6. What is the importance of the Dog and the Geese to Chief?
Where does he see them?
Why is that important?
How is the Chief similar to John the Savage?
7. What does Mack learn at the pool?
8. Complete the quote: “Damned if he does, ________________”
How does that apply to Sefelt?
What does the medicine do to them?
How does it apply to McMurphy?
How is it true for every man on the ward?
9. How are Ratched and Mrs. Harding similar?
What does Mrs. Harding do to her husband?
10. How has Mack changed?
What has changed him?
Is he thinking for himself or for others?
11. What are two examples of foreshadowing in this chapter?
Continued on next page
Cuckoo’s Nest, Continued
12. Why do the voluntarys stay at the ward?
13. What are the thoughts the Chief sees running through his mind?
14. What does the broken glass portend?
What power does Mack have over Ratched?
What power does Ratched have over Mack?
Writing
Cast your mind back to the beginning of the unit. Who is Mack more
similar to Malcolm X or Martin Luther King?
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest; 174-190
Introduction
One section ends, another begins. Self-sacrifice and healing become the
guiding force in MacMurphy’s life. Ratched, however, gets the machine
going again.
Up Close
MacMurphy works hard at giving the men their “manhoods” back.
Find a passage where the men are becoming whole again.
Questions
Answer the following questions fully. Use another sheet of paper.
1. What does MacMurphy do, now that he has more power?
What is the advantage, for MacMurphy, in not having the glass?
3. How is Basketball good therapy for the inmates?
What does it force them to do?
How is it different from the talks?
How is it different from Trinity High Football?
How is it different from Two Minutes Hate?
4. How did the Chief become deaf?
Why is he getting his hearing back?
5. What are the first words the Chief says?
What does that show about Mack?
How has mach changed since the first chapter?
Continued on next page
Cuckoo’s Nest, Continued
6. How does Mack get the Chief to laugh?
Why is laughter powerful?
What is happening to the Ward?
Who laughed in The Chocolate War?
What happened to him?
7. How is Mack bigger than the Chief?
Who else had that same size?
How big is Santiago?
How big is Bernard?
8. How does the Chief explain the Combine?
9. Why does he want to touch Mack?
10. How is Mack going to blow the Chief up to full-size?
Why?
Writing
Imagine what would happen if Santiago were put into the ward?
What would happen if Lenina were put into the ward?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; 190-218
Introduction
MacMurphy begins to get paired with Christ and, humorously,
Santiago. The men are pulled from the Combine and dropped into the
ocean.
Up CloseContinued on next page
Cuckoo’s nest, Continued
Questions
Read the
pages above
and answer
the
following
questions.
Use another
sheet of
paper.
1. How are
McMurphy
and the
whore
similar?
How do
they both
feel about
their
sexuality?
2. What
does she do
to get the
men going?
How does
she start
shortcircuiting
the
machine?
What is the
goal of the
Combine?
3. Who is
more
powerful:
Candy or
Ratched?
Explain.
4. Why
were the
nuts
nervous
outside?
Who do
they have to
depend on?
Who else do
they have to
depend on?
5. What is
the
difference
between
Mack's and
Doc's
approach to
the
serviceman?
Which one
shows more
pride?
6. How
does Mack
use his
hands?
Who else,
earlier, had
been
impressed
by this?
How are
Mack’s
hands
similar to
Santiago’s
7. How
many are
going
fishing?
What is the
significance
of that
number?
Continued on next page
Cuckoo’s Nest, Continued
8. Why does Candy gets so upset when they call her Blondie?
How is her reception here different from her reception at the ward?
What other names could they call her that would insult her?
Why wouldn’t a wolf-whistle insult her?
What does that incident show about the men?
9. Why does the Chief feel great calmness over the sea?
What isn’t present out on the sea?
Do you think it is because he is an Indian or more of a man?
10. How does the fishing help the men therapeutically?
11. Why won't Mack do anything in the waves?
How does that help the men?
12. Complete the quote: "He won't let pain ______________ or
_________________________"
Explain it.
What other characters could that quote apply to?
13. What does George do at the dock?
What does this show about him?
14. Why is Mack tired?
What has the Chief said earlier that could give you a reason for Mack’s
exhaustion?
Writing
How has MacMurphy given these men their manhood’s back. Explain
the process.
218-241
Introduction
Like many of the novels, this story moves towards its inevitable and
painful conclusion.
Up Close
MacMurphy’s ultimate triumph comes from the men. They are now
ready to join the world, for better or for worse. Find three or four
paragraphs that show this.
Questions
Read the above pages and answer the following questions. Use another
sheet of paper.
1. How does the nurse begin to successfully sway the men?
Is she wrong?
When did MacMurphy start to do stuff for the men?
