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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Orwell compares "Helen's Babies" with the works of what other author?
(a) Jules Verne.
(b) Mark Twain.
(c) Orson Scott Wells.
(d) Ernest Hemingway.

2. Why is the reviewer having such difficulty writing his reviews?
(a) He is too busy to write them.
(b) He keeps getting interrupted.
(c) The works he is reviewing are boring.
(d) He is afraid of offending the works' authors.

3. What was Thibaw's legacy in Mandalay?
(a) An enormous and elaborate temple.
(b) Spectacular gardens.
(c) His many illegitimate children.
(d) Tamarind trees.

4. What does Orwell say about the meaning of the poems he mentions in Chapter 17?
(a) They mean very little.
(b) They mean something different to each person who reads them.
(c) They have no meaning.
(d) They have profound meaning, though disguised.

5. Orwell refers to the art of which countries to prove that those who work outdoors are interested in nature?
(a) Egypt and Spain.
(b) Spain and France.
(c) China and Japan.
(d) America and England.

6. What does Orwell cite as a reason for the quality of contemporary murder literature?
(a) There are currently no good writers.
(b) The government is censoring it too much.
(c) People aren't interested in reading it.
(d) Crimes are becoming less memorable.

7. What are the benefits of the poems in Chapter 17?
(a) They are easy to remember.
(b) They are short.
(c) They are written by great poets.
(d) They are funny, or fun to read.

8. According to Orwell, why might athletes try to cheat?
(a) They don't always understand the rules.
(b) They are afraid of losing their contracts.
(c) They feel they are being discriminated against.
(d) They think it is the only way they will win.

9. How does Orwell describe "Uncle Tom's Cabin"?
(a) Boring, but well-executed.
(b) Childish and melodramatic.
(c) Poorly written, but memorable.
(d) Frivolous and stupid.

10. How many reviews does the person in Chapter 14 write per year?
(a) 100.
(b) 24.
(c) 52.
(d) 12.

11. In "Good Bad Books", what kind of books does Orwell write about?
(a) Books that aren't well written, but are popular because their authors are well known.
(b) Books that are well written, and underappreciated by critics.
(c) Books that are good, but obscene.
(d) Books that survive the test of time, but aren't necessarily "good" books.

12. What does "Helen's Babies" say about America, according to Orwell?
(a) It portrays America inaccurately.
(b) It is a characterization of only one class in American society.
(c) It characterizes America much more tamely than older literature.
(d) It portrays Americans as immature and selfish.

13. Orwell compares the price of a book to the price of what other luxury?
(a) An expensive seat at the cinema.
(b) A carriage ride.
(c) A Cuban cigar.
(d) A bottle of whiskey.

14. What is the most famous poem written by the poet mentioned in Chapter 17?
(a) "The Cat's In the Cradle".
(b) "Hey Diddle Diddle".
(c) "The Owl and the Pussycat".
(d) "Old Mother Hubbard".

15. What object is linked to the Vicar of Bray?
(a) A yew tree.
(b) A gold medallion.
(c) A pocket watch.
(d) A carriage.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does the animal discussed in Chapter 12 discern the sex of other members of its species?

2. According to Orwell, what is the reason that people don't read?

3. Orwell feels that it is possible to play sports, for fun and recreation, in the absence of what?

4. Orwell says, in Chapter 12, that he has occasionally found what in summer?

5. What do Orwell's readers think Orwell should be focusing on?

(see the answer keys)

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