GCSE Dennis Kelly | Setting Revision in DNA

English Literature Quiz - DNA - Setting (Questions)

Explore how the setting in DNA turns ordinary spaces into tense, dangerous zones and how place reflects guilt, loyalty, and control.

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Fascinating Fact:

The “Cave” is a hidden chamber that concentrates danger, turning the setting into a trap for Adam and for the group’s conscience.

In GCSE English Literature, you explore how the setting in DNA shapes events and ideas. Spaces like the field, the street, and the “Cave” intensify secrecy, fear, and moral pressure on the group.

Key Terms

Setting: Where and when a story or play takes place, including places like the field, streets, and the “Cave”.
Symbolic setting: A place that stands for bigger ideas, such as guilt, danger, or lost innocence.
Atmosphere: The mood or feeling created by the setting, for example tense, threatening, or claustrophobic.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How is the setting used in DNA?

In DNA, the setting moves between everyday places and hidden spaces. Ordinary areas like the field feel unsafe once the crime happens, showing how the group’s actions poison familiar surroundings.

Why is the cave important in DNA?

The “Cave” is crucial because it is out of sight from adults and authority. It becomes a trap for Adam and a symbol of the group hiding their guilt and avoiding responsibility.

How do I write about setting in DNA for GCSE?

Choose a moment in the play, describe the setting, and then explain how it links to themes such as bullying, guilt, or leadership. Use short quotations to support your points clearly.

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Where is DNA set?

[ ]	In a large city
[ ]	In a rural village
[ ]	In the suburbs
[ ]	Anywhere in the UK

When is the play set?

[ ]	1980s
[ ]	2000s
[ ]	In the future
[ ]	The time of the play is unspecified

Where do Phil's and Leah's scenes take place?

[ ]	A Street
[ ]	A Field
[ ]	A Wood
[ ]	A House

Where do Jan's and Mark's scenes take place?

[ ]	A Street
[ ]	A Field
[ ]	A Wood
[ ]	A Post Office

Scenes where the majority of the characters gather and decide on a plan of action take place in A Wood. What is significant about this setting?

[ ]	The wood represents an open, public environment
[ ]	The wood represents hope and growth
[ ]	The wood represents a dark, more private environment
[ ]	The wood represents escape from fears

BRIAN: D'you ever feel like the trees are watching you?

What do the trees represent to Brian?

[ ]	His guilt
[ ]	Unknown threatening forces
[ ]	The possibility that his lies will be discovered
[ ]	All of the above

PHIL: Lou, Danny and Jan you take the shoes, Lou you put them on, and you enter the woods from the south entrance
CATHY: Which one's south?
MARK: By the Asda

What effect is created by the use of geographical markers here?

[ ]	The geographical markers create a strong sense of place
[ ]	The geographical markers allow the audience to imagine the scene more vividly
[ ]	The use of geographical markers creates the impression of a military-style manoeuvre being planned
[ ]	The use of geographical markers emphasises Phil's poor sense of direction

Where does Leah intend to go when she turns up with a suitcase to tell Phil she's running away?

[ ]	Scotland
[ ]	New York
[ ]	London
[ ]	She does not know where she is going

A Field. PHIL and LEAH, sitting

Complete silence.

How do these stage directions in the final scene of Act Three differ from previous scenes set in A Field?

[ ]	Phil is sitting
[ ]	Phil is eating
[ ]	The silence is "complete"
[ ]	There are no differences from previous scenes

10.

Which of the following is correct of authority figures in the play?

[ ]	Adult figures of authority are entirely lacking in the play
[ ]	Adult figures of authority have an impact on events without having any on-stage roles to play
[ ]	Adults are present in the play, although they have no authority over the characters
[ ]	Adult authority features heavily in the play; characters are always concerned about appeasing adults

English Literature Quiz - DNA - Setting (Answers)

Where is DNA set?

[ ]	In a large city
[ ]	In a rural village
[ ]	In the suburbs
[x]	Anywhere in the UK

The geographical setting of the play is vague, with little mention of details which might specify a location. The characters' dialogue is clearly British, using words such as "postman", "head" for headteacher, "motorway" and "jumper", as well as making reference to Asda

When is the play set?

[ ]	1980s
[ ]	2000s
[ ]	In the future
[x]	The time of the play is unspecified

The drama takes place in a self-contained world with very little reference to specifics of time or place. This technique creates the sense that the play deals with timeless issues

Where do Phil's and Leah's scenes take place?

[ ]	A Street
[x]	A Field
[ ]	A Wood
[ ]	A House

Scenes between Leah and Phil take place in A Field. The featureless nature of these settings emphasises the universality of the play's themes

Where do Jan's and Mark's scenes take place?

[x]	A Street
[ ]	A Field
[ ]	A Wood
[ ]	A Post Office

Each Act opens with a scene between Jan and Mark, set in A Street. Their dialogue in these scenes performs the function of a chorus, setting out essential information for the audience

Scenes where the majority of the characters gather and decide on a plan of action take place in A Wood. What is significant about this setting?

[ ]	The wood represents an open, public environment
[ ]	The wood represents hope and growth
[x]	The wood represents a dark, more private environment
[ ]	The wood represents escape from fears

The setting of the wood is most appropriate to the group's plotting, especially since it offers protection from adult eyes

BRIAN: D'you ever feel like the trees are watching you?

What do the trees represent to Brian?

[ ]	His guilt
[ ]	Unknown threatening forces
[ ]	The possibility that his lies will be discovered
[x]	All of the above

Brian perceives the trees as onlookers who are aware of the crushing guilt he feels. They might also represent threats to his safety: it was in the woods where Adam was left for dead and where Phil threatens to subject Brian to the same treatment

[ ]	The geographical markers create a strong sense of place
[ ]	The geographical markers allow the audience to imagine the scene more vividly
[x]	The use of geographical markers creates the impression of a military-style manoeuvre being planned
[ ]	The use of geographical markers emphasises Phil's poor sense of direction

Phil plans the group's laying of a false trail in such detail that it almost seems as if he has considered before how he would carry out a crime. The military precision of the operation also emphasises Phil's leadership qualities

Where does Leah intend to go when she turns up with a suitcase to tell Phil she's running away?

[ ]	Scotland
[ ]	New York
[ ]	London
[x]	She does not know where she is going

Leah's main focus is on getting "away". She tells Phil that the universe is a much bigger place than where they are located. Her words imply that she wishes to escape their situation as much as she wishes to escape the place: "It's a big world, Phil, a lot bigger than you, it's a lot bigger than you and me, a lot bigger than all this, these people, sitting here, a lot bigger, a lot lot bigger"