Book Quiz with 10 questions about Author

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Books Quiz - Author - Sir Walter Scott (Questions)

Sir Walter Scott’s novels mix history, romance and adventure. This Specialist quiz checks what you know about his tales of Scottish heroes, battles and bold journeys.

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Fascinating Fact:

Before turning to novels, he gained fame as a poet with works like The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Marmion and The Lady of the Lake.

In Specialist Books, this quiz looks at Sir Walter Scott, a writer who helped shape the historical novel. His stories blend real events, Scottish settings and memorable fictional characters.

Key Terms

Historical novel: A story set in the past that weaves fictional characters with real events, places or people.
Romanticism: A movement in art and literature that emphasised emotion, imagination and dramatic scenery.
Waverley novels: The group of Scott’s historical novels, starting with Waverley, which explore Scottish and European history.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Who was Sir Walter Scott as a writer?

Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish author and poet who became famous for historical novels and ballads. His books often explore Scottish history, landscapes and conflicts.

What are Sir Walter Scott’s most famous books?

Well-known works by Sir Walter Scott include Waverley, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian, The Bride of Lammermoor and Ivanhoe, each set against vivid historical backgrounds.

Why is Sir Walter Scott important in literary history?

Sir Walter Scott is important because he helped popularise the historical novel. His mix of careful research and exciting plots influenced many later writers in Britain and beyond.

Try These Related Quizzes

In 1844 work was completed on a monument to Scott in which city?

[ ]	Aberdeen
[ ]	Dundee
[ ]	Edinburgh
[ ]	Perth

In the novel Ivanhoe, what is the first name of the title character?

[ ]	Walter
[ ]	Wilbert
[ ]	Wilfred
[ ]	William

Rob Roy is set at the time of the Jacobite Rising that took place in what year?

[ ]	1715
[ ]	1725
[ ]	1735
[ ]	1745

In The Antiquary, the character Edie Ochiltree is a licenced 'gaberlunzie'. What is the modern term for a gaberlunzie?

[ ]	Beggar
[ ]	Innkeeper
[ ]	Tax collector
[ ]	Vet

In 1799 Scott was appointed Sheriff-Deputy of which county?

[ ]	Fife
[ ]	Lanark
[ ]	Lothian
[ ]	Selkirk

Which term is used to refer to Scott's novels?

[ ]	The Highland Novels
[ ]	The Lowland Novels
[ ]	The North British Novels
[ ]	The Waverley Novels

Which novel is set in England at the time of the Civil War?

[ ]	Guy Mannering
[ ]	Kenilworth
[ ]	Peveril of the Peak
[ ]	Quentin Durward

Which Scottish football club was named after a Scott novel?

[ ]	Buckie Thistle
[ ]	Heart of Midlothian
[ ]	St Johnstone
[ ]	Third Lanark

The 1819 novel The Bride of Lammermoor was the inspiration for an opera by which composer?

[ ]	Bellini
[ ]	Donizetti
[ ]	Verdi
[ ]	Wagner

10.

Scott's former residence, Abbotsford House, stands near which town in the Scottish Borders?

[ ]	Dumfries
[ ]	Jedburgh
[ ]	Melrose
[ ]	Peebles

Books Quiz - Author - Sir Walter Scott (Answers)

In 1844 work was completed on a monument to Scott in which city?

[ ]	Aberdeen
[ ]	Dundee
[x]	Edinburgh
[ ]	Perth

It's over 200 ft tall and stands in Princes Street Gardens

In the novel Ivanhoe, what is the first name of the title character?

[ ]	Walter
[ ]	Wilbert
[x]	Wilfred
[ ]	William

Ivanhoe is an unusual hero for Scott: he's English

Rob Roy is set at the time of the Jacobite Rising that took place in what year?

[x]	1715
[ ]	1725
[ ]	1735
[ ]	1745

Despite the book's title, Robert "Rob Roy" McGregor Campbell is not the protagonist - that honour belongs to Francis "Frank" Osbaldistone

In The Antiquary, the character Edie Ochiltree is a licenced 'gaberlunzie'. What is the modern term for a gaberlunzie?

[x]	Beggar
[ ]	Innkeeper
[ ]	Tax collector
[ ]	Vet

Gaberlunzie is a medieval Scots word which may derive from the wallet that licenced beggars carried, although the origin is uncertain

In 1799 Scott was appointed Sheriff-Deputy of which county?

[ ]	Fife
[ ]	Lanark
[ ]	Lothian
[x]	Selkirk

Scott was a lawyer by trade and was now a judge as well as a writer

Which term is used to refer to Scott's novels?

[ ]	The Highland Novels
[ ]	The Lowland Novels
[ ]	The North British Novels
[x]	The Waverley Novels

Scott did not put his name to his novels until 5 years before his death. Consequently his books were named after his first piece of fiction, Waverley, which was published in 1814

Which novel is set in England at the time of the Civil War?

[ ]	Guy Mannering
[ ]	Kenilworth
[x]	Peveril of the Peak
[ ]	Quentin Durward

The title character is a Cavalier in love with a Roundhead's daughter

Which Scottish football club was named after a Scott novel?

[ ]	Buckie Thistle
[x]	Heart of Midlothian
[ ]	St Johnstone
[ ]	Third Lanark

In the novel, the Heart of Midlothian is the old Tolbooth Prison in Edinburgh