Lesson 4.2.1.17

4.2.1.17 The Accrington Pals by Peter Whelan Quiz: AQA English Literature, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.2.1.17, The Accrington Pals by Peter Whelan: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA English Literature (7712), Unit 2: Texts in shared contexts, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. In what year was Peter Whelan's The Accrington Pals first performed?

    • 1999
    • 1967
    • 1981
    • 1945

  2. How were First World War Pals battalions predominantly recruited?

    • From foreign volunteers
    • From conscripted soldiers
    • From prison populations
    • From local communities

  3. On which date did the Accrington Pals suffer heavy losses?

    • 1 July 1916
    • 4 August 1914
    • 11 November 1918
    • 28 June 1919

  4. Which battle is the setting for the destruction of the Accrington Pals?

    • The Somme
    • Gallipoli
    • Jutland
    • Mons

  5. What major social consequence resulted from recruiting Pals battalions in the First World War?

    • Increased factory output
    • Improved army morale
    • Devastated local communities
    • Faster peace treaties

  6. Which dramatic form does The Accrington Pals take?

    • Novel
    • Play
    • Epic poem
    • Sonnet sequence

  7. Which term describes a group of soldiers from the same locality serving together?

    • Garrison
    • Vanguard
    • Regiment of horse
    • Pals battalion

  8. Which dramatic technique contrasts the home front with the battlefield in *The Accrington Pals*?

    • Rhyming verse
    • Choral narrators
    • Alternating scenes
    • Soliloquies only

  9. Which Lancashire town is the primary setting for Whelan's play *The Accrington Pals*?

    • Preston
    • Burnley
    • Accrington
    • Blackburn

  10. What system of military recruitment enabled the creation of Pals battalions in 1914?

    • Conscription
    • Impressment
    • Mercenary hiring
    • Voluntary enlistment

  11. On which famous first day of a First World War battle were the Accrington Pals devastated?

    • Passchendaele
    • Ypres
    • The Somme
    • Gallipoli

  12. Which dramatic device occurs when the audience knows the Pals' tragic fate before the characters do?

    • Poetic justice
    • Deus ex machina
    • Dramatic irony
    • Pathetic fallacy

  13. What genre of play is Whelan's *The Accrington Pals*?

    • Kitchen sink drama
    • Restoration comedy
    • Historical drama
    • Absurdist drama

  14. What central theme does Whelan explore through the destruction of the Accrington Pals?

    • Naval superiority
    • Military tactics
    • The human cost
    • Imperial expansion

  15. What shared bond primarily defined the recruitment of the Accrington Pals?

    • Local friendship
    • Religious belief
    • Class privilege
    • Political affiliation

  16. Near which French village were the Accrington Pals wiped out on 1 July 1916?

    • Ypres
    • Serre
    • Thiepval
    • Mametz

  17. Which 1916 battle forms the tragic climax of Whelan's *The Accrington Pals*?

    • Verdun
    • Jutland
    • Gallipoli
    • The Somme

  18. What main local impact did the high casualty rates of Pals battalions cause?

    • Post-war expansion
    • Economic prosperity
    • Devastating community loss
    • Mass desertion

  19. In which Lancashire town were the Accrington Pals raised?

    • Accrington
    • Blackburn
    • Burnley
    • Preston

  20. What key relationship dynamic between soldiers does the term 'Pals' highlight in the play?

    • Strict military hierarchy
    • Political rivalry
    • Professional distance
    • Local community bonds

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