Are You a True Literary Nerd? Test Yourself with This Brain-Bending Bookish Trivia

I’m a massive fan of pub quizzes — seriously, if you’re not British, you might not see the novelty in this (or the competitiveness, for that matter), but I used to go to one every Thursday night when I lived in London. It was one of my favorite rituals: a cozy pub, a cider in hand, a pen poised over the answer sheet, and the comforting hum of people whispering fiercely over obscure questions. It was competitive, chaotic, and absolutely brilliant. And now that I no longer live in London, it’s something I miss deeply.

That love for quirky, challenging, and sometimes downright bizarre trivia hasn’t left me, though. Which brings me to this little literary quiz I’ve put together — think of it as my online version of a pub quiz round, especially for all the book lovers, writers, and word nerds out there.

Whether you consider yourself a lifelong lover of literature, a casual reader with a flair for the obscure, or a writer obsessed with the building blocks of storytelling, this quiz is for you.

In a world overflowing with pop culture quizzes and "What Type of Bread Are You?" tests (no shade), it’s refreshing to sink your teeth into something a little more enriching — something that celebrates the beauty, complexity, and downright strangeness of language and literature. Because let’s be real: if you know what a zeugma is, or you’ve got opinions about chiasmus, you deserve a special corner of the internet where that knowledge matters.

This quiz isn’t just for show. It’s a celebration of the strange and wonderful devices that shape our favorite stories, the writers who bent genres to their will, and the rich legacy of literature that continues to inspire readers and creators across the globe. From poetic forms to rhetorical flourishes, from sci-fi epics to absurdist plays, we’re diving deep into the literary canon — and a few lesser-known gems too.

Each question is crafted not only to challenge your memory but also to spark curiosity. Maybe you'll rediscover a classic you haven't read in years. Maybe you'll find yourself Googling a new author to explore. Or maybe, just maybe, you'll feel the quiet satisfaction of realizing just how much you've absorbed over years of reading, writing, and loving words.

So — no Googling. No peeking. Just your brain, your bookshelf of memory, and this literary gauntlet. Ready to test your knowledge?

Download the answers at the end of the quiz to see how you did — and don’t forget to share your score in the comments. Let’s see who among us truly speaks fluent literature.

1. What is a 'macguffin' in storytelling?
2. Name the author who famously used the stream-of-consciousness technique in novels like Mrs. Dalloway.
3. What is a 'villanelle' in poetry?
4. Who wrote One Hundred Years of Solitude, a landmark novel of magical realism?
5. What is the literary device where a character's name foreshadows their fate?
6. Identify the author of The Left Hand of Darkness, a pioneering work of social science fiction.
7. What is 'bathos' in literature?
8. Name the influential absurdist playwright known for Waiting for Godot.
9. What is a 'chiasmus' in rhetoric?
10. Who penned the epic poem The Faerie Queene, an allegorical work celebrating virtues?
11. What is a 'zeugma' in grammar and rhetoric?
12. Identify the author of the Hyperion Cantos, a complex science fiction epic.
13. What is a 'spondee' in poetry?
14. Name the author of The Master and Margarita, a satirical fantasy novel.
15. What is a 'catachresis' in rhetoric?
16. Who wrote A Fire Upon the Deep, a space opera noted for its complex Zones of Thought?
17. What is 'antanaclasis' as a figure of speech?
18. Name the author who created Discworld.
19. What is a 'kenning' in Old English poetry?
20. Identify the author who wrote The Book of the New Sun series.

Do you think you got them all right?

Download the answers to the questions here.