Literature if often defined as the communication of thoughts, ideas, and feelings through the written word. It includes poetry, stories, and other such works of a creative nature.
Table of Contents
Trivia questions are fun, but they can also be educational. Our Literature Trivia collection will test your knowledge of all things literary. We begin with Classic Literature Trivia, probably your favorite if you were a lit major in college. Next, our Children’s Literature Trivia will test your memory about childhood favorites and newer books you might be reading to your own children. Our American Literature Trivia features facts, authors, and characters from American classics and some of the newer works. You will also enjoy testing your knowledge with our British Literature Trivia. Our section on Book Trivia includes questions on characters, locations, and plots. Finally, we have a section of Authors Trivia, where we find out how good you are at remembering who wrote what.
Use our Literature Trivia questions in the classroom, at your book club meeting – anywhere those who love books and reading gather. Book trivia is educational, but it is also fun!
Classic Literature Trivia
You may have wondered when that literature major or those required college English classes would come in handy in the future. Well, now you can shine using that knowledge for these classic literature trivia questions. Additionally, some of the questions and answers may help you unlock clues to trivia questions in some other sections of this article.
- In what language was Don Quixote written?
- The hero Beowulf faces a monster known by what name?
- John Donne is in what literary school of poetry?
- During which century was John Milton’s Paradise Lost written?
- In which state do Mark Twain’s characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn live?
- Sir Walter Scott wrote historical novels about which country?
- What color was Anna Karenina’s bag in Tolstoy’s novel Red?
- What novel written by Oscar Wilde has to do with immortality?
- What novel centers around marriage during the Victorian era, describing the fascination that a group of sisters have over one man?
- Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights tells of a tragic romance between two lovers. What are their names?
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, which was based on what real town?
- Which character in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick was the voice of reason?
- What is the title of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Edith Wharton?
- In A Christmas Carol, how many ghosts visit Scrooge?
- John Keats wrote what poem to a singing bird?
- What Victor Hugo novel was adapted into a Disney animated movie in 1996?
- What is the name of the theater where many of Shakespeare’s plays were produced?
- In Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, what is the name of Captain Ahab’s ship?
- Jane Eyre was written by which of the Bronte sisters?
- Who wrote the line, “Where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise”?
- What classic written by Homer relates the adventures and life of Odysseus?
- Who wrote the political satire also loved as a children’s book titled Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?
- Author Nathaniel Hawthorn, who wrote The Scarlett Letter is known for writing in what genre?
- How many of Ernest Hemingway’s ten novels were published posthumously?
- Which classic book by J. M. Barrie opens with the line “All children, except one grew up”?
- What nationality was Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island?
Children’s Literature Trivia
Many studies have shown the benefits of reading to children from a very early age. If you were fortunate enough to be read to, you probably remember many of your childhood favorites. We have also included some of the newer children’s books which you may be reading to your own children or grandchildren.
- Where did Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables, a coming-of-age story, live and write about?
- Who is Harry Potter’s best female friend?
- What color is Pippi’s hair in Pippi Longstocking?
- Which author wrote about a boy named Charlie visiting a chocolate factory after winning a golden ticket?
- What kind of hat does the cat wear in the Dr. Seuss book The Cat in the Hat?
- What Belgian book series became a long running cartoon series about blue people who were only three apples tall?
- The Bobbsey Twins featured two sets of twins. What were their names?
- Which detective series focuses on two brothers, Frank and Joe, solving mysteries?
- What are the names of the girl detective Nancy Drew’s best friends?
- In what book is the child detective’s rarely-used first name Leroy?
- In the book Curious George, who is the monkey’s companion?
- In the book Pollyanna, who does Pollyanna go to with?
- What was the name of the Darling’s daughter in the Peter Pan?
- What is the name of Tom Sawyer’s best friend in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
- Which children’s story, begins with a boat being wrecked in the middle of nowhere during a sea storm and a family’s survival as they live on an island?
- Who wrote Charlotte’s Web, The Trumpet of the Swan, and Stuart Little?
- Which first book in the series by Hugh Lofting is named after the main character, who has the ability to talk to animals?
- Who wrote Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG, all of which were made into movies?
- Who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia series?
