Science, Sport, Arts and Culture

Literature, Music and Traditions

25 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

Practise Literature, Music and Traditions now

Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 25 questions

  1. In which town was William Shakespeare born in 1564?
  2. Which novel by Charles Dickens tells the story of an orphan boy who falls in with a gang of thieves?
  3. Which writer is the author of Pride and Prejudice?
  4. Which author wrote the Harry Potter series of children's fantasy novels?
  5. Burns Night is celebrated in Scotland on 25 January in honour of which poet?
  6. Which famous band from Liverpool included John Lennon and Paul McCartney?
  7. What is the name of the great bell in the Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster?
  8. Which British festival, held on 5 November, is marked with bonfires and fireworks?
  9. Why do many people in the UK wear a red poppy in early November?
  10. The Notting Hill Carnival, held every August bank holiday weekend, celebrates the culture of which community?
  11. In which city is the Fringe, a huge arts festival, held every August?
  12. The Eisteddfod is a festival of music and poetry that belongs to which country?
  13. What name do Scots give to New Year's Eve and the celebrations that follow?
  14. Which day, the day after Christmas Day, is a bank holiday in the UK?
  15. What is the name of the day before Lent, when many people in the UK eat pancakes?
  16. Which fortress by the River Thames is home to the Crown Jewels?
  17. Which British painter made the painting The Fighting Temeraire, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1839?
  18. The Tate Modern gallery in London occupies a building that used to be what?
  19. Who created the detective Sherlock Holmes?
  20. Which writer created the detective Hercule Poirot?
  21. Which composer wrote the first Pomp and Circumstance march, whose tune is used for 'Land of Hope and Glory'?
  22. In which year was the British Broadcasting Company formed?
  23. Which author, a professor at Oxford, wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings?
  24. Which author wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1865?
  25. Which three sisters from Yorkshire wrote novels including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights?

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