1. The themes and even the plot of Alan Moore's serial graphic novel, V for Vendetta (1982–89), revolve around Gunpowder plotter Guy Fawkes. What is the name of V's disciple, played by Natalie Portman in the series' film adaptation?

   1. Evie Hammond

   2. Evey Harmon

   3. Evey Hammond

   4. E.V. Harmon

2. In Richard Condon's The Manchurian Candidate (1959), the scion of a right-wing family is brainwashed into becoming an assassin – for the communists. Which card triggers his unwitting actions?

   1. King of Hearts

   2. Ace of Swords

   3. Queen of Diamonds

   4. Queen of Hearts

3. In Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, the heroes' quest leads them to a final message secreted away in which holy site?

   1. Rosslyn Chapel

   2. Temple Church

   3. Westminster Cathedral

   4. Notre-Dame Cathedral

4. Which cry is uttered by Julias Caesar in Shakespeare's play (c. 1599) as he succumbs to the conspirators' blows?

   1. Marcus est in horto

   2. Et tu, Brute?

   3. Vini, vidi, vici

   4. Sic semper tyrannus

5. In Graham Greene's The Ministry of Fear (1943), Arthur Rowe accidentally receives a secret message which leads him into the midst of an international spy ring. Which crucial London number does Rowe struggle to remember?

   1. BAR 271 000

   2. BAC 271 467

   3. BAC 271

   4. BAT 271

6. In Sinclair Lewis's political satire, It Can't Happen Here (1935), a slick-talking Democratic president suspends democracy with the help of which Joseph Goebbels-inspired spin doctor?

   1. Macgoblin

   2. Gobbles

   3. Goblin King

   4. Gerbels

7. The Secret Agent (1907), by Joseph Conrad, was inspired by terrorist bombings in London. For which group of dissidents does secret agent Mr Verloc work?

   1. Communists

   2. Anarchists

   3. Fascists

   4. Unionists

8. In Don DeLillo's 1989 novel about the John F Kennedy assassination, Libra, Lee Harvey Oswald is manipulated by officers from which agency?

   1. KGB

   2. CIA

   3. M15

   4. FBI

9. Hilary Mantel's Booker-winning novels Wolf Hall (2009) and Bring Up the Bodies (2012) are rife with Tudor intrigue. But what's a Wolf Hall, anyway?

   1. The Boleyns' townhouse in London

   2. The estate to which Catherine of Aragon is exiled

   3. Henry VIII's pleasure palace on the Thames

   4. The Seymour family seat

10. Advise and Consent, Allen Drury's bestselling novel of Washington intrigue won a Pulitzer prize in 1959. Which affair topples the novel's Senator Brigham Anderson?

    1. Assassination plot by members of Congress

    2. Expenses scandal linking the US to communist interests

    3. Revelation of a fascist political conspiracy

    4. Threatened exposure of a homosexual affair

Solutions

1:C, 2:C, 3:A, 4:B, 5:D, 6:A, 7:B, 8:B, 9:D, 10:D

Scores

1. 3 and above.

   You're clearly not in on the conspiracy, then. But it's not so bad: the answers are in the books. Try again after a good read.

2. 6 and above.

   Clever indeed, but there are some things you still don't know. The books do, though. Read up and then try, try again.

3. 10 and above.

   You're a dark one, aren't you? We'd ask how you've done so well, but these things are best kept secret.