World Literature & Nobel Laureates Quiz: Classic Novels & Epics
Quick Summary & Learning Objectives
Can you identify a classic novel from its very first sentence? Do you know which epic poem is the longest in ancient history? Challenge your literary recall with our World Literature & Nobel Laureates Quiz.
Play the Quiz: 3 Questions
Which 1851 American novel by Herman Melville begins with the famous three-word sentence, "Call me Ishmael."?
Who became the first non-European writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his poetry collection "Gitanjali"?
Containing roughly 100,000 shlokas (couplets) or 1.8 million words, what is the longest epic poem ever written in world literature?
Iconic Literary Opening Lines Tested in Quiz Competitions
Recognizing the opening sentence of a classic novel is one of the fastest ways to buzz in early during literature rounds. Study our reference chart below.
| Opening Sentence Excerpt | Novel Title | Author | Publication Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Call me Ishmael." | Moby-Dick | Herman Melville | 1851 |
| "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune..." | Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen | 1813 |
| "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." | Anna Karenina | Leo Tolstoy | 1878 |
| "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." | Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) | George Orwell | 1949 |
| "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed..." | The Metamorphosis | Franz Kafka | 1915 |
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Frequently Asked Questions: world literature trivia quiz
Which author declined the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature voluntarily?
French existentialist philosopher and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre voluntarily declined the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature, stating that he consistently refused all official honors so as not to institutionalize his writing.
Sources and further reading
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- Nobel Prize: prizes and laureates
Prize and literature background. Specific facts are stated in the explanations.
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