literature.

In addition, Poe wrote the first detective story ("Murders in the Rue Morgue") and influenced the genre of science fiction with works like "The Balloon Hoax."
8. This poet's 1922 novel "The Enormous Room" preceded the release of his first published poems, "Tulips and Chimneys." He only ever wrote one more novel, probably because readers didn't enjoy sifting through entire books written without punctuation and capitalization. Who was this experimental poet?

Answer: E.E. Cummings

The poetry of E.E. Cummings (or as sometimes cited, e.e. cummings) is probably more famous for its lack of capital letters and punctuation marks than for its contents, but his works like "anyone lived in a pretty how town" catapulted him into the ranks of the Lost Generation poets.

These Americans living in Europe explored life after World War I and included Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and John dos Passos. Cummings' "The Enormous Room" is a semi-autobiographical tale of the author's war experiences.
9. The title of this author's only novel is unknown because it was never published-- after writing it, he turned to drama. There, he found success, with works like "The Sandbox," and "Three Tall Women." Who is this American playwright of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"?

Answer: Edward Albee

Edward Albee is probably the most famous American member of the Theatre of the Absurd (a primarily European genre of plays that utilize strange plots and illustrate existential themes). Among Albee's most famous plays include 2002's "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?" and also "The Zoo Story," but he's probably best-known for the three-act play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which is said to be based on his time at Trinity College.

He earned a Tony Award for lifetime achievement in 2005.
10. Author of several short stories and essays, probably the only work by this author that can be considered a novel is "The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus," a fictional "biography" of the Italian. Who published his more famous works (like "Rip van Winkle") in "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon" and "Tales of the Alhambra"?

Answer: Washington Irving

Two of Washington Irving's most famous works appear in "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon": "Rip van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The former tells the story of a man who accidentally sleeps for 20 years. "Sleepy Hollow" discusses the plight of Ichabod Crane, who is in competition with Brom Bones for the love of Katrina von Tassel.

The Headless Horseman (really Bones in disguise) successfully chases Ichabod out of Sleepy Hollow and gets the girl. Washington Irving was one of the first popular American authors- his first work was published in 1802- and was a strong influence on American literature even after his death.
Source: Author adams627

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