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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. According to Orwell, what political structure fosters great literature?

2. According to Orwell, literature is in danger from censorship, and what else?

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

4. What does Orwell say about Tolstoy's conversion?

5. What does Burnham say about the Nazis?

Short Essay Questions

1. What effect does Gandhi's autobiography have on Orwell?

2. According to Tolstoy, how did Shakespeare get such a grand reputation?

3. What scene does Orwell describe as the setting for reading a good murder mystery?

4. What flaws are shared by all of the examples of "bad English" that Orwell offers?

5. According to Orwell, why is spring not a popular subject among his readers?

6. Who are the individuals that Orwell uses as examples in Chapter 13?

7. Whom does Orwell name in Chapter 17 as a well-known nonsense poet?

8. In what manner does Orwell leave Hopital X?

9. What are Orwell's criteria for a "perfect" murder?

10. What does Orwell say about the sanitation of Hopital X?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the character of the prisoner in Chapter 2. How does Orwell describe the prisoner? How do you think Orwell feels about the prisoner? What do you think his crime might have been? What is the significance of the officials' merrymaking so close to the site of the prisoner's death? What point is Orwell trying to make with this essay? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

Orwell feels that good books should receive long reviews, while poorly-written books should be handled with reviews of only a few lines. How do you feel about his proposition? Have you ever gained useful information from a bad review? Have you ever thought that a good review was too long? Or do you agree that poorly-written books are undeserving of attention? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your position.

Essay Topic 3

Orwell claims that the English language is in a state of decline. Do you agree? If so, do you agree that the issues that he mentions are the main cause for this decline? Or are there other, more pressing issues that are causing it? If you disagree, what evidence can you provide to prove that the language is not "in a bad way," as Orwell claims? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your position.

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