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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where was Orwell's bed in his room at the Brooker's house?
(a) In the right hand corner nearest the door.
(b) Against a dresser.
(c) In the center of the room.
(d) On the east wall.

2. What did Orwell say the fillers looked like?
(a) Slaves in Egypt.
(b) Hammered iron statues.
(c) Hammered metal sculpture.
(d) Wooden soldiers.

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

4. What is one superstition miner sometimes hold to?
(a) It is bad luck to see a woman before going to work in the morning shift.
(b) It is bad luck to carry a photograph of one's children into the mines.
(c) It is bad luck to kiss a woman goodbye before going into the mines.
(d) It is bad luck to wear red into the mines.

5. In one town, what was built instead of public housing the town desperately needed?
(a) A museum.
(b) A town hall.
(c) A recreational area.
(d) A library.

Short Answer Questions

1. At what time of year does the coal industry slack off?

2. Which towns did Orwell note for their approach to tearing down slum housing and rebuilding?

3. How many tons of coal were moved on the conveyor belt every minute?

4. How did Orwell come to understand the discrepancies in pay for miners?

5. How did the Brookers view the two old age pensioners that lived in their house?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was one major convenience added to the more modern mines in England? What myth often told about miners did this modern convenience dispel?

2. There were three shift in the mines Orwell discussed. What happened in each of the three shifts?

3. What were some of the common conditions in the houses Orwell studied for his book?

4. What were the coal mines like for Orwell? How did he see the men who mined the coal?

5. What did Orwell learn about the reality of the seven hour shift worked by the typical miner?

6. What were the newer government (Corporation) houses like? What were the positive and negative aspects of the housing?

7. What were the three terms Orwell used to describe the construction of the substandard housing in Wigan and Sheffield? How are they each affected by the lavatories available to them?

8. How did Orwell come to write "The Road to Wigan Pier?" When did he write the book? For whom? What were the three parts of the book when it was originally published?

9. Who were some of the boarders at the Brooker's rooming house? How were thought of by the Brookers?

10. Describe the elevator that took Orwell and the miners down to the tunnels.

(see the answer keys)

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