Writers Painters and Poets Trivia — Arts and Literature

1 Who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia?

A J.R.R. Tolkien B Philip Pullman C C.S. Lewis D Madeleine L’Engle

2 In 'The Creation of Adam,' which human organ do some scholars believe is hidden in the shape surrounding God?

A The Heart B The Brain C The Lungs D The Liver

3 Artemisia Gentileschi was the first woman to be admitted to which prestigious art academy?

A The Royal Academy B Accademia delle Arti del Disegno C The Académie des Beaux-Arts D Accademia di San Luca

4 Which 1907 painting by Picasso is considered a major precursor to the Cubist movement?

A Guernica B Les Demoiselles d'Avignon C The Old Guitarist D The Weeping Woman

5 What did Salvador Dalí use as a recurring symbol for decay and death in his paintings?

A Snakes B Ants C Elephants D Butterflies

6 What subject is Georgia O'Keeffe most famous for painting in extreme close-up?

A Cityscapes B Flowers C Portraits D Ocean waves

7 Which character, created by Edgar Allan Poe, is considered the first fictional detective?

A Sherlock Holmes B C. Auguste Dupin C Hercule Poirot D Sam Spade

8 Which mathematical proportion did Dalí use to structure 'The Sacrament of the Last Supper'?

A Pythagorean Theorem B The Golden Ratio C Fibonacci Sequence D Prime Directive

9 Why did Picasso choose a monochromatic (black, white, and grey) color scheme for 'Guernica'?

A He ran out of blue paint B To mimic newspaper photography C It was cheaper to produce D He was in his 'Grey Period'

10 Who is the protagonist of J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye'?

A Jay Gatsby B Holden Caulfield C Huckleberry Finn D Atticus Finch

11 What recurring visual element is Yayoi Kusama most famous for using in her art?

A Squares B Polka Dots C Triangles D Stripes

12 Which famous Modernist poem by T.S. Eliot begins with the line 'April is the cruelest month'?

A The Raven B The Waste Land C Paradise Lost D Howl

13 In what century was the vellum of the mysterious Voynich Manuscript carbon-dated to?

A 12th Century B 15th Century C 18th Century D 10th Century

14 In which city did James Baldwin live for many years to gain perspective on American society?

A London B Paris C Berlin D Rome

15 What event triggered the beginning of Picasso's somber 'Blue Period'?

A The start of WWI B The suicide of a friend C Moving to New York D His first divorce

16 What is the term for a novel, like 'The Color Purple,' that is written in the form of a series of letters?

A Satirical B Epistolary C Allegorical D Picaresque

17 What rare synthetic pigment was found on the original paint layers of the Terracotta Army?

A Egyptian Blue B Han Purple C Tyrian Purple D Prussian Blue

18 The Ghent Altarpiece is a 'polyptych.' What does this term mean?

A A single canvas B A multi-panel painting C A wall fresco D A watercolor sketch

19 For which U.S. President's inauguration did Maya Angelou recite her poem 'On the Pulse of Morning'?

A John F. Kennedy B Bill Clinton C Barack Obama D Jimmy Carter

20 Who was the author of the 'Surrealist Manifesto' and the leader of the movement?

A Salvador Dalí B André Breton C Pablo Picasso D Marcel Duchamp

Trivia Time!