Literary Genres Quiz

Question 1

What is the difference between fiction and non-fiction?

Accepted Answer

Fiction is invented; non-fiction is factual

Answer

Fiction is longer; non-fiction is shorter

Answer

Fiction is for adults; non-fiction is for children

Answer

Fiction is prose; non-fiction is poetry

Question 2

What is a 'sonnet'?

Accepted Answer

A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme

Answer

A short story

Answer

A type of epic poem

Answer

A song with a repeated chorus

Question 3

What is a 'dystopia' in fiction?

Accepted Answer

An imaginary society that is deeply unpleasant or oppressive

Answer

A utopian world where everything is perfect

Answer

A story set in the past

Answer

A fantasy world with magic

Question 4

What is an 'autobiography'?

Accepted Answer

An account of a person's life written by that person

Answer

A biography written by someone else

Answer

A fictional life story

Answer

A history of a family

Question 5

What is 'magical realism' as a literary genre?

Accepted Answer

A genre where magical elements are presented as normal within a realistic setting

Answer

Pure fantasy with no real-world elements

Answer

Science fiction set in the present

Answer

A genre only found in Latin American literature

Question 6

What is a 'haiku'?

Accepted Answer

A Japanese poem with 5-7-5 syllables across three lines

Answer

A 14-line Japanese poem

Answer

A Korean short story form

Answer

A type of limerick

Question 7

What is 'dramatic monologue' as a poetic form?

Accepted Answer

A poem in which a character speaks directly to a silent listener

Answer

A speech in a play

Answer

A very long speech by one person

Answer

A poem without rhyme

Question 8

What genre combines elements of romance and adventure, often set in a historical period?

Accepted Answer

Historical romance

Answer

Gothic fiction

Answer

Literary realism

Answer

Epistolary fiction

Question 9

What is 'gothic fiction' characterised by?

Accepted Answer

Dark atmospheres, horror, the supernatural, and psychological terror

Answer

Happy endings and light themes

Answer

Stories only set in the past

Answer

Detailed descriptions of landscapes

Question 10

What is an 'epistolary novel'?

Accepted Answer

A novel told through letters, diary entries, or documents

Answer

A novel about letters and their history

Answer

A very short novel

Answer

A novel about ancient Rome

Question 11

What is a 'limerick'?

Accepted Answer

A five-line humorous poem with AABBA rhyme scheme

Answer

A 14-line Irish poem

Answer

A poem with no rhyme scheme

Answer

A song from Limerick, Ireland

Question 12

What is 'stream of consciousness' most associated with?

Accepted Answer

Modernist literary fiction

Answer

Science fiction

Answer

Crime fiction

Answer

Epic poetry

Question 13

What is 'speculative fiction'?

Accepted Answer

Fiction that speculates about possible futures, alternate histories, or fantastical worlds

Answer

Fiction based on real events

Answer

Fiction written as a hypothesis

Answer

Academic fiction writing

Question 14

What is a 'bildungsroman'?

Accepted Answer

A coming-of-age story following a character's growth to adulthood

Answer

A German thriller

Answer

A type of epic poem

Answer

A story set in a school

Question 15

What distinguishes poetry from prose?

Accepted Answer

Poetry uses line breaks and often heightened language; prose uses regular sentences and paragraphs

Answer

Poetry is always rhymed; prose never rhymes

Answer

Prose is fiction; poetry is non-fiction

Answer

Poetry is shorter than prose

Question 16

What is 'satire' as a literary genre?

Accepted Answer

Writing that uses humour and irony to criticise people or society

Answer

A type of tragedy

Answer

Very dark horror fiction

Answer

Romantic comedy writing

Question 17

What is 'free verse' poetry?

Accepted Answer

Poetry that doesn't follow a fixed rhyme scheme or metre

Answer

Poetry available for free online

Answer

Poetry without any emotion

Answer

Poetry written in French

Question 18

What is a 'novella'?

Accepted Answer

A work of fiction longer than a short story but shorter than a novel

Answer

A very short poem

Answer

A type of opera

Answer

A news article written as fiction

Question 19

What is 'noir' as a genre?

Accepted Answer

Crime fiction with a dark, cynical tone often set in urban environments

Answer

Dark fantasy set in space

Answer

Black-and-white photography

Answer

Horror set underground

Question 20

What is an 'ode' in poetry?

Accepted Answer

A lyric poem of praise or tribute

Answer

A rhyming couplet

Answer

A short humorous poem

Answer

A poem with exactly 10 lines