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Literary One Big Hits Trivia Quiz

This quiz deals with writers who had (for the most part) one big hit. (They may have produced more than one work - but those works were not of comparable popularity to the ones mentioned in the quiz.)

A multiple-choice quiz by robert362. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
robert362

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
183,698

Updated
Feb 26 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
700

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Thoreau is known for writing "Walden", but he wrote other works. Which of the following is by Thoreau? Hint

Fanshawe

The Devil and Daniel Webster

On Civil Disobedience

The Macbeth Murder Mystery

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Question 2 of 10

2. James Jones had a huge hit with "From Here To Eternity". An excellent movie followed. Jones wrote other novels, but none came close to the popularity of Eternity". Which of the following novels was by Jones? Hint

Aurora Dawn

The Seven Minutes

Mila 18

Go To The Widowmaker

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Question 3 of 10

3. Voltaire is probably best known for his novel, "Candide". What is the name of Candide's "teacher"? Hint

Dr. Pangloss

Professor Pagway

Mr. Rollins

Lord Harkness

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Question 4 of 10

4. Thomas Kyd, Elizabethan and contemporary of Shakespeare, wrote a play that was quite popular at the time. What was it? Hint

Doctor Faustus

The Duchess of Malfi

The Spanish Tragedy

Volpone

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Question 5 of 10

5. John Fowles actually had two exceedingly popular novels: "The Magus" and "The Collector". Which of the following is also by Fowles? Hint

The French Lieutenant's Woman

A Maggot

All of these

Daniel Martin

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Question 6 of 10

6. John Knowles wrote "A Separate Peace". Where does the action of the novel occur? Hint

An army boot camp

A political campaign

A business convention

A school

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Question 7 of 10

7. Thornton Wilder wrote "The Bridge of San Luis Rey". This was his most successful novel. He also, however, enjoyed success as a playwright. One of his plays was "Our Town"; which of the following was another play by Wilder? Hint

The Man Who Came To Dinner

The Miracle Worker

The Subject Was Roses

The Skin of Our Teeth

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Question 8 of 10

8. Margaret Mitchell's one great hit was an enormous blockbuster: "Gone With The Wind". Which is true of the novel? Hint

It was rejected by many publishers before achieving publication

It was first published after Mitchell's death

It was fiercely pursued by many interested publishing houses

All of these

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Question 9 of 10

9. Immanuel Velikovsky stirred up a considerable controversy with this speculative work. Hint

Tender is the Night

Timebends

Worlds in Collision

The Glass Bead Game

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Question 10 of 10

10. Erich Maria Remarque had a giant success with which of these novels? Hint

All Quiet On The Western Front

The Red Badge of Courage

Gullliver's Travels

The Picture of Dorian Gray

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Thoreau is known for writing "Walden", but he wrote other works. Which of the following is by Thoreau?

Answer: On Civil Disobedience

Unlike most of the other works described here, "Walden" is not a work of fiction. (Thoreau also wrote poetry.)

Answer: Go To The Widowmaker

"Dawn" is by Herman Wouk, "Mila 18" is by Leon Uris, "Seven Minutes" is by Irving Wallace. Jones also wrote "The Thin Red Line".

3. Voltaire is probably best known for his novel, "Candide". What is the name of Candide's "teacher"?

Answer: Dr. Pangloss

Dr. Pangloss experiences countless hardships in Voltaire's clever satire.

4. Thomas Kyd, Elizabethan and contemporary of Shakespeare, wrote a play that was quite popular at the time. What was it?

Answer: The Spanish Tragedy

The unlucky Kyd died young - largely as a result of torture. "Duchess" was written by John Webster (who never had another comparably popular work). "Volpone" is by Ben Jonson". "Faustus" is by Christopher Marlowe.

5. John Fowles actually had two exceedingly popular novels: "The Magus" and "The Collector". Which of the following is also by Fowles?

Answer: All of these

"Magus" is a wonderful read. (Don't bother with the movie.) "Collector" is also a fascinating novel. The other three choices mentioned are all by Fowles, but are not of the same caliber as "Magus" and "Collector".

6. John Knowles wrote "A Separate Peace". Where does the action of the novel occur?

Answer: A school

The storyline takes place at a school. The novel is considered a classic by many.

Answer: The Skin of Our Teeth

"Skin" was a prize-winning play for Wilder. "Man" was by Kaufman and Hart, "Roses" was by Frank Gilroy, "Miracle" was by William Gibson.

8. Margaret Mitchell's one great hit was an enormous blockbuster: "Gone With The Wind". Which is true of the novel?

Answer: It was rejected by many publishers before achieving publication

It was not a case of love at first sight: Mitchell's script was only accepted after multiple rejections.

9. Immanuel Velikovsky stirred up a considerable controversy with this speculative work.

Answer: Worlds in Collision

Velikovsky's speculation was considered science by some and science fiction by others. "Timebends" is a reflective memoir by Arthur Miller. "Tender" is a novel by Scott Fitzgerald. "Bead" is a novel by Hesse.

10. Erich Maria Remarque had a giant success with which of these novels?

Answer: All Quiet On The Western Front

The other choices are also works of authors who had one dominating novel. (Remarque wrote many other novels, but "Quiet" is considered a classic. Jonathan Swift wrote "Gulliver", Stephen Crane wrote "Badge", Oscar Wilde wrote "Dorian".

Source: Author robert362

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