Which of the following statements about the authors of the novels "Brave New World", "An Affair Downstairs" and "Darkness at Noon" are correct? 1. The author of the novel "Brave New World" is Aldous Huxley. 2. The author of the novel "An Affair Downstairs" is Sherri Browning. 3. The author of the novel "Darkness at Noon" is Victor LaValle.

Introduction / Context:
This question links three significant novels with potential authors and asks which statements are correct. Two of the titles are modern or historical fiction, while one is a classic political novel. The challenge is to identify which author title pairs are accurate and which are not, using your knowledge of English literature.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Statement 1 connects "Brave New World" with Aldous Huxley.
• Statement 2 connects "An Affair Downstairs" with Sherri Browning.
• Statement 3 connects "Darkness at Noon" with Victor LaValle.
• You are asked which of these statements are correct.

Concept / Approach:
The real authors are:

• "Brave New World" is a famous dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley.
• "An Affair Downstairs" is written by Sherri Browning, known for historical romance.
• "Darkness at Noon" is a classic political novel by Arthur Koestler, not Victor LaValle.

By comparing each given statement with these known facts, you can decide which statements are true.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Evaluate statement 1. It correctly attributes "Brave New World" to Aldous Huxley, so statement 1 is true. Step 2: Evaluate statement 2. "An Affair Downstairs" is indeed written by Sherri Browning, so statement 2 is also true. Step 3: Evaluate statement 3. It claims that "Darkness at Noon" is by Victor LaValle. However, the author is Arthur Koestler, so statement 3 is false. Step 4: Summarise: statements 1 and 2 are correct, while statement 3 is incorrect. Step 5: Look at the answer options and pick the one that corresponds to "1 and 2 only". Step 6: Option a states "1 and 2 only", which matches your conclusion, so option a is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can confirm the authors by checking book catalogues. "Brave New World" is always linked with Aldous Huxley in literature references. "An Affair Downstairs" appears under Sherri Browning's name. "Darkness at Noon" is consistently associated with Arthur Koestler in discussions of twentieth century political novels. These reliable associations show that only the first two statements in the question are correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option b ("2 and 3 only") wrongly includes the incorrect statement 3 and excludes correct statement 1. Option c ("1 and 3 only") also wrongly assumes that statement 3 is true. Option d ("1, 2 and 3") treats all statements as correct, which is clearly not the case. Option e ("1 only") ignores the fact that statement 2 is also correct. Thus only option a accurately reflects which statements are true.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to focus on one book you know well and then guess the rest without carefully checking. Another pitfall is unfamiliarity with Arthur Koestler, which can lead to accepting Victor LaValle as the author of "Darkness at Noon" simply because his name is more familiar in modern horror fiction. It is important to build a basic list of classic political and dystopian novels and their authors so that such mismatches are easier to see.

Final Answer:
Statements 1 and 2 are correct, while statement 3 is incorrect.