Texas Literature Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Texas Rangers

J. Frank Dobie stated that Webb's book, "The Texas Rangers" (1935), was "the beginning, middle, and end of the subject." Many consider Webb's work to be the definitive account of the "one riot, one Ranger" law enforcement agency, whose origin predates the Civil War.

Answer: The Longhorns

J. Frank Dobie taught the first class devoted to Texas Literature at the University of Texas at Austin. "The Longhorns" (1941) depicts the hearty breed as surviving against all odds through a myriad of harsh and unforgiving conditions and circumstances, a metaphor for the State of Texas itself. Dobie's work is credited with saving the breed from extinction.

Answer: John Graves

John Graves was a writer and naturalist whose work in "Goodbye to a River" is often compared to Henry David Thoreau's "Walden". The book depicts a final canoe trip down the Brazos River from Possum Kingdom Dam to Lake Whitney, before the river will be destroyed by a series of dams. Graves' work is credited with saving the river.

Answer: Lyndon Baines Johnson

The larger than life Fenstemaker is said to be based upon Lyndon Baines Johnson, on whose Senate staff Brammer served. Fenstemaker is a master manipulator and a consumate politician who meets his demise suffering a heart attack in the bed of his mistress.

Answer: Horseman, Pass By

"Horseman, Pass By" was made into the movie "Hud" starring Paul Newman. It depicts life on a Texas cattle ranch in the 1950s. The title comes from the poem "Under Ben Bulben" by William Butler Yeats:

"Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by."

Answer: A Woman of the People

"A Woman of the People" (1966) depicts the kidnapping of Helen Morrison from her home on the plains of Texas and her transformation from a frightened girl to a full-fledged member of the Comanche tribe. It is a fictionalized account of the life of Cynthia Ann Parker, mother of the famed Comanche chief Quanah Parker.

Answer: The Time It Never Rained

"The Time It Never Rained" (1973) is a fictionalized account of a severe drought that the entire state of Texas suffered in the 1950s. The novel tells the story of Charlie Flagg, a cattle rancher, and his struggle for the survival of his family business and his way of life in the face of adversity.

Answer: Lonesome Dove

"Lonesome Dove" (1985) is the grand, sweeping tale of Captain Augustus "Gus" McCrae and Captain Woodrow F. Call, retired Texas Rangers and their adventures driving a cattle herd from Texas to Montana. It was made into a brilliant mini-series starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones.

Answer: No Country for Old Men

"No Country for Old Men" (2005) contains the chilling character of Anton Chigurh, the cold blooded hitman who decides the fate of people with the flip of a coin. In 2007, Joel and Ethan Coen adapted the book into a movie that won four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Joel and Ethan Coen), Best Adapted Screenplay (Joel and Ethan Coen), and Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh).

Answer: The Road

"The Road" 2006 is a post-apocalyptic tale of the struggle for survival of an unnamed father and his son in a dystopian society following a disaster that has destroyed civilization. The nature of the disaster is never revealed.