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Quiz about Outstanding NonFiction Books
Quiz about Outstanding NonFiction Books

Outstanding Non-Fiction Books Trivia Quiz


Non-fiction books frequently have a profound effect in the way we form our laws, treat other people,and modify our views of the world. Here are a few that have had such an impact.

A multiple-choice quiz by Rehaberpro. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
Rehaberpro
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
372,518
Updated
Dec 20 23
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
1026
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 98 (9/10), Guest 138 (1/10), pusdoc (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. In 1962 Rachel Carson published a book that explored the nature of insects and insect control and questioned the dangerous residues and toxicity left in the environment. What did she title her scientific publication? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. "Studs" Terkel was the epitome of Chicago and was a long time radio and television artist, and accomplished writer. In 1964 he published his most definitive work "Working". What method did Terkel use in formatting the book? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. "All the President's Men"(1974) chronicled the downfall of Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. It was co-written by Bob Woodward. Who was his co-writer? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In 1867 Karl Marx published the first of three volumes that were to revolutionize in a literal sense the political shape of the world. By what name is this book generally known? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. During the so-called baby boom after the conclusion of World War Two, no other book was more appropriate that the 1946 best seller "The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care". It sold 500,000 copies in the first few weeks and now, in its ninth addition, has reached 50 million. In short, it revolutionized the care and treatment of both infants and small children. Who was the author? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In Western culture, primitive faraway tribes were viewed from a distance as fierce and ignorant. But in 1928 an anthropologist published "Coming of Age in Samoa" that changed the way the world looked other cultures. It was one of the first books on anthropology that developed a popular audience. Who was the anthropologist researcher? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In 1988 "A Brief History of Time" came on the scene and has sold an estimated ten million copies. British physicist Stephen Hawking tackled topics that were complex to the general public and put them into a readable context such as cosmology, the big bang, black holes, and light cones. What noted American scientist and television host wrote the introduction? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Truman Capote is often credited with the concept of the non-fiction novel, that is, writing about actual events in a form of a novel. Murders that were committed in 1959 were re-visited by Capote in his 1966 "In Cold Blood". Literally thousands of pages of notes were taken during his research. What childhood friend and novelist acted as his research assistant? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Plato wrote "The Republic" in about 380 BC. The theme centers on justice and the just man and the image of an ideal government. Who did Plato believe should rule in his republic? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Arguably the most influential book of the 19th century was Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species". Not only did it shake up the world of science but the world of theology as well. It challenged long held beliefs and created debate and wonder. What was the name of the islands just west of South America where Darwin did much of his research? Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In 1962 Rachel Carson published a book that explored the nature of insects and insect control and questioned the dangerous residues and toxicity left in the environment. What did she title her scientific publication?

Answer: Silent Spring

Carson also warned that chemical poisons kill insects only in the short term but insects develop resistance to these chemicals. The chemicals also kill the natural predators of insects so insect populations may increase.

Probably more important was that Carson initiated a dialogue on the relationship of man to the environment.
2. "Studs" Terkel was the epitome of Chicago and was a long time radio and television artist, and accomplished writer. In 1964 he published his most definitive work "Working". What method did Terkel use in formatting the book?

Answer: Oral histories

"Working" is sub-titled "People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do". The book consists of oral histories from people from all walks of life as they discuss the trials, tribulations, frustrations, and minutiae, as well as the poignant aspects, of their occupations. A friend of mine, in charge of orienting new employees into a company, gave each new employee a copy.

Technology and digitization has eliminated or severely changed many of the jobs in the book. The stories were gathered by sitting down with people and tape recording their relationships to their jobs and transcribing them into written form.

Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso wrote the play, with music also by Schwartz, based on the book. It played at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in December 1977 through February 1978. It was nominated for six Tony awards. A 2011 revival ran for five months. Schwartz also wrote "Wicked", "Pippin" and "Godspell".
3. "All the President's Men"(1974) chronicled the downfall of Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. It was co-written by Bob Woodward. Who was his co-writer?

Answer: Carl Bernstein

Gene Roberts, executive editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer and former managing editor of The New York Times, has called "All the President's Men" 'the single greatest reporting effort of all time'. It is interesting to note that "All the President's Men" was published June 15, 1974 but Nixon did not resign until August 8, 1974 making the book perhaps the final nail in the coffin. The Watergate situation was so complex, but the book put it in understandable sequence.

Robert Redford as Woodard and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein brought the scandal to the screen in 1976 and garnered four Academy Awards.
4. In 1867 Karl Marx published the first of three volumes that were to revolutionize in a literal sense the political shape of the world. By what name is this book generally known?

Answer: Das Kapital

Both Karl Marx and Frederick Engels were German but did their research and writing in England. Marx died and Engels published volumes two and three posthumously. Mammoth countries such as Russia and China had revolutions that sprang in part due to the communist manifesto. Smaller nations such as Chile, Cuba, and Italy came to some extent under its influence. Soviet domination of eastern Europe came under the spell.

it is not easy to define "Das Kapital". A simplistic view might be that capitalists control the economy but workers provide the wealth because capitalists take advantage of them. Workers need to share more equally in the wealth they produce. This can only be done through radical change.
5. During the so-called baby boom after the conclusion of World War Two, no other book was more appropriate that the 1946 best seller "The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care". It sold 500,000 copies in the first few weeks and now, in its ninth addition, has reached 50 million. In short, it revolutionized the care and treatment of both infants and small children. Who was the author?

