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Quiz about Henry Lawson  Australian Poet and Writer
Quiz about Henry Lawson  Australian Poet and Writer

Henry Lawson - Australian Poet and Writer Quiz


Henry Lawson is one of my favourite Australian poets and writers. This quiz introduces some of the characters he created and a little about his life.

A multiple-choice quiz by tezza1551. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
tezza1551
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
284,378
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
265
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. One of Lawson's characters is described as "tall and solid and sandy, face of a country lout". Which one of the following was he describing? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Lawson was born in 1867, and died in 1922. During his lifetime, he spent time in jail and institutions because of his alcoholism.


Question 3 of 10
3. In 1901, Lawson wrote a poem titled "The Never-Never Country".
What was its subject?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Much of Lawson's work was written around the time and on the subject of Australia's Federation (1901). Which of the following poems do not deal with this issue? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Lawson's poem "Middleton's Rouseabout" tells of the fate of a young station hand. What happened to him? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. One of Lawson's best known short stories is titled "The Drover's Wife".
In it, Lawson relates some of the tribulations the woman has faced. Which of the following does he not mention?
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In the poem "The Sliprails and the Spur", Lawson has the young couple say goodbye to each other. What are the names of the people mentioned? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The poem "The Cambaroora Star" tells of a small country newspaper and its decline. This poem is purely fictional.


Question 9 of 10
9. Both Lawson, and another celebrated Australian writer, AB (Banjo) Paterson, had work published in the Bulletin magazine. Is the magazine still in existence?


Question 10 of 10
10. Quite a few of Lawson's poems have been set to music and recorded by various Australian country artists. Which of the following was first recorded by Slim Dusty, and later as a duet with Lee Kernaghan? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. One of Lawson's characters is described as "tall and solid and sandy, face of a country lout". Which one of the following was he describing?

Answer: Middleton's Rouseabout

The character is Andy, Middleton's rouseabout. The other characters were all created by AB (Banjo) Paterson.
2. Lawson was born in 1867, and died in 1922. During his lifetime, he spent time in jail and institutions because of his alcoholism.

Answer: True

Lawson was an alcoholic, and was jailed for failing to support his family, and institutionalised because of his drinking. Banjo Paterson described Lawson's work as "doom and gloom", while Lawson thought Paterson was a "romantic".
Some biographers have concluded that Lawson may have suffered from bi-polar depression, and it is known that he suffered with deafness from a young age.
3. In 1901, Lawson wrote a poem titled "The Never-Never Country". What was its subject?

Answer: The Australian Outback

This poem relates the desolation of the outback, mateship and the equality created by the harsh conditions. Some of the descriptions are amazing e.g.
"Where lone Mount Desolation lies,
Mounts Dreadful and Despair -
'Tis lost beneath the rainless skies
In hopeless deserts there;
It spreads nor'-west by No-Man's Land -
Where clouds are seldom seen -
To where the cattle-stations lie
Three hundred miles between."
4. Much of Lawson's work was written around the time and on the subject of Australia's Federation (1901). Which of the following poems do not deal with this issue?

Answer: The Christ of the Never

Lawson was, prior to Federation in 1901, a strong supporter of Nationalism and Republicanism, and much of his work reflects these ideals. In "Christ of the Never", Lawson salutes an unnamed outback clergyman, whose faith is shown by his care for his fellow man.
5. Lawson's poem "Middleton's Rouseabout" tells of the fate of a young station hand. What happened to him?

Answer: He bought the station

Lawson used the term "rouseabout" as a synonym for station hand or farm worker. In Australia, its current use is more to describe a worker in a shearing shed, whose duties are to pen up sheep, sweep the shearing board clean and collect fleeces after they are shorn from the sheep.

This particular rouseabout went on to buy the station after "liquor and drought prevailed" and his former employer lost the station.
6. One of Lawson's best known short stories is titled "The Drover's Wife". In it, Lawson relates some of the tribulations the woman has faced. Which of the following does he not mention?

Answer: A dust storm

This story gives a very clear picture of what life was like for the pioneer women of Australia. As with Patterson's Man from Snowy River, Lawson does not give his heroine a name, and thus she is able to represent every pioneer woman. Her feminine qualities contrast with her harsh environment, and her ability to survive triumphs over all.
7. In the poem "The Sliprails and the Spur", Lawson has the young couple say goodbye to each other. What are the names of the people mentioned?

Answer: Mary and Jim

This poem tells the story of a young couple's parting, and the young woman's longing for her man to return home. The young man has developed a taste for roving, and we do not find out in the poem if he returns, or whether she waits in vain. The other couples are my children and their partners.
8. The poem "The Cambaroora Star" tells of a small country newspaper and its decline. This poem is purely fictional.

Answer: False

The story of the "Cambaroora Star" was based on a newspaper called "The Republican" owned by Louisa and William Keep, which Lawson had worked for until its demise.
9. Both Lawson, and another celebrated Australian writer, AB (Banjo) Paterson, had work published in the Bulletin magazine. Is the magazine still in existence?

Answer: No

The Bulletin was first published in 1880, and ceased to exist in March 2008.
It was called the "bushman's bible" in its early years, and in these years was seen as a radical, nationalistic and xenophobic publication. Both Lawson and Banjo Paterson were among its writers.
10. Quite a few of Lawson's poems have been set to music and recorded by various Australian country artists. Which of the following was first recorded by Slim Dusty, and later as a duet with Lee Kernaghan?

Answer: Leave Him in the Long Yard

All the titles mentioned have appeared on various albums released by Slim, but as far as I can find out, only "The Long Yard" was recorded as a duet with Lee Kernaghan. There is actually a Slim Dusty CD available featuring both Lawson's and Patterson's work.
Source: Author tezza1551

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