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Mostly European Literature Trivia Quiz

Thanks to my lit class in college, I've been inspired to produce this quiz concerning the writings of the western world. Enjoy!

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

Author
GypsyQueen

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
57,148

Updated
Sep 18 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1657

Last 3 plays: Guest 209 (5/10), Guest 50 (4/10), Guest 93 (7/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In Homer's 'The Odyssey', what is the name of Odysseus' son? Hint

Anchises

Telemachus

Metis

Megaerus

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Madame de Lafayette's 'The Princesse of Cleves' is a tale of failed romance and court deception, and many of the characters in the novel die. Who is the first to pass on? Hint

The Dauphine

The Queen

The princess' mother, Mme de Chartres

The princess' husband, M. de Cleves

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. What is the name of Hamlet's mother in William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'? Hint

Ophelia

Lucia

Titania

Gertrude

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Why was Henrik Ibsen's play 'Ghosts' so shocking when it emerged in the late 1800's? Hint

It discussed adultery

It discussed incest

It discussed sexually transmitted diseases

All the answers are correct

5. Bocaccio's 'The Decameron' contains short stories told by the characters in order to entertain each other. One story involves a 'holy man' and a young virgin. What does the friar teach the girl how to do? Hint

Dance for his enjoyment

Perform his duties at church

Cook his food and clean his house

Have sexual intercourse

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. This concerns history more than it does literature, but let's see if you English majors can figure it out anyway. Who was the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England? Hint

Anne Boleyn

Anne of Cleves

Jane Seymour

Catherine Parr

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Which of the following was not written by Leo Tolstoy? Hint

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Man and Superman

Master and Man

Anna Karenina

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Who wrote 'The Sorrows of Young Werther'? Hint

Goethe

Jonson

Marlowe

Hugo

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Agamemnon is mentioned in the 'Odyssey' and is called a hero. What do readers learn about Agamemnon in the play of the same name? Hint

He assassinated a king

He murdered his wife

He sacrificed his daughter

He was a thief

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Who wrote 'Cymbeline'? Hint

Marlowe

Goethe

Jonson

Shakespeare

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 12 2024 : Guest 209: 5/10
Apr 12 2024 : Guest 50: 4/10
Apr 11 2024 : Guest 93: 7/10
Apr 08 2024 : Guest 73: 7/10
Apr 06 2024 : Guest 24: 5/10
Apr 05 2024 : Guest 185: 4/10
Apr 02 2024 : Guest 112: 2/10
Mar 08 2024 : DeepHistory: 10/10
Mar 06 2024 : khushisingh: 5/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In Homer's 'The Odyssey', what is the name of Odysseus' son?

Answer: Telemachus

Telemachus was the firstborn of Odysseus and Penelope. He proved himself an intelligent, strong and brave young man by the end of the epic, and worthy of being his father's son.

2. Madame de Lafayette's 'The Princesse of Cleves' is a tale of failed romance and court deception, and many of the characters in the novel die. Who is the first to pass on?

Answer: The princess' mother, Mme de Chartres

Mme de Chartres' dying words to her daughter foreshadowed the rest of the novel: she begged the princess not to fall in love with the duke. It would eventually be her downfall.

3. What is the name of Hamlet's mother in William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'?

Answer: Gertrude

Seems to me to be a modest and prudish name for so devious a lady!

4. Why was Henrik Ibsen's play 'Ghosts' so shocking when it emerged in the late 1800's?

Answer: All the answers are correct

Far less startling by modern standards, Ibsen's play frankly involved three then-unbroken taboos, all circling around the great sin of lust. Ibsen's other plays are equally involved but focus less on the results of carnality than on social issues.

Answer: Have sexual intercourse

The sexually depraved man taught the overly penitent girl how to put the 'devil' (his manhood) in 'hell' (her maidenhead).

6. This concerns history more than it does literature, but let's see if you English majors can figure it out anyway. Who was the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England?

Answer: Anne of Cleves

Henry, bored that Anne's beauty was not what his messengers had claimed it to be, divorced her after a few brief months of unhappily married life.

7. Which of the following was not written by Leo Tolstoy?

Answer: Man and Superman

'Man and Superman' is a play by Shaw.

8. Who wrote 'The Sorrows of Young Werther'?

Answer: Goethe

This novel's manic-depressive hero was so popular that the book sparked a rash of suicides in Europe!

9. Agamemnon is mentioned in the 'Odyssey' and is called a hero. What do readers learn about Agamemnon in the play of the same name?

Answer: He sacrificed his daughter

Agamemnon's wife and her lover murdered him as soon as he returned, triumphant, from war. Clytemnestra had never forgiven her husband for his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia.

10. Who wrote 'Cymbeline'?

Answer: Shakespeare

Not one of his best.

Source: Author GypsyQueen

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