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Literature Trivia Quizzes

General knowledge quizzes across twelve subjects, from art to sport.

Books You Know Without Having Read

Some novels are so widely quoted that their opening lines, characters and plots circulate independently of the books themselves. That means most people can answer more literature questions than they expect, having absorbed the material second-hand.

These quizzes cover classics, poetry, children's books, detective fiction and prize-winners, with questions built around what has entered common currency.

Authors Are Harder Than Titles

Recognising a title is easy; attaching it to the right author is where most people slow down, particularly among writers of the same period who wrote in the same register.

Opening lines are the other reliable test. A famous first sentence is instantly familiar and surprisingly hard to place.

Common Questions

Do I need to have read the books?
No. The questions are built on what is widely known about these works rather than on close reading, so having heard of them is usually enough.
Are spoilers a problem?
Questions avoid revealing endings of works that turn on a twist. Where a plot point is famous enough to be common knowledge, it may appear.