Test your literary know-how with StudentKind Literary Journal's weekly trivia questions! Comment your answer quickly below the prompt on Instagram or Facebook for a shout-out.
This literary device is prominently featured in the infamous tongue-twister, "Peter Piper."
Correct Answer: alliteration
Correctly unscramble the following puzzle to identify a specific literary device: eehpbylro
Correct Answer: hyperbole
When was Romeo and Juliet first performed at the Globe Theatre?
Correct Answer: 1595
What is the name of the novel that inspired HBO's hit series, 'Game of Thrones?'
Correct Answer: ‘A Game of Thrones’ by George R.R. Martin; ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series
Who are the two main screenwriters accredited to creating the script for the hit film, ‘Barbie?’
Correct Answer: Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig
What was famous American novelist Mark Twain’s real name?
Correct Answer: Samuel Langhorne Clemens
True or false: We have a lesson on diction published to the StudentKind Literary Dictionary!
Correct Answer: False (for now!)
How long is the actively standing “longest novel in the world?”
Correct Answer: ’A la recherche du temps perdu’ by Marcel Proust
What is the literary term used to describe ‘word choice?’
Correct Answer: Word Choice
In light of our recent Spooky Story Contest announcement, unscramble the following statement to reveal a timeless horror classic!
’eth-letl-etla-rheta’
by German Laeln Eop
Correct Answer: ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by Edgar Allen Poe
How long did it take J.K. Rowling to write and publish the ‘Harry Potter’ book series?
Correct Answer: About 16 years!
Who was the first ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in literature?
Correct Answer: Sully Prudhomme
When did StudentKind Literary Journal open submissions to our Winter Issue, and when do submissions close?
Correct Answer: Opened August 4, Closing November 1
Name the author behind this famous quote:
“’Twas brilliant in the slimy toves
Did gyre and gamble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.”
Correct Answer: Lewis Carroll
The following piece is an example of which poetry subgenre?
Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head,
To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired:
For then my thoughts, from far where I abide,
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do see:
Save that my soul’s imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous and her old face new.
Lo! Thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind,
For thee and for myself no quiet find.
Correct Answer: Shakespearean sonnet
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is set in which historical period?
Correct Answer: The 1920s / Jazz Age
The definition below best describes what literary device?
the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning
Correct Answer: Irony
This painting by Salvador Dali was inspired by what literary classic?
A. Alice In Wonderland
B. Dante's Inferno
C. Catcher in the Rye
Correct Answer: Alice In Wonderland
What is the name of the following poem?
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Correct Answer: Still I Rise, Maya Angelou
In what city does S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders take place?
Correct Answer: Tulsa, Oklahoma
This image is pulled from the film adaptation of what striking 1960s classic novel?
Correct Answer: To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Erich Remarque's haunting classic All Quiet On the Western Front accounts what paramount event in modern history?
Correct Answer: World War I
What is the name of the famous Colorado hotel that inspired Stephen King's The Shining?
Correct Answer: The Stanley Hotel
This beautiful estate located in Chawton, England belonged to what famous late 17th-century novelist?
Correct Answer: Jane Austen
What is the title and author of the longest known book series in the world by page count?
Correct Answer: The Guin Saga by Kaoru Kurimoto (with 152 separate installments!)
The following characteristics best describe what character from Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations"? - young; thoughtful; charming; idle; immature
Correct Answer: Philip Pirrip ("Pip")
What famous do is behind the following iconic titles?
- Hansel and Gretel
- Snow White
- Rapunzel
- The Golden Goose
Correct Answer: The Brothers Grimm
Where is the home of famous naturalist and writer John Muir located?
Correct Answer: Martinez, California
Unscramble the following to identify one of the most famous quotes in literary history:
Ti swa eht tseb fo mesti, it aws het owrts fo stime.
Correct Answer: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." (A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
What is the name of and age of the youngest ever published author, according to the Guinness Book of World Records?
