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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. Tolstoy wrote a biting criticism of what playwright's work?

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

3. Burnham was influenced by what political writer?

4. How were the nurses in the hospital described?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is Orwell's problem with the use of words like "romantic" or "vitality"?

4. According to Orwell, why don't people read?

5. How has Orwell's situation been reversed in Chapter 3?

6. According to Orwell, what changes occur in the character of Gulliver, in each part of "Gulliver's Travels"?

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

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

9. What factors are ruining literary freedom, according to Orwell?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tolstoy criticizes Shakespeare in a variety of ways. Do you agree with any of Tolstoy's criticisms? If so, which ones? What do you think of Orwell's rebuttals for each point made by Tolstoy? Do you believe Tolstoy's claims about how Shakespeare got his reputation, or do you believe that his reputation was earned? How would you respond to the points Tolstoy makes about "King Lear"? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Burnham states that capitalism is dying and that a socialist pyramid will replace it. Do you agree? Do you see Burnham's theory manifested in the United States in any way? If so, how? Do you agree with Orwell's assessment, that the Managerial Revolution has not greatly influenced the United States? In what countries do you think the Managerial Revolution has started to take effect? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text in defending your conclusions.

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