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Books Quiz - Genre - Autobiographies 1 (Questions)

The word autobiography come from the three Greek words autos, bios and graphein, meaning self life write. It is essentially an account of a life written by the one who lived it, or, more simply, a story (partially, wholly or almost all true) told by a person about themselves. Autobiographies are usually based almost entirely on the writer’s memory and so are a good account of events as personally experienced, including emotion, rather than just the bare facts which are found in a less personal biography.

There are a total of four quizzes in our autobiographies section and this is the first one. See if you can remember the titles that the great and the famous gave to their autobiographies and likewise try to recall who wrote the books with the intriguing titles. Have a go and test your knowledge of books written by and about celebrities.

1. Which Hollywood star published the autobiography The Moon's a Balloon in 1971?
[ ] Stewart Granger
[ ] Burt Lancaster
[ ] David Niven
[ ] Gregory Peck
2. Which former England footballer published the autobiography This One's On Me in 1979?
[ ] Jimmy Greaves
[ ] Geoff Hurst
[ ] Bobby Moore
[ ] Martin Peters
3. No Tears For The Clown, published in 1993, is the autobiography of which comedian?
[ ] Billy Connolly
[ ] Les Dawson
[ ] Harry Enfield
[ ] Ernie Wise
4. I Chose to Climb, first published in 1966, is the autobiography of which mountaineer?
[ ] Chris Bonington
[ ] Dougal Haston
[ ] Doug Scott
[ ] Don Whillans
5. Published in 2001, Learning to Fly is the autobiography of which ex-Spice Girl?
[ ] Victoria Beckham
[ ] Emma Bunton
[ ] Melanie Chisholm
[ ] Geri Halliwell
6. Which tennis star published the autobiography Serious in 2002?
[ ] Roger Federer
[ ] John McEnroe
[ ] Andrew Murray
[ ] Pete Sampras
7. Which former Prime Minister published the autobiography The Path to Power in 1995?
[ ] James Callaghan
[ ] Edward Heath
[ ] John Major
[ ] Margaret Thatcher
8. Which Marx Brother published the 1959 autobiography Groucho and Me?
[ ] Chico
[ ] Groucho
[ ] Harpo
[ ] Zeppo
9. The 1943 autobiography Bound for Glory was written by which American folk singer?
[ ] Elizabeth Cotten
[ ] Woody Guthrie
[ ] Cisco Houston
[ ] Pete Seeger
10. Who wrote the autobiography The Story of my Experiments with Truth, published in two volumes, in 1927 and 1929?
[ ] Marie Curie
[ ] Albert Einstein
[ ] Mahatma Gandhi
[ ] Bertrand Russell

 

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Books Quiz - Genre - Autobiographies 1 (Answers)
1. Which Hollywood star published the autobiography The Moon's a Balloon in 1971?
[ ] Stewart Granger
[ ] Burt Lancaster
[x] David Niven
[ ] Gregory Peck
The book is about Niven's early life. He wrote a sequel Bring on the Empty Horses three years later which covered the later years
2. Which former England footballer published the autobiography This One's On Me in 1979?
[x] Jimmy Greaves
[ ] Geoff Hurst
[ ] Bobby Moore
[ ] Martin Peters
It covers his alcoholism
3. No Tears For The Clown, published in 1993, is the autobiography of which comedian?
[ ] Billy Connolly
[x] Les Dawson
[ ] Harry Enfield
[ ] Ernie Wise
The book came out just one year before Dawson's death
4. I Chose to Climb, first published in 1966, is the autobiography of which mountaineer?
[x] Chris Bonington
[ ] Dougal Haston
[ ] Doug Scott
[ ] Don Whillans
Bonnington's career has seen nineteen trips to the Himalayas including four to Mount Everest. He was also the first person to climb the south face of Annapurna
5. Published in 2001, Learning to Fly is the autobiography of which ex-Spice Girl?
[x] Victoria Beckham
[ ] Emma Bunton
[ ] Melanie Chisholm
[ ] Geri Halliwell
In 2005 Beckham said: "I've never read a book in my life"
6. Which tennis star published the autobiography Serious in 2002?
[ ] Roger Federer
[x] John McEnroe
[ ] Andrew Murray
[ ] Pete Sampras
He can not be!
7. Which former Prime Minister published the autobiography The Path to Power in 1995?
[ ] James Callaghan
[ ] Edward Heath
[ ] John Major
[x] Margaret Thatcher
The majority of the book charts the years from her childhood to her becoming Prime Minister in 1979. The latter part of the book was a criticism of her successor John Major
8. Which Marx Brother published the 1959 autobiography Groucho and Me?
[ ] Chico
[x] Groucho
[ ] Harpo
[ ] Zeppo
Groucho claimed it was an unauthorised autobiography
9. The 1943 autobiography Bound for Glory was written by which American folk singer?
[ ] Elizabeth Cotten
[x] Woody Guthrie
[ ] Cisco Houston
[ ] Pete Seeger
The book gives us a glimpse of life in the United States during the years of the Great Depression
10. Who wrote the autobiography The Story of my Experiments with Truth, published in two volumes, in 1927 and 1929?
[ ] Marie Curie
[ ] Albert Einstein
[x] Mahatma Gandhi
[ ] Bertrand Russell
In 1999 the book was chosen as one of the "100 Best Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by a panel of spiritual and religious minds