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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When the Corporation cleaned out the slums and moved its occupants, where did it build housing for them?
(a) Below ground.
(b) On top of pre-existing housing.
(c) In the center of town.
(d) Far away from the tenants' employment.

2. What is "buttons down the back?"
(a) The type of shirt worn to keep dust from getting into clothing.
(b) Permanent scabs on vertebrae from scraping the spine on beams.
(c) A joke miners play on each other.
(d) A death story told to novices just entering the mines.

3. With what phrase did all of Mrs. Brooker's complaints end?
(a) "It does seem 'ard, don't it now?"
(b) "I hate it all, all I say."
(c) "I just as well die tonight!"
(d) "It do seem unfair, don't it?"

4. What was the average size of one of the dwellings?
(a) Twenty feet wide by five feet high.
(b) Ten feet wide by twelve feet high.
(c) Ten feet wide by ten feet high.
(d) Five feet wide by six feet high.

5. Who were the only permanent lodgers at the Brookers?
(a) Mr. Reilly and Mr. Orwell.
(b) Mr. Reilly and a man named Joe.
(c) Mr. Reilly and Mr. Simons.
(d) Mr. Reilly and the Irish miner with one hand.

6. How was the coal miner getter paid?
(a) By the coalcar load.
(b) By the week.
(c) By the ton extracted from the mine.
(d) By the hour.

7. At what time of year does the coal industry slack off?
(a) Spring.
(b) Summer.
(c) Winter.
(d) Fall.

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

9. What is a "dataller?"
(a) The superviser in the mine shaft.
(b) A miner who digs the coal.
(c) A miner who plants explosives.
(d) A miner who attends to the roof of the mine.

10. What did many of the old timers believe about miners washing their legs?
(a) Washing causes ulcers.
(b) Washing causes lumbago.
(c) Washing is bad luck.
(d) Washing is for women only.

11. In what positions did Orwell find himself moving through the tunnels in the coal mine?
(a) Bent over, crawling and twisting.
(b) Bent over, squatting and running.
(c) Bent over, squatting and crawling.
(d) Standing, crawling and moving on his belly.

12. 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) Overcrowding, no roof, no dishes.
(c) Bugs, no bedding, no stove.
(d) Unopenable windows, bugs, and overcrowding.

13. How many tons of coal were moved on the conveyor belt every minute?
(a) One ton.
(b) Millions of pounds.
(c) Hundreds of pounds.
(d) Several tons.

14. What could happen to cause a miner to lose one or two days pay?
(a) An over-scheduling mistake.
(b) A new training session.
(c) A broken elevator.
(d) A machinery breakdown or a fault.

15. What did Orwell say about the Corporation housing as a whole?
(a) "Comfortable and personal."
(b) "Ruthless and soulless."
(c) "Demeaning and horrific."
(d) "Adequate and personalized."

Short Answer Questions

1. What is a "blind back?"

2. How did Orwell describe Mrs. Brooker?

3. When a miner comes up from the pit, why does he appear to be pale?

4. Who did the tenants of the slum houses believe to be the worst landlords?

5. Upon what did Orwell believe our civilization is based?

(see the answer keys)

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