World literature quiz: 12 questions with answers

October 8, 2026 · Style Optimizer

This world literature quiz covers books, authors and characters from different periods and traditions. Use it to jog connections, find a few curious gaps and come away with a new title or two for your reading list.

Write down an answer before you open each solution. One point per correct answer; if you can also explain why, keep the point even if the name isn't exact. Literature sticks better as a web of connections than as an exam.

Twelve world literature questions

Who wrote Don Quixote?
Show answer
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Part One appeared in 1605 and Part Two in 1615.
What does Gregor Samsa wake up as at the start of The Metamorphosis?
Show answer
Kafka never names a species. He describes a monstrous vermin, usually pictured as a giant insect. “Cockroach” is a popular simplification.
What is the name of the hero trying to get home to Ithaca in the Odyssey?
Show answer
Odysseus, also known as Ulysses in the Latin tradition.
In which country is Hamlet mainly set?
Show answer
Denmark, in and around the castle of Elsinore.
Which family is at the center of One Hundred Years of Solitude?
Show answer
The Buendía family, whose story runs through several generations in Macondo.
What is the name of the main character in Madame Bovary?
Show answer
Emma Bovary, born Emma Rouault.
Where does Juan Preciado arrive in Pedro Páramo?
Show answer
Comala, where he goes looking for his father and finds a place full of voices and the dead.
What ages in Dorian Gray’s place?
Show answer
His portrait, painted by Basil Hallward.
In a story by Borges, what is the point in space that contains all other points?
Show answer
The Aleph, seen in the cellar of Carlos Argentino Daneri’s house.
Who wrote Mrs Dalloway?
Show answer
Virginia Woolf. The novel follows a single day in London and weaves together consciousness, memory and social life.
Which figure watches over the population in 1984?
Show answer
Big Brother, the ever-present face of the Party’s power.
Who is credited with writing The Tale of Genji?
Show answer
Murasaki Shikibu, a Japanese writer of the Heian period.

Your score, taken lightly

0–4: you’ve found a reading route, which is more useful than a label.
5–8: you know the map, and there’s still territory left to explore.
9–12: well traveled. Try explaining each answer without reciting the facts.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as world literature?

There’s no neutral, closed list. This quiz mixes European, Latin American and Asian traditions, and it’s still a small sample worth expanding.

Does the quiz measure how much I’ve read?

It measures your answers to twelve specific questions. Remembering facts, interpreting a book and the experience of reading it are related skills, and each one is distinct.

Can I use it in a book club?

Yes. Ask that every answer open a conversation or lead to a recommendation, so each fact becomes a starting point for discussion.