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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 is the reason that people don't read?
(a) The plots of most books are boring.
(b) Reading a book takes too much effort.
(c) They would rather go to movies, to pubs, or watch dog racing.
(d) Books are too expensive.

2. How does Orwell describe the ideal murderer, in a murder story?
(a) Pitiable.
(b) Arrogant.
(c) Eccentric.
(d) Calculating.

3. According to Orwell, what is not a popular subject in his essays?
(a) Animals.
(b) Christmas.
(c) Spring.
(d) Politics.

4. What types of sporting events does Orwell support?
(a) Events held for charity.
(b) International sports.
(c) Local, friendly games.
(d) Youth events.

5. What kind of person would be Orwell's ideal murder-mystery protagonist?
(a) A lower-class citizen.
(b) A celebrity.
(c) A rich aristocrat.
(d) A local professional.

6. The murderer, according to Orwell, kills his victim to avoid what?
(a) Imprisonment.
(b) Disgrace or scandal.
(c) Divorce.
(d) Financial ruin.

7. What nonsense poet is named in Chapter 17?
(a) Christopher Isherwood.
(b) Mervyn Peake
(c) Ogden Nash.
(d) Edward Lear.

8. According to Orwell, what ideal is at stake in international sports competitions?
(a) Sportsmanship.
(b) Fairness.
(c) Prestige.
(d) Skill.

9. What does Orwell cite as a reason for the quality of contemporary murder literature?
(a) The government is censoring it too much.
(b) There are currently no good writers.
(c) Crimes are becoming less memorable.
(d) People aren't interested in reading it.

10. What does Orwell say about the meaning of the poems he mentions in Chapter 17?
(a) They have no meaning.
(b) They mean very little.
(c) They mean something different to each person who reads them.
(d) They have profound meaning, though disguised.

11. How does Orwell feel about Jack the Ripper?
(a) He thinks he was a fraud.
(b) He committed "perfect" murders, worthy of being turned into literature.
(c) He thinks he was sloppy, and just got lucky in not being caught.
(d) He thinks it was actually a group of people committing the murders.

12. According to Orwell, spring is more noticeable for people in what areas?
(a) Urban.
(b) Rural and urban.
(c) Suburban.
(d) Rural.

13. In "Good Bad Books", what kind of books does Orwell write about?
(a) Books that are good, but obscene.
(b) Books that are well written, and underappreciated by critics.
(c) Books that survive the test of time, but aren't necessarily "good" books.
(d) Books that aren't well written, but are popular because their authors are well known.

14. In Orwell's ideal world, how would the quality of each work be reflected in its reviews?
(a) Only the poor works would be reviewed, so that people could avoid them.
(b) Only the good works would be reviewed, so that people could seek them out.
(c) All works would receive equal treatment.
(d) Good works would get long, detailed reviews; poor ones would get only a few lines.

15. What does Orwell refer to as the era of great murder mystery literature?
(a) "Golden Age."
(b) "Renaissance."
(c) "Dark Ages."
(d) "Elizabethan period."

Short Answer Questions

1. What conclusion does Orwell reach about the prices of the commodities he compares in Chapter 15?

2. What event does Orwell cite as evidence for his argument about sports?

3. What object is linked to the Vicar of Bray?

4. Orwell refers to all of the titles in Chapter 16 as great examples of what?

5. Orwell compares "Helen's Babies" with the works of what other author?

(see the answer keys)

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