via: Pexels / RODNAE Productions
Test your knowledge of all things literature with these amazing literature trivia questions. See how well you know your literature with categories ranging from poetry to popular fiction novels.
If you love reading and know plenty of famous authors, this quiz will be a breeze. Use these trivia questions on members of a book club, or even in your English literature class.
The benefits of trivia questions are endless, and you'll definitely benefit from this game of literature trivia.
Contents
5 Best Literature Trivia
via: Unsplash / Natalie Grainger
If you think you know most of the best-selling books and their authors then you'll enjoy these trivia questions. What's great about these literature trivia questions is that they focus on all the best books and their brilliant, well-known authors.
1. The Fault In Our Stars takes its title from which Shakespearean play?
Show Answer
Answer
Julius Caesar
More Information
The title comes from the quote, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, for we are underlings."
2. What year were the first Pulitzer Prizes awarded?
Show Answer
Answer
1917
More Information
$250,000 was given in prizes and scholarships. That's worth close to $8 million today.
via: Pexels / Ekrulila
3. What was the first book sold on Amazon.com?
Show Answer
Answer
Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought
More Information
Well, of course, it would be a book about computers. Amazon is pretty much as old as the internet is.
4. What was the first novel ever written?
Show Answer
via: Unsplash / Adam Nieścioruk
5. A picture of which author, who created the character Huckleberry Finn, was the first image to be uploaded onto Wikipedia?
Show Answer
Answer
Mark Twain
More Information
And the quality of Wikipedia images is just as bad now as they were then.
5 Easy Literature Trivia
via: Pexels / Suzy Hazelwood
You don't need to know much about literature to get these easy trivia questions right. Heck, you don't even have to love reading. Most of those listed here have had films made out of them. So, let's hope you enjoy watching movies.
6. Who is the protagonist of The Hunger Games?
Show Answer
Answer
Katniss Everdeen
More Information
The author of the hunger games says she got the idea of the name Katniss from the Arrowhead plant.
via: Unsplash / Niklas Tidbury
7. How many acts are in Romeo and Juliet?
Show Answer
Answer
Five
More Information
An interesting fact to know is that these two were only teens, with Juliet being just 13.
8. According to the most popular modern text, what type of government exists in the world of Humpty Dumpty?
Show Answer
Answer
A Monarchy
More Information
All the king's horses, and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
via: Pexels / Skitterphoto
9. What is the seventh and final installment in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series?
Show Answer
Answer
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows
More Information
There are 7 books in the series which were made into 8 films. The last one split into two parts.
10. What was the title of Tolkien's sequel to The Hobbit?
Show Answer
Answer
The Lord of the Rings
More Information
Although, if we're talking about the films, The Hobbit was a prequel to The Lord of the Rings.
via: Unsplash / Ricardo Cruz
5 Fun Literature Trivia
via: Pexels / Roy Reyna
Who said literature has to be boring? Those who don't enjoy reading can get a kick out of these fun trivia questions. And those who love reading will enjoy these so much more.
11. What is the name of Thor's war hammer?
Show Answer
Answer
Mjolnir
More Information
The name Mjolnir is thought to come from Scandinavian languages with it being close to a word meaning "to crush it".
12. What word did Robert A. Heinlein introduce into the English language in his book Stranger in a Strange Land?
Show Answer
Answer
Grok
More Information
If you don't know, the word grok is pretty much the same as saying "I feel you".
via: Pexels / cottonbro
13. What is the smallest book in the Welsh National Library?
Show Answer
Answer
Old King Cole
More Information
By small, we don't mean it has a short story. The book is only 44mm by 33mm in measurements. It makes a good sized book for a mouse.
14. In Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, what food does Oliver famously ask for more of when he says: “Please, Sir, I want some more”?
Show Answer
Answer
Gruel
More Information
Haven't we all repeated this line when asking for more of something?
via: Pexels / Arina Krasnikova
15. What title belongs to the first novel in the James Bond series?
Show Answer
Answer
Casino Royale
More Information
This is actually a tough question due to all the books there are in the series.
4 American Literature Trivia
via: Unsplash / Museums Victoria
Literature has a long history that goes back centuries and it has helped the written language developed. Take your time and learn about the history of literature with these history trivia questions. You'll be happy to know that they're all American history trivia questions.
16. What writer had more than 70 different pen names?
Show Answer
Answer
Lauran Paine
More Information
This was because his publishers only allowed a certain number of books for each other. So he decided to publish his books under different names so he could write more.
via: Pexels / Min An
17. Edith Wharton became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize with which book?
Show Answer
Answer
The Age of Innocence
More Information
The book has been turned into a film which came out in 1993 and started Michelle Pfeiffer and a very young Winona Ryder.
