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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. What is the prole woman doing outside the window in Part 2, Chapter 4?
(a) Whistling and gardening.
(b) Singing and hanging laundry.
(c) Humming and painting.
(d) Chanting and walking by.

2. How does Julia describe herself?
(a) As a thought criminal.
(b) As much too young for Winston.
(c) As not clever.
(d) As very attractive.

3. What ailment does Winston suffer from?
(a) Varicose veins.
(b) A varicose ulcer.
(c) Diabetes.
(d) Swollen lymph nodes.

4. The telescreen announces a reduction in what type of rations?
(a) Bread.
(b) Cigarettes.
(c) Chocolate.
(d) Water.

5. What do Parsons' children to do the old market-woman?
(a) Kick her in the shins.
(b) Steal her money.
(c) Shoot her cat with a catapult.
(d) Set her skirt on fire.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the song on the telescreen?

2. Where does Winston miss a meeting in Part 1, Chapter 8?

3. What is used only by the proles?

4. Who are the first two people Winston dreams about in Part 1, Chapter 3?

5. What keeps falling on London?

Short Essay Questions

1. "All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary." What is a palimpsest, and why do you think the author used this word?

2. Why are the proles the only force capable of overthrowing the Party?

3. Winston feels the worst things about life in Oceania are not its "cruelty and insecurity," but "its bareness, its dinginess, its listlessness." Why might he feels this way?

4. Syme explains that the most important part of Newspeak is not the creation of new words, but the deletion of old words. Why might this be more important? What is the true purpose of Newspeak?

5. Describe Winston's marriage. Why did he separate from his wife?

6. Judging by the dream Winston has about the girl with dark hair, how does he appear to feel about her?

7. Why does Winston think Syme will be vaporized? What does Syme lack?

8. Doublethink is believing that something is true when you know it is false. Do you really think that doublethink is possible? Can you find any examples of doublethink in the real world?

9. How does the dark-haired girl's note affect Winston? Has it changed his outlook?

10. Look up the word "proletariat" in the dictionary. What does it mean? Why does the Party ignore the proles? Is this strange?

(see the answer keys)

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