(CNN) -- Charles Dickens, who was born 200 years ago this week, created some of the best-known and most loved figures in English literature, from Oliver Twist and David Copperfield to Pip, Miss Havisham and Magwitch. 

But of all the characters he wrote about, none played as important a role in his work as that of London itself: its hustle and bustle, its glittering promise and grimy streets and the extremes of poverty and wealth experienced by those who lived there. 

Alex Werner, the curator of the Museum of London's "Dickens and London" exhibition, says the city was "absolutely central" to Dickens' work. 

"It triggered his imagination," he told CNN. "He called it his 'magic lantern', and would spend hours pacing the streets, drawing inspiration from what he saw around him." 

Read more: Dickens admirers mark bicentenary 

London was Dickens' muse, helping to spark his creativity and provide ideas for some of the most memorable characters, settings and plot twists in English literature. 

As Britain -- and literature lovers the world over -- celebrates Dickens' bicentenary in 2012, what better time to explore the city he knew and loved best? 

Dickens in London 

Dickens moved to London as a child, but the family soon ran into financial trouble: His father was sent to debtors' prison, and at the age of just 12, Dickens was forced to work in a shoe polish factory -- Warren's Blacking Warehouse, at Hungerford Stairs -- to support his mother and siblings. 

"It was a crazy, tumbledown old house, abutting of course on the river, and literally overrun with rats... the dirt and decay of the place rise up visibly before me, as if I were there again," he later told his biographer, John Forster. Both the warehouse and the stairs, near what is now Embankment tube station, are long gone.  QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. What is the name of the city where Charles Dickens lived as a child?
2. In which city was Charles Dickens raised as a child?
3. 
Q2:
1. Was Charles Dickens required to work when he was a young boy?
2. Did Charles Dickens have to work when he was a young kid?
3. 
Q3:
1. What kind of factory did Charles Dickens work in as a kid?
2. Charles Dickens worked in what type of factory as a child?
3. 
Q4:
1. What was the name of the factory where Charles Dickens worked as a kid?
2. What was the factory where Charles Dickens worked as a young boy called?
3. 
Q5:
1. Charles Dickens worked in the factory in order to support which people?
2. Who was Charles Dickens trying to help by working in a factory from a young age?
3. 
Q6:
1. Does the factory where Charles Dickens worked as a kid still exist?
2. Is the factory where Charles Dickens worked as a child still there today?
3. 
Q7:
1. In what way did London benefit Charles Dickens?
2. How did Charles Dickens benefit from living in London?
3. 
Q8:
1. What part of Charles Dickens mind was triggered by living in London?
2. London triggered which part of Charles Dickens' mind?
3. 
Q9:
1. What special name did Charles Dickens give to London?
2. Charles Dickens referred to London by what special name?
3. 
Q10:
1. Was there great disparity in the wealth of Londoners?
2. Did the wealth of Londoners vary greatly?
3. 
