What is the name of the protagonist in George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'?
Answer
Winston Smith
200 Literature Trivia Questions with Answers
200 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Literature trivia ranges across ancient epics, poetry, canonical novels, modern fiction, drama, detective stories, and influential writers from around the world. The questions move from George Orwell’s Winston Smith and Jane Austen’s Bennet family to Homeric-era poetry, Shakespearean meter, Chinua Achebe’s Okonkwo, and Hercule Poirot’s first appearance.
This 200-question collection rewards both broad reading and close attention to literary history, genres, characters, settings, and forms. You may be asked to identify the author of The Decameron, name the monster Beowulf kills first, or connect a novel with its central family or protagonist. The hub suits book clubs, classroom revision, library events, humanities students, pub quizzes, and game nights seeking a substantial mix of accessible and challenging questions.
Which novel by Jane Austen features the Bennet family?
Answer
Pride and Prejudice
Who wrote the 14th-century Italian story collection "The Decameron"?
Answer
Giovanni Boccaccio
What poetic meter is most associated with Shakespeare's plays?
Answer
iambic pentameter
Which 1958 novel by Chinua Achebe centers on Okonkwo?
Answer
Things Fall Apart
Which Agatha Christie novel introduced detective Hercule Poirot?
Answer
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Which Bronte sister wrote "Jane Eyre"?
Answer
Charlotte Bronte
In "The Great Gatsby", who narrates the story?
Answer
Nick Carraway
In "Gravity's Rainbow", what is the name of the protagonist?
Answer
Tyrone Slothrop
In "Fahrenheit 451", what is the name of the protagonist's wife?
Answer
Mildred Montag
Who wrote the play "A Streetcar Named Desire"?
Answer
Tennessee Williams
In "Slaughterhouse-Five", what is the name of the alien planet?
Answer
Tralfamadore
In "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", what is the name of the fictional town?
Answer
St. Petersburg
Which author wrote the novel "Wuthering Heights"?
Answer
Emily Brontë
In "The Hobbit", what is the name of the main protagonist?
Answer
Bilbo Baggins
Which author wrote the novel 'The Master and Margarita'?
Answer
Mikhail Bulgakov
Which novel by Margaret Atwood is set in the Republic of Gilead?
Answer
The Handmaid's Tale
In 'The Odyssey', what is the name of the one-eyed giant?
Answer
Polyphemus
Which British author wrote the novel 'The Remains of the Day'?
Answer
Kazuo Ishiguro
Which novel by John Steinbeck tells the story of the Joad family?
Answer
The Grapes of Wrath
What is the name of the river in 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'?
Answer
Mississippi River
Who wrote the novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'?
Answer
Oscar Wilde
Which Russian author wrote 'Crime and Punishment'?
Answer
Fyodor Dostoevsky
What is the name of the first novel in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series?
Answer
Foundation
What is the name of the fictional county created by William Faulkner?
Answer
Yoknapatawpha County
In which Charles Dickens novel does the line "It was the best of times" appear?
Answer
A Tale of Two Cities
Which novel by George Orwell is set in the totalitarian state of Oceania?
Answer
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Who wrote "The Da Vinci Code"?
Answer
Dan Brown
Who wrote "The Hunger Games"?
Answer
Suzanne Collins
Who wrote "The Lord of the Rings"?
Answer
J.R.R. Tolkien
Who wrote "Frankenstein"?
Answer
Mary Shelley
Literature trivia — quick answers
What are good literature trivia questions?
Good literature trivia questions combine authors, characters, plots, genres, literary movements, forms, and historical periods. Examples include identifying Winston Smith, connecting the Bennet family with Pride and Prejudice, naming the author of The Decameron, recognizing iambic pentameter, and identifying Okonkwo or Hercule Poirot.
How hard is literature trivia?
Literature trivia can range from familiar school texts to specialist questions about classical poetry, narrative form, authorship, and literary history. Questions about famous protagonists and novels are usually approachable, while prompts involving poetic meter, Old English literature, ancient authors, or publication details may challenge experienced readers.
Who is the protagonist of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four?
The protagonist of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is Winston Smith. He works at the Ministry of Truth, where he alters historical records for the ruling Party. Winston’s private doubts, forbidden relationship with Julia, and attempt to resist state control drive the novel’s central conflict.
Which novel features the Bennet family?
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice features the Bennet family. The novel centers on Elizabeth Bennet and her relationships, particularly her evolving understanding of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Through courtship, marriage, social status, and family expectations, Austen examines the manners and class assumptions of early nineteenth-century English society.
What poetic meter is associated with Shakespeare’s plays?
Shakespeare’s plays are strongly associated with iambic pentameter, a metrical pattern usually containing five iambs per line. Each iamb typically consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Shakespeare often wrote in blank verse, meaning unrhymed iambic pentameter, while varying the rhythm for emphasis and character.
Who wrote The Decameron?
The Decameron was written by Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian author of the fourteenth century. The work presents a frame narrative in which ten young people shelter outside Florence during the plague and tell stories over several days. Its hundred tales address love, wit, fortune, morality, and social behavior.