Tuesday 31 August 2010

Wednesday Quiz In Exile I: Cover Versions

It's not the famous Wednesday Quiz, which has been viciously killed off before its time, but it is almost the next best thing, the Wednesday Quiz's Australian Cousin. Like all good Australian things, it's just a home-grown version of things stolen from other places with a touch of rabid nationalism and an undercurrent of xenophobia, but at least it beats looking at boring postcards (unless you like that sort of thing, I guess).

This week's quiz is on famous books by Australian authors. Identify the missing titles on the Australian covers of these dozen Australian "classics" to win yourself respect and reknown amongst the huge audience of this here little portion of the internet and to score points towards receiving a choice of prizes as yet to be determined. Those who look up, consult with others or otherwise cause their answers to come from somewhere other than the depths of their long-term memory banks will be scathingly lampooned by generations of Australian fictioneers.

Name these books
Warning: This quiz is obviously harder than I thought it was, even for Aussies. Don't get discouraged.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.


Please leave your answers in fine literary style in the comments. The best way to do this without looking at anyone else's answers if to type them out in a word document or scribble paper first.

13 comments:

UnwiseOwl said...

Yes, Aviatrix. That one was put there specially for you ;)

Alethea said...

All I've got is Obernewtyn. I am so delightfully ignorant!

John said...

Didn't get many of these. Hell, didn't recognise many of the authors. Needs more Victor Kelleher. :P

#3: I'm guessing The Book Thief

#4: Obviously Obernewtyn

#6: Hover Car Racer? I blame all of my knowledge of Matthew Reilly on my youngest brother.

#12: True History of the Kely Gang

:/

Better than Ale managed, at least.

Unknown said...

I want to ask why the Australian fiction theme? I even have my lecturers saying Australian fiction's floundering. In a puddle of mud. In the Simpson desert. In Summer. With no flounders around.

Unknown said...

Oh, and:

1 - -
2 - Mary Poppins
3 - The Books Thief
4 - Obernewtyn
5 - The Thornbirds
6 - -
7 - -
8 - Schindler's Ark
9 - -
10 - A Town Like Alice
11 - People of the Book
12 - The History of the Kelly Gang

Michael5000 said...

12. is "The Kelley Gang."

Is 5. the "Thorn Birds"?

The rest are all different editions of "Picnic at Hanging Rock."

UnwiseOwl said...

David: Well, you'll notice many of these books are pretty old, so I may well agree the current scene isn't exactly earth-shattering. Unless you count Matthew Reilly as literature...

Why Australian fiction? Because this season of quiz is ALL Australian themed. It's payback for a friend of mine and his US-centric quizzes.

I'll probably get around to marking this around noon ACST.

UnwiseOwl said...

On Saturday, that is.

Aviatrix said...

This is your vengeance for my whinging about too many American authors in Michal5000's quizzes, isn't it? That's okay. I can make up stuff about Australia just as well as about the USA.

1. Gone With the Wallaby

2. Sheila Poppins

3. Snow on Eucalyptus Trees

4. Lord of the Billabongs

5. The Thorn Birds

6. Zen and the Art of Hovercraft Maintenance

7. The Carousel Kangaroo

8. Death or Transportation

9. Little House in the GAFA

10. On the Beach
(phew, I hoped this one would be here)

11. Dear Diary
(I couldn't figure out how to work in an emu)

12. True History of Sheep Farming

I peeked at the other answers before posting and now I'm really sad that I didn't even get the one that was for me.

Aviatrix said...

And by "before posting" I mean after pasting all the answers into the comment box and before pressing publish. Not cheating.

Elaine said...

2. is Mary Poppins (but there were multiple volumes in the series)
5. The Thornbirds
8. Schindler's List
10. On the Beach

Elaine said...

Do you happen to know the name of a New Zealand author--several books, very unusual (dense prose, hilarious humor) writing style....he wrote about the extermination of the Maoris... I can't recall titles OR obviously the author, but I would so like to find his books again. Am I just rambling pointlessly?

UnwiseOwl said...


Results:
1. The Power of One (boxing gloves are a bit of a hint)
2. Mary Poppins (she was Australian, who knew?)
3. The Book Thief (Read it, it is pretty darn good)
4. Obernewtyn (the first of a series that will never end)
5. The Thorn Birds (not her best. but easily her most famous)
6. Ice Station (good gorey murderous fun if you leave your brain at the door)
7. The Merry-Go-Round In The Sea
8. Schindlers Ark (or List)
9. My Brilliant Career (yes, Miles Franklin was a woman)
10. A Town Like Alice (apparently On the Beach is familiar to our overseas contingent)
11. March (I'm yet to read this)
12. The True History of the Kelly Gang

Thus, the winner, unsuprisingly, is bookstore worker and literature degree holder David, with 7 out of 12. Trickier than I thought.
Tune in next week for more good clean fun for kids.

Elaine: I'm not familiar with them, but if you can work out who it is please let me know, sounds like just my sort of thing.