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Quiz about Australian Bush Poetry
Quiz about Australian Bush Poetry

Australian Bush Poetry Trivia Quiz


A quiz on the poetry of the Australian bushmen. Most of the questions relate to the funny side of life in the Outback.

A multiple-choice quiz by ozzz2002. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
ozzz2002
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
165,152
Updated
Feb 10 22
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
10 / 15
Plays
784
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: loannlo (13/15), Triviaballer (15/15), Guest 175 (5/15).
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Question 1 of 15
1. 'Banjo' Paterson was well known for his humourous works, and one of these is "Mulga Bill's Bicycle". What happened to Bill and his bicycle in this very funny poem? Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. One of the greatest Australian poems ever written was "The Man from Snowy River". Which American actor had a starring role in the 1982 film version? Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. P.J. Hartigan, a priest that used the pseudonym 'John O'Brien', penned a poem called "Tangmalangaloo". In the poem, a bishop was asking a congregation of children about the significance of Christmas Day. What answer did the "two storey lad" from Tangmalangaloo shock the preacher with? Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. "The Sentimental Bloke", by C.J. Dennis tells of a date where he and Doreen watched a stage production of a classic Shakespearean play. Which play? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. "How M'Dougall Topped the Score", by Thomas Spencer is about a game between the townships of Piper's Flat and Molongo. What game were they playing? Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. Which Australian bush poet is the only one to have a bust erected in his honour in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey? Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. Which poem, also by Banjo Paterson, tells of a young Aboriginal boy's theories about snow? Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. "The Man from Ironbark" tells the tale of a bushie who comes to the city, and wants to return home as a "...Sydney toff." What change to his appearance does he think will impress the yokels back in Ironbark? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. In "Been There Before", written by Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson, the locals bet a stranger that he could not do what? Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. Another hilarious Paterson poem tells the story of "A Bush Christening". The 'victim' was Maginnis Magee, but how did he come by his unusual Christian name? Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Banjo Paterson wrote the words to the 'unofficial' Australian anthem, "Waltzing Matilda".


Question 12 of 15
12. What is the next line of the classic Dorothea MacKellar poem, "My Country"?
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,...
Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. Thomas Ranken wrote about a swagman who was trying to boil his billy (make a brew of tea). He lit a fire in long grass, but it got out of control. Undaunted, he chased the fire with his billy on a piece of fencing wire until it eventually boiled. What 'minor' problem did he then face? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. John O'Brien penned a poem about the constant pessimism of bush farmers, and natural occurrences like drought, floods and bushfires. What was this poem called? Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. Which Australian poet was executed in the Boer War, in 1902? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 25 2024 : loannlo: 13/15
Mar 13 2024 : Triviaballer: 15/15
Feb 26 2024 : Guest 175: 5/15

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. 'Banjo' Paterson was well known for his humourous works, and one of these is "Mulga Bill's Bicycle". What happened to Bill and his bicycle in this very funny poem?

Answer: Both ended up in Dead Man's Creek

Bill quickly discovered that a bicycle cannot be controlled like a horse, and had a terrifying ride down a mountain slope, before..

"...as Mulga Bill let out one last despairing shriek,
It made a leap of twenty feet into the Dead Man's Creek."
2. One of the greatest Australian poems ever written was "The Man from Snowy River". Which American actor had a starring role in the 1982 film version?

Answer: Kirk Douglas

Douglas played Harrison, "...who made his pile when Pardon won the Cup..", a crusty old horseman who tried to keep Tom Burlinson (the 'Man') from joining the chase for "... the colt from old Regret..". Clancy of the Overflow (played by rugged Aussie actor, Jack Thompson) managed to convince the others to let him ride, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Another classic piece of literature from A.B. Paterson.
3. P.J. Hartigan, a priest that used the pseudonym 'John O'Brien', penned a poem called "Tangmalangaloo". In the poem, a bishop was asking a congregation of children about the significance of Christmas Day. What answer did the "two storey lad" from Tangmalangaloo shock the preacher with?

Answer: "It's the day before the races out at Tangmalangaloo"

The poor padre was rather taken aback by the answer from the strapping lad from the Outback!

Hartigan was born in Yass, New South Wales in 1871, and died in 1952. His book, "Around the Boree Log, and Other Verses" is a must-have for any traditional poetry lover.
4. "The Sentimental Bloke", by C.J. Dennis tells of a date where he and Doreen watched a stage production of a classic Shakespearean play. Which play?

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

"Doreen an' me, we bin to see a show--
The swell two-dollar touch. Bong tong, yeh know.
A chair apiece wiv velvit on the seat;
A slap-up treat.
The drarmer's writ be Shakespeare, years ago,
About a barmy goat called Romeo"

The book "Songs of a Sentimental Bloke" portrayed the main characters as cherubs, for reasons that have eluded me since childhood. Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis was born in 1876 and died in 1938. His other major works were "The Moods of Ginger Mick" (a spinoff from the "Bloke") and "The Glugs of Gosh". A very funny man, indeed.
5. "How M'Dougall Topped the Score", by Thomas Spencer is about a game between the townships of Piper's Flat and Molongo. What game were they playing?

