Autobiography of Mark Twain
  • 1. What was the primary format in which Mark Twain composed his autobiography?
A) Dictated rather than written directly
B) Written entirely by hand
C) Typed on a typewriter
D) Recorded as audio tapes
  • 2. When did Mark Twain start the composition of his autobiography?
A) In 1899
B) In 1870
C) In 1906
D) In 1910
  • 3. How many 'false starts' did Twain accumulate over the years?
A) Over 100
B) 50-60
C) 30-40
D) 10-20
  • 4. What was Twain's experimental conception for his autobiography?
A) To avoid controversial topics
B) To focus solely on his childhood
C) To talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment
D) To write in chronological order
  • 5. Who controlled Twain's papers after his death?
A) Clara Clemens, his surviving daughter
B) The Mark Twain Project
C) Bernard DeVoto
D) Albert Bigelow Paine
  • 6. Where have Twain's papers been held since 1971?
A) The New York Public Library
B) Harvard University Library
C) Library of Congress
D) Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley
  • 7. What did Twain reportedly consider in an interview with The Times in 1899?
A) Publishing his autobiography immediately
B) Creating a series of lectures
C) A work that would be unpublished for a century
D) Writing a new novel
  • 8. What was the purpose of Twain's instructions to future editors in 1904?
A) To outline a century-long plan for publications
B) To prevent any publication of his work
C) To publish immediately after his death
D) To compile his works into one volume
  • 9. Who was the first to attempt publishing Twain's autobiography?
A) Charles Neider
B) Bernard DeVoto
C) Michael Kiskis
D) Albert Bigelow Paine
  • 10. What year was the first volume of the Mark Twain Project edition published?
A) 2010
B) 1940
C) 1924
D) 1959
  • 11. How many volumes were planned for the complete autobiography by The Mark Twain Project?
A) Two
B) Three
C) Four
D) Five
  • 12. What was included in Volume 1 of the Mark Twain Project edition?
A) Transcripts of autobiographical dictations and introductory material
B) Chapters from My Autobiography
C) Letters from the Earth
D) Only the Ashcroft-Lyon Manuscript
  • 13. What did Twain express in a piece composed in December 1909?
A) His sorrow over the death of his youngest daughter and loss of incentive to write
B) His plans for another autobiography
C) His decision to publish immediately
D) His excitement about future projects
  • 14. What was the Ashcroft-Lyon Manuscript about?
A) Accusations of embezzlement against Isabel Lyon and Ralph Ashcroft
B) A letter to his family
C) Twain's childhood memories
D) His travels around the world
  • 15. Why did the 2010 edition of Twain's autobiography not enter the public domain by 2023?
A) The text was incomplete and thus not eligible
B) It was never officially published
C) It was published on microfilm in 2001, extending its copyright
D) Twain's will prohibited it from entering the public domain
  • 16. Who criticized the Mark Twain Foundation for extending copyright?
A) Michael Kiskis
B) David Bollier
C) Bernard DeVoto
D) Albert Bigelow Paine
Created with That Quiz — the site for test creation and grading in math and other subjects.