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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 doesn't Winston give Ogilvy?

2. What is Parsons collecting money for in Part 1, Chapter 5?

3. What does the prostitute not have?

4. Which event's preparations causes an increase in working hours in Part 2, Chapter 4?

5. What do Parsons' children to do the old market-woman?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the dark-haired girl's note affect Winston? Has it changed his outlook?

2. Why does Winston keep thinking about O'Brien? What does O'Brien represents to Winston?

3. Describe Winston's marriage. Why did he separate from his wife?

4. Where does Winston work, and what is his job? Why does he have to do this?

5. Winston feels the worst things about life in Oceania are not its "cruelty and insecurity," but "its bareness, its dinginess, its listlessness." Why might he feels this way?

6. Syme explains that the most important part of Newspeak is not the creation of new words, but the deletion of old words. Why might this be more important? What is the true purpose of Newspeak?

7. In your own words, how does Winston describe Mr. Parsons?

8. Why are the proles the only force capable of overthrowing the Party?

9. Why doesn't Winston kill the girl with the dark hair? Who else doesn't he kill for very similar reasons?

10. Doublethink is believing that something is true when you know it is false. Do you really think that doublethink is possible? Can you find any examples of doublethink in the real world?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oceania has been at war ever since Winston can remember. However, the country that it has been at war with has changed, and it seems that the Party wants Oceania to constantly be at war with someone. Why would a government want to have a permanent state of war? What benefits could a government get from it? Be sure to use real-world examples to back up your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Limits on power are often referred to as "checks and balances." Write an essay on this subject, touching upon:

1) The checks and balances that exist in the U.S. Constitution.

2) Some examples of checks and balances that have succeeded or failed.

3) Your vision of what the ideal system of checks and balances would look like.

Essay Topic 3

In Oceania, children are encouraged to spy on their parents and turn them in to the Thought Police if they notice any "suspicious behavior." Would you ever turn your parents over to the police? Why or why not? In what situation would you do it? What alternatives would you have?

(see the answer keys)

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