Correct Answer: Dorothy Straight published her first ever book, How the World Began in 1962 at just 4 years old!
Which of the following books has sold the greatest number of copies?
Correct Answer: B) The Bible
Is the following statement true or false: Moby Dick by Herman Melville is based on a true story.
Correct Answer: True! Be sure to check out the following article about the historical context behind Melville's 19th-century masterpiece.
A radio reenactment of this classic post-apocalyptic novel inspired mass hysteria across the United States in 1938. What is the title of the novel and the name of its author?
Correct Answer: War of the Worlds by George Orwell
According to Poe himself, what is the namesake bird intended to symbolize in his 1845 masterpiece, The Raven?
Correct Answer: "A mournful and never-ending remembrance."
Famed children's book author and illustrator Theodore Geisel (perhaps better known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss) attended which Ivy League university?
Correct Answer: Dartmouth College
As punishment for his role in leading a titan rebellion against Zeus in the Titanomachy, Atlas was condemned to hold what on his shoulder for all eternity?
Correct Answer: The Earth!
How are all of the following terms connected?
Correct Answer: All act as the locations of Shakespeare plays. (Verona - The Two Gentlemen of Verona; Padua - The Taming of the Shrew; Athens - Timon of Athens; Venice - The Merchant of Venice)
What is the first known work of popular literature to prominently portray themes of homosexuality?
Correct Answer: The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley, 1968
What popular title currently occupies the #1 spot on the Penguin Random House "Top 100 Modern Novels" list (as of June 2024)?
Correct Answer: Ulysses, James Joyce
What time frame (in years) is considered the "Modern Era" in English literature?
Correct Answer: 1900-1940
What was the practicing pen name adopted by beloved 19th century author and poet Chalres Lutwidge Dodgson?
Correct Answer: Lewis Carroll
Complete the following opening line to Kurt Vonnegut's critically acclaimed 1969 masterpiece, "Slaughterhouse Five:"
"All this happened, __ __ __."
Correct Answer: "... more or less."
What was the working, or original, title of Jane Austen's 1815 magnum opus, "Pride and Prejudice?"
Correct Answer: First Impressions
What is the name of the first known female author to publish her work professionally, circa the 14th century?
Correct Answer: Julian of Norwich
What is the name of the famed luxury hotel located in New York City, that has housed a number of literary icons (including Thomas Wolfe, Arthur C. Clark, and Dylan Thomas)?
Correct Answer: The Chelsea Hotel
What is the title of the most expensive book ever sold, currently estimated to be worth approximately $64.68 USD in today's currency?
Correct Answer: "Codex Leicester" by Leonardo da Vinci, purchased by famed billionaire Bill Gates in 1994!
In about how many years was American author Stephen King able to complete his critically acclaimed horror novel, It?
Correct Answer: 5 years
The popular term "cyberspace, used most frequently to describe a particular facet of the virtual network, was adopted from which of the following works of literature?
A) Neuromancer, William Gibson
B) Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
C) A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
D) Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, Kate Wilhelm
Correct Answer: A) "Neuromancer," William Gibson
Canadian rock band Rush's acclaimed 1981 single is named after what iconic character of classic author Mark Twain's original creation?
Correct Answer: Tom Sawyer
Which of the following words is not officially defined within the English language?
A) "Jabberwocky"
B) "Tomfoolery"
C) "Malarkey"
D) "Gigglemug"
Correct Answer: D) "Gigglemug"
According to industry estimates, about how long does it customarily take for a completed novel manuscript to hit the shelves from start to finish?
Correct Answser: Although some may be able to publish a completed manuscript within six months, the average time between submission and release typically falls between 2-3 years!
In the popular retelling of Washington Irving's 1820 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the famed "Headless Horseman" carries what object with him while prowling the woods of New England?
A) Pumpkin
B) Musket
C) Human Skull
D) Sword
Correct Answer: A) Pumpkin
New trivia questions are released each Monday! In the meantime, check out our writing prompts, lesson plans, and more under the ‘Education’ tab!
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.