Jane Harrison – Stolen – Exam Based MCQs
1. Stolen is written by: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) David Malouf
B) Jane Harrison
C) Patrick White
D) Tim Winton
Ans: B) Jane Harrison
2. Stolen was published in: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) 1988
B) 2006
C) 1975
D) 1998
Ans: D) 1998
3. The play focuses on the experiences of: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) The Stolen Generations
B) The First Fleet sailors
C) Gold rush miners
D) ANZAC soldiers only
Ans: A) The Stolen Generations
4. The play tells the stories of five Indigenous characters named: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2021; UGC NET 2022)
A) Ben, May, Tom, Lily, Sam
B) Okonkwo, Ezinma, Obi, Clara, Ikem
C) Sandy, Ruby, Jimmy, Anne, Shirley
D) Sidi, Baroka, Lakunle, Sadiku, Ailatu
Ans: C) Sandy, Ruby, Jimmy, Anne, Shirley
5. Stolen is best classified as: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2018; PGTRB 2019)
A) Epic poem
B) Social/Political drama
C) Detective thriller
D) Pastoral romance
Ans: B) Social/Political drama
6. A common description of the play’s structure is: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Strictly chronological with one location
B) A single long monologue
C) Five-act Shakespearean tragedy
D) Episodic/vignette-like with shifting time and memory
Ans: D) Episodic/vignette-like with shifting time and memory
7. The project that became Stolen began when Ilbijerri commissioned work about the “lost children” in: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2021)
A) 1992
B) 1971
C) 2003
D) 1959
Ans: A) 1992
8. The 1998 Melbourne season (world premiere co-production) was presented in association with: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) The Edinburgh Festival
B) The Cannes Film Festival
C) The Melbourne International Festival of the Arts
D) The Jaipur Literature Festival
Ans: C) The Melbourne International Festival of the Arts
9. One major theme of Stolen is: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Space travel and technology
B) Loss of family, identity, and culture due to forced removal
C) Medieval chivalry
D) Courtly love
Ans: B) Loss of family, identity, and culture due to forced removal
10. The play is set primarily in: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2021; UGC NET 2022)
A) Ancient Rome
B) Victorian England
C) Medieval France
D) Australia
Ans: D) Australia
11. The five characters represent: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Different experiences of removal and survival
B) Five kings of Australia
C) Five mythological gods
D) Five detectives solving a crime
Ans: A) Different experiences of removal and survival
12. Sandy is often associated with the idea of: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Royal privilege
B) Scientific invention
C) Constant movement/escape and searching for “home”
D) Running a newspaper
Ans: C) Constant movement/escape and searching for “home”
13. Ruby’s story most strongly emphasizes: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2021)
A) Sports success
B) Trauma and psychological damage from abuse and exploitation
C) Academic excellence
D) Political election victory
Ans: B) Trauma and psychological damage from abuse and exploitation
14. Jimmy’s story often relates to: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Building a railway
B) Becoming a king
C) Leading a war
D) Being institutionalized and struggling with identity/belonging
Ans: D) Being institutionalized and struggling with identity/belonging
15. Anne’s storyline is frequently connected to: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Adoption/assimilation pressures and the pull of “fitting in”
B) Discovering a treasure map
C) A royal marriage
D) Space exploration
Ans: A) Adoption/assimilation pressures and the pull of “fitting in”
16. Shirley is often associated with: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Owning a palace
B) Being a judge
C) Hope, family longing, and the pain of separation
D) Writing a detective novel
Ans: C) Hope, family longing, and the pain of separation
17. The title Stolen primarily refers to: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Stolen jewellery
B) Children taken from families by policy/authority
C) Stolen election
D) Stolen treasure from a museum
Ans: B) Children taken from families by policy/authority
18. A key dramatic effect of the episodic structure is that it: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Hides all themes
B) Turns the play into a detective mystery
C) Makes the plot purely comic
D) Shows many lives/angles rather than one single linear biography
Ans: D) Shows many lives/angles rather than one single linear biography
19. The play is frequently studied in relation to: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Indigenous Australian history and cultural politics
B) French symbolism
C) Metaphysical poetry only
D) Greek myths only
Ans: A) Indigenous Australian history and cultural politics
20. The five characters function collectively most like a: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2021; UGC NET 2022)
A) Royal family tree
B) Detective team
C) Composite portrait of a generation’s experiences
D) Scientific committee
Ans: C) Composite portrait of a generation’s experiences
21. The play’s emotional tone is best described as: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2018; PGTRB 2019)
A) Pure slapstick comedy
B) Tragic, compassionate, and politically urgent
C) Romantic fairy tale
D) Adventure thriller
Ans: B) Tragic, compassionate, and politically urgent
22. The play critiques “assimilation” mainly by showing: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) It always produces happiness
B) It creates instant equality
C) It removes the need for family
D) It can erase language, family ties, and cultural identity
Ans: D) It can erase language, family ties, and cultural identity
23. A major recurring motif in the play is: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Searching/longing for family and belonging
B) Building pyramids
C) Time travel
D) A shipwreck
Ans: A) Searching/longing for family and belonging
24. The play is most often read as a response to the history of: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) The French Revolution
B) The Cold War
C) Forced removals of Aboriginal children
D) The English Civil War
Ans: C) Forced removals of Aboriginal children
25. The play’s scenes often shift between past and present to: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2021)
A) Create a detective puzzle
B) Show how trauma and memory persist across a lifetime
C) Avoid any serious issues
D) Prove the story is fantasy
Ans: B) Show how trauma and memory persist across a lifetime
26. The play is widely taught/studied because it: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Is only a comedy
B) Is an epic poem
C) Has no political themes
D) Makes Indigenous history and injustice visible through theatre
Ans: D) Makes Indigenous history and injustice visible through theatre
27. The play’s central characters are: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Indigenous Australians affected by removal policies
