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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Montag use to start the fire in the attic book owner’s home?

2. What flusters Montag when he arrived at the book burning in the attic?

3. What does Montag think about before he goes to sleep on the night of the accident?

4. Why is Mildred grateful when the phone rings during Montag’s tirade about the truth?

5. While out with Montag one afternoon, what does Clarisse urge him to taste?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to people who are found with books in their possession?

2. What does Montag reveal to Mildred after Beatty leaves their home?

3. According to Beatty, what was the main goal of the firemen when the book burnings first began, and how does this fit into the new society’s goal?

4. Why did the book burnings first begin?

5. Who is Clarisse McClellan, and how does Montag meet her?

6. What does Montag come to suspect about the mechanical firedog at his work?

7. Why does Beatty come to visit Montag after the book burning at the elderly woman’s home?

8. What is Mildred Montag’s obsession, and how does it affect her personal life?

9. What does the elderly woman do before the firemen light the blaze in her home?

10. What horrifying scene does Montag come home to after escorting Clarisse back to the neighborhood, and what does this lead him to realize about Mildred?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does Montag hope to discover by reading through the illegal books? How does his quest for knowledge affect his relationship with government, Mildred, Clarisse, and himself? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

What does the river in Fahrenheit 451 symbolize? In what ways are both fire and water used as cleansing agents in the novel? Then, describe the two daydreams Montag experiences while floating down the river, and what they express about his character journey. Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

What does Captain Beatty represent in regards to government and censorship. Do you think Beatty believes in the value of his societal position, or is he simply an insecure man with power to exploit? Why might Beatty want society to be completely homogenous, and what does his treatment of Montag tell you about his character? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

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This section contains 863 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample