TASK DEFINITION: You will be given a trivia clue, and the category it belongs to. You should answer with the best answer that belongs in the category and is described by the clue. For simplicity, answers should be in all lower cased letters.
PROBLEM: Category: NEW SPORTS 
Clue: In 2008, Middlebury College in Vermont won its 2nd straight championship in this sport introduced in a 1997 novel

SOLUTION: quidditch

PROBLEM: Category: LITERARY OBJECTS 
Clue: In literature from the 1200s to today, it has been depicted as a type of dish, a talismanic stone & a woman

SOLUTION: the holy grail

PROBLEM: Category: AUTHORS 
Clue: Her first published writings appeared in the Shanghai Mercury when she was 7

SOLUTION:
pearl buck