Q 01/05

Isaac Asimov was a professor of which subject at Boston University?

A) Astronomy

B) Physics

C) English literature

D) Biochemistry

Answer · why

D) Biochemistry

He was offered the associate professorship at the School of Medicine after a postdoctoral year, largely thanks to a fan letter about his story Nightfa...

Q 02/05

In which country was Asimov born?

A) Poland

B) United States

C) Russia

D) Ukraine

Answer · why

C) Russia

His exact birth date in the village of Petrovichi is unknown; he celebrated January 2, 1920. The family sailed to New York via Liverpool when he was t...

Q 03/05

What kind of business did Asimov's parents run in Brooklyn, where he discovered pulp magazines?

A) A delicatessen

B) A newsstand

C) A tailor's shop

D) A candy store

Answer · why

D) A candy store

The shops sold newspapers and magazines, giving him an endless supply of free reading. He became a science fiction fan in 1929 at age nine.

Q 04/05

Roughly how many books did Asimov write or edit in his lifetime?

A) More than 100

B) More than 250

C) More than 500

D) More than 1,000

Answer · why

C) More than 500

He also wrote an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He used an outline only once, likening it to playing the piano in a straitjacket.

Q 05/05

Asimov's books span every Dewey Decimal class except which one?

A) 200 (Religion)

B) 700 (Arts)

C) 800 (Literature)

D) 100 (Philosophy)

Answer · why

D) 100 (Philosophy)

He covered the other nine, from Bible guides to limericks to the history of the slide rule. His works on religion include the two-volume Asimov's Guid...