- In the book Freaky Friday, Annabel change bodies with whom?
- What popular Disney movie, with Julie Andrews as the “practically perfect” nanny, was originally a novel written by P. L. Travers?
- What children’s novel features the characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum?
- What is the name of the series that used second person perspective and turned the reader into the one deciding the outcome of the books?
American Literature Trivia
If you are a fan of American literature, the following trivia list will provide you with a chance to test your knowledge of this genre. Not only can you see how much you remember from that college American Lit class, but you may also learn some new facts. See how well you do and then share the list with a friend or family member.
- What other novels did Margaret Mitchell have published before Gone with the Wind?
- Which story authored by Washington Irving has the character Ichabod Crane?
- In the dystopian science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, what planet do many humans leave Earth for?
- In Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, the phrase “Who is John Galt?” means what?
- In Dune by author Frank Herbert, the desert planet Arrakis is rich in which valuable resource?
- In which U. S. state was the mental asylum of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest located?
- Which of Ernest Hemmingway’s books dealt with bullfighting?
- Who were the four sisters in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women?
- What pen name did Norman Bean write under?
- Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code opens with a murder in which famous museum?
- Veronica Roth’s Divergent book series is set in a post-apocalyptic version of which U. S. city?
- In what fictional town is Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird set?
- What popular U. S. novel includes the line, “Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”
- What do the initials J. D. stand for in author J. D. Salinger’s name?
- What famous American novelist wrote several mysteries using the pen name Edgar Box?
- What is the name of John’s true love in Nicholas Sparks’ Dear John?
- The narrator of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man works where?
- What is the name of the animator and vampire hunter in Laurell K. Hamilton’s The Harlequin?
- What is the occupation of the protagonist Guy Montag in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451?
- What is the occupation of Janet Evanovich’s character Stephanie Plum in the series by the same name?
- What novel by Richard Bach topped the best-seller lists for two consecutive years?
- Ichabod Crane rode a partially blind, the broken-down old horse in Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow. What was its name?
- In what year was Of Mice and Men published?
- What is the name of the heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter?
- What classic novelist wrote the short story that the 2008 movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was based on?
- What is the name of the top-secret government project in Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain?
British Literature Trivia
The British literary tradition dates back over a thousand years. It has played a predominant role in shaping the development of English literature and that of many other countries. Our British Literature Trivia has questions on classic British novels and poems, as well as some of the newer, popular works.
- In Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, what is the name of the artificial-intelligent (AI) computer?
- What authors first children’s story entitled The Gremlins, was published in 1943?
- Michael Bond wrote about a famous animal in what series of books for children?
- Somerset Maugham’s 1919 novel The Moon and Sixpence is a novel partially based upon the life of what great French artist?
- What is the name of the python in Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book?
- What is the title of the third book in the series Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy?
- What was Gulliver’s first name in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels?
- Which 20th Century author wrote, “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others” and in what book?
- Which novel opens with the line, “The Mole had been working very hard all the morning spring cleaning his house”?
- Which of Tolkien’s fantasy characters inhabit the world of Middle Earth?
- Who was the author of the 1987 novel Spy Catcher in 198, which was banned by the British government?
- Who wrote “Under Milk Wood” a 1954 radio drama commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage?
- Who wrote The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason?
- Who wrote the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire?
- What is the name of the brother of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character Sherlock Holmes?
- In 1984, who serves as the leader of The Party?
- From which novel comes the opening line, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”?
- How many full-length novels were written by Jane Austen?
- Mary Ann Evans was the real name for which author?
- What is the name of Charles Dickens’ last work, which was only half completed when he died?
- Who wrote the poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”?
- In what century were Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales written?
- In what novel did Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes character first appear?
Book Trivia
Now we have a category for everything literary that did not fit in any of our other trivia lists. Some of these are rather tricky, but you may have found a few answers if you needed to do any internet searches to solve the trivia selections listed above. Good luck!
- Where in Africa does Alexander McCall Smith’s The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series take place?
- The events of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 are set on which Italian island?
- While J. R. R. Tolkien was an Oxford professor, he founded a literary club. What was the name?
- In Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, what are all the bad boys on Pleasure Island changed into?
- Who starred as the lead character in the adaptation of Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel Beloved?
