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Quiz about The Poetry of Bruce Dawe
Quiz about The Poetry of Bruce Dawe

The Poetry of Bruce Dawe Trivia Quiz


My high-school English teachers gave us Bruce Dawe to study as part of the Poetry Component. I've be re-reading him lately and thought I'd share him.

A multiple-choice quiz by ncw75. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
ncw75
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
306,349
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
142
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Question 1 of 10
1. Which poem does the following come from:
"Here in solemn state lies one/Garlanded in Gin/Who feted Fate and changed her Frown/Into a Grin"?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which poem starts "Dear one, forgive my appearing before you like this, in a two-piece tracksuit, welders goggles and a green cloth cap like some gross bee ..." Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which poem contains the lines:
"A silence hovers in robes over the hire-purchase company's letter. First their eyebrows, then their thoughts take wing - and they are away! ... The new home has never heard from them ..."
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Which poem starts with the words, "Something about the idea/appeals to me immensely..." Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which poem starts with "Blink, blink. HOSPITAL SILENCE" and concludes with "Blink, blink. CEMETERY SILENCE"? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which poem commences with "When children are born in Victoria/they are wrapped in the club-colours, laid in beribboned cots,/having already began a lifetime's barracking..." Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Which poem concludes with the lines: "...and on to cities in whose wide web of suburbs/telegrams tremble like leaves from a wintering tree/and the spider grief swings in his bitter geometry/-they're bringing them home, now, too late, too early." Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which poem contains the stanza, "The news spread like a darkness; in the bosoms/Of sales-girls the little lights winked out./Chewing-gum lost its flavour on the instant,/Copy writers felt the cramp of doubt." Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which poem contains the lines "What steps forward out of the shadows ... assuming the combat stance, gun steaded to pump more bullets into the history of the sixties ..." Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which poem commences, "When the Kalkadoons stopped running/and turned and charged the guns/the Native Police and squatters/blew apart their bones." Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which poem does the following come from: "Here in solemn state lies one/Garlanded in Gin/Who feted Fate and changed her Frown/Into a Grin"?

Answer: No Fixed Address

"No Fixed Address" was written in 1954.

Bruce Dawe was born in Melbourne (in Fitzroy) in 1930.
2. Which poem starts "Dear one, forgive my appearing before you like this, in a two-piece tracksuit, welders goggles and a green cloth cap like some gross bee ..."

Answer: A Victorian Hangman Tells His Love

"A Victorian Hangman Tells His Love" was written in 1967.

Bruce Dawe went to university on a teaching scholarship in 1954.
3. Which poem contains the lines: "A silence hovers in robes over the hire-purchase company's letter. First their eyebrows, then their thoughts take wing - and they are away! ... The new home has never heard from them ..."

Answer: One Jump Ahead

"One Jump Ahead" was written in 1968 and is about a couple who make use of hire-purchase without paying for the goods.

Dawe left university after one year and found work in Sydney in a glass factory.
4. Which poem starts with the words, "Something about the idea/appeals to me immensely..."

Answer: Abandonment of Autos

"Abandonment of Autos" was written in 1964.

It is prefaced with a sentence written in a news item: "The City Council is reported to be concerned about the number of old cars being abandoned in city streets ..."
5. Which poem starts with "Blink, blink. HOSPITAL SILENCE" and concludes with "Blink, blink. CEMETERY SILENCE"?

Answer: Enter Without So Much As Knocking

"Enter Without So Much as Knocking" was written in 1959.

In 1959, Bruce Dawe joined the Royal Australian Air Force as a trainee telegraphist.
6. Which poem commences with "When children are born in Victoria/they are wrapped in the club-colours, laid in beribboned cots,/having already began a lifetime's barracking..."

Answer: Life-Cycle

"Life-Cycle" was written in 1967.

It is a reflection of the fervent Australian Rules Football fan who grows up supporting their local team.

Bruce Dawe married Gloria Blain in 1964 and had four children with her.
7. Which poem concludes with the lines: "...and on to cities in whose wide web of suburbs/telegrams tremble like leaves from a wintering tree/and the spider grief swings in his bitter geometry/-they're bringing them home, now, too late, too early."

Answer: Homecoming

"Homecoming" was written in 1968.

Bruce Dawe left the RAAF in 1968 and went to work as a teacher.
8. Which poem contains the stanza, "The news spread like a darkness; in the bosoms/Of sales-girls the little lights winked out./Chewing-gum lost its flavour on the instant,/Copy writers felt the cramp of doubt."

Answer: The Day that They Shot Santa Claus

"The Day that They Shot Santa Claus" was written in 1970.

Bruce Dawe went on to find work as a Tertiary educator, eventually retiring an Associate Professor in 1993.
9. Which poem contains the lines "What steps forward out of the shadows ... assuming the combat stance, gun steaded to pump more bullets into the history of the sixties ..."

Answer: December 9th 1980

"December 9th 1980" was written in 1980 about the death of John Lennon.
The full verse reads, "What steps forward out of the shadows of the Dakota, assuming the combat stance ...".

Bruce Dawe has received several awards including the Myer Poetry Prize in 1965 and 1968, and the Patrick White Literary Award in 1980 (amongst many others).
10. Which poem commences, "When the Kalkadoons stopped running/and turned and charged the guns/the Native Police and squatters/blew apart their bones."

Answer: Nemesis

"Nemesis" was written in 1981.

Bruce Dawe was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1992, "In recognition of service to Australian Literature particularly in the field of poetry".

All poems were taken from 'Sometimes Gladness' Third Edition (Collected Poems 1954-1987).

I hope you enjoyed this quiz. Please rate!
Source: Author ncw75

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