Which 1985 Don DeLillo novel won the National Book Award for Fiction?
Answer
White Noise
80 American Literature Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
American Literature trivia spans novels, authors, characters, publication history, literary prizes, and famous opening lines. This collection brings together canonical works and modern classics, from Mark Twain and Herman Melville to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Don DeLillo, and Sandra Cisneros.
Questions may ask for Tom Sawyer’s girlfriend, the publication year of The Great Gatsby, or the first American novel, published in 1789. You may also need to identify the opening line of Moby-Dick, the author of The House on Mango Street, or the novel that won the 1985 National Book Award for Fiction. This hub suits literature classes, book clubs, pub quizzes, and readers who enjoy testing their knowledge of American writing.
Which American author wrote 'The House on Mango Street'?
Answer
Sandra Cisneros
Which American author wrote 'The Age of Innocence'?
Answer
Edith Wharton
In 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer', what is the name of Tom's girlfriend?
Answer
Becky Thatcher
What is considered the first American novel, published in 1789?
Answer
The Power of Sympathy
What is the first line of Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick'?
Answer
Call me Ishmael.
Which American author won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007 for 'The Road'?
Answer
Cormac McCarthy
What is the name of the fictional college in Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History'?
Answer
Hampden College
Which American author wrote 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'?
Answer
Mark Twain
Which American author wrote 'The Turn of the Screw'?
Answer
Henry James
Which American author wrote 'The Last of the Mohicans'?
Answer
James Fenimore Cooper
In Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird', what is the name of the narrator?
Answer
Scout Finch
Which American playwright wrote 'The Crucible'?
Answer
Arthur Miller
Which American poet wrote the line 'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood'?
Answer
Robert Frost
What is the name of the narrator in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'?
Answer
Nick Carraway
Which American playwright wrote 'A Streetcar Named Desire'?
Answer
Tennessee Williams
Which American author wrote 'Slaughterhouse-Five'?
Answer
Kurt Vonnegut
Which American author wrote 'The Red Badge of Courage'?
Answer
Stephen Crane
Which American author wrote 'The Gift of the Magi'?
Answer
O. Henry
Which American poet wrote 'Annabel Lee'?
Answer
Edgar Allan Poe
Who wrote the novel 'The Bell Jar'?
Answer
Sylvia Plath
Which American poet wrote the poem 'O Captain! My Captain!'?
Answer
Walt Whitman
Which American author wrote 'Native Son'?
Answer
Richard Wright
Which American author wrote 'A Farewell to Arms'?
Answer
Ernest Hemingway
Which American novelist wrote 'The House of Mirth'?
Answer
Edith Wharton
Which American author wrote 'The Giving Tree'?
Answer
Shel Silverstein
Who wrote 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'?
Answer
L. Frank Baum
Which American poet wrote 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'?
Answer
Robert Frost
Which American author wrote 'Fahrenheit 451'?
Answer
Ray Bradbury
Who wrote the novel 'The Grapes of Wrath'?
Answer
John Steinbeck
Which American author's novel 'The Left Hand of Darkness' won both Hugo and Nebula awards?
Answer
Ursula K. Le Guin
Which American author wrote the novel 'The Crying of Lot 49'?
Answer
Thomas Pynchon
Which American author wrote 'The Sound and the Fury'?
Answer
William Faulkner
Who wrote the novel 'Invisible Man'?
Answer
Ralph Ellison
American Literature trivia — quick answers
What are good American Literature trivia questions?
Good American Literature trivia questions focus on authors, novels, characters, publication dates, literary awards, genres, and famous lines. Examples include identifying The House on Mango Street’s author, naming Tom Sawyer’s girlfriend, dating The Great Gatsby, and recognizing Moby-Dick’s opening.
How hard is American Literature trivia?
American Literature trivia ranges from accessible questions about famous authors and novels to advanced questions about publication history, award winners, first novels, character names, and opening lines. Readers familiar with the American literary canon will have an advantage, but the set can suit mixed-ability groups.
What is considered the first American novel?
The Power of Sympathy, written by William Hill Brown and published in 1789, is often considered the first American novel. The epistolary work is associated with the early development of fiction in the United States and is also notable for its moral and sentimental themes.
Who wrote The House on Mango Street?
The House on Mango Street was written by Sandra Cisneros and published in 1984. The coming-of-age novel is narrated by Esperanza Cordero, a Mexican American girl growing up in a Chicago neighborhood. Its brief vignettes explore identity, family, class, gender, and the desire for independence.
When was The Great Gatsby first published?
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was first published in 1925. Set largely among wealthy communities on Long Island and in New York, the novel follows Nick Carraway’s observations of Jay Gatsby and the social world surrounding him. It later became a central text in American literature.
Who wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was written by American author Ken Kesey and published in 1962. Set in a psychiatric hospital, the novel examines institutional authority, individuality, rebellion, and the boundaries between sanity and illness. It became one of Kesey’s best-known works.