Marilyn Monroe remains a pop culture icon, yet much of her personal life and intellectual side is often sidelined. This quiz looks at her private interests, her reading habits, and her professional challenges.
You will see questions about her acting techniques, her famous film sets, and her public controversies. Some questions focus on her work as an actress, while others touch on her specific political and historical associations.
If you like this, check out our other pages on acting techniques, troubled film shoots, and Golden Age Hollywood history.
What was the widely reported IQ score attributed to Marilyn Monroe?
175
175
140
140
168
168
155
155
What notoriously difficult literary classic was Marilyn Monroe famously photographed reading on a playground set?
James Joyce’s Ulysses
James Joyce’s Ulysses
Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway
Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway
William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury
Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace
Which legendary acting coach did Marilyn Monroe study with at the Actors Studio to refine her ‘Method’ technique?
Sanford Meisner
Sanford Meisner
Stella Adler
Stella Adler
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Uta Hagen
Uta Hagen
Marilyn Monroe is infamously linked to which U.S. President by her performance at his 45th birthday celebration?
Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
Which film production was Marilyn Monroe fired from in 1962, shortly before her death?
Bus Stop
Bus Stop
The Seven Year Itch
The Seven Year Itch
Something’s Got to Give
Something’s Got to Give
The Misfits
The Misfits
Marilyn Monroe’s personal library was extensive; which book of correspondence did she frequently cite as a favorite?
A collection of poems by Rainer Maria Rilke
A collection of poems by Rainer Maria Rilke
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
In which city did Marilyn Monroe move to study under Lee Strasberg?
New York City
New York City
London
London
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Paris
Paris
Beyond her rumored affair with the President, with which other Kennedy sibling was Monroe significantly linked by historians?
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
What was the primary official reason cited by 20th Century Fox for firing Monroe from her final film?
Refusing to film on location
Refusing to film on location
Demanding a higher salary mid-shoot
Demanding a higher salary mid-shoot
Chronic lateness
Chronic lateness
Refusing to memorize lines
Refusing to memorize lines
Which academic discipline, encompassing classic novels and poetry, did Marilyn Monroe deeply engage with to challenge her public image?
Art History
Art History
Psychology
Psychology
Literature
Literature
Philosophy
Philosophy
While at the Actors Studio, Monroe famously performed scenes from which classic play to demonstrate her Method acting skills?
Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard
Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard
Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie
Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie
At the time of her documented connections to the family, what was Robert F. Kennedy’s official government position?
Secretary of the Navy
Secretary of the Navy
Attorney General
Attorney General
Ambassador
Ambassador
Senator
Senator
On the set of which film was it alleged that Monroe was nearly fired due to her inability to remember simple directions?
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
How to Marry a Millionaire
How to Marry a Millionaire
The Seven Year Itch
The Seven Year Itch
In private, Monroe engaged with intense intellectual works; which Russian author was reportedly one of her favorites?
Hemingway
Hemingway
Kafka
Kafka
Thoreau
Thoreau
Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky
What is the name of the prestigious organization that pioneered The Method in America?
The Actors Studio
The Actors Studio
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Neighborhood Playhouse
The Neighborhood Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse
Where did Monroe deliver her infamous ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ performance?
A private fundraiser at a family compound in Hyannis Port
A private fundraiser at a family compound in Hyannis Port
The Inaugural Gala in Washington D.C.
The Inaugural Gala in Washington D.C.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner
The President’s Club event at Madison Square Garden
The President’s Club event at Madison Square Garden
Who was the male lead fired from ‘Something’s Got to Give’ in solidarity with Monroe after she was dismissed?
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Cary Grant
Cary Grant
What is the most tangible evidence of Monroe’s genuine intellectual depth and reading habits?
A personal diary found after her death
A personal diary found after her death
Test scores released by her high school peers during a reunion
Test scores released by her high school peers during a reunion
Interviews with childhood friends who witnessed her reading habits as a teen
Interviews with childhood friends who witnessed her reading habits as a teen
Her extensive, annotated personal library inventory
Her extensive, annotated personal library inventory
Which key pillar of The Method did Monroe leverage to access personal trauma for her dramatic performances?
Physical mirroring
Physical mirroring
Vocal projection exercises
Vocal projection exercises
Emotional recall
Emotional recall
Improvisational comedy
Improvisational comedy
What is the commonly cited reason for the Kennedy family’s desire to distance themselves from Monroe?
She was leaking private information to the press
She was leaking private information to the press
The Kennedy family was concerned about her volatile political associations
The Kennedy family was concerned about her volatile political associations
The family wanted to protect their Catholic image before an election cycle
The family wanted to protect their Catholic image before an election cycle
An affair with the President was a threat to national security
An affair with the President was a threat to national security
Regarding ‘Some Like It Hot’, what is the factual status of Monroe’s employment?
Bill Wilder requested her termination due to her temperament
Bill Wilder requested her termination due to her temperament
Director Billy Wilder stated he would never work with her again after the production was complete
Director Billy Wilder stated he would never work with her again after the production was complete
She famously walked off the set due to script disputes
She famously walked off the set due to script disputes
She was fired during the first week of shooting for unprofessionalism
She was fired during the first week of shooting for unprofessionalism
While the specific IQ score of 168 is often debated, which range did the various reports place her in?
115-120 range
115-120 range
100-110 range
100-110 range
160-170 range
160-170 range
140-150 range
140-150 range
You can do better
Not bad
Great!
After finishing these questions, you might enjoy our other collections of trivia focusing on Hollywood legends, stories about notable filmmakers, and various iconic movies.
