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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Part 1, Chapter 7, where does hope lie?

2. Who is the vaporized man Winston must delete from The Times?

3. What does Julia say is "the only way to stay safe"?

4. In Part 2, Chapter 3, what will be Julia and Winston's next meeting place?

5. What device is used to write songs?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Winston fears that the dark-haired girl is not a member of the Thought Police; instead, she is an amateur spy. Why do you think the latter is more dangerous?

3. 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?

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

5. 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?

6. How does Winston really feel about Big Brother and the Party?

7. How have Winston's feelings towards Julia changed by Part 2, Chapter 4?

8. Why doesn't Winston kill the girl with the dark hair? Who else doesn't he kill for very similar reasons?

9. Look up the word "comrade" up in a dictionary. Why do you think everyone in Oceania is supposed to call each other comrade?

10. When Winston kisses Julia, he feels "incredulity and pride ... but he had no physical desire." Why do you think he feels this way? What does it reveal about why he needs Julia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Party relies on two key human attributes to guarantee their power - ignorance and fear. The fear comes from the power of Big Brother and the Thought Police to kill anyone, at anytime. The ignorance comes from the failure of the majority of citizens in Oceania to understand the inherent lies of Ingsoc.

Which attribute, fear or ignorance, do you feel is the most important and useful to the Party? Write an essay explaining your thoughts, and try to use real-world examples of governments who have ruled through fear, ignorance, or both.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay arguing either for or against the creation of a secret police force in America. Be sure to back up your opinions with examples from history and lessons learned from past governments.

Essay Topic 3

Limits on power are often referred to as "checks and balances." Write an essay on this subject, touching upon:

1) The checks and balances that exist in the U.S. Constitution.

2) Some examples of checks and balances that have succeeded or failed.

3) Your vision of what the ideal system of checks and balances would look like.

(see the answer keys)

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