Poetry Trivia Questions
In case you missed them, here are the past five Columbia Granger's World of Poetry trivia questions of the day. .
September 11
Question:
Who coined the phrase "Beat Generation", and to what does the word "beat" refer?
Answer
Jack Kerouac is attributed with using the phrase in 1948. The meaning of "beat," which started as "defeated," was expanded by him to refer both to musical rhythms (e.g. on the beat, upbeat) and spiritual matters (i.e. beatific).
September 10
Question:
What was the first poem published by the first American writer to receive the Nobel Prize in literature?
Answer
Sinclair Lewis's first publication was probably the poem "Launcelot," which appeared in his college journal in 1904.
September 9
Question:
Who was the first English language poet to receive the Nobel Prize in literature?
Answer
Rudyard Kipling received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907.
September 8
Question:
Who was the first Poet Laureate of the United States?
Answer
Joseph Auslander was the Library of Congress's first "Consultant in Poetry," from 1937-1941. In 1986, Robert Penn Warren held the position after it was retitled "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry."
September 7
Question:
To what does the name of the art movement "Dada" refer?
Answer
Appropriately, the source and meaning of the name for this absurd and anti-art movement, "Dada," are now speculative. It has been said to reference the Romanian "yeah, right," the French "hobby-horse," nonsense syllables, baby talk for father, among others. While it is unclear who came up with the word, Tristan Tzara was certainly one of its most tireless promoters.
