How it works
Classic literature trivia questions and answers in four rounds: the oldest books, British literature to 1900, American literature to 1930, and print, forms and prizes.
Read the full guide
British literature trivia question round
British literature to 1900 is the round of English literature trivia questions: Beowulf, Milton, Pope, the Ancient Mariner and the classic pirate adventure.
American literature trivia questions and answers
American literature to 1930 runs from the first American novels to Irving, Hawthorne, Whitman, Thoreau and Twain. The book and literature trivia questions on print are in Print, forms and prizes; The oldest books goes back to Homer, India and China.
Tips
- Read the wrong choices aloud too: most are real books by other hands.
Questions and answers
What are some easy literary trivia questions?
Which book of 1883 is called the classic pirate adventure? Which novel of 1850 did Nathaniel Hawthorne write? What is a littera in Latin? The answers are Treasure Island, The Scarlet Letter and a letter.
Why are there no modern books in the quiz?
Every work named was first published in 1930 or earlier, and no living author is an answer. That keeps the quiz to classic books whose facts are settled.
Are Shakespeare and Jane Austen in it?
No. Each has a pack of its own on this site, so this one leaves their questions to those packs and covers the rest of the shelf.
How were the answers checked?
Each was read on October 3, 2026 in the English Wikipedia article linked under it: Literature, English literature or American literature. Sales figures and counts of prizes are left out.