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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 did older American literature have, that the newer doesn't?
(a) Frightening villains.
(b) Values.
(c) Sympathetic characters.
(d) Memorable plots.

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

3. How many works is the person in Chapter 14 attempting to review?
(a) One.
(b) Five.
(c) Four.
(d) Two.

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

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

6. How does Orwell feel about winning by cheating?
(a) It is a win without honor or meaning.
(b) A win is a win, regardless of how it is earned.
(c) It's okay, if the cheating team is so far behind that winning one game won't affect the overall outcome.
(d) It's okay, as long as the other team is also cheating.

7. What relationship does Orwell establish between social justice and nature?
(a) There is no relationship between the two.
(b) Only the oppressors are free to truly appreciate the beauty of nature.
(c) Nature is a blessing that can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of the social injustices they endure.
(d) Nature can only be truly appreciated by those who are oppressed.

8. What conclusion does Orwell reach about the prices of the commodities he compares in Chapter 15?
(a) The only way to afford books is to cut out other luxuries, such as movies and records.
(b) Alcohol is more expensive than food, but well worth it.
(c) For the price of a year's worth of alcohol and cigarettes, one could purchase a respectable collection of books.
(d) Books are more expensive than food and clothing, and Orwell doesn't understand why.

9. How does Orwell feel about the quality of contemporary murder literature?
(a) It is good.
(b) It is good, but declining.
(c) It is poor.
(d) It is poor, but improving.

10. Orwell refers to the art of which countries to prove that those who work outdoors are interested in nature?
(a) China and Japan.
(b) America and England.
(c) Spain and France.
(d) Egypt and Spain.

11. What are the benefits of the poems in Chapter 17?
(a) They are funny, or fun to read.
(b) They are short.
(c) They are easy to remember.
(d) They are written by great poets.

12. How does Orwell feel about books?
(a) He enjoys reading, but wishes that books were cheaper.
(b) He prefers movies, unless he finds a really good book that can be read again and again.
(c) He laments the prioritization of the people who don't read.
(d) He prefers reading to most activities, but understands why other people might not.

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

14. According to Orwell, why might athletes try to cheat?
(a) They don't always understand the rules.
(b) They are afraid of losing their contracts.
(c) They think it is the only way they will win.
(d) They feel they are being discriminated against.

15. What is the main characteristic of the poems, written by the poet mentioned in Chapter 17?
(a) They are popular with children.
(b) They are obscene.
(c) They have an ABAB rhyme scheme.
(d) The first and last lines share the same rhyme.

Short Answer Questions

1. Orwell refers to what form of medieval art to back up his claims about outdoor workers and nature?

2. Orwell remarks that no one ever plants what type of tree?

3. What types of sporting events does Orwell support?

4. What does Orwell say about the meaning of the poems he mentions in Chapter 17?

5. How does Orwell describe "Uncle Tom's Cabin"?

(see the answer keys)

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