What is the best answer the men give?
2. What is the Nurse implying about McMurphy?
How does Harding refute it?
Is Harding right?
3. What are the black boys going to do in the tub room?
Is what the black boys do to George therapeutic?
Why is it important that Washington is clothed and Mack is naked?
Why does Mack have a "helpless, cornered despair" in his voice?
Describe Mack's fighting style.
Is it to his personality?
Continued on next page
Cuckoo’s Nest, Continued
4. What does the tall guy with the wire say? (Please quote)
This is a version of a very famous quote from the bible. What is the
original quote?
What does that make McMurphy?
5. What happens to the Chief during the night?
What does that guy want?
How does Mack have the ward above him like that?
How does he have a hundred or a thousand faces there?
6. What are the conditions if Mack isn't to get shock?
Why can’t he take the deal?
How is this similar to Sefelt’s problem earlier?
7. Who is Mack quoting from on the table?
How is McMurphy similar to Christ?
What will happen to Mack at the end of the book, following the
allusion?
What will happen to the men?
8. After the Words AIR RAID on 238, why does the narration get
confused?
In reality, what was the pair of dice he was in?
Writing
Mack gets compared to Christ throughout this novel. Follow this out.
Suppose the men leave the ward in the end and form a church called
“Mackanity.” What would the ten commandments of this church be?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; 241-end
Introduction
The novel ends in bittersweet triumph. Think about the positive stuff
here, and not the sacrifice.
Up Close
Billy Bibbit is an important minor character in this novel. Find a
passage that clearly focuses on Billy and bracket it.
Questions
Answer the following questions fully. Use another sheet of paper.
1. How is Mack winning the battle with Ratched, even though he isn’t
there?
Why does she bring McMurphy back on the ward?
2. What does Ratched know the operation does?
What does Mack pretend its for?
Is there any difference?
What does Ratched do to men’s sexuality?
3. How old is Billy Bibbit?
Is that a surprise to you?
What did his mother used to do for him?
How did his mother hold him back?
Have you parents held you back in a similar way?
4. Who comes during the night visit?
Why didn't McMurphy leave earlier?
Knowing that he is “damned if he does....” Why couldn’t Mack have
left earlier?
Continued on next page
Cuckoo’s Nest, Continued
5. In the extended biblical allusion, what is the party?
What does Turkle get out of it?
What does the party celebrate?
6. Harding draws up a plan for Mack. What important change does this
show in Harding?
7. Why are the men not rabbits now?
Why did they enter the hospital?
Why did Harding?
Why has Mack been getting more and more tired over the last hundred
pages?
Do the Trinity High students ever stop being rabbits? Explain.
Do the people of BNW ever stop being rabbits? Explain.
8. What is being “stuffed down her mouth”?
How does that show their power?
9. Where is Billy?
How is this a triumph for Mack?
How does Billy’s voice change?
Why does Ratched mention Billy's mother?
How does his voice change back?
Continued on next page
Cuckoo’s Nest, Continued
10. Who is to blame for Billy's death?
How?
Could Mack also be to blame?
11. Why does Mack rip her shirt open before he chokes her?
What does this scene show about male sexuality?
What does this scene show about female sexuality?
This is a very controversial scene. Why might modern readers dislike
this scene?
Explain.
12. Overall, who wins on the ward?
How do you know?
Writing
In a few short paragraphs, write an alternative ending to this novel.
How else could it have ended?
• Why would your ending be better?
• Why would it be worse?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Essays
Introduction
This novel has a great deal of applications in the real world. These
essays will help to place the novel in your lives.
Requirements The following essays are meant to be both challenging and thoughtful.
Please make sure you use the Group Writing Process. Use these
guidelines:
• Use real verbs, proper nouns, and adjectives
• Be Honest
• Use a creative intro or conclusion
• Use figurative language
• Use examples or quotes from the text
Topics
Pick one of the following topics.
• How are high school students like the inmates in the ward?
How could they change that without leaving school?
• In real life, what is the Combine?
How can you avoid it?
• Sexuality and repressed sexuality has a pivotal role in the novel. does
it have a pivotal role in your lives?
Explain.
• Compare Nurse Ratched to other authority figures you know?
How does she differ?
Hard Rock
Introduction
This little poem works on many of the same themes of Cuckoo’s Nest,
but with some very important changes to it.
Questions
Read the attached poem and answer the following questions fully. Use
another sheet of paper.
1. What are the similarities between Hard Rock and MacMurphy?
2. What does "gelding" do to a stallion? How was HR gelded?
3. What do the other men do with Hard Rock’s exploits?
How does Hard Rock's relationship to the men resemble that of
MacMurphy’s
How are they different
4. Why did Hard Rock do nothing when sworn at?
5