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"Translations" By Brian Friel Quiz

Quiz on the wonderful play "Translations" By Brian Friel. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by moteket. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
moteket

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
125,006

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
9 / 15

Plays
290

Last 3 plays: Guest 37 (13/15), Guest 98 (14/15), Guest 152 (12/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Where and when is the play set? Hint

Dublin ,1832

Belfast, 1833

London, 1833

Donegal, 1833

NEXT>

Question 2 of 15

2. What language do the main characters ostensibly speak throughout the play? Hint

French

English

Gaelic

Scottish

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Question 3 of 15

3. What is the "sweet smell" that Maire mentions at the start and end of the play? Hint

Manus' sodabread

Jimmy's smelly feet

Potato Blight

Sarah's perfume

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Question 4 of 15

4. Who is this a description of:
"Man with residual dignity...he has, as always, a large quantity of drink taken, but he is by no means drunk." Hint

Owen

Jimmy

Hugh

Manus

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Question 5 of 15

5. Who is this a description of:
"For [him] the world of the gods and the ancient myths is as real and as immediate as everyday life." Hint

Doalty

Manus

Jimmy

Hugh

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Question 6 of 15

6. Who is this a description of:
"Waiflike appearance and could be any age from seventeen to thirty-five" Hint

Manus

Owen

Sarah

Bridget

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Question 7 of 15

7. Who is this a description of:
"The lame son of the drunken aul schoolmaster" Hint

Owen

Doalty

Yolland

Manus

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Question 8 of 15

8. Who is this a description of:
"A city man... Handsome, attractive young man... His manner is easy and charming" Hint

Doalty

Manus

Owen

Lancey

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Question 9 of 15

9. Who is this a Description of:
"his skill is with deeds, not words" Hint

Lancey

Hugh

Yolland

Owen

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Question 10 of 15

10. What is the name of the local pub? Hint

Mor O'Donnell's

Bun na hAbhann's

Donnelly's

Anna na mBreag's

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Question 11 of 15

11. English soldier Yolland falls in love with the Irish countryside, ways and people. What is the irony that befalls him? Hint

He dies after eating a rotten Irish potato

He discovers his father is Irish. Ireland was in his genes all along.

The Irish countryside will be his grave

He discovers that he is allergic to Irish grasses

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Question 12 of 15

12. Who does Lieutenant George fall in love with? Hint

Sarah

Maire

Bridget

Lancey

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Question 13 of 15

13. Sarah cannot speak much. What few words can she say? Hint

"I'm hungry"

"why?"

yes and no

Her name and where she lives

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Question 14 of 15

14. When Maire asks Hugh what the word "always" means, what does Hugh say? Hint

"Why don't you ask Yolland?"

"Look it up in a dictionary, girl."

"I will always love you... always"

"It's a silly word, girl."

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Question 15 of 15

15. The end of this play is filled with many loose ends so that the audience feels confused. What does this confusion convey? Hint

The uncertainty of the future the Irish felt following the events of the play

The confusion that is within each one of us

The confusion Hugh feels when he cannot remember the passage he tries to recite

The need for the audience to start learning Greek so that they can never say: "It's Greek to me"

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 02 2024 : Guest 37: 13/15
Oct 28 2024 : Guest 98: 14/15
Oct 24 2024 : Guest 152: 12/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where and when is the play set?

Answer: Donegal, 1833

Most of the play is set in Baile Beag, a village in Donegal.

2. What language do the main characters ostensibly speak throughout the play?

Answer: Gaelic

Friel said that the greatest irony of the play was that it was written in English when in fact it should have been written in Irish.

3. What is the "sweet smell" that Maire mentions at the start and end of the play?

Answer: Potato Blight

Throughout the 1830s there was fear of a potato blight until 1845, when the Great Potato Famine occurred.

4. Who is this a description of: "Man with residual dignity...he has, as always, a large quantity of drink taken, but he is by no means drunk."

Answer: Hugh

I particularly like Hugh for his elaborate speech which shows his intellectual arrogance... not without a touch of humour. His usual greeting is "Vesperal salutations to you all".

5. Who is this a description of: "For [him] the world of the gods and the ancient myths is as real and as immediate as everyday life."

Answer: Jimmy

Nick-named the Infant Prodigy, Jimmy Jack Cassie a constant source of humour throughout the play. His dream is to marry the Greek goddess Athene.

6. Who is this a description of: "Waiflike appearance and could be any age from seventeen to thirty-five"

Answer: Sarah

Given Sarah's "timeless quality", some say she prepresents the spirit of Ireland, particularly when we hear she wore a green dress at a party.

7. Who is this a description of: "The lame son of the drunken aul schoolmaster"

Answer: Manus

Manus works as an unpaid assistant - a moniter - to his father. He is in love with Maire and wants to marry her but keeps putting it off until he has enough income to support a family.

8. Who is this a description of: "A city man... Handsome, attractive young man... His manner is easy and charming"

Answer: Owen

Hugh's youngest son returns to Donegal after 'making his fortune' in Dublin. He is a wealthy city man.

9. Who is this a Description of: "his skill is with deeds, not words"

Answer: Lancey

Captain Lancey is the crisp English officer who is the 'bad guy' of the play. His duty is to destroy and/or rename all the traditional pictoresque areas of Donegal.

10. What is the name of the local pub?

Answer: Anna na mBreag's

This is the pub where Hugh is constantly getting drunk on Anna's "poteen".

11. English soldier Yolland falls in love with the Irish countryside, ways and people. What is the irony that befalls him?

Answer: The Irish countryside will be his grave

Poor Yolland goes missing and it is fair to assume he has been killed by the likes of the Donnelly twins. This is confirmed when Owen suggests Yolland will be found to which the reply is "Hah!"

12. Who does Lieutenant George fall in love with?

Answer: Maire

The love scene is the climax of the play. It's beautiful how the two understand each other without speaking the same language.

13. Sarah cannot speak much. What few words can she say?

Answer: Her name and where she lives

Manus taught Sarah to say these few words at the start of the play. When Lancey asks her threateningly, she forgets how to speak and resides back into silence.

14. When Maire asks Hugh what the word "always" means, what does Hugh say?

Answer: "It's a silly word, girl."

I guess he says it's a silly word because nothing is forever and always... especially in light of the destruction of the Irish traditional way of life.

15. The end of this play is filled with many loose ends so that the audience feels confused. What does this confusion convey?

Answer: The uncertainty of the future the Irish felt following the events of the play

Hugh puts it best when he says: "confusion is not an ignoble condition". It is up to each of us to guess what the result of the play is.

Source: Author moteket

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