Literature in Colour Trivia Quiz

Answer: A Clockwork Orange

First published in 1962, "A Clockwork Orange" tells the story of Alex, a dysfunctional and troubled youth with twin obsessions of classical music and ultra-violence. The novel satirises contemporary psychological therapy and explores ideas of free will, rehabilitation, redemption and maturity.

Nadsat was a form of teen-speak that Burgess invented for the novel. An amalgam of English and Russian terms with a few words anglicised from other languages thrown in, the name of the language came from a Russian term for "teen". Moloko was the drink served at the Korova Milk Bar, moloko being the Russian word for milk. The milk that Alex and his droogs (friends) drank was laced with drugs that set them up for their night-time escapades.

Answer: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wilde's novel tells the tale of the Faustian pact struck by the title character to ensure that he remains young and beautiful looking throughout his life, as he is convinced that beauty is the only true value in life. His agreement with the devil means that a portrait of him painted by artist Basil Hallward ages instead of him.

As Gray's hedonism affects those around him, his portrait becomes disfigured in his stead and Gray is inspired to explore and cherish every vice he can commit.

Answer: Toni Morrison

The title of "The Bluest Eye" refers to the desire of the central character, a young black girl called Pecola, to be a white-skinned, blue-eyed girl. She sees blue eyes as the representation of beauty and desirability in depression-era Midwest America. Without blue eyes she believes it is impossible for her to be loved and only love can make her into the person she wishes to be.

Morrison, whose other novels include "Beloved", "Jazz" and "Song of Solomon", was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.

Answer: Othello

"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on"

Thus spake Iago in "Othello", warning the title character not to fall victim to his fears over losing his wife, Desdemona, to another man. Iago is, of course, complicit in the events that lead Othello to jealous rage, the irony being that his actions are driven by envy of Othello's position and that of the other man, Cassio, who has been promoted above him by his master.

Though Portia, in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" (1600) speaks of "green-eyed jealousy", the phrase "green-eyed monster" is coined in the later published "Othello" (c.1603).

Answer: The Chronicles of Narnia

"The Silver Chair" was the fourth book of the series to be published, though it comes sixth in the chronology of the chronicles.

The book begins with two schoolchildren accidentally entering Aslan's country after asking for his help in defending them from bullies. Aslan sets them the task of finding Prince Rilian, the son of King Caspian and transports them to Narnia to complete it. As reward for completing the task, Aslan crosses over into the real world with the children and the newly rejuvenated Caspian, to scare off the bullies.

Answer: Marilyn Monroe

"Blonde" is a fictionalised version of the life of Marilyn Monroe told from Marilyn's perspective. Mixing fact and fiction, the novel began life as a novella and expanded as Oates got "caught up in [Monroe's] world". The book ends with the controversial suggestion that Marilyn was assassinated by a sharpshooter commanded by a figure who is only given the initials "R.F.", leading to speculation that this is intended to refer to Robert Kennedy.

"Blonde" was nominated for the National Book Award for best work of fiction, the sixth time Oates had been nominated for the award.

Answer: White Teeth

A witty look at the difficulties facing immigrants into a new country where the colour of their skin, their religion and their culture are out of step with the norms of their new society. Ultimately, though, it is a book about enduring friendship, in spite of these differences, over more than twenty years.

The Whitbread Prize was one of a number of prizes showered on Smith for her debut novel. She also received the Guardian First Book Award and the Commonwealth Writers First Book Prize amongst others.

Answer: Scarlett

Mitchell's one and only novel is, of course, the US Civil War romantic drama, "Gone With the Wind". Ripley's "Scarlett" takes up the story of Scarlett O'Hara immediately following on from the first book, with Scarlett determined to win back her husband, Rhett...

Answer: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

In Roald Dahl's children's classic, Violet Beauregarde is one of five children who discover one of Willy Wonka's golden tickets and win a visit to his chocolate factory.

With the exception of Charlie, none of the ticket holders fare particularly well in the course of the factory tour. Violet departs the tour in the inventing room. A self-proclaimed champion gum-chewer, Violet is unable to resist the temptation to chew Willy Wonka's new Three-Course Dinner Gum despite Wonka's protestations that it is not yet ready for humans. Violet pops it in her mouth and chews merrily through the first two courses of soup and roast beef. The third course of blueberry pie, however, doesn't go so well; as she chews, Violet starts to turn blue and begins to expand and expand. And then expand some more.

She is taken away by the Oompa-Loompas who get her back to normal size but she is left with permanently blue skin.

Answer: Robert Burns

Though often transcribed as a poem, "Red, Red Rose" was written as a song, which Burns wanted sung to the tune of "Major Graham". The most popular tune to which it is associated, however, is that of "Low Down in the Broom", to which it was first attached in the 1821 book "Scottish Minstrel" by Robert Archibald Smith.

Burns supposedly transcribed the verse from a song he heard sung by a young Scots woman around 1794.