This GCSE English Literature quiz takes a look at context found in Denis Kelly's DNA. A literary work’s context applies to the environment in which the text was written. “Context” includes an author’s geographical time and location, along with any social and political events which occurred during the author’s lifetime. If you think some of these identifying features sound familiar from elsewhere, it is because they are also elements of a text’s “setting”. You already know that setting refers to the fictional aspects of the world contained in the text. “Context” describes the same aspects of the author’s own world. In order to understand context, then, you should know the time the text was written, published, or performed and be aware of the history of similar texts. With recent texts, you might also be able to find newspaper reviews and even interviews with the author to help you develop an understanding of context.
[readmore]
How to write about context
It’s always worth the time spent learning about the context of a work of fiction. Try to develop an understanding of the environment in which the text was produced, or of the history of the genre in which the text was written. Consider the ways in which the author responds to context and how this is evident in the text. Never assume that context dictates the meaning of a text, however. This will be easier to accomplish with a text such as DNA, which aims to be timeless in many of its concerns.
Try these questions on the context of Dennis Kelly’s DNA to see how much you know about the play.
[/readmore]
1.
|
When was DNA first performed? |
|
[ ] |
1987 |
[ ] |
1997 |
[ ] |
2007 |
[ ] |
2017 |
|
|
2.
|
Where was DNA first performed? |
|
[ ] |
The National Theatre |
[ ] |
The Globe Theatre |
[ ] |
Royal Exchange Theatre |
[ ] |
Edinburgh Playhouse |
|
|
3.
|
The author of a play is known as a ... |
|
[ ] |
screenwriter |
[ ] |
poet |
[ ] |
playwright |
[ ] |
copywriter |
|
|
4.
|
Kelly has said that his play's exploration of "whether it was right to sacrifice the individual for the many" was prompted by which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
The Second World War |
[ ] |
July 2005 bombings in London |
[ ] |
The 2011 summer riots |
[ ] |
Western foreign policy |
|
|
5.
|
The play draws upon which of the following: |
|
[ ] |
Adult anxiety about, and fear of, teenagers |
[ ] |
Fear of immigrants |
[ ] |
Political anger about employment conditions |
[ ] |
Contemporary despair about educational policy |
|
|
6.
|
“I don’t think he’s getting any kind of enjoyment out of it. He’s trying to make the best out of a bad situation – what he does is flawed but it’s also natural. When I was a kid I felt that parents and adults weren’t anything to do with my world. We sorted out our own problems, often in a terrifying way, and I think he’s actually trying to do something good.”
Dennis Kelly defends one of his characters from accusation of being a psychopath in this quotation from The Telegraph. Which character? |
|
[ ] |
Cathy |
[ ] |
Leah |
[ ] |
Adam |
[ ] |
Phil |
|
|
7.
|
Which of the following is correct? |
|
[ ] |
DNA is a play dealing with a historical event which changes meaning for each generation |
[ ] |
DNA is a play dislocated to a certain extent from a particular time and space |
[ ] |
DNA is a play concerning very recent historical events and is only relevant to "millennials" |
[ ] |
DNA is fantasy and does not claim to have any relevance to its audience |
|
|
8.
|
Many television crime dramas rely upon the notion of DNA evidence as proof of guilt. Which of the following is correct? |
|
[ ] |
The evidence provided by the postal worker's DNA present on Adam's jumper is mere coincidence |
[ ] |
In the play, the matching of DNA to the guilty perpetrator of the crime demonstrates how reliable this evidence is |
[ ] |
The DNA proving the guilt of the postal worker is just as false as the rest of the group's invented explanation for Adam's disappearance |
[ ] |
The title DNA has nothing to do with the events of the play |
|
|
9.
|
Adam's name is a reminder of what? |
|
[ ] |
The travels of Odysseus |
[ ] |
The Apocalypse |
[ ] |
The biblical story of creation |
[ ] |
Shakespeare's play Macbeth |
|
|
10.
|
In the play, Jan and Mark take the role of ... |
|
[ ] |
the audience |
[ ] |
an aside |
[ ] |
the narrator |
[ ] |
the chorus |
|
|
1.
|
When was DNA first performed? |
|
[ ] |
1987 |
[ ] |
1997 |
[x] |
2007 |
[ ] |
2017 |
|
|
2.
|
Where was DNA first performed? |
|
[x] |
The National Theatre |
[ ] |
The Globe Theatre |
[ ] |
Royal Exchange Theatre |
[ ] |
Edinburgh Playhouse |
|
|
3.
|
The author of a play is known as a ... |
|
[ ] |
screenwriter |
[ ] |
poet |
[x] |
playwright |
[ ] |
copywriter |
|
|
4.
|
Kelly has said that his play's exploration of "whether it was right to sacrifice the individual for the many" was prompted by which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
The Second World War |
[ ] |
July 2005 bombings in London |
[ ] |
The 2011 summer riots |
[x] |
Western foreign policy |
|
|
5.
|
The play draws upon which of the following: |
|
[x] |
Adult anxiety about, and fear of, teenagers |
[ ] |
Fear of immigrants |
[ ] |
Political anger about employment conditions |
[ ] |
Contemporary despair about educational policy |
|
|
6.
|
“I don’t think he’s getting any kind of enjoyment out of it. He’s trying to make the best out of a bad situation – what he does is flawed but it’s also natural. When I was a kid I felt that parents and adults weren’t anything to do with my world. We sorted out our own problems, often in a terrifying way, and I think he’s actually trying to do something good.”
Dennis Kelly defends one of his characters from accusation of being a psychopath in this quotation from The Telegraph. Which character? |
|
[ ] |
Cathy |
[ ] |
Leah |
[ ] |
Adam |
[x] |
Phil |
|
|
7.
|
Which of the following is correct? |
|
[ ] |
DNA is a play dealing with a historical event which changes meaning for each generation |
[x] |
DNA is a play dislocated to a certain extent from a particular time and space |
[ ] |
DNA is a play concerning very recent historical events and is only relevant to "millennials" |
[ ] |
DNA is fantasy and does not claim to have any relevance to its audience |
|
|
8.
|
Many television crime dramas rely upon the notion of DNA evidence as proof of guilt. Which of the following is correct? |
|
[ ] |
The evidence provided by the postal worker's DNA present on Adam's jumper is mere coincidence |
[ ] |
In the play, the matching of DNA to the guilty perpetrator of the crime demonstrates how reliable this evidence is |
[x] |
The DNA proving the guilt of the postal worker is just as false as the rest of the group's invented explanation for Adam's disappearance |
[ ] |
The title DNA has nothing to do with the events of the play |
|
|
9.
|
Adam's name is a reminder of what? |
|
[ ] |
The travels of Odysseus |
[ ] |
The Apocalypse |
[x] |
The biblical story of creation |
[ ] |
Shakespeare's play Macbeth |
|
|
10.
|
In the play, Jan and Mark take the role of ... |
|
[ ] |
the audience |
[ ] |
an aside |
[ ] |
the narrator |
[x] |
the chorus |
|
|