Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Thursday Quiz XCII

The Thursday Quiz!

The Thursday Quiz is a twelve item is-it-or-isn't-it test of your knowledge, reasoning, stamina, and moxie!

Remember always the Fundamental Rules of the Thursday Quiz:

1. The Thursday Quiz is a POP quiz. No research, Googling, Wikiing, or use of reference books. Violators will never be able to look at themselves in the mirror again.

2. Don't get all stressed out about it! It's supposed to be fun!
Stodgy Old American Books!
They've stood the test of time to become Beloved American Classics -- by which I mean, their titles sound vaguely familiar to many educated Americans! Which ones are matched with the correct author?

1. The Courtship of Miles Standish, Mark Twain

2. Death Comes for the Archbishop, Willa Cather

3. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton

4. Life of an American Slave, Ralph Waldo Emerson

5. The Life on the Frontier, Joshua Matthieson

6. Looking Backward: 2000-1887, Edward Bellamy

7. Ragged Dick, Horatio Alger

8. The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane

9. The Scarlet Letter, Harriet Beecher Stowe

10. The Turn of the Screw, Henry James

11. Two Years Before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana

12. Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson


Submit your stodgy old answers in the comments.

17 comments:

Elaine said...

1. NO
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. No, unless it's a very obscure work (and you did say Beloved Classics!)
5. Hmm, don't know this; no
6. Also new to me, No
7. No. never heard of this either!
8. Yes
9. NO, for God's sake
10. Yes
11. Yes
12. Yes

And you didn't even use James Fennimore Cooper!
Did you notice I don't trust you anymore? Now I think you are making everything up!

Rebel said...

3 - is
8 - is
9 - nope... Nathanial Hawthorne

the rest - I got nothin'

The Calico Cat said...

1 - no
2 - yes
3 - yes
4 - no
5 - no
6 - yes
7 - yes
8 - yes
9 - no
10 - yes
11 - yes
12 - yes
Some of these are truely obscure...

Cartophiliac said...

1. no
2. no
3. yes
4. no
5. no
6. yes
7. yes
8. yes
9. no
10. yes
11. no
12. yes

Christine M. said...

1. no
2. yes
3. yes
4. no
5. no
6. yes
7. yes
8. yes
9. no
10. yes
11. no
12. yes

Eversaved said...

1-n
2-YES
3-y
4-n
5-y
6-y
7-y
8-y
9-NO
10-y
11-n
12-y

Anonymous said...

1. No
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. No
5. No
6. ?No
7. Yes (Ouch)
8. Yes
9. No
10. Yes
11. Yes
12. Yes

mrs.5000 said...

1 no
2 yes
3 yes
4 no
5 no
6 yes
7 no
8 yes
9 no
10 yes
11 yes
12 yes

Elaine said...

Oh, speaking of books....(she trilled.) I was just in the library this morning, and there on the new book shelf was Adam Schell's _Tomato Rhapsody!_

I was sure you'd want to know, M5000. It's available from Barnes and Noble, or even Powell's Books.

Ben said...

1. No
2. No
3. Yes
4. No
5. Yes
6. Yes
7. No
8. Yes
9. No
10. Yes
11. No
12. Yes

Eavan Moore said...

Boy, number three was a relief after near-complete uncertainty on the first two. Edith Wharton definitely wrote The House of Mirth. My favorite-ever research paper was written on that book in 11th grade. I suppose it is a bit stodgy, though.

Unlike The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne) and The Turn of the Screw (rightly attributed), which I remember as being subversive in a way that Edith Wharton never was.

4 is wrong, 8 and 12 are right. Never read them, though. I would guess that a lot of young people are similarly unfamiliar with American classics, although studying mainly overseas doesn't exactly help.

DrSchnell said...

1. Nope
2. yup
3. yup
4. nope
5. never heard of it. How 'bout nope?
6. yes
7. yes
8. yes
9 nope
10. yes
11. never heard of it. How 'bout nope
12. yup

Michael5000 said...

1. The Courtship of Miles Standish, Mark Twain -- NO. It's Longfellow.

2. Death Comes for the Archbishop, Willa Cather -- YES.

3. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton -- YES.

4. Life of an American Slave, Ralph Waldo Emerson -- NO. That's a Frederick Douglass sort of thing.

5. The Life on the Frontier, Joshua Matthieson -- NO. I made this one, and the author, up.

6. Looking Backward: 2000-1887, Edward Bellamy. SURE.

7. Ragged Dick, Horatio Alger. Heh heh. YES.

8. The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane. UH-HUH.

9. The Scarlet Letter, Harriet Beecher Stowe. NO. That's Hawthorne.

10. The Turn of the Screw, Henry James. YEP.

11. Two Years Before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana. YOU BETCHA.

12. Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson. OH YEAH.

Michael5000 said...

"Some of these are truely obscure..." said The Calico Cat, which seemed like complaint until you realize that she got them all right, and then you realize she was just gloating. With the only perfect score, she adds yet another Gold Star to her hoarde.

La Gringissima grabs the TQXCII Silver, her sixth.

Critical Bill snags the Blue, thus completing his collection of Stars and becoming the 19th Quiz Legend to own a Star of each color.

Mrs.5000 and Dr. Schnell, finally, both take a Green to keep their chart-topping rivalry alive.

Eversaved said...

I've totally lost my touch.

Elaine said...

Eversaved, we have NOT lost our touch, just our trust. If Edward Bellamy wrote that book with "2000" in the title, then it is NOT a stodgy old book, but a fairly recent one. (Trick question, in other words.) And we knew about Horatio Alger's inspirational books, we just doubted the title, now that we are newly alerted to M5000's growing proclivity for making up Every Single Answer on some quizzes. (Maybe it's the tomatoes....)

The Calico Cat said...

Not gloating, just a good guesser when I don't know for sure. Remember boys & girls guess "no" when you don't know.

Still some of those are very obtuse!