Image: River Road Entertainment
About This Quiz
Ang Lee's 2005 film adaptation of Annie Proulx's short story earned many accolades, controversies, and a lot of money at the box office. Think you can saddle up with the "Brokeback Mountain" quiz? Then giddy-up and find out!
"Hulk" director Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" film is highly controversial because of its main theme. What was its subject matter about?
money laundering
same-sex romance
The highly unconventional same-sex romance between two macho-looking tough guys was something new in the mainstream cinema of the 2000s. While independent cinema has had successful LGBT-themed films and, TV also had its earliest hits on cable, "Brokeback Mountain" paved the way for more non-stereotypical depictions of gay love at the movies.
mafia as cowboys
Chinese invasion of Wyoming
"Brokeback Mountain" is a fictional place in both Proulx's short story and the film. In which state is it found?
Oregon
Alaska
Wyoming
Wyoming is the main setting of the film's story. "Brokeback Mountain" is a remote area in the state.
New York
"Brokeback Mountain's" unconventional love story between two men was even more surprising since it featured these types of supposedly "manly men."
army soldiers
cowboys
Both male protagonists in the film are cowboys. This makes the story even more controversial since the image of the American cowboy is tough, macho, and heterosexual.
mermen
firefighters
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The more talkative of the two cowboys is named Jack Twist. Which character-actor played him?
Edward Norton
Christian Bale
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake Gyllenhall played the more talkative cowboy, Jack Twist, in the film. He won an Academy Award for his performance.
Brad Pitt
Ennis Del Mar is the more reserved cowboy of the two leads. Which young actor, who later died, played him?
River Phoenix
Heath Ledger
Australian actor, Heath Ledger, was only 28 when he died. His portrayal of Ennis Del Mar won him a handful of awards.
David Bowie
Anton Yelchin
Like many unlikely pairings, Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar met in the most common of daily circumstances. How did they meet?
while at the grocery
while looking for a job
The cowboys met while they were both looking for a job. They were both hired since they were the only applicants.
while using the men's restroom
while eating breakfast
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Joe Aguirre, the boss who hired Jack and Ennis, got them to become herders. What livestock did the two have to take care of and herd?
horses
cows
sheep
Aguirre contracted Jack and Ennis to camp out in the mountains for several months to herd his sheep. One needs to sleep with the sheep, though, to guard them properly.
pigs
Why did Jack or Ennis need to sleep near the sheep, and not at the camp they set up?
for hygienic purposes
it smells better there
to guard against predators
Tending to a large herd of sheep is a huge job, since many predators try to kill them. That's why Jack was the first one to be with the sheep, then Ennis took over and killed a wild animal that attacked some sheep.
to put the sheep to sleep
To pass away the long, quiet time up at Brokeback Mountain, Jack brought along this handy musical instrument to play once in a while. What was it?
jew's harp
harmonica
Jack played the harmonica once in a while. It's a small enough musical instrument to pocket, so it can go with you anywhere at anytime.
guitar
whistle
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Mountain of trouble: What animal did Ennis encounter in the woods one day, while making his mules run away?
a bear
A bear spooked the mules that Ennis rode and tagged along for their weekly routine.
a snake
a girl
a bull
The gay love angle in the film was highly controversial since the story is set in this not-yet-too-progressive decade. Which decade was it?
the '20s
the 1880s
the '60s
The story opens during 1963, and while many social changes were already happening in America, talk of sexuality was still pretty taboo.
the '90s
Jack seemed to come very prepared for a quiet life up in the mountains, since he packed this kind of liquor. What was he always drinking, which he shared with Ennis from time to time?
whiskey
Jack Twist always had a bottle of whiskey during the many weeks they spent in Brokeback Mountain. As to how many he brought is a mystery, but it looks like a lot!
gin
beer
champagne
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Ennis has his own vice he brought with him, a signature of a cowboy during those days. What was it?
boots
cigarettes
Ennis smoked a lot. Jack did, too, so they both had lots of cigarette packs with them.
McDonald's
chewing gum
When not looking for work, Jack said that he sometimes did some work as a kind of riding cowboy in this kind of event. What was this cowboy event called?
bullfight
Tomatina
rodeo
Jack is a rodeo guy. Ennis snickers, since he believes rodeo guys are a bit crazy to be doing what they do.
mud wrestling
Ennis reveals he has siblings, but no parents. That makes him ...
happy
an orphan
Ennis has been a longtime orphan, ever since his parents died in a car crash. His siblings all had their own married lives to run, so he went out into the world alone..
deprived
a loner
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Jack and Ennis started their affair during one drunken night when they slept inside one of these because it was very cold for someone to sleep outside.
a sleeping bag
a treehouse
a saddle
a tent
The mountain-cold weather made Ennis bunk up with Jack inside their pitched tent. This is where they shared more than a sleeping mat; they also had sex for the first time.
When Ennis and Jack tried to talk about the first time they had sex, they both said they were not one of these. What former derogatory word did they use to describe it, which is now a word embraced by the LGBT community?
closeted
quietly
queer
"I ain't no queer†was what Ennis said when he tried to talk to Jack about what happened to them. Jack replied "Me neither."
mysterious
Troublesome mountaineer: Jack and Ennis didn't know that someone else saw them one time at Brokeback Mountain, while they were in a highly compromising situation. Who saw them?
the bear
the guy who brought groceries
another herder
their boss
Jack and Ennis' boss, Aguirre, saw them together one morning in the camp, without their shirts on, and goofing around. Aguirre suspected something was off, which led him to refuse to hire Jack again the following year.
