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Quizzes > Books & Literature

Easy Literature Quiz: Quick Questions on Books and Authors

Quick, free literature trivia quiz to check your book knowledge. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Katleen DethierUpdated Aug 26, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art books letters quill and question marks on teal background for literature trivia quiz.

This easy literature quiz helps you check what you remember from classic books, world literature, and well-known authors. Play at your own pace and see instant results as you go. For more practice, try our literature trivia quiz, explore classic novels quiz, or sharpen your skills with literature trivia questions.

Who is the author of the novel 'Pride and Prejudice'?
Charlotte Brontë
Mary Shelley
Jane Austen
Emily Brontë
Jane Austen published 'Pride and Prejudice' in 1813, and it remains one of the most famous novels in English literature. The book explores themes of class, marriage, and morality through the experiences of Elizabeth Bennet. Austen's wit and social commentary have made the work a staple in literary studies.
In Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick', what is the name of the white whale?
Pequod
Ishmael
Moby Dick
White Fang
The great white whale pursued by Captain Ahab in Melville's novel is named Moby Dick. Ishmael is the narrator of the story, and the Pequod is the ship Ahab commands. The whale's name has become synonymous with an obsessive pursuit.
Which author created the detective Sherlock Holmes?
Dorothy L. Sayers
Agatha Christie
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Edgar Allan Poe
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced Sherlock Holmes in 'A Study in Scarlet' (1887). Edgar Allan Poe wrote earlier detective tales featuring C. Auguste Dupin. Christie created Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Holmes remains the most famous fictional detective to date.
Atticus Finch is a central character in which novel?
To Kill a Mockingbird
Go Set a Watchman
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Catcher in the Rye
Atticus Finch is the moral center of Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1960). He is the father of Scout and Jem Finch and defends a black man falsely accused of a crime. The novel addresses racial injustice and moral growth in the American South.
Who wrote the dystopian novel '1984'?
Philip K. Dick
George Orwell
Ray Bradbury
Aldous Huxley
George Orwell published 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' in 1949 as a warning against totalitarianism. Aldous Huxley's dystopia appears in 'Brave New World' (1932). Bradbury and Dick wrote influential speculative fiction but not '1984'. Orwell's novel remains a cultural touchstone for discussions of surveillance and freedom.
In which Shakespeare play does the character Ophelia appear?
Romeo and Juliet
Hamlet
Othello
Macbeth
Ophelia is a key character in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', serving as Hamlet's love interest. Her descent into madness and tragic death are central to the play's exploration of grief and sanity. No character named Ophelia appears in the other listed works.
What is the title of the first book in J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy?
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
The Silmarillion
'The Fellowship of the Ring' is the opening volume of Tolkien's epic published in 1954. It introduces the quest to destroy the One Ring. 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return of the King' are the subsequent volumes, while 'The Silmarillion' is a related mythology.
Who wrote the poem 'The Raven'?
Walt Whitman
Edgar Allan Poe
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William Wordsworth
Edgar Allan Poe published 'The Raven' in 1845, and it quickly became his most famous poem. The piece is known for its haunting refrain 'Nevermore'. Whitman, Wordsworth, and Coleridge are major poets but not of this work.
Andrei Bolkonsky is a prominent character in which novel?
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
War and Peace
The Brothers Karamazov
Prince Andrei Bolkonsky appears in Leo Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' (1869). He is one of the novel's central figures during the Napoleonic Wars. The other works listed are by Dostoevsky and Tolstoy but feature different protagonists.
Who is the author of the modernist novel 'The Sound and the Fury'?
T. S. Eliot
Ernest Hemingway
F. Scott Fitzgerald
William Faulkner
William Faulkner published 'The Sound and the Fury' in 1929, pioneering stream-of-consciousness narration. Fitzgerald wrote 'The Great Gatsby', Hemingway wrote 'The Sun Also Rises', and T.S. Eliot was a poet. Faulkner's novel is a landmark of Southern Gothic and modernist literature.
Which author wrote 'Things Fall Apart', a novel depicting pre- and post-colonial life in Nigeria?
Ng?g? wa Thiong'o
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Wole Soyinka
Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe published 'Things Fall Apart' in 1958, and it became a seminal work on African perspectives. The novel explores the effects of colonialism on an Igbo community. Ng?g? and Adichie are also notable African writers, while Soyinka is a playwright and poet.
In Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre', what is the name of Mr. Rochester's estate?
Ferndean Manor
Lowood Institution
Thornfield Hall
Gateshead Hall
Thornfield Hall is the Gothic mansion where Jane Eyre becomes governess to Mr. Rochester's ward. Ferndean Manor appears later but is not the primary setting. Gateshead is where Jane's aunt lives, and Lowood is the school.
Which Shakespeare play contains the monologue beginning 'All the world's a stage'?
Twelfth Night
As You Like It
Much Ado About Nothing
The Tempest
The 'All the world's a stage' speech appears in Act II, Scene VII of 'As You Like It'. It is spoken by Jacques and compares life to a play with seven acts. The other listed comedies do not include that famous monologue.
In Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita', what is the name of the narrator and protagonist?
Clare Quilty
John Ray Jr.
Humbert Humbert
Annabel Leigh
Humbert Humbert narrates 'Lolita' (1955) as he recounts his obsession with Dolores Haze. Clare Quilty is a secondary figure and Annabel Leigh is Humbert's childhood love. John Ray Jr. writes the foreword.
Gabriel García Márquez is best known for which novel that helped popularize magical realism?
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Love in the Time of Cholera
One Hundred Years of Solitude
The Autumn of the Patriarch
Published in 1967, 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' is García Márquez's masterpiece and a definitive magical realism work. It chronicles seven generations of the Buendía family in Macondo. The other novels are also by him but less central to his reputation.
What year is William Shakespeare believed to have been born?
1584
1546
1564
1574
William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, and tradition holds his birth on April 23 of that year. This date aligns with St. George's Day, England's patron saint. Exact birth records are unavailable, but 1564 is universally accepted.
Which ancient Greek epic poem opens with the line 'Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles'?
The Iliad
The Aeneid
Metamorphoses
The Odyssey
Homer's 'The Iliad' opens by invoking the Muse to sing of Achilles' wrath. The line sets the tone for the poem's exploration of rage and its consequences. 'The Odyssey' begins differently, and 'The Aeneid' and 'Metamorphoses' are by later authors.
Virginia Woolf was a central figure in which literary movement?
Romanticism
Victorian
Realism
Modernism
Virginia Woolf was a pioneer of literary modernism in the early 20th century. Her experimental narrative techniques appear in works like 'Mrs Dalloway' and 'To the Lighthouse'. She departed from Victorian conventions, emphasizing stream-of-consciousness.
What is the original language of Dante Alighieri's 'The Divine Comedy'?
Italian
French
Latin
Classical Greek
Dante wrote 'The Divine Comedy' in Tuscan Italian, completed around 1320. Writing in Italian rather than Latin made the work more accessible and helped establish the Italian literary language. Latin remained the scholarly norm but Dante's choice was revolutionary.
In Miguel de Cervantes's 'Don Quixote', what is the name of Don Quixote's squire?
Panza Rocinante
Dulcinea
Sancho Panza
Rocinante
Sancho Panza serves as Don Quixote's loyal but practical squire in Cervantes's novel. Rocinante is Quixote's horse, and Dulcinea is his idealized lady. The relationship provides much of the story's comic and philosophical depth.
Which Brontë sister published 'Jane Eyre' under the pseudonym Currer Bell?
Branwell Brontë
Charlotte Brontë
Emily Brontë
Anne Brontë
Charlotte Brontë chose the male pseudonym Currer Bell when publishing 'Jane Eyre' in 1847. Emily and Anne used Ellis and Acton Bell, respectively. The anonymity helped them navigate a male-dominated literary market.
Which novel by Victor Hugo features the character Éponine?
The Toilers of the Sea
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Ninety-Three
Les Misérables
Éponine is a tragic figure in Victor Hugo's 'Les Misérables' (1862). She is the daughter of the Thénardiers and plays a key role in the revolution subplot. She does not appear in Hugo's earlier or later works.
T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Waste Land' was first published in which year?
1914
1905
1922
1935
'The Waste Land' premiered in 1922 and quickly became a landmark of modernist poetry. Its fragmented structure and allusive style captured post-World War I disillusionment. Earlier dates predate Eliot's mature style, and 1935 was after his later works.
Which ancient Greek playwright wrote 'Oedipus Rex'?
Aristophanes
Euripides
Sophocles
Aeschylus
The tragedy 'Oedipus Rex' was authored by Sophocles around 429 BCE. Aeschylus and Euripides were his contemporaries who wrote different plays, while Aristophanes is known for comedy. Sophocles' work remains a foundational text in Western drama.
Which narrative perspective is primarily used in Italo Calvino's novel 'If on a winter's night a traveler'?
First-person
Third-person limited
Third-person omniscient
Second-person
Italo Calvino's 1979 novel addresses the reader directly, employing a second-person narrative. The text uses 'you' as the protagonist, creating a metafictional effect. This unusual perspective is central to the book's experimental structure.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Iconic Works -