Answer: Cricket

McDougall was a Scotsman, who had never played cricket before, but he had a well-trained dog called Pincher. Piper's Flat was a long way behind, when our canny Scot came to bat- he hit the ball back to the bowler and took off for a suicide run. At the same time, he told the dog to 'Fetch it', and he did!

"He seized the ball like lightning; then he ran behind a log,
An M'Dougal kept on running, while Molongo chased the dog!"

Needless to say, Piper's Flat won the game, and Molongo had to pay for the post-match festivities...
6. Which Australian bush poet is the only one to have a bust erected in his honour in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey?

Answer: Adam Lindsay Gordon

Gordon led a short and tragic life. He was born in the Azores in 1833, and committed suicide when he was only 37. At various times he was a politician in South Australia, a steeplechase jockey in Victoria, and was also known as the 'laureate of the horse'.

His works included "The Feud", "Sea Spray and Smoke Drift" and his best-known book, "Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes" which was released the day before he shot himself.
7. Which poem, also by Banjo Paterson, tells of a young Aboriginal boy's theories about snow?

Answer: Frying Pan's Theology

Frying Pan had a rather unique slant on the phenomenon of snow.

"Shake 'im big flour bag
Up in the sky!"

Thunder is created by God driving a bullock dray through the sky, according to young Frying Pan.

Hay and Boolagil are extremely unlikely to experience snow - both are almost as hot as the 'other place'.
8. "The Man from Ironbark" tells the tale of a bushie who comes to the city, and wants to return home as a "...Sydney toff." What change to his appearance does he think will impress the yokels back in Ironbark?

Answer: Having his full beard shaved off

The barber, seeing that he had a country hick in the chair, decided to play a practical joke on him. He dragged the back of a hot razor across the Man's neck, giving the impression that he had just cut his throat! After he returned to the safety of Ironbark, and news spread of his 'close shave' (pun intended), the locals decided that full beards were safer.

As you may be able to tell, Banjo is one of my favourite poets.
9. In "Been There Before", written by Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson, the locals bet a stranger that he could not do what?

Answer: Throw a stone across the Darling River

The Darling is only fifty yards wide, but
"...As he trundled down, but his hopes they sank
For there wasn't a stone within fifty mile;
For the saltbush plain and the open down
Produce no quarries in Walgett town."

The stranger then produced a stone from his pocket, pelted it over the river and won his bet... He had 'Been There Before'.
10. Another hilarious Paterson poem tells the story of "A Bush Christening". The 'victim' was Maginnis Magee, but how did he come by his unusual Christian name?

Answer: He was named after a brand of whisky

Young Maginnis overheard the meeting between his parents and the preacher, and got the idea that joining the 'flock', was similar to branding a horse. He hid in a log, but his father chased him out with a stick. In all the excitement, the preacher forgot what name was picked out, and
"...The priest, as he fled, flung a flask at his head
That was labelled "Maginnis's Whisky"!
11. Banjo Paterson wrote the words to the 'unofficial' Australian anthem, "Waltzing Matilda".

Answer: True

The origins of the music are a bit vague, but it is believed that it was based on an old Scottish tune called "Craigeelee". Paterson composed the words at Dagworth Station in western Queensland in 1895. His original lyrics have changed slightly over the years, but are still quite close to the original.
12. What is the next line of the classic Dorothea MacKellar poem, "My Country"? I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges,...

Answer: "Of droughts and flooding rains."

The verse concludes-
"I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!"

I recall chanting this verse in my younger school days. It is a stirring piece of verse, and describes our country beautifully. MacKellar, who was born in 1883, penned the poem when she was only nineteen.
13. Thomas Ranken wrote about a swagman who was trying to boil his billy (make a brew of tea). He lit a fire in long grass, but it got out of control. Undaunted, he chased the fire with his billy on a piece of fencing wire until it eventually boiled. What 'minor' problem did he then face?

Answer: He forgot the tea

The 'hero' was Mickety Mulga, and the poem named for him was published in 1936. Ranken also wrote about "The Big White Bull"- a hilarious ditty about Mickety 'conquering' a rather large bullock.
14. John O'Brien penned a poem about the constant pessimism of bush farmers, and natural occurrences like drought, floods and bushfires. What was this poem called?

Answer: Said Hanrahan

Firstly, Hanrahan and his mates complained about the lack of rain. When it did eventually rain, they feared the possibilities of floods! After the rain stopped...
"And, oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place
Went riding down to Mass."

What next? Complaining about bushfires- there is just no pleasing some people!

"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan... "
15. Which Australian poet was executed in the Boer War, in 1902?

Answer: Henry Harbord Morant

Morant was better known as 'the Breaker', a name gained from his ability to break wild horses. His execution, by order of Lord Kitchener, is still regarded as a travesty of justice. The trumped-up charges related to Morant and two other soldiers killing Boer prisoners. Was he merely following orders? Who knows? The details are clouded in mystery.

Morant composed 32 poems, including "Brigalow Mick", "Westward Ho!" and "Butchered to Make a Dutchman's Holiday".
Source: Author ozzz2002

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
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