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The Execution Of Ronald Ryan Trivia Quiz

This is a quiz about Ronald Ryan, the last man to be executed in Australia. Ryan broke out of Pentridge Prison on December 19, 1965 and allegedly shot a guard dead. Hope you find this interesting!

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

Author
Mr. Turkle

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
254,127

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
404

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What was the reason that Ryan decided to escape from prison? Hint

His wife was divorcing him.

He had a bet with another inmate.

His life was in danger.

He wanted revenge on the people who put him in jail.

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Question 2 of 10

2. What was the name of the man who broke out of prison with Ryan? Hint

Ned Kelly

Peter John Walker

Joseph Stanton

Kyle Everest

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Question 3 of 10

3. On the day of the escape, Ronald Ryan overpowered a guard named Helmut Lange. What did Ryan take from him? Hint

Radio

Wallet

Rifle

Uniform

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Question 4 of 10

4. During the escape, a guard was shot which was later pinned on Ronald Ryan. In the trial, evidence showed that for Ryan to have shot the guard he would have to have been how tall? Hint

8'6"

10'2"

6'11"

9'7"

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Question 5 of 10

5. Peter John Walker was found not guilty of murder, but how many years was he given for manslaughter? Hint

18 years

20 years

12 years

10 years

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Question 6 of 10

6. Of the jurors who convicted Ronald Ryan, how many signed a petition to Premier Bolte stating that they think he was innocent and should not be convicted to death. Hint

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Question 7 of 10

7. How many minutes silence was held around Australia when Ronald Ryan was executed? Hint

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Question 8 of 10

8. What was the date of Ronald Ryan's execution? Hint

December 10, 1967

February 3, 1967

April 5, 1967

September 2, 1967

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Question 9 of 10

9. What is the name of the book, written by Mike Richards, that details the life of Ronald Ryan? Hint

The Hanged Man

The Guilty Man

The Innocent Man

The Naive Man

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Question 10 of 10

10. How many times had Ronald Ryan been in prison prior to his escape? Hint

Four Times

Once

Never

Six Times

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What was the reason that Ryan decided to escape from prison?

Answer: His wife was divorcing him.

The year was 1965. Ryan had served one of his required fourteen years for committing armed robbery. His wife told him that she was going to be filing for divorce and taking their three daughters. Ryan decided that he would escape from prison and take his wife and family to Brazil, as there was no extradition treaty between Australia and Brazil.

2. What was the name of the man who broke out of prison with Ryan?

Answer: Peter John Walker

Walker helped Ryan plan the escape. Walker himself had no known motivation to break out of prison. It seems as though he was just going along for the ride.

3. On the day of the escape, Ronald Ryan overpowered a guard named Helmut Lange. What did Ryan take from him?

Answer: Rifle

Ryan took Lange's rifle before he and Walker started running. Their plan was well calculated, as they knew which guard they should target, and which would be the best part of the facility to head for once they were on the run.

4. During the escape, a guard was shot which was later pinned on Ronald Ryan. In the trial, evidence showed that for Ryan to have shot the guard he would have to have been how tall?

Answer: 8'6"

The defence felt that this was a very good point toward clearing Ryan's name of the murder. However, the prosecution argued that if the guard were in a running motion that it is possible he would have been lower to the ground, making the height of the angle of shooting considerably less.

5. Peter John Walker was found not guilty of murder, but how many years was he given for manslaughter?

Answer: 12 years

Peter John Walker had to go back to jail, finish his sentence and then complete his 12 year sentence for manslaughter.

6. Of the jurors who convicted Ronald Ryan, how many signed a petition to Premier Bolte stating that they think he was innocent and should not be convicted to death.

Answer: 7

Seven jurors thought he was innocent. Originally, the jury was going to vote "not guilty", but two jurors persuaded the rest to vote "guilty" because in the previous 35 death penalty cases, the death penalty had been commuted every single time.

7. How many minutes silence was held around Australia when Ronald Ryan was executed?

Answer: 3

There was three minutes of silence in the moments leading up to Ryan's death, until the execution was completed.

8. What was the date of Ronald Ryan's execution?

Answer: February 3, 1967

Ryan was executed at 8:00 in the morning on Friday, February 3, 1967. There were protesters gathered outside the prison. A select group of journalists was invited to view the execution.

9. What is the name of the book, written by Mike Richards, that details the life of Ronald Ryan?

Answer: The Hanged Man

"The Hanged Man" was written by Mike Richards, and it won the 2002 Ned Kelly prize.

10. How many times had Ronald Ryan been in prison prior to his escape?

Answer: Once

In 1960, Ryan was sent to Bendigo Prison for "factory breaking and stealing offences". He was said to be a model prisoner, and during his time at Bendigo Prison he managed to complete his secondary school education, via correspondence. He was released on parole in 1963.

There you go! If you would like to check out more on Ronald Ryan, type his name into www.wikipedia.org or you can get the book "The Hanged Man" (ISBN 0-908011-94-6)

Source: Author Mr. Turkle

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