Classic Literature

Question 1

Jane Eyre

The coming-of-age story of orphaned Jane Eyre, who becomes a governess and falls in love with the mysterious Mr. Rochester

Answer 1

Charlotte Bronte

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

Question 2

The Catcher in the Rye

The novel follows 16-year-old Holden Caulfield’s experiences in New York City as he grapples with alienation and depression

Answer 2

J.D. Salinger

“I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life.”

Question 3

Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein’s creation of a monstrous being leads to tragic consequences as the creature seeks vengeance for his abandonment

Answer 3

Mary Shelley

Question 4

The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins embarks on an unexpected journey with dwarves to reclaim their home from the dragon Smaug

Answer 4

J.R.R. Tolkien

Question 5

The Lord of the Rings

Frodo Baggins and his companions set out to destroy the One Ring, which threatens the world with domination by the Dark Lord Sauron.

Answer 5

J.R.R. Tolkien

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”

Question 6

Crime and Punishment

Raskolnikov, a poverty-stricken student, commits a murder and grapples with guilt and the philosophical justification for his crime

Answer 6

Fyodor Dosteovsky

Question 7

Catch-22

A satirical novel about the absurdities of war, focusing on Captain Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Force bombardier during World War II.

Answer 7

Joseph Heller

Question 8

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray’s portrait ages while he remains youthful, reflecting his descent into hedonism and moral corruption.

Answer 8

Oscar Wilde

Question 9

The Grapes of Wrath

The Joad family travels west to California during the Dust Bowl, facing hardship and injustice in their pursuit of a better life.

Answer 9

John Steinbeck

Question 10

Dracula

The story of Count Dracula’s attempt to move from Transylvania to England to spread the undead curse, and the group of people who fight to stop him.

Answer 10

Bram Stoker

Question 11

The Handmaid’s Tale

In a dystopian future, women’s rights are severely restricted, and the story follows Offred, a “handmaid” forced to bear children for the ruling class.

Answer 11

Margaret Atwood

Question 12

Lolita

The controversial story of Humbert Humbert’s obsession with the young Dolores Haze, known as Lolita, told from his unreliable perspective.

Answer 12

Vladmir Nabokov

Question 13

The Bell Jar

The semi-autobiographical novel follows Esther Greenwood, a young woman struggling with mental illness and her experience with depression and suicide.

Answer 13

Sylvia Plath

Question 14

The Sun Also Rises

The story of a group of expatriates living in post-World War I Europe, exploring themes of disillusionment, love, and the “Lost Generation.”

Answer 14

Ernest Hemingway

“You are all a lost generation.”

Question 15

The Count of Monte Cristo

A young man named Edmond Dantès is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes, and seeks revenge on those who betrayed him.

Answer 15

Alexandre Dumas

Question 16

Fahrenheit 451

In a dystopian future where books are banned, fireman Guy Montag begins to question the role of censorship and his society’s suppression of knowledge.

Answer 16

Ray Bradbury

Question 17

The Shining

Jack Torrance, a writer and recovering alcoholic, takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel, where supernatural forces begin to affect his sanity.

Answer 17

Stephen King

Question 18

Slaughterhouse-Five

Billy Pilgrim, an optometrist and soldier, becomes “unstuck in time” and experiences the bombing of Dresden in World War II, among other events in his life.

Answer 18

Kurt Vonnegut

Question 19

The Outsiders

The lives of two rival groups, the Greasers and the Socs, are explored in this coming-of-age novel about class struggles, friendship, and violence.

Answer 19

S.E. Hinton

“Stay gold, Ponyboy.”

Question 20

Wuthering Heights

The turbulent and tragic love story of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, whose obsessive passion causes havoc for generations.

Answer 20

Emily Bronte

Question 21

Silence of the Lambs

FBI agent Clarice Starling seeks the help of the incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter to catch another murderer.

Answer 21

Thomas Harris

Question 22

Lord of the Flies

A group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island descend into savagery as they attempt to govern themselves.

Answer 22

William Golding

Question 23

Brave New World

A dystopian society in which humans are artificially bred and conditioned for specific roles, and the pursuit of pleasure is the ultimate goal.

Answer 23

Aldous Huxley

Question 24

The Godfather

The story of the powerful Corleone crime family, focusing on Michael Corleone’s rise to power and the complex world of mafia politics.

Answer 24

Mario Puzo

Question 25

The Divine Comedy

Dante’s journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Heaven (Paradiso), exploring the afterlife, sin, and redemption.

Answer 25

Dante Alighieri

Question 26

The Tale of Two Cities

Set during the French Revolution, the novel contrasts the lives of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, and their love for the same woman.

Answer 26

Charles Dickens

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”