Answer: Doctor Benjamin Spock

Perhaps the most comforting words in the book were "You know more than you think you do." that gave new parents more confidence. For many new parents it was like a Bible, trusted and practiced. Rather than holding an infant to a rigid schedule for sleeping and eating, Spock recommended parents to see their children as individuals, and not to apply a one-size-fits all philosophy to them.
6. In Western culture, primitive faraway tribes were viewed from a distance as fierce and ignorant. But in 1928 an anthropologist published "Coming of Age in Samoa" that changed the way the world looked other cultures. It was one of the first books on anthropology that developed a popular audience. Who was the anthropologist researcher?

Answer: Margaret Mead

Not only was the exploration of another culture a highlight of the book, it dealt openly with sexual practices among the Samoans which perhaps titillated the general public. The first edition featured a bare breasted Samoan girl with a male under the moonlight. Another theme that emerged was the observation that Samoans seemed to be 'neurosis free' in the sense that their lives and freedoms were not tied to strict social mores as in Western culture.

Mead has had her disclaimers. Peer reviews in academic circles are often vicious and spurred by jealousy. Mead has been attacked for using an anecdotal approach rather than a scientific one. Therefore, the study had no statistical base and much is Mead's comment on her findings and observations. Those making these comments have more modern research tools than were available in the 1920s.
7. In 1988 "A Brief History of Time" came on the scene and has sold an estimated ten million copies. British physicist Stephen Hawking tackled topics that were complex to the general public and put them into a readable context such as cosmology, the big bang, black holes, and light cones. What noted American scientist and television host wrote the introduction?

Answer: Carl Sagan

Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, and author who hosted "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" a classic 13 part mini-series in 1980.

Stephen Hawking is a brilliant scientist who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) but has proven that the mind can exist inside a tormented body. He communicates by using a speech-generating device. He has a long list of honors and achievements in his academic fields.
8. Truman Capote is often credited with the concept of the non-fiction novel, that is, writing about actual events in a form of a novel. Murders that were committed in 1959 were re-visited by Capote in his 1966 "In Cold Blood". Literally thousands of pages of notes were taken during his research. What childhood friend and novelist acted as his research assistant?

Answer: Harper Lee

Harper Lee published only one novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1961). Rumors have abounded that another novel was forthcoming but Lee has published only a few essays since. The character of 'Dill' was based on Capote; in Capote's "Other Voices, Other Rooms", he modeled a character after Lee.

The publication of "In Cold Blood" marked the apex of Capote's writing career. One unfinished novel, a novel found after his death, a few short stories and letters were all that came in the next eighteen years. Norman Mailer said that Capote tried hard to get into the world of celebrity that he was trying to escape.

Richard "Dick" Hickock and Perry Smith are the focus "In Cold Blood" for their four senseless murders of the Clutter family in Kansas. In addition to the award winning film, the process is revisited in two film biographies of Capote's life.
9. Plato wrote "The Republic" in about 380 BC. The theme centers on justice and the just man and the image of an ideal government. Who did Plato believe should rule in his republic?

Answer: A philosopher king

Plato defined a philosopher king as a lover of knowledge. He distinguished between one who loves knowledge and one who is merely educated. The tome is written as a Socratic dialog (Socrates was the teacher of Plato). He said "Until philosophers rule as kings in their cities,...or those who are nowadays called kings and leading men become genuine and adequate philosophers ... cities will have no rest from evils."

A Canadian professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto commented that until this lofty ideal is achieved, governments should leave an empty chair for the philosopher king so the goal is always present.
10. Arguably the most influential book of the 19th century was Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species". Not only did it shake up the world of science but the world of theology as well. It challenged long held beliefs and created debate and wonder. What was the name of the islands just west of South America where Darwin did much of his research?

Answer: Galápagos Islands

The HMS Beagle was a research vehicle that set out on a two year voyage that circumnavigated the globe and lasted five years. Of course, its most famous passenger was Charles Darwin. Although the voyage concluded in 1836, it was not until 1859 that Darwin printed his results that shook the world with his theory of natural selection and evolution.

The printer ran 1,250 copies and took orders for 1,500, and 500 for libraries. Although this sounds puny by today's standards, it was a book meant for scholars. Academic leader such as Thomas Huxley and Charles Lyell supported Darwin even though it challenged some of their beliefs.

Theologians took two approaches as the book ran counter to the seven day dogma of creation. Most ignored Darwin; others attacked him. The book was made an object of scorn and it was asserted than man descended from apes, something that Darwin did not say. The Scopes Trial of 1925 showed the debate was still alive. And even today creationist still have pervasive clout.
Source: Author Rehaberpro

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