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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Tolstoy accuses the playwright he is criticizing of having a philosophy similar to whom?
(a) Stalin.
(b) Machiavelli.
(c) Napoleon.
(d) Caesar.

2. What does the creature do as the prisoner is being led to his execution?
(a) Jumps up and tries to lick the prisoner's face.
(b) Rampages through the crowd of spectators.
(c) Stings the attending guard.
(d) Bites the executioner.

3. What book does Orwell quote to support his argument against Satyagraha?
(a) "King Lear".
(b) "Gandhi and Stalin".
(c) "1984".
(d) "Gulliver's Travels".

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

5. How did the first speaker, in Chapter 8, feel about freedom of the press?
(a) It was a good thing - in India.
(b) It would lead to the corruption, and ultimate demise, of the government.
(c) It was desirable, but the government had a right to censor its citizens.
(d) It was desirable, but not necessary.

Short Answer Questions

1. What illness does the narrator have, in Chapter 3?

2. How many people were killed by the elephant while it was rampaging?

3. What sort of bath does the hospital staff give the narrator?

4. Why does Orwell dislike words such as "constitute" and "phenomenon"?

5. According to Orwell, what flaw is apparent in all of the examples of "bad English" that he presents in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. What pamphlet was the subject of the meeting of the P.E.N. Club that takes place in Chapter 8?

2. Orwell feels that international sporting events have what effect on the relations between the countries involved?

3. What is Orwell's overall intention, according to his statements at the end of Chapter 6?

4. How does Orwell define a "Good Bad Book" in Chapter 16?

5. What does Orwell say about the mating of toads?

6. What is Orwell's recommendation to the reader in Chapter 13?

7. According to the evidence Orwell presents from "Gulliver's Travels", how does Gulliver feel about science?

8. What is Orwell's conclusion about the price of books in Chapter 15?

9. What is the substance of the four speakers' speeches, as relayed by Orwell in Chapter 8?

10. What are some of Tolstoy's criticisms about Shakespeare?

(see the answer keys)

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