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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where is the narrator working?
(a) Burma.
(b) India.
(c) Australia.
(d) Japan.

2. Where do the magistrates and police convene after the prisoner's death?
(a) At the local tavern.
(b) They don't convene, they all go to their own homes.
(c) On the side of town opposite the gallows.
(d) Close to the location of the corpse.

3. What does Burnham write about the atrocities Stalin committed?
(a) The world knew Stalin was crazy, but couldn't do anything to stop him.
(b) The world believed Stalin because he gave just enough evidence to back up his claims.
(c) The world wasn't aware of anything Stalin did until after he died.
(d) The things he did were so outrageous that the rest of the world was inclined to believe his reasons for doing so.

4. According to Orwell, how does Gandhi compare to other politicians of his time?
(a) He left a remarkably "clean smell" behind.
(b) He didn't accomplish as much.
(c) He didn't focus on the same issues.
(d) He accomplished much more.

5. How do the Burmese treat the narrator?
(a) They are openly violent at times.
(b) They are respectful to his face, but sneer at him behind his back.
(c) They are respectful and grateful to him.
(d) They harass and insult him whenever they can.

6. Orwell worries that liberty cannot exist without what?
(a) Censorship of expression.
(b) Liberty of thought.
(c) Its opposite - oppression.
(d) Laws that protect the populace.

7. According to Burnham, who governs the manners and morals of a given era?
(a) The aristocracy.
(b) Religious figures.
(c) The general public.
(d) Those who are in power.

8. What major change occurred in Tolstoy's life?
(a) He converted to Christianity.
(b) He moved from England to Spain.
(c) He sustained a serious injury, and was paralyzed.
(d) His wife and children all died from influenza.

9. According to Gulliver, scientists should not concern themselves with what area of thought?
(a) Philosophy.
(b) Sociology.
(c) Politics.
(d) Religion.

10. Why does Orwell dislike words such as "constitute" and "phenomenon"?
(a) They consolidate, into one word, what should be expressed with a phrase.
(b) He feels that they are used to "dress up" concepts that could be expressed in plainer terms.
(c) They are used intentionally to elevate writing beyond the capability of the ordinary reader.
(d) They are unnecessarily long.

11. How were the nurses in the hospital described?
(a) The hospital had no nurses, only a few overburdened doctors.
(b) Capable, but uncaring.
(c) Incapable and unsanitary.
(d) Compassionate, but incompetent.

12. What is the narrator's profession?
(a) Firefighter.
(b) Judge.
(c) Police officer.
(d) Doctor.

13. How is the prisoner going to be executed?
(a) Hanging.
(b) Firing squad.
(c) Stoning.
(d) Lethal injection.

14. How did Gandhi feel about Satyagraha?
(a) He believed in it, but was aware of its limitations.
(b) He did not really believe in it, but professed it because otherwise his followers would resort to drastic measures.
(c) He believed that people who utilized Satyagraha could accomplish anything.
(d) He did not believe in it, but professed it because it attracted a certain kind of person to be his follower.

15. What did the name of Gandhi's political policy, "Satyagraha," mean?
(a) "Karma."
(b) "Belief in oneself."
(c) "Firmness in truth."
(d) "Strength in silence."

Short Answer Questions

1. Which play did Tolstoy criticize most harshly?

2. Tolstoy accuses the playwright he is criticizing of having a philosophy similar to whom?

3. Orwell begins Chapter 8 with a meeting of what club?

4. What does Burnham say about the Nazis?

5. What does the narrator call the hospital?

(see the answer keys)

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