View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When will Offred take the doctor up on his offer in Chapter 4?

2. What part of Moira’s body was beaten?

3. Who does the narrator go shopping with in Chapter 2?

4. What is one way Offred is allowed to pass the time?

5. What did Moira use as a weapon in Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is carved on Offred’s desk at the center? Why is this significant?

2. Why did Offred and the other women take naps at the center?

3. What fate has Janine avoided by having the baby?

4. Who is the girl in the photograph in Chapter 3, and how does the narrator respond to seeing it?

5. In Chapter 6, how does the Commander pray?

6. What tone do the women take with Janine?

7. What is the purpose of the exercises that Offred does?

8. In Chapter 4, What does the message in Offred’s room say?

9. What is the role of the Marthas?

10. Describe the narrator’s mother as depicted in Chapter 3.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Offred writes about having taken certain things for granted in her earlier life. Write an essay in which you discuss which things in particular she took for granted, and why. What are some things which she always valued, by contrast?

Essay Topic 2

Offred seems to be trapped throughout the book, though other characters have different paths. What choices were available to women in Gilead? How do these compare to the choices that men had in determining their fates?

Essay Topic 3

Offred’s daughter is one of the most important people in her life, though they are no longer together. Describe what Offred’s daughter’s life might be like at the moment. How are children important in Gilead, and what is Offred’s daughter’s most likely fate?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 475 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample