Art & Literature50 randomly selected Art & Literature questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 26th October 2026 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | Introduced to the U.S. in 1940 as And Then There Were None and later appearing under the title Ten Little Indians, Agatha Christie's mystery novel was first published in the U.K. in 1939 as Ten Little... what? |
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Niggers (so named after the minstrel song, which serves as a major plot point) | |
| 2. | In October 2009, who became the first cartoon character to appear as a Playboy magazine cover star? |
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Marge Simpson | |
| 3. | First published in 1988, who wrote The Satanic Verses? |
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Salman Rushdie | |
| 4. | What is the name of the title character and protagonist in |
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Bilbo Baggins | |
| 5. | In the Edward Lear poem, how much did the Owl and the Pussy Cat pay for their wedding ring? |
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1 shilling ("Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling, your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will." ) | |
| 6. | Edge of Eternity, Fall of Giants, A Dangerous Fortune, The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, Winter of the World, and World Without End are bestselling novels by what Welsh author? |
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Ken Follett | |
| 7. | Published in Graham's Magazine in 1841, The Murders in the Rue Morgue is a short story that has been described as the first modern detective story. What famous author and poet wrote it? |
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Edgar Allan Poe | |
| 8. | Gioconda is the Italian name of what work of art? |
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Mona Lisa (Leonardo da Vinci) | |
| 9. | In what country was Dracula author Bram Stoker born? |
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Ireland (Clontarf, Dublin) | |
| 10. | In both the Old and New Testaments of the King James Bible, what book has the shortest title? |
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Job | |
| 11. | Name the 1893 short story in which Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty plunge to their deaths at Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. |
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The Final Problem | |
| 12. | Whose works include the poems "And death shall have no dominion" and "Do not go gentle into that good night"? |
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Dylan Thomas | |
| 13. | Completed in 1955 after nine months of work, The Sacrament of the Last Supper is a painting by who? |
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Salvador Dalí | |
| 14. | In the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, what little girl was found inside the petals of a flower? |
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Thumbelina (Danish: Tommelise) | |
| 15. | In literature, what extraordinary book was Ford Prefect researching? |
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | |
| 16. | According to the New Testament, who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' crucifixion? |
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Joseph of Arimathea | |
| 17. | What book of the Bible contains the tale of Noah's Ark? |
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Genesis | |
| 18. | In the third novel of the Harry Potter series, what is the name of the title character, .. the Prisoner of Azkaban? |
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Sirius Black | |
| 19. | In the Harry Potter book series, located near the fictional town of Ottery St. Catchpole, The Burrow is home to what family? |
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Weasley | |
| 20. | In Harry Potter, who is called "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named"? |
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Lord Voldemort | |
| 21. | Joseph Mallord William are the first names of what 19th century British artist? |
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Turner (J. M. W. Turner) | |
| 22. | The Hogwart's Express leaves from platform 9¾ in what railway station? |
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King's Cross (London) | |
| 23. | Complete the title of this Agatha Christie novel: And then there were ...? |
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None | |
| 24. | The longest running play of the modern era, what famous author wrote the murder mystery play The Mousetrap? |
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Agatha Christie (1952) | |
| 25. | In what century was Leonardo Da Vinci born? |
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15th (15th April 1452) | |
| 26. | In Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, what is the name of the Betelgeusian character with two heads and three arms? |
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Zaphod Beeblebrox | |
| 27. | What artist was shot and wounded in his New York City studio by Valerie Solanas in 1968? |
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Andy Warhol | |
| 28. | What fictional hero did Baroness Emma Orczy create in 1903? |
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The Scarlet Pimpernel | |
| 29. | Famous for his paintings of water lilies, what is Monet's first name? |
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Claude (Oscar-Claude) | |
| 30. | What two books of the Old Testament begin with the letter 'P'? |
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Psalms and Proverbs | |
| 31. | In which book of the Bible does Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt? |
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Exodus | |
| 32. | What British poet wrote, "Tis better to have loved and lost. Than never to have loved at all"? |
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Tennyson (Alfred, Lord Tennyson) | |
| 33. | What English novelist's work includes The Confidential Agent, The Third Man, The Quiet American and Our Man in Havana? |
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Graham Greene | |
| 34. | In what museum and city are the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo currently on permanent display? |
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The Louvre, Paris (Musée du Louvre) | |
| 35. | What British author first published Brideshead Revisited, The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder in 1945? |
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Evelyn Waugh (Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh) | |
| 36. | What nationality was playwright George Bernard Shaw? |
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Irish | |
| 37. | What fictional police detective was created by Belgian author Georges Simenon? |
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Maigret (Commissaire Jules Maigret) | |
| 38. | What Irish journalist and author is best known for his books The Longest Day, The Last Battle, and A Bridge Too Far? |
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Cornelius Ryan | |
| 39. | In his 1975 book, Without Feathers, who said, "It's not that I'm afraid to die - I just don't want to be there when it happens."? |
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Woody Allen | |
| 40. | What was first established by the McWhirter twins in 1955? |
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The Guinness Book of Records (now Guinness World Records) | |
| 41. | In the title of a 1996 novel by John le Carré, what is the character Harry Pendel known as? |
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The Tailor of Panama | |
| 42. | What is the surname of the author whose first names are David Herbert Richards? |
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Lawrence (D. H. Lawrence) | |
| 43. | What series of novels by Tess Gerritsen formed the basis of a TV series first aired in 2010, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander? |
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Rizzoli & Isles | |
| 44. | The Hugo Award is an annual literary prize for the best novel in what genre? |
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Science fiction / Fantasy | |
| 45. | Antonio is the title character in what Shakespeare comedy? |
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The Merchant of Venice | |
| 46. | For what 1866 novel is Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky best known? |
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Crime and Punishment (Преступлéние и наказáние) | |
| 47. | Who sculpted The Kiss in 1889? |
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Auguste Rodin | |
| 48. | For what character is American author Edgar Rice Burrows best known? |
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Tarzan / John Clayton, Lord Greystoke | |
| 49. | What 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty was adapted into a 1973 classic horror film for which he won an Academy Award for the screenplay? |
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The Exorcist | |
| 50. | The Female Eunuch is a 1970 international best-seller by what Australian writer? |
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Germaine Greer | |
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