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English Quiz - Writing Playscripts (Questions)

Get ready to dive into the exciting world of writing playscripts with this KS2 English quiz! Playscripts are like written versions of plays, and they're super fun to create, especially if you love writing dialogue and being in charge of the story.

When writing a playscript, you have to think differently than when writing a story. You get to guide the actors on how to move, what to say, and how to say it. Let's see how well you remember the rules of writing playscripts - take this quiz and have some writing fun!

Quizzes: Your Ticket to Fun Learning. Dive In
To see a larger image, click on the picture.
1. Where would you look to find the names of all the characters in a play?
[ ] In a list before the first act.
[ ] In the title.
[ ] In an index.
[ ] In the glossary.
2. The speech in a play is called the ____.
[ ] speech
[ ] dialogue
[ ] conversation
[ ] argument
3. Which of the following lines would be correctly punctuated for a playscript?
[ ] Francis says, 'Where are you going, Betty?'
[ ] Francis says: Where are you going, Betty?
[ ] Francis: 'Where are you going, Betty?'
[ ] Francis: Where are you going, Betty?
4. If a character needs to speak in a certain way, the instructions will be given in ____.
[ ] a larger font
[ ] bold
[ ] brackets
[ ] Italian
5. What are stage directions?
[ ] Reminders to the author.
[ ] Instructions which tell the actors how to speak and how to move.
[ ] Instructions telling the audience what they should pay attention to.
[ ] All of the above.
6. Which tense is used for stage directions?
[ ] Past.
[ ] Present.
[ ] Future.
[ ] Passive.
7. A play is made up of acts and ____.
[ ] chapters
[ ] shots
[ ] episodes
[ ] scenes
8. In a playscript, an ellipsis (...) would be used to show which of the following?
[ ] That a character has paused in the middle of speaking.
[ ] That an actor has forgotten the lines.
[ ] That the audience should applaud.
[ ] That the actor can make up the next few words.
9. A deserted park. Dusk. What is the purpose of stage directions like these?
[ ] The author adds these directions to make the playscript more interesting for the actors.
[ ] These lines should be projected above the stage.
[ ] To set the scene.
[ ] An actor should read these lines.
10. A new scene should begin when ____.
[ ] there is a change of setting
[ ] a new character is introduced
[ ] something happens in the play
[ ] the actors become bored

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Performance writing: Analysing play scripts

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English Quiz - Writing Playscripts (Answers)
1. Where would you look to find the names of all the characters in a play?
[x] In a list before the first act.
[ ] In the title.
[ ] In an index.
[ ] In the glossary.
The list of characters used to be called the 'Dramatis Personae' (which just means 'the persons of a drama'). If the list includes the names of the actors playing each part, it is called the 'cast list'.
2. The speech in a play is called the ____.
[ ] speech
[x] dialogue
[ ] conversation
[ ] argument
If a character talks to himself or herself for a while, it is called a 'monologue'.
3. Which of the following lines would be correctly punctuated for a playscript?
[ ] Francis says, 'Where are you going, Betty?'
[ ] Francis says: Where are you going, Betty?
[ ] Francis: 'Where are you going, Betty?'
[x] Francis: Where are you going, Betty?
Speech marks are not used in playscripts.
4. If a character needs to speak in a certain way, the instructions will be given in ____.
[ ] a larger font
[ ] bold
[x] brackets
[ ] Italian
Unless the playscript is handwritten, these instructions will also be in italics, as well as brackets.
5. What are stage directions?
[ ] Reminders to the author.
[x] Instructions which tell the actors how to speak and how to move.
[ ] Instructions telling the audience what they should pay attention to.
[ ] All of the above.
Stage directions are always in brackets (and italics - see question 4).
6. Which tense is used for stage directions?
[ ] Past.
[x] Present.
[ ] Future.
[ ] Passive.
Past tense would mean the actor should have already done it!
7. A play is made up of acts and ____.
[ ] chapters
[ ] shots
[ ] episodes
[x] scenes
Sometimes there are intervals between acts.
8. In a playscript, an ellipsis (...) would be used to show which of the following?
[x] That a character has paused in the middle of speaking.
[ ] That an actor has forgotten the lines.
[ ] That the audience should applaud.
[ ] That the actor can make up the next few words.
A pause can be very effective in a play.
9. A deserted park. Dusk. What is the purpose of stage directions like these?
[ ] The author adds these directions to make the playscript more interesting for the actors.
[ ] These lines should be projected above the stage.
[x] To set the scene.
[ ] An actor should read these lines.
Different backdrops and props can be used to show where a scene is set.
10. A new scene should begin when ____.
[x] there is a change of setting
[ ] a new character is introduced
[ ] something happens in the play
[ ] the actors become bored
New characters are often introduced in the middle of a scene - that way, the audience has a chance to find out who they are.