BIG English Literature Quiz: 50 Questions & Answers

Welcome to the BIG English Literature Quiz! If you want to test your England literature knowledge with a booky quiz, then you are going to love the next few minutes of your life.

I wanted to put together a 50-question English literature quiz. With 50 England literature questions and answers, all about literature from England, I guarantee you’ll get at least 10 right.

Hopefully.

Ever heard of Shakespeare? Know who wrote Harry Potter, or what Ian McEwan needed to save his characters from?

Well, step right up, here’s the BIG England literature quiz. Grab a pen and paper, or get a Word document open and challenge your friends to a duel.

If you’re looking for an unusual literature quiz, this is your one.

England Literature Trivia Questions & Answers

There are six rounds to this England literature quiz, mostly consisting of 10 English literature quiz questions. Great if you’re looking for unusual English literature quiz questions!

The answers are listed at the end. Don’t scroll too far!

Make sure to share your scores at the bottom of the post. I’d love to know how you get on with these animal quiz questions and answers.

Good luck and have fun!

May the British literature quiz BEGIN…

1. Historical English literature questions round

Test your English literature trivia with these questions and answers!

1. Which two cities are the settings for Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities?

2. Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of which Jane Austen novel?

3. Which three sisters wrote classic novels including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights?

4. Geoffrey Chaucer was crucial to expanding the use of Middle English in his literature. What were the two dominant literary languages of his time?

5. Virginia Woolf is famous for pioneering the use of stream of _________ with her narration.

6. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first writer to be buried in Poets’ Corner in what location in London?

7. What pen name did Mary Anne Evans write her novels under?

8. Mary Shelley conceived of the ideas for Frankenstein while famously spending a summer with which lord?

9. Which country banned Alice in Wonderland?

10. What term is used to describe totalitarian and authoritarian social practices?

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READ MORE: The Best Guidebooks About England

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2. English Literature Quiz: True or False

Are the following England literature statements true or false?

11. Sherlock Holmes never said his famous saying: ‘Elementary, my dear Watson’.

12. Robert Louis Stevenson is often called the ‘father of science fiction’.

13. Originally Shakespeare’s plays only included men in their productions.

14. Shakespeare’s parents and children were illiterate.

15. Charles Dickens believed that sleeping south would improve his writing

16. Mary Shelley’s inspiration for Frankenstein came from a daydream.

17. Zadie Smith’s best selling book White Teeth is now a film?

18. Bond writer Ian Fleming also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

19. Enid Blyton wrote more than 700 books?

20. Malorie Blackman had over 80 rejections before she was accepted?

3. English Literature Quiz: Over / Under

Next round in the English literature quiz, are the answers to these questions over or under the number stated?

21. Over / under 50: The amount of books grand dame of British crime writing Baroness Ruth Rendell wrote?

22. Over / under 4: The number of Quarters of the Orange Joanne Harris wrote about?

23. Over / under 13: How old was Adrian Mole in the first book by Sue Townsend?

24. Over / under 50: The number of positions in the UK’s favourite book, the Kama Sutra (as awarded in 2020)

25. Over/under born in 1900: Jane Austen

26. Over/under died in 1950: Charles Dickens

27. Over/under 1983 when George Orwell wrote 1984

28. Over/under 20 number of plays written by William Shakespeare

29. Over/under 1900 when Frankenstein was written

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4. Contemporary English Literature Round

Let’s see how well you know your contemporary English literature, shall we?

30. What villain’s name does Tom Riddle’s name rearrange to?

31. Put these Harry Potter books in chronological order:

1. Half-Blood Prince
2. Order of the Phoenix
3. Philosopher’s Stone
4. Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Chamber of Secrets
6. Deathly Hallows 
7. Goblet of Fire

32. Who wrote The Midnight Library?

33. What does 42 mean in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

34. What kind of accident brings the two main male characters together in Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love?

35. Who wrote the books The Handmaid’s Tale are based on?

36. Nick Hornby famous wrote High Fidelity, but for one point can you name three more books by him?

37. Which one of Jojo Moyes many books was made into a film starring Emilia Clarke as Lou Clark caring for a quadriplegic man?

38. Benjamin Zephaniah is an amazing novellist, but also a poet – what is his style of poetry called?

39. Bernardine Evaristo’s novel was winner of the Booker Prize in 2019, but what was it called?

5. English literature quiz: What didn’t they write?

Which of these works is not by the English author listed?

40. Charlotte Bronte

• Villette
• Jane Eyre
• The Hunting of the Snark

41. Lewis Carroll

• To Kill A Mockingbird
• Alice in Wonderland
• Through the Looking Glass

42. Geoffrey Chaucer

• The Canterbury Tales
• The Book of the Duchess
• A Farewell to Arms

43. Beatrix Potter

• The Glass Menagerie
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• The Tale of Tom Kitten

44. Charles Dickens

• Oliver Twist
• The Mill on the Floss
• Great Expectations

45. Virginia Woolf

• Mrs Dalloway
• The Voyage Out
• The Legend of Good Women

46. Jane Austen

• Pride and Prejudice
• Sense and Sensibility
• The Waves

47. George Eliot

• Middlemarch
• Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• Romola

48. Robert Louis Stevenson

• Treasure Island
• Fahrenheit 451
• Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

49. Mary Shelley

• Frankenstein
• The Modern Prometheus
• Call of the Wild

50. H.G. Wells

• The War of the Worlds
• The Island of Doctor Moreau
• Invisible Man

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That’s the end of the quiz!

ANSWERS to the BIG English Literature Quiz

Scroll back up if you’re not ready for the answers yet!

When you’re done, check out this English counties quiz too!

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1. Historical English literature questions round

Test your English literature trivia with these questions and answers!

1. Which two cities are the settings for Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities?

Paris and London

2. Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of which Jane Austen novel?

Pride and Prejudice

3. Which three sisters wrote classic novels including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights?

The Bronte sisters

4. Geoffrey Chaucer was crucial to expanding the use of Middle English in his literature. What were the two dominant literary languages of his time?

Latin and French

5. Virginia Woolf is famous for pioneering the use of stream of _________ with her narration.

Consciousness

6. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first writer to be buried in Poets’ Corner in what location in London?

Westminster Abbey

7. What pen name did Mary Anne Evans write her novels under?

George Eliot

8. Mary Shelley conceived of the ideas for Frankenstein while famously spending a summer with which lord?

Lord Byron

9. Which country banned Alice in Wonderland?

A governor in China did, because he believed that animals should not be given the power of language.

10. What term is used to describe totalitarian and authoritarian social practices?

Orwellian

2. English Literature Quiz: True or False

Are the following England literature statements true or false?

11. Sherlock Holmes never said his famous saying: ‘Elementary, my dear Watson’.

True

12. Robert Louis Stevenson is often called the ‘father of science fiction’.

False, that title often goes to H.G. Wells

13. Originally Shakespeare’s plays only included men in their productions.

True

14. Shakespeare’s parents and children were illiterate.

True

15. Charles Dickens believed that sleeping south would improve his writing

False; he thought sleeping north would! He carried a compass to help him.

16. Mary Shelley’s inspiration for Frankenstein came from a daydream.

False, it was a nightmare.

17. Zadie Smith’s best selling book White Teeth is now a film?

False, it’s a TV series.

18. Bond writer Ian Fleming also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

True

19. Enid Blyton wrote more than 700 books?

True!

20. Malorie Blackman had over 80 rejections before she was accepted?

True

3. English Literature Quiz: Over / Under

Next round in the English literature quiz, are the answers to these questions over or under the number stated?

