John Sayles Quiz Questions and Answers
1) In which year was John Sayles born?
a. 1945
b. 1950
c. 1955
d. 1960
Answer: b. 1950
2) Where was John Sayles born?
a. New York City, NY
b. Schenectady, NY
c. Boston, MA
d. Los Angeles, CA
Answer: b. Schenectady, NY
3) Which college did John Sayles graduate from?
a. Harvard University
b. Yale University
c. Williams College
d. Stanford University
Answer: c. Williams College
4) What was John Sayles’ first published novel?
a. Union Dues
b. Pride of the Bimbos
c. Los Gusanos
d. A Moment in the Sun
Answer: b. Pride of the Bimbos
5) For which film did John Sayles make his directorial debut?
a. Matewan
b. Eight Men Out
c. Return of the Secaucus 7
d. The Brother from Another Planet
Answer: c. Return of the Secaucus 7
6) Which award did John Sayles’ short story “I-80 Nebraska” win?
a. Pulitzer Prize
b. O. Henry Award
c. National Book Award
d. Hugo Award
Answer: b. O. Henry Award
7) Which film by John Sayles was added to the National Film Registry in 1997?
a. Lone Star
b. Passion Fish
c. Return of the Secaucus 7
d. Men with Guns
Answer: c. Return of the Secaucus 7
8) For which film did John Sayles receive his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay?
a. Passion Fish
b. Lone Star
c. Eight Men Out
d. Matewan
Answer: a. Passion Fish
9) Who is John Sayles’ long-time collaborator and companion?
a. Maggie Renzi
b. Brenda Child
c. Sarah Green
d. Mary Rausch
Answer: a. Maggie Renzi
10) Which filmmaker did John Sayles initially write screenplays for in the late 1970s?
a. Steven Spielberg
b. Roger Corman
c. Martin Scorsese
d. George Lucas
Answer: b. Roger Corman
11) Which of the following films did John Sayles NOT direct?
a. Apollo 13
b. Matewan
c. The Secret of Roan Inish
d. Men with Guns
Answer: a. Apollo 13
12) Which novel by John Sayles was nominated for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award?
a. Pride of the Bimbos
b. Union Dues
c. Yellow Earth
d. Los Gusanos
Answer: b. Union Dues
13) Which film by John Sayles explores the Black Sox Scandal?
a. Eight Men Out
b. Matewan
c. Lone Star
d. Passion Fish
Answer: a. Eight Men Out
14) In which year was John Sayles’ film Matewan added to the National Film Registry?
a. 1997
b. 2007
c. 2023
d. 2013
Answer: c. 2023
15) Which John Sayles film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film?
a. Lone Star
b. Men with Guns
c. The Secret of Roan Inish
d. The Brother from Another Planet
Answer: b. Men with Guns
16) What is the title of John Sayles’ novel published in 2020?
a. A Moment in the Sun
b. Yellow Earth
c. Jamie MacGillivray
d. Dillinger in Hollywood
Answer: b. Yellow Earth
17) Which John Sayles film is set during the Philippine-American War?
a. Amigo
b. Go for Sisters
c. Honeydripper
d. Los Gusanos
Answer: a. Amigo
18) What is the title of John Sayles’ collection of short stories published in 1979?
a. Dillinger in Hollywood
b. The Anarchist’s Convention
c. Thinking in Pictures
d. Los Gusanos
Answer: b. The Anarchist’s Convention
19) Which film did John Sayles write the screenplay for, inspired by the Black Sox Scandal, before directing it himself?
a. Eight Men Out
b. Matewan
c. The Brother from Another Planet
d. Return of the Secaucus 7
Answer: a. Eight Men Out
20) Which prestigious fellowship did John Sayles receive in 1983?
a. Pulitzer Fellowship
b. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
c. Guggenheim Fellowship
d. National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
Answer: b. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
21) Which John Sayles film focuses on a coal miners’ strike in 1920s West Virginia?
a. Lone Star
b. Passion Fish
c. Matewan
d. Men with Guns
Answer: c. Matewan
22) Where did John Sayles donate his non-film archive in 2014?
a. UCLA Film and Television Archive
b. University of Michigan
c. Williams College
d. Library of Congress
Answer: b. University of Michigan
23) Which of the following is a John Sayles novel published in 2023?
a. Yellow Earth
b. A Moment in the Sun
c. Jamie MacGillivray: The Renegade’s Journey
d. Union Dues
Answer: c. Jamie MacGillivray: The Renegade’s Journey
24) For which film did John Sayles win the Best Screenplay award at the 2007 San Sebastián International Film Festival?
a. Honeydripper
b. Lone Star
c. Passion Fish
d. Men with Guns
Answer: a. Honeydripper
25) Which John Sayles film features a reunion of college friends who were arrested on their way to a protest?
a. The Brother from Another Planet
b. Return of the Secaucus 7
c. Eight Men Out
d. Lone Star
Answer: b. Return of the Secaucus 7