African Literature
Middle Eastern Literature
Terms and Concepts
General Literature
Random Trivia
American Born Chinese and Asian Lit
The Death of Ivan Ilych
Math and Science Trivia
History and Culture Trivia
100

What pre-colonial Nigerian culture is depicted in the novel Things Fall Apart?

The Ibo (Igbo) culture

100

Persepolis is set during what turbulent political movement?

The Iranian Revolution

The Islamic Revolution

100
What literary device is being exemplified here:

cat, rat, bat, hat

Rhyme

100

What is Foreshadowing? 

hinting at future events

100

What iconic Detroit area highway is formally known as M1?

Woodward

100

What modern struggle is highlighted in American Born Chinese?

negotiating traditional Chinese ancestry with modern American culture

100

Who wrote the Death of Ivan Ilych?

Leo Tolstoy

100

What is the largest animal in the world?

Blue Whale

100

Madrid is the capital of what country?

Spain

200

Who is the author of Things Fall Apart?

Chinua Achebe

200

Who is the main character in Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis?

Marjane Satrapi

200

What is the literary term for an exaggeration?

Hyperbole

200

Who was the original storyteller of The Odyssey and The Illiad?

Homer

200

What team won the first super bowl ever?

The Green Bay Packers

200

What are the three storylines in American Born Chinese?

Monkey King
Danny and his cousin Chin Kee
Jin

200

What is one other novel written by this same author?

War and Peace
Anna Karenina
etc.

200

How many degrees is a right angle?

90

200

What song by Miley Cyrus ranked number 2 in 2023?

Flowers

300

Identify the speaker of the following quote:
"My father, they have killed me!" (Achebe 61)

Ikemefuna

300

It was argued that the Shah (the king of Iran) was a puppet of what external entity?

Western powers (USA and England)

300

What literary device is being exemplified here:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

Alliteration

300

Which Greek God is known as the messenger god?

Hermes

300

What famous Russian author wrote War and Peace and The Death of Ivan Ilych?

Leo Tolstoy

300

In what year was American Born Chinese written?

2006

300

What did Ivan regret about his life?

conforming to society

300

Which common deciduous tree produces acorns?

Oak

300

Freddy Mercury was the lead singer of what 1970s-1980s band?

Queen

400

In what time period (give or take a few years) does Things Fall Apart take place?

Approx. 1890-1905

400

What are the three modes of storytelling that are utilized in Persepolis (and any graphic novel, for that matter)?

Dialogue

Narration

Visual Imagery

400

What is the literary term for two opposing concepts being placed close together?

Juxtaposition

400

What famous novel written by William Golding depicted children descending into savagery on a deserted island?

Lord of the Flies

400

What is the largest country (by land size) in the Middle East?

Saudi Arabia

400

Who wrote American Born Chinese?

Gene Luen Yang

400

What was the name of Ivan's wife?

Praskovya Federovna

400

What is the largest bone in the human body?

Femur

400

What is the capital of Denmark?

Copenhagen

500

When Nwoye joins the missionaries, he references two things about Ibo culture that have bothered him deeply. What are those two things?

the killing of Ikemefuna and the killing of twins

500

In what city did Marjane Satrapi spend her childhood?

Tehran, Iran

500

Define and give an example of an idiom.

a phrase with a double meaning

500

Mary Shelley wrote what famous novel, often called the first science fiction story?

Frankenstein

500

What is the name of the speech that Abraham Lincoln delivered on September 22, 1862, declaring that slaves will be free?

The Emancipation Proclamation

500

What famous Chinese philosopher said "Don't worry about being misunderstood, but about understanding others?"

Confucius

500

When was The Death of Ivan Ilych written?

1886

500

What is the most prevalent element in the air we breathe?

Nitrogen

500

In what country would you find Mt. Kilimanjaro?

Tanzania

600

In what year was Things Fall Apart written?

1958

600
Satrapi's consistent use of full-page images that depict scenes of mass fear, violence, or destruction is an example of WHAT literary device?

Motif

(Would accept "symbolism" for half points, maybe...)

600

The depiction of Marjane at a party with her friends placed directly below the image of young boys being killed in battle is an example of what literary device?

Juxtaposition

600

This branch of philosophy addresses issues of morality - right vs. wrong, good vs. evil.

Ethics

600

What is the term for a substance or event that initiates a reaction, change, or transformation, especially in chemistry?

Catalyst

600
While American literature often reflects individualistic values (work hard, take advantage of opportunities, be the best), Asian literature often reflects _____________ values (help each other, respect your elders, improve society).

Collectivist / Collectivism

600

How many children did Ivan have in the book?

2 alive
one had died

600

What element on the periodic table is identified by the letters Kr?

Krypton

600

Who was the original singer of the song "Pretty Woman"?

Roy Orbison

700

What is the title of the district commissioner's book (the final sentence of Things Fall Apart)?

The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger

700

On page 116 of Persepolis, it is depicted that Iran refuses to make peace with Iraq, out of a desire to maintain control. Marjane, similarly, on the very next page, does something out of a desire to maintain control. What is it?

She has her first cigarette

700

The depiction of Marjane floating on a carpet while going on vacation with her family in the midst of the political crisis is an example of what literary device?

Metaphor

700

In Things Fall Apart, what is the name of Okonkwo's second wife?

Ekwefi

700

In what year did the British Colonists officially gain control over Nigeria?

1903

700

In what city does American Born Chinese take place?

San Francisco

700

What does the word "somnolent" mean?

Sleepy

700

What is the largest spider in the world?

The Goliath Bird Eating Spider

700

This large wind instrument is used for cultural music by the indigenous people of Australia.

didgeridoo

800

In what sport was Okonkwo (from Things Fall Apart) a long-time champion?

Wrestling

800

What famous 2003 novel by Khaled Hosseini depicts the conflict between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islamic religion?

The Kite Runner

800

Words such as "Bang" and "Crash" are examples of this literary device. Also, you have to spell it correctly.

Onomatopoeia

800

Who wrote Fahrenheit 451?

Ray Bradbury

800

Name four plays written by William Shakespeare.

Romeo and Juliet
Macbeth
Twelfth Night
Much Ado About Nothing
King Lear
Hamlet
Julius Caesar
The Tempest
Othello
The Taming of the Shrew
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Merchant of Venice

800

Identify three major world religions that originated in Eastern Asian culture.

Buddhism
Taoism
Hinduism

800

What was the name of Ivan's butler - the only person who didn't annoy him in the days leading up to his death?

Gerasim

800

How do you calculate the area of a circle?

pir^2

800

This French word for paperclip is also the name of an instrument.

Trombone