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Literature You Should Know Trivia Quiz

Classic and modern literature questions you should know!

A multiple-choice quiz by sparklecake. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
sparklecake

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
18,230

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
3158

Last 3 plays: strike3 (4/10), Guest 72 (2/10), Guest 174 (5/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

1. Who wrote 'The White Devil'? Hint

John Webster

Ben Johnson

Christopher Marlowe

Edgar Allan Poe

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2. Who wrote 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner'? Hint

Allan Sillitoe

W. B. Yeats

Wilfred Owen

James Joyce

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3. William Butler Yeats often made reference to Helen of Troy in his poetry. Who was his real life 'Helen'? Hint

Eva Gore-Booth

Maud Gonne

Georgina Yeats

Virginia Woolf

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4. Speaking of Helen of Troy, name the play which this famous line is from--'Was this the face that launched a thousand ships'? Hint

Dr Faustus

Tamburlaine the Great

Romeo and Juliet

Titus Andronicus

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5. What was poet Philip Larkin's day job? Hint

banker

professor

librarian

construction worker

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6. What author spoofed 'Frankenstein' in his novel 'Poor Things'? Hint

Alasdair Gray

Irving Welsh

Charles Dickens

Percy Bysshe Shelly

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7. Who 'raged' against the 'dying of the light' with a bottle of booze in his hand? Hint

William Blake

William Butler Yeats

William Wordsworth

Dylan Thomas

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8. In 'Titus Andronicus', what did Lavina's rapists cut off? Hint

her hair and tongue

her feet and hands

her tongue and hands

her hands and hair

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9. Who wrote the poem 'Phenomenal Woman'? Hint

Maya Angelou

Oprah Winfrey

Toni Morrison

Sylvia Plath

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10. Who is Tamburlaine's beloved in 'Tamburlaine the Great'? Hint

Zenocrate

Juliet

Helen

Ophelia

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Most Recent Scores

Jul 09 2025 : strike3: 4/10
Jul 07 2025 : Guest 72: 2/10
Jun 29 2025 : Guest 174: 5/10
Jun 27 2025 : Guest 12: 6/10
Jun 25 2025 : Guest 75: 1/10
Jun 19 2025 : Wordpie: 10/10
Jun 04 2025 : Guest 5: 2/10
May 27 2025 : Monymusk: 5/10
May 18 2025 : Guest 73: 4/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who wrote 'The White Devil'?

Answer: John Webster

John Webster had a love of violence, as portrayed in the movie, 'Shakespeare in Love'.

2. Who wrote 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner'?

Answer: Allan Sillitoe

'Loneliness' was written with other short stories depicting working class England.

3. William Butler Yeats often made reference to Helen of Troy in his poetry. Who was his real life 'Helen'?

Answer: Maud Gonne

He asked Maud to marry him SIX times! She refused each time.

4. Speaking of Helen of Troy, name the play which this famous line is from--'Was this the face that launched a thousand ships'?

Answer: Dr Faustus

'Dr. Faustus' was written by Christopher Marlowe.

5. What was poet Philip Larkin's day job?

Answer: librarian

Philip Larkin is known for his frank and honest poems.

6. What author spoofed 'Frankenstein' in his novel 'Poor Things'?

Answer: Alasdair Gray

It's worth picking up and reading! Do it!

7. Who 'raged' against the 'dying of the light' with a bottle of booze in his hand?

Answer: Dylan Thomas

8. In 'Titus Andronicus', what did Lavina's rapists cut off?

Answer: her tongue and hands

9. Who wrote the poem 'Phenomenal Woman'?

Answer: Maya Angelou

Amazing poem by an amazing woman.

10. Who is Tamburlaine's beloved in 'Tamburlaine the Great'?

Answer: Zenocrate

He killed her people but spared her father.

Source: Author sparklecake

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