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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 edition of the Newspeak dictionary is currently being written?

2. How does Julia describe herself?

3. How many times has Julia had sex?

4. How many clothing coupons does Winston get annually?

5. What is the name of Winston's wife?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Explain Julia's attitude towards the Party. What does this reveal about her character?

3. 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?

4. What might the woman singing in the street symbolizes?

5. What attracts Julia to Winston? Why is this attractive or necessary to her?

6. Who was comrade Ogilvy, and what was he like? How did he supposedly die?

7. What does Part 1, Chapter 1 show the reader about the quality of Oceania's services and products?

8. 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?

9. When Winston was young, he and his family had to take shelter in a subway station because London was being attacked. An old man was crying, "We didn't ought to have trusted them." Who should not have trusted?

10. Try to imagine what it would be like to live in a country like Oceania where you are constantly watched by government agents. How would you feel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Privacy is a highly relevant issue in the modern world. Possibilities for surveillance and citizen control have expanded significantly since George Orwell's time, and this trend frequently inspires references in the news and pop culture to Nineteen Eighty-Four. Write an essay on the topic of privacy, stating:

1) What privacy means to you.

2) The importance of privacy to a society as a whole.

3) Your opinion on the current debate over privacy, security, terrorism, and the constitution.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay arguing either for or against the creation of a secret police force in America. Be sure to back up your opinions with examples from history and lessons learned from past governments.

Essay Topic 3

Fear is a common theme in literature, and a motivating factor for many characters. Write an essay that shows at least two examples of fear in literature, touching upon:

1) The type of fear, be it personal, fear for the safety of others, fear of pain, etc.

2) How the characters overcame the fear, or were overcome by it.

3) The source of the fear, and its relation to the main character.

(see the answer keys)

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