View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who did Orwell believe was doing the best work for the unemployed in the thirties?
(a) The National Unemployed Workers' Union.
(b) The National Communist Party.
(c) The National Center for Employment Benefits.
(d) The National Employment Readiness Centers.

2. In 1918, what was the general feeling throughout England?
(a) One of revolutionary thought due to the war.
(b) One of understanding due to the war.
(c) One of conservatism due to the war.
(d) One of uncertainty due to the war.

3. What was a favorite refuge for the unemployed man in Wigan?
(a) City Hall.
(b) The shopping areas.
(c) The movie theatre.
(d) The alleys.

4. When asked who the top ten greatest men living in 1920, who was most often named in Orwell's school class?
(a) Lennon.
(b) Lenin.
(c) Hardy.
(d) Trotsky.

5. What did Orwell believe was the deeper implications of Socialism?
(a) Socialism stands for justice and common decency.
(b) Socialism stands for democracy and common goals.
(c) Socialism stands for better housing for the working poor.
(d) Socialism stands for better wages and better working conditions.

Short Answer Questions

1. What book did Orwell write telling of his experiences in London with the unemployed street people?

2. How long was Orwell a member of the Indian Police?

3. Who did Orwell go to hear speak while he was in Sheffield?

4. How did a Northerner visiting Southern England see that part of the country?

5. What did Orwell think would remind him that our age was not been a bad one to live in?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were some of the negative affects of unemployment on any town despite unemployment benefits?

2. What was the unemployment situation in England in the 1930's? How did Orwell's figures differ from official government figures?

3. How did Orwell explain the attitude toward the family in a working class society? How did it differ in his opinion from the middle class man and his family?

4. What were the reasons Orwell cited for Socialism being intrinsically tied to machine industrialization?

5. What was "scrambling for the coal?"

6. What was the employment situation in Wigan and Sheffield, the two towns Orwell wrote about?

7. How did Orwell's time in the military police effect his thinking about government and oppression?

8. What did Orwell identify as the two methodologies for abolishing the class system in England? Why did he believe neither of these two to be viable?

9. What one overarching generalization was Orwell taught about the lower classes of people in his town? What author did Orwell quote in support of this theory, and what did the author say?

10. What was a "shabby-genteel" family in Orwell's opinion? What were some of the characteristics of a shabby-genteel family?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,411 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample