Sigh. Is it me? Do people not like literary quizzes? I know I don’t get a lot of comments on this blog to begin with, but I think this kind of stuff is fun. Oh well.
Here are the answers to last week’s Literary Christmas Quiz. A special congratulations goes out to my friend Joey, for not only getting 6 out of 7 questions right, but also for being the only person to respond here with his guesses.
1. In E.T. A. Hoffman’s story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, how many heads does the Mouse King have?
Answer: Seven
2. As this book starts, four sisters commiserate over the fact that they won’t receive Christmas presents this year, and then discuss what they would like if they had the money.
Answer: Little Women by Lousia May Alcott
3. In this magical world, it is always winter, never Christmas, until four unsuspecting siblings arrive to save the day.
Answer: Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
4. What is one of the reasons the author gives for the Grinch’s dislike of Christmas in Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas?
Answer: Acceptable choices would be: his shoes were too tight; his head wasn’t screwed on just right; or his heart was two sizes too small.
5. Where does the Ghost of Christmas Present take Scrooge in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol?
Answer: To his nephew Fred’s party and to Bob Cratchit’s house
6. Screenwriter Valentine Davies wrote a short novella published to coincide with this movie, in which Kris Kringle works his magic on a young, disbelieving mother, her young daughter and the entire city of New York when he’s put on trial.
Answer: Miracle on 34th Street
7. In this author’s short story, “A Christmas Memory,” a young boy named Buddy shares a country Christmas with his elderly cousin, a day which is capped off with the two flying homemade kites and eating Christmas oranges.
Answer: Truman Capote
Hope you at least enjoyed reading the quiz. I’ll be back after the holidays with some book news and, starting next week, my look at 2009 in Review for all things reading.
Merry Christmas!