- What was the name of Dick and Jane’s baby sister in elementary school reading primers?
- What famous American author appeared in the 1976 movie comedy Murder by Death?
- The book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen takes place in what era and where?
- Who wrote the two novels Humboldt’s Gift and Herzog?
- Which children’s book series takes place in “an old house in Paris that was covered in vines” where there “lived twelve little girls in two straight lines” and is famous for having the closing line “That’s all there is, there isn’t any more”?
- Which writer of horror stories was involved in an unexpected road accident while out walking in 1999?
- Which author spent time in Honduras, fleeing prosecution on embezzlement charges, and served time in jail when he returned to the U.S., where he began writing the stories that made him famous?
- Helen Keller dedicated her autobiography The Story of My Life to what individual who was an inventor and considered himself a teacher of the deaf?
- According to the well-known legend, who was King Arthur’s wife?
- What famous Russian novelist was also a physician?
- Which Jane Austen novel does Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’ Diary use for inspiration?
- What is the name of Stephen King’s the first published novel?
- What Robert Frost Poem does Johnny recite to Ponyboy in The Outsiders?
- Which Latin phrase means “great work” and refers to the largest and best achievement of an author?
- Which book is the first in the Dollanganger Series followed by Petals on the Wind and If There Be Thorns?
Authors Trivia
If you love to read, you probably have a favorite author or two, or even many. It takes talent and hard work to produce a novel or other written work. We often acknowledge our appreciation by remembering who penned what we choose to read. Our collection of Authors Trivia tests your ability to remember who wrote which book. See how many you can get right. Look closely, as we have included clues for many of those listed.
- The crime novel The Godfather, also a hit movie, was written by whom?
- A Dance with Dragons the fifth book of A Song of Ice and Fire series was authored by whom?
- Lean Mean Thirteen, published in 2007, was written by what author?
- Who wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?
- What author wrote Come Home, part of his famous Cities in Flight series?
- What is the name of the author who wrote the short story “I, Robot” which was also made into a movie?
- What do the initials in author J.K. Rowling’s name (who wrote Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) stand for?
- What author became famous for his six-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln?
- What is the pen name used by Stephen King’s novel-writing son when he published Heart-Shaped Box in 2007?
- Who wrote the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are?
- Who wrote The Fellowship of the Ring, the first book in a popular fantasy trilogy?
- The 1951 first-person narrative novel Catcher in the Rye in which Holden Caulfield used frank language to tell his story was written by what author?
- Who wrote the popular and controversial book Lolita?
- What author wrote Oliver Twist as well as A Tale of Two Cities?
- The collection of twelve stories, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, featuring the brilliant Sherlock Holmes and his devoted assistant, Dr. Watson was written by whom?
- What popular author wrote about Willy Wonka Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
- What author penned the American realist novel The Grapes of Wrath which was published in 1939 and portrayed the life of migrant farmworkers?
- What English author wrote the political satire viewed as a children’s story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?
- What famous American author wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer?
- What author wrote the colorful children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar?
- The Outsiders, a coming-of-age novel, was started by this author when she was 15 and published when she was 18. Who was she?
- The autobiography about a girl hiding in an attic from the Nazis, The Diary of a Young Girl, was written by whom?
- Who authored The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a book made into a popular movie?
- To Kill A Mockingbird, a classic of modern American literature about the South which won the Pulitzer Prize was written by whom?
- The book The Martian Chronicles which tells a story of colonization of the Red Planet was written by whom?
- The Yearling, the coming-of-age story of the boy, Jody, and an orphaned fawn was authored by whom?
Whew! That is a lot of literature trivia. We think we have covered every category of interest. Use our lists for party games, in the classroom, and to test your own knowledge. Challenge your friends and family and have fun!
Susan majored in English with a double minor in Humanities and Business at Arizona State University and earned a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Liberty University. She taught grades four through twelve in both public and private schools. Subjects included English, U.S. and world history and geography, math, earth and physical science, Bible, information technologies, and creative writing.
Susan has been freelance writing for over ten years, during which time she has written and edited books, newspaper articles, biographies, book reviews, guidelines, neighborhood descriptions for realtors, Power Point presentations, resumes, and numerous other projects.
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