18. In what year was Gillian Flynn’s domestic thriller Gone Girl published?
Show Answer
Answer
2012
More Information
And two years later a film was released due to the popularity of the story.
via: Pexels / Obregonia D. Toretto
19. To Kill A Mockingbird is set in what fictional town?
Show Answer
Answer
Maycomb, Alabama
More Information
The town name might be fictional, but the events that happen in the book are very realistic and most definitely did occur in the state of Alabama.
5 Random Literature Trivia
via: Unsplash / Neel
Not all literature history comes from books. Sometimes the interesting facts come from the personal lives of the writers, or other random stuff. Learn some interestingly random things with these random trivia questions based (loosely) on literature.
20. Why was playwright Joe Orton sent to prison in 1962?
Show Answer
Answer
Defacing library books
More Information
After being released from prison, he said that being locked up in solitude was good for his writing.
via: Pexels / RODNAE Productions
21. In 2004 who became the first person to earn $1 billion by writing books?
Show Answer
Answer
J.K Rowling
More Information
The Harry Potter books alone are worth 7 billion dollars, with J.K. Rowling making around 1 billion dollars from them.
22. What famous author was a descendant of one of the Salem witches?
Show Answer
Answer
Ray Bradbury
More Information
He's a descendant of Mary Bradbury who was accused of being a witch. She managed to get out of her hanging sentence though.
via: Pexels / revac film's&photography
23. What is the name of Christian’s helicopter in 50 Shades of Grey?
Show Answer
Answer
Charlie Tango
More Information
Because of the Seattle Aviation Law, producers for the films weren't able to get the exact helicopter described in the novels.
24. What is the title of the longest-running play ever written?
Show Answer
Answer
The Mousetrap
More Information
It has been playing since 1952 making it close to 70 years old.
via: Pexels / Dalila Dalprat
6 Hard Literature Trivia
via: Pexels / Anna Shvets
Are you an English Major or know someone who is? Maybe you'd like to challenge your English literature teacher with a game of trivia. If you do, then these hard trivia questions will work just fine. Just make sure you study up on all the answers to outsmart your teacher.
25. Who coined the word ‘robot’?
Show Answer
Answer
Josef Čapek
More Information
Is it odd to say that his name sounds robotic? Spelling Joseph with an F at the end... Come on.
26. George H.W. Bush owned a famous book-writing dog with what name?
Show Answer
Answer
Millie
More Information
Millie was the first dog to write a book and it was at the top of New York's best sellers. Talk about great marketing!
via: Pexels / Alice Castro
27. Mohandas Gandhi carried whose essay entitled “Civil Disobedience” with him during his prison stays?
Show Answer
Answer
Henry David Thoreau’s
More Information
Gandhi was impressed by Thoreau's resistance. In his book, he simply stated how you have the right to disobey your wrongdoing government.
28. How many rejections did Louis L'Amour receive before being published?
Show Answer
Answer
200
More Information
That's the type of perseverance we all need. If you keep trying, you'll get there one day, even if it takes 200 tries.
via: Pexels / Steve Johnson
29. According to the earliest medieval ballads about him, where did Robin Hood live?
Show Answer
Answer
Bernsdale Forest
More Information
This is a part of South Yorkshire, England.
30. All of this author’s novels, including Amerika, were published after his death in 1824.
Show Answer
Answer
Kafka
More Information
Kafka only became famous after his death. He continued writing even on his death bed and asked his good friend to destroy all of his writings after he dies.
via: Pexels / Suzy Hazelwood
Downloadable and Printable List of Literature Trivia
Here is a downloadable and printable jpg/pdf list of literature trivia (right-click the image and select Save Image As...):
via: Mantelligence
How To Pick The Best Literature Trivia
via: Pexels / Pixabay
Do you need some help choosing the best questions for your trivia game? Just follow the tips below.
1. Popular Facts Give Everyone a Chance
via: Unsplash / Sincerely Media
People love playing games they can relate to. So when you add a whole lot of popular subjects into your game, it makes it so much more fun. Remember that this is a game, and unless you're trying to give people a lesson on literature, go with the questions you know people will guess correctly.
2. Add a Little Bit of Everything
via: Pexels / fauxels
Unless you know exactly how everyone wants to play the game, add questions from each category. You never know which subjects people will like best.
More Awesome Trivia Questions
We can all agree that trivia is awesome. Try out these other questions instead.
- You don't need to read the books to know the answers to these Harry Potter trivia questions. They've all been made into movies!
- Music is just poetry with a melody. So, if you're a fan of literature (or not) then you have to check out these music trivia questions.
- Books, music, movies... They're all part of pop culture. If you stay up to date with the latest trends then you won't have a problem answering some pop culture trivia questions.
In Conclusion
If you weren't familiar with all the answers to these literature trivia questions, we're sure you are now. And it's likely that you've benefited from all these trivia questions.
Because, like we said above, there are so many benefits of trivia questions. Thanks to us, you might have just become a little smarter.
