Quiz: Birrung the Secret Friend

Who tells the story?

• Barney Bean

• Richard Johnson

• Birrung

• Mary Johnson

Why are Barney and Elsie living with the Johnson family?

• They are their children

• They are orphans who were taken in

• They are servants

• They ran away from their ship captain

What is Mary Johnson like towards Barney and Elsie?

• Strict and unkind

• Gentle and caring

• Cold and distant

• Always angry

Where does the story take place?

• London

• Botany Bay

• Sydney Cove

• Port Phillip

Who is Birrung?

• A convict girl

• An Aboriginal girl

• A soldier’s daughter

• Barney’s cousin

Why is Birrung staying with the Johnson family?

• She is learning English and helping Mary

• She has nowhere else to go

• She is hiding from soldiers

• She is working for money

What does Barney admire about Birrung?

• Her humour

• Her singing

• Her cooking

• Her dancing

What is Richard Johnson’s job?

• Farmer

• Governor

• Chaplain (church minister)

• Soldier

How are Aboriginal people often treated by the settlers?

• With kindness

• With fear and violence

• As family

• They are ignored

Why does Barney sometimes worry about being Birrung’s friend?

• He thinks it might be against the rules

• He is jealous of her

• He wants to go back to England

• He doesn’t like her language