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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Orwell, what word best describes Tolstoy's criticisms?
(a) Inconsistent.
(b) Prejudiced.
(c) Obsolete.
(d) Indirect.

2. How does Orwell describe Gandhi's political solutions?
(a) "Godly."
(b) "Progressive."
(c) "Medievalist."
(d) "Backwards."

3. In what country is the narrator, in Chapter 3?
(a) Burma.
(b) France.
(c) Spain.
(d) England.

4. According to Orwell, how did Swift offend Queen Anne?
(a) By writing a pamphlet that criticized dissenters from the church.
(b) By greeting her inappropriately when he met her.
(c) By writing a satirical piece that made fun of the English government.
(d) By criticizing a law passed by Parliament.

5. According to Orwell, what flaw is apparent in all of the examples of "bad English" that he presents in Chapter 6?
(a) Inappropriate metaphors.
(b) Poor grammar.
(c) A lack of precision.
(d) A lack of creativity.

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

7. What does Orwell say about Tolstoy's conversion?
(a) He was swayed by false prophets.
(b) He only exchanged one form of egotism for another.
(c) He did it to better his reputation, not because his belief was sincere.
(d) He never converted; it was a rumor.

8. Orwell begins Chapter 8 with a meeting of what club?
(a) The 4-H Club.
(b) The P.E.N. Club.
(c) The Lions Club.
(d) The Rotary Club.

9. What is in the prisoner's cell?
(a) A bedroll.
(b) Nothing.
(c) A plank bed and water pot.
(d) A cot and toilet.

10. What does Burnham say about the Nazis?
(a) They were monsters.
(b) They were good soldiers, with corrupt leadership.
(c) They were well intended, but misguided.
(d) They may have been monsters in a different era, but in this one, they were fine.

11. In Chapter 7, Orwell wonders if Gandhi was motivated by what vice?
(a) Vanity.
(b) Envy.
(c) Greed.
(d) Wrath.

12. How do the hospital staff sterilize their equipment between patients?
(a) They dip the tools in rubbing alcohol.
(b) They don't.
(c) They boil the tools.
(d) They use an autoclave.

13. What is the symbol of Gulliver's aging?
(a) His spectacles.
(b) His cane.
(c) His arthritic hands.
(d) His hair, which is turning grey.

14. The fourth speaker, in Chapter 8, defended the purges in what country?
(a) Pakistan.
(b) Russia.
(c) Israel.
(d) Italy.

15. What similarity does Orwell find between the Catholic and Communist ideologies?
(a) Both refuse to acknowledge the honesty and intellectual capability of their opponents.
(b) Both appoint a leader without the input of the followers.
(c) Both are based on an idea that sounds much better until it is put into practice.
(d) Both provide harsh punishments for dissenters.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Burnham, what is the most important factor for class mobility, in the society he envisions?

2. What creature intervenes as the prisoner is being led to his execution?

3. Overall, how does Orwell feel about "Gulliver's Travels"?

4. Orwell worries that liberty cannot exist without what?

5. The narrator is a citizen of what country?

(see the answer keys)

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