1. Which English author wrote the fantasy trilogy entitled ‘His Dark Materials’?
Philip Pullman
2. In which century was William Shakespeare born?
16th century (born 1564 – exact date not recorded but baptised 26th April)
3. Which English painter, born in Liverpool in August 1724, was best known for his paintings of horses, such as ‘Whistlejacket’ which hangs in London’s National Gallery?
George Stubbs
4. Which 1930 painting by Grant Wood depicts a farmer holding a pitchfork and standing in front of a building alongside a woman, assumed to be his wife?
American Gothic
5. Which famous building in Paris houses France’s National Museum of Modern Art (Le Musée National d’Art Moderne)?
Pompidou Centre/Centre Georges Pompidou
6. Which French philosopher, writer and political activist won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964?
Jean-Paul Sartre
7. Which 18th century English landscape painter is known predominantly for his paintings of Dedham Vale, now a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the East of England?
John Constable
8. Who wrote poems entitled ‘Mandalay’, ‘Gunga Din’ and ‘The White Man’s Burden’?
Rudyard Kipling
9. The 1994 film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is based on a Stephen King novel. Which American actress’s name was omitted from the original title?
Rita Hayworth (Originally entitled ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption’ – those who have seen the film will know that a poster of Rita Hayworth is important to the plot)
10. Which was published first: Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ or Emily Brontë’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ (originally published under the pseudonym ‘Ellis Bell’)?
Pride and Prejudice (Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813, Wuthering Heights in 1847)