Q 01/05

In which Welsh city was Dylan Thomas born on 27 October 1914?

A) Carmarthen

B) Swansea

C) Cardiff

D) Aberystwyth

Answer · why

B) Swansea

He was born at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive in the Uplands and lived there until he was 23, writing half of all his poems in the house.

Q 02/05

From which collection of Welsh tales did Dylan Thomas's father take his son's first name?

A) The Mabinogion

B) The Black Book of Carmarthen

C) The Red Book of Hergest

D) The Book of Taliesin

Answer · why

A) The Mabinogion

Dylan ail Don is a sea character, so the name can be translated 'son of the sea'; his mother feared the Welsh pronunciation would get him teased as 't...

Q 03/05

What was the profession of Dylan Thomas's father, Jack?

A) Coal-mine surveyor

B) Methodist minister

C) Grammar-school English teacher

D) Ship's chief engineer

Answer · why

C) Grammar-school English teacher

He had a first-class degree from Aberystwyth and taught Welsh at evening classes; his son later enrolled at the very school where he taught.

Q 04/05

What sporting triumph did 13-year-old Dylan Thomas achieve in June 1928, keeping the photo for life?

A) He captained the cricket XI

B) He won the county high jump

C) He scored a cup-final hat-trick

D) He won the mile race

Answer · why

D) He won the mile race

He otherwise shied away from the curriculum, preferring drama and editing the school magazine.

Q 05/05

For which newspaper did the 16-year-old Dylan Thomas work as a reporter after leaving school in 1931?

A) The Swansea Herald

B) The Cambrian News

C) The South Wales Daily Post

D) The Western Mail

Answer · why

C) The South Wales Daily Post

He lasted about 18 months, then freelanced while filling notebooks with more than 200 poems between 1930 and 1935.