    Recall key plot points and themes from classic novels through targeted literature trivia questions and answers, reinforcing your grasp of major works.

  2. Recognize Renowned Authors -

    Match world literature quiz prompts to their famous authors, boosting your familiarity with influential writers across cultures.

  3. Analyze Literary Themes -

    Examine recurring motifs and underlying messages presented in literature trivia quiz questions to deepen your interpretive skills.

  4. Differentiate Literary Periods -

    Distinguish between historical eras and modern contexts in classic literature questions, refining your understanding of literary evolution.

  5. Evaluate Your Knowledge -

    Assess your strengths and areas for improvement in literature trivia questions and answers, guiding your next reading adventures.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Narrative Perspectives -

    Understanding first-person, second-person, and third-person narrators is key to literature trivia questions and answers. For instance, Jane Eyre's first-person narration reveals the protagonist's inner life, while third-person omniscient in Pride and Prejudice (1813) offers broader context. A quick mnemonic is "I-You-He/She" to recall the shift from I (first) to He/She (third).

  2. Literary Periods and Movements -

    Familiarity with Romanticism, Victorian literature, Modernism, and Magical Realism is essential for a world literature quiz. The timeline mnemonic "RoVeMoMa" (Romantic, Victorian, Modernist, Magical realism) helps recall the sequence. According to Stanford's Literature Resource Center, Romanticism (c.1780 - 1850) emphasized emotion, while Modernism (c.1910 - 1960) embraced fragmentation.

  3. Literary Devices and Terms -

    Mastering terms like metaphor, irony, and allusion gives you an edge on classic literature questions. Use the acronym "MIA" (Metaphor, Irony, Allusion) to recall these core devices. The Literary Devices database at Oxford University Press highlights how irony subverts expectations and allusion evokes external texts.

  4. Signature Styles of Famous Authors -

    Recognizing authorial fingerprints - such as Dickens's social critique or Woolf's stream-of-consciousness - elevates any famous author quiz performance. For example, Charles Dickens serialized Bleak House (1852 - 53) for sharp social satire, while Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway (1925) flows through internal monologues. Purdue OWL notes that these style markers are key to author identification.

  5. Classic Novel Titles and Publication Years -

    Speedy recall of landmark works and dates boosts performance on a literature trivia quiz. Grouping by century and crafting rhymes - like "Eighteen thirteen - Pride and begin" for Pride and Prejudice (1813) - aids memorization. The Modern Language Association's catalog provides authoritative publication data for accuracy.

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