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In which season did Jack and Ennis start their sheep-herding job at Brokeback Mountain?
winter
spring
summer
It was summertime when Jack and Ennis started working as camp tenders and herders in Brokeback Mountain. Jack wanted to do it again the following summer, but Ennis had other plans.
fall
When their Brokeback Mountain summer job was over, what did Ennis do?
drunk himself to death
went to Mexico
got married
Ennis was engaged to a woman whom he planned to marry by November, right after their summer job at Brokeback Mountain. And he did just that, even if he felt a bit conflicted about Jack.
wrote love letters to Jack
When their Brokeback Mountain summer job ended, what did Jack do?
hit the road aimlessly
went back up there to camp
went back to his father's house
Jack tried to go back to his father's house to see what he could do there, by way of making a living and preparing something for Ennis. His father reveals this to Ennis later on.
worked in a restaurant
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While working at a rodeo again, Jack met this kind of woman there, whom he eventually goes out with.
a mule
a waitress
a cowgirl
A cowgirl in pink was demonstrating her equestrian stuff in the rodeo where Jack was. They met each other there and had a moment, which later turned into an event.
another sheep herder
Lureen Newsome was the riding cowgirl Jack Twist met at the rodeo. She liked him and wasn't afraid to show it. Which "Les Miserables" singing-acting star portrayed her?
Helena Bonham Carter
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway portrayed Lureen Newsome, the daughter of a rich businessman who sells farm equipment. Lureen eventually becomes Jack's wife.
Julia Roberts
Keira Knightley
Since Lureen Newsome was from another state, Jack Twist settled down with her in her hometown after they got married. In which state were they living?
Maine
Texas
Jack Twist moved to Texas since his wife was from there. He also joined her family's business.
New Jersey
Mississippi
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Alma Beers was Ennis' fiancée whom he later married and had two kids with. Which actress played this role?
Prue Halliwell
Chloe Sevigny
Amanda Seyfried
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams portrayed Alma, Ennis' fiancée in the film. Offscreen, Michelle and Heath actually dated after meeting in this film, and they had a child together before ending their relationship.
Ennis was more than happy to receive one of these things from Jack, stating that the latter was visiting the former in Wyoming.
telegram
postcard
Ennis got a postcard note from Jack after four years from being together at Brokeback Mountain. He was more than glad to accommodate Jack in his hometown.
love letter
email
When Ennis tried to describe who Jack is in his life, he told his wife that he and Jack were this kind of friends.
army buddies
drinking buddies
fishing buddies
Ennis said that Jack is his fishing buddy, and they go way back. It's apparently the same story Jack told his own wife, Lureen.
cowboy buddies
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Alma's world crashed when Jack Twist arrived because she saw Ennis and Jack do this.
do the square dance together
kiss passionately
Alma accidentally saw Jack and Ennis kiss passionately after Jack arrived. But she kept her knowledge of this a secret which she carried for years.
high-five
drink 'til they're drunk
Jack wanted to have a life with Ennis as a couple, but Ennis was afraid of the consequences of being a gay couple in cowboy country. In which period of his life was this consequence impressed upon him?
when he was in the army
after getting married
just yesterday
during his childhood
During Ennis' childhood, his father made sure that he and his brother saw the fate of one suspected homosexual cowboy. The man was beaten up and dragged to his death, just because he lived with another cowboy in a ranch, and they were suspected of being gay by their judgmental neighbors.
When Alma could no longer take Ennis' occasional "fishing/vacation trips†with Jack, she did this ...
filed for divorce
Aside from not confronting Ennis about Jack, Alma had enough of her husband's abandonment of his fatherly duties, so she filed for divorce. But they kept in touch since Ennis had visitation rights to the kids, and he paid child support.
took a lover of her own
shouted at him endlessly
joined them for a threesome
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Since Jack needs to be with men to fulfill his desires in between his meet-ups with Ennis, he goes to this country to pick up men from time to time.
Cuba
Mexico
Jack drives down to Mexico once in a while to cruise men. This is how he passes time when not with Ennis.
Panama
Honduras
When Jack was getting fed up with their occasional meet-ups, he told Ennis that "I wish I could ___ you.â€
lick
smack
quit
"I wish I could quit you,†an exasperated Jack told a conflicted Ennis. But they both knew that their love is real, but it's hard to be together due to circumstances bigger than them.
slap
Jack eventually died, as Ennis found out, since his postcard to Jack returned with this one word stamped on it. What did it say?
return to sender
void
sorry
deceased
Ennis got his postcard returned to him, with the word "deceased†stamped on it, meaning the receiver was already dead. He called Jack's wife, Lureen, to ask what happened, but the details appeared rather sketchy.
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Lureen said Jack accidentally died while fixing a car tire, but Ennis suspected that Jack really died from getting beat up, because of this prevailing societal attitude in cowboy land. What was this attitude called?
homophobia
Scary scenes of Jack getting beat up by angry burly men flashed in Ennis' mind when he heard about the "freak accident†reason why Jack died. He has long suspected people's homophobia, and he feels that's what really killed the love of his life.
islamophobia
racism
sexism
Ennis lovingly keeps his shirt and Jack's on one hanger, at the door of this kind of furniture - a symbol of hiding for the queer community. What is it?
closet
Ennis found the shirt he lost at Brokeback in Jack's childhood room, where it was enclosed inside one of Jack's shirts. Ennis took both shirts and hung them together on his own closet door, where he lovingly touched it from time to time, as it hung beside a postcard picture of Brokeback Mountain.
wardrobe
attic
basement
You Got:
/35
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