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Last Updated: Wednesday, 4 February, 2004, 12:10 GMT
Are you wise with words?
David Brent
"You will never work in a place like this again."
David Brent's brand of management gobbledegook is better known than some of the most famous lines from English literature, according to a survey.

While many of those asked could identify Brent's words in the BBC sitcom The Office, they were stumped when it came to Shakespeare and other great writers.

The survey was set up to mark the Words Worth Reading event, which takes place on 19 March.

So how clued up are you when it comes to the great quotes - and lesser known ramblings - from history? Take our quiz to find out.

Question 1
Complete the famous Hamlet quote: "Alas, poor Yorick…."
A: He was a decent bloke
B: I knew him well, Horatio
C: I knew him, Horatio
Question 2
Fill in the blank in this David Brent quote: "I’ve created an atmosphere where I’m a friend first, boss second. Probably _________ third."
A: Comedian
B: Paper supplier
C: Entertainer
Question 3
Fill in the blanks from the famous Wordsworth poem: "I wandered lonely as a cloud, That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of _________ _______"
A: Yellow daffodils
B: Purple pansies
C: Golden daffodils
Question 4
"I cannot forecast to you the action of ____. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." Fill in the blank from this Churchill quote.
A: Russia
B: Germany
C: The Labour Party
Question 5
"The report of my death was an exaggeration". Who said it?
A: Oscar Wilde
B: Mark Twain
C: James Thurber
Question 6
"Losing you would leave me a heart so torn". Who sang that?
A: Elvis Presley
B: Peter Andre
C: Elvis Costello
Question 7
"I have nothing to declare except my ________" What was Oscar Wilde talking about?
A: His intellect
B: His genius
C: His 200 fags and four litres of gin
Question 8
"She knows there's no success like failure. And that failure's no success at all." Who sang it?
A: John Lennon
B: Peter Andre
C: Bob Dylan
Question 9
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think _______ will be thrown into the sea." What's missing from the Eric Cantona quote which baffled many?
A: Pilchards
B: Sardines
C: Tuna steaks
Question 10
"Follow your spirit, and upon this charge, Cry God for Harry, England and Saint George." From which Shakespeare play does that quote come?
A: Henry IV
B: Henry V
C: Henry VI
Question 11
"People see me, and they see the suit, and they go: "you’re not fooling anyone", they know I’m __________ through and through." What's missing from the David Brent quote?
A: A rebel
B: Rock and roll
C: A madcap comedian
Question 12
"Take this cool dark steeled blade, Steal it, sheath it, in your lake" Who wrote it?
A: Shakespeare
B: Tennyson
C: David Brent

 Press the button and see how you have done




SEE ALSO:
The Office wisdom eclipses Bard
04 Feb 04  |  Entertainment


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