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The Stars' Tennis Balls is a modern take on The Count of Monte Cristo.

Genre - Novels 4

Dialogue brings characters to life. In this quiz you will explore how speech in novels shows relationships, hidden motives, conflict, and power.

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Fascinating Fact:

Dialogue in novels reveals relationships, power dynamics, and personality, and it can move the plot forward through argument, persuasion, or secrecy.

In Specialist Books, this quiz on novels focuses on dialogue. You will think about how speech patterns, interruptions, and silences shape character, build tension, and guide the reader’s interpretation.

Key Terms

Dialogue: The spoken words of characters, shown in speech marks, which reveal personality, relationships, and conflict.
Subtext: The hidden meaning beneath what characters say, suggested by tone, pauses, or what is left unsaid.
Power dynamics: The balance of control in a conversation, shown through who speaks, interrupts, questions, or remains silent.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is the purpose of dialogue in a novel?

Dialogue in a novel develops characters, reveals relationships, and advances the plot. It lets readers hear different voices and see how people react to each other under pressure.

How can writers show power through dialogue?

Writers show power when characters interrupt, give commands, ask probing questions, or refuse to answer. Long turns, short replies, and strategic silence all signal control.

How should I analyse dialogue in literature exams?

In exams, pick a short exchange, quote key words, and comment on tone, power balance, and subtext, then link your points to the wider themes of the novel.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

In the 1975 Tom Sharpe novel Blott on the Landscape, what is Blott's job?

Butler

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Handyman

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He's gardener to Lady Lynchwood at Handyman Hall

2 .

Which Charles Dickens novel is set during the Gordon Riots of 1780?

Martin Chuzzlewit

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The Riots came at a time when Britain was fighting France, Spain, the Dutch Republic and American rebels. Some thought that they were a deliberate attempt by the French to destabilise the country before an invasion

3 .

Wilbur Smith's 1964 novel When the Lion Feeds is the first of many to feature which family?

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The Ballantynes first appear in A Falcon Flies in 1980

4 .

The Stars' Tennis Balls, published by Stephen Fry in 2000, is, by his own admission, a straight steal of which classic novel?

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5 .

Mary Yellan is the heroine of which Daphne du Maurier novel?

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6 .

In the novel Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, what is the title character's real first name?

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7 .

How old is Holden Caulfield, the narrator of the JD Salinger novel The Catcher in the Rye?

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8 .

Which Scottish novelist created the character John Rebus?

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9 .

Who wrote the Reginald Perrin novels?

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David Nubbs

The 3 novels, The Death of Reginald Perrin, The Return of Reginald Perrin and The Better World of Reginald Perrin were adapted into the TV series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin starring Leonard Rossiter

10 .

In the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, what is the name of Tom's aunt, who looks after him?

Aunt Dolly

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Aunt Polly

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Author: Tony Rennick (Art and Literature Critic)