B) British colonial governors only
C) Roman senators
D) Medieval knights
Ans: A) Indigenous Australians affected by removal policies
28. The play’s method of telling multiple stories helps to emphasize: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Only one “correct” life story exists
B) The theme of royal inheritance
C) Diversity within shared oppression
D) A sports rivalry
Ans: C) Diversity within shared oppression
29. In exam answers, Stolen is most appropriately discussed under: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2021; UGC NET 2022)
A) Restoration comedy
B) Indigenous/Postcolonial Australian drama
C) Metaphysical poetry
D) Anglo-Saxon riddles
Ans: B) Indigenous/Postcolonial Australian drama
30. The play’s title also suggests “stolen” chances such as: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Winning a trophy
B) Buying a palace
C) Time travel ability
D) Childhood, language, family connection, and cultural continuity
Ans: D) Childhood, language, family connection, and cultural continuity
31. The play is written as a “classic” example of theatre used for: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Social justice and historical witness
B) Only entertainment without themes
C) Pure fantasy world-building
D) Science demonstration
Ans: A) Social justice and historical witness
32. Which of the following is NOT one of the five main characters? (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Shirley
B) Ruby
C) Lakunle
D) Anne
Ans: C) Lakunle
33. The play’s impact is strengthened because it shows oppression through: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Royal coronations
B) Everyday scenes, memories, and personal testimony
C) Space battles
D) Mythological gods speaking
Ans: B) Everyday scenes, memories, and personal testimony
34. The play’s recurring mood often shifts between grief and: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Only laughter
B) Only horror
C) Only romance
D) Resilience/hope (survival despite trauma)
Ans: D) Resilience/hope (survival despite trauma)
35. A key idea the play challenges is that removal was done “for their own good,” by showing: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2018; PGTRB 2019)
A) Long-term damage to identity, relationships, and mental health
B) Immediate happiness for all
C) Instant wealth for families
D) No effect at all
Ans: A) Long-term damage to identity, relationships, and mental health
36. The play’s strongest focus is on: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Naval warfare
B) Sports training
C) Human cost of policy and institutional power
D) Magical realism only
Ans: C) Human cost of policy and institutional power
37. The play is frequently described as “contemporary classic” because it: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2021; UGC NET 2022)
A) Has no historical references
B) Remains relevant to discussions of justice, truth, and reconciliation
C) Is only a children’s fairy tale
D) Is a detective parody
Ans: B) Remains relevant to discussions of justice, truth, and reconciliation
38. The play’s storytelling method can be described as: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) One narrator telling everything in order
B) A single-location courtroom drama only
C) A five-act historical chronicle
D) Intercutting scenes that assemble meaning like a mosaic
Ans: D) Intercutting scenes that assemble meaning like a mosaic
39. The use of five contrasting characters mainly helps to show: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) A range of outcomes from the same historical injustice
B) A single romance plot
C) A sports rivalry
D) A treasure hunt
Ans: A) A range of outcomes from the same historical injustice
40. The most appropriate “core issue” for a 5-mark exam answer is: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Fantasy heroism
B) Courtly love
C) Forced removal, cultural loss, and systemic injustice
D) Scientific progress
Ans: C) Forced removal, cultural loss, and systemic injustice
41. The play’s message about “home” is best summed up as: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Home is irrelevant
B) Home is tied to family, place, and cultural belonging
C) Home means only money
D) Home is always a palace
Ans: B) Home is tied to family, place, and cultural belonging
42. One effect of institutional upbringing shown in the play is: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Guaranteed equality
B) Instant fame
C) Royal authority
D) Disconnection from language, kinship, and identity
Ans: D) Disconnection from language, kinship, and identity
43. The play’s overall purpose is closest to: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Bearing witness and demanding recognition of historical harm
B) Teaching medieval history only
C) Promoting tourism
D) Explaining physics
Ans: A) Bearing witness and demanding recognition of historical harm
44. Which statement is TRUE about Stolen? (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2021)
A) It is set in ancient Greece
B) It is a detective thriller about a jewel
C) It is about five Indigenous people affected by forced removals
D) It is a romantic comedy in London
Ans: C) It is about five Indigenous people affected by forced removals
45. The play encourages audiences to reflect mainly on: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Sports ethics
B) Responsibility, truth-telling, and empathy toward stolen children
C) Pirate adventures
D) Royal inheritance
Ans: B) Responsibility, truth-telling, and empathy toward stolen children
46. The play’s stagecraft often relies on: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Huge battle scenes
B) A single unchanging set only
C) Only narration without action
D) Quick scene changes and symbolic moments
Ans: D) Quick scene changes and symbolic moments
47. The play is most likely to be included under the module: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Australian/Indigenous drama & postcolonial studies
B) Greek epic poetry
C) Medieval romance
D) American Transcendentalism only
Ans: A) Australian/Indigenous drama & postcolonial studies
48. The five-character design mainly avoids: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Any political meaning
B) Any emotional tone
C) Reducing the Stolen Generations to a single “one story” narrative
D) Any dialogue
Ans: C) Reducing the Stolen Generations to a single “one story” narrative
49. The play’s strongest criticism is aimed at: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Indigenous family structures
B) Policies and institutions that enabled forced removal and erasure
C) Poetry writing
D) Sports administration
Ans: B) Policies and institutions that enabled forced removal and erasure
50. The most accurate single-line summary is: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) A comedy about village marriage
B) A detective story about a stolen ring
C) A romance set in London
D) A moving drama of five Stolen Generations lives, exposing trauma and resilience
Ans: D) A moving drama of five Stolen Generations lives, exposing trauma and resilience
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