21. Over / under 50: The amount of books grand dame of British crime writing Baroness Ruth Rendell wrote?

Over, 80, that we know of

22. Over / under 4: The number of Quarters of the Orange Joanne Harris wrote about?

Over, 5

23. Over / under 13: How old was Adrian Mole in the first book by Sue Townsend?

Over, 13 3/4

24. Over / under 50: The number of positions in the UK’s favourite book, the Kama Sutra (as awarded in 2020)

Over, 64

25. Over/under born in 1900: Jane Austen

Under, 1775

26. Over/under died in 1950: Charles Dickens

Under, 1870

27. Over/under 1983 when George Orwell wrote 1984

Under: 1949

28. Over/under 20 number of plays written by William Shakespeare

Over: 37

29. Over/under 1900 when Frankenstein was written

Under: 1816

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4. Contemporary English Literature Round

Let’s see how well you know your contemporary English literature, shall we?

30. What villain’s name does Tom Riddle’s name rearrange to?

Voldemort

31. Put these Harry Potter books in chronological order:

1. Half-Blood Prince
2. Order of the Phoenix
3. Philosopher’s Stone
4. Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Chamber of Secrets
6. Deathly Hallows 
7. Goblet of Fire

Answers:

• Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
• Chamber of Secrets (1998)
• Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
• Goblet of Fire (2000)
• Order of the Phoenix (2003)
• Half-Blood Prince (2005)
• Deathly Hallows (2007)

Do you love Harry Potter?
We’ve got an article on the best Harry Potter days out, just for you!

32. Who wrote The Midnight Library?

Matt Haig

33. What does 42 mean in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

The number 42 is, in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything”.

34. What kind of accident brings the two main male characters together in Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love?

Hot air balloon

35. Who wrote the books The Handmaid’s Tale are based on?

Margaret Atwood

36. Nick Hornby famous wrote High Fidelity, but for one point can you name three more books by him?

• Fever Pitch
• About a Boy
• A Long Way Down
• Juliet, Naked
• How To Be Good
• Funny Girl
• An Education
• Just Like You

37. Which one of Jojo Moyes many books was made into a film starring Emilia Clarke as Lou Clark caring for a quadriplegic man?

Me Before You

38. Benjamin Zephaniah is an amazing novellist, but also a poet – what is his style of poetry called?

Dub-poetry

39. Bernardine Evaristo’s novel was winner of the Booker Prize in 2019, but what was it called?

Girl, Woman, Other

Click here to do another quiz!

5. English literature quiz: What didn’t they write?

Which of these works is not by the English author listed?

40. Charlotte Bronte

• Villette
• Jane Eyre
• The Hunting of the Snark

Answer: The Hunting of the Snark

41. Lewis Carroll

• To Kill A Mockingbird
• Alice in Wonderland
• Through the Looking Glass

Answer: To Kill A Mockingbird

42. Geoffrey Chaucer

• The Canterbury Tales
• The Book of the Duchess
• A Farewell to Arms

Answer: A Farewell to Arms

43. Beatrix Potter

• The Glass Menagerie
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• The Tale of Tom Kitten

Answer: The Glass Menagerie

44. Charles Dickens

• Oliver Twist
• The Mill on the Floss
• Great Expectations

Answer: The Mill on the Floss

45. Virginia Woolf

• Mrs Dalloway
• The Voyage Out
• The Legend of Good Women

Answer: The Legend of Good Women

46. Jane Austen

• Pride and Prejudice
• Sense and Sensibility
• The Waves

Answer: The Waves

47. George Eliot

• Middlemarch
• Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• Romola

Answer: Adventures of Tom Sawyer

48. Robert Louis Stevenson

• Treasure Island
• Fahrenheit 451
• Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Answer: Fahrenheit 451

49. Mary Shelley

• Frankenstein
• The Modern Prometheus
• Call of the Wild

Answer: Call of the Wild

50. H.G. Wells

• The War of the Worlds
• The Island of Doctor Moreau
• Invisible Man

Answer: Invisible Man

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