Arts and books general knowledge quiz

Hidden so nobody spots the answers before playing. Quizmasters, this is for you.

1. 1. Who wrote the Harry Potter series?
   • A. J.R.R. Tolkien
   • B. J.K. Rowling (answer)
   • C. Roald Dahl
   • D. C.S. Lewis
   The first book was published in 1997.
2. 2. Who painted the Mona Lisa?
   • A. Vincent van Gogh
   • B. Pablo Picasso
   • C. Leonardo da Vinci (answer)
   • D. Claude Monet
   It hangs in the Louvre in Paris.
3. 3. Which band released the album Abbey Road?
   • A. The Rolling Stones
   • B. The Beatles (answer)
   • C. Pink Floyd
   • D. Queen
   Its cover photo became one of the most imitated images in music.
4. 4. In which novel would you find the character Atticus Finch?
   • A. 1984
   • B. To Kill a Mockingbird (answer)
   • C. The Great Gatsby
   • D. Lord of the Flies
   It was written by Harper Lee.
5. 5. The Starry Night was painted by whom?
   • A. Claude Monet
   • B. Vincent van Gogh (answer)
   • C. Salvador Dali
   • D. Edvard Munch
   He painted it in 1889 while in an asylum in Saint-Remy.
6. 6. Which country does the author Haruki Murakami come from?
   • A. China
   • B. Korea
   • C. Japan (answer)
   • D. Thailand
   He is also a keen marathon runner.
7. 7. How many symphonies did Beethoven compose?
   • A. Five
   • B. Seven
   • C. Nine (answer)
   • D. Twelve
   He composed the Ninth while almost completely deaf.
8. 8. George Orwell's 1984 introduced which surveillance figure?
   • A. Big Brother (answer)
   • B. The Watcher
   • C. The Overseer
   • D. Captain Eye
   The phrase entered everyday language.
9. 9. Which instrument has 88 keys as standard?
   • A. Organ
   • B. Piano (answer)
   • C. Accordion
   • D. Harpsichord
   52 white keys and 36 black keys.
10. 10. Who wrote the play A Midsummer Night's Dream?
    • A. Oscar Wilde
    • B. William Shakespeare (answer)
    • C. George Bernard Shaw
    • D. Anton Chekhov
    It features the mischievous fairy Puck.
11. 11. The sculpture The Thinker was created by whom?
    • A. Michelangelo
    • B. Auguste Rodin (answer)
    • C. Henry Moore
    • D. Donatello
    It was originally part of a larger work, The Gates of Hell.
12. 12. Which singer is known as the King of Pop?
    • A. Elvis Presley
    • B. Michael Jackson (answer)
    • C. Prince
    • D. Freddie Mercury
    Thriller remains one of the best-selling albums ever.
13. 13. Who wrote Pride and Prejudice?
    • A. Charlotte Bronte
    • B. Emily Bronte
    • C. Jane Austen (answer)
    • D. Mary Shelley
    It was published in 1813.
14. 14. Which artist cut off part of his own ear?
    • A. Pablo Picasso
    • B. Paul Gauguin
    • C. Vincent van Gogh (answer)
    • D. Henri Matisse
    The incident happened in Arles in 1888.
15. 15. The Lord of the Rings was written by whom?
    • A. C.S. Lewis
    • B. J.R.R. Tolkien (answer)
    • C. George R.R. Martin
    • D. Philip Pullman
    Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford.
16. 16. Which ballet features the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy?
    • A. Swan Lake
    • B. The Nutcracker (answer)
    • C. Sleeping Beauty
    • D. Giselle
    It was composed by Tchaikovsky.
17. 17. Which novel begins with the line 'Call me Ishmael'?
    • A. Moby-Dick (answer)
    • B. Treasure Island
    • C. The Old Man and the Sea
    • D. Heart of Darkness
    It was written by Herman Melville.
18. 18. The Impressionist movement is most associated with which city?
    • A. Rome
    • B. Vienna
    • C. Paris (answer)
    • D. Amsterdam
    It was named after Monet's painting Impression, Sunrise.
19. 19. Who wrote the detective novels featuring Sherlock Holmes?
    • A. Agatha Christie
    • B. Arthur Conan Doyle (answer)
    • C. Dorothy L. Sayers
    • D. Edgar Allan Poe
    Holmes lived at 221B Baker Street.
20. 20. Which country gave the world the tango?
    • A. Spain
    • B. Brazil
    • C. Argentina (answer)
    • D. Cuba
    It began in the working-class districts of Buenos Aires.