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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How did D. H. Lawrence come to Orwell's mind as he rode the train?
(a) He looked out over snow-covered hills.
(b) He was reading a book of poetry.
(c) He met a passenger whose name was Lawrence.
(d) He looked at a beautiful girl.

2. What did Orwell urge the reader to realize about the coal miner?
(a) "Because miners sweat their guts out, superior people can remain superior."
(b) "Miners are not all stupid people not deserving of an education."
(c) "Miners have families just like other people."
(d) "Miners are people too."

3. What does "one up, one down" mean?
(a) One room in front of another.
(b) One room with a higher ceiling than the other.
(c) One ground floor, one basement.
(d) One room on each storey.

4. Upon what did Orwell believe our civilization is based?
(a) Money.
(b) Marriage.
(c) Law.
(d) Coal.

5. Who was Old Jack?
(a) An ex-shopkeeper, around 80, who retired and sold his shop.
(b) An ex-soldier, 75 years old, whose legs were both amputated after a battle.
(c) An ex-miner, 78 years old, who worked for over fifty years in the coal pits.
(d) An ex-miner, 80 years old, whose left hand had been severed in a mining accident.

6. What author accused miners of gluttony?
(a) Rev. W. R. Inge.
(b) Rev. B.W. Smith.
(c) Rev. W.D. Acres.
(d) Rev. W. S. Bellows.

7. For what did the Brookers purchase insurance policies?
(a) They insured the lives of both old age pensioners.
(b) They insured their home and shop.
(c) They insured each other.
(d) They insured their children.

8. To what did Orwell compare the sound of the conveyor belt in the mine?
(a) Thunder.
(b) An echo.
(c) A loud hum.
(d) A machine gun.

9. What is a "blind back?"
(a) A house with a tall fence.
(b) A house with no lavatory.
(c) A house with no back door.
(d) A house with no fence.

10. What kind of shop was attached to the Brooker's boarding house?
(a) A small grocery.
(b) A smoke shop.
(c) A tripe shop.
(d) A women's dress shop.

11. What is the cause of the great majority of accidents in the mine?
(a) Gob fires.
(b) Human error.
(c) Gas explosions.
(d) Fall of a roof.

12. According to Mrs. Brooker, who was "at Canada?"
(a) Many of her aunts and uncles.
(b) Many of her husband's relatives.
(c) Many of her former boarders.
(d) Many of her children.

13. What was the only quality associated with hell that was not in the coal mine?
(a) Darkness.
(b) Foul air.
(c) Noise.
(d) Fire.

14. What were some of the most common conditions Orwell notes of housing in the industrial areas?
(a) No hot water, no electircity, no roof.
(b) Bugs, no bedding, no stove.
(c) Overcrowding, no roof, no dishes.
(d) Unopenable windows, bugs, and overcrowding.

15. How does a miner bathe after dinner?
(a) In a tub outside in the yard.
(b) With a basin of water and a washcloth.
(c) In an outdoor shower.
(d) In a hot bath tub.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where was Orwell's bed in his room at the Brooker's house?

2. What were the first sounds Orwell heard in the morning when he woke at the Brookers?

3. What did miners tell Orwell about why they ate less than he did at a meal?

4. What was one common characteristic of all of the houses Orwell saw in industrial towns?

5. What physical attributes did the fillers share?

(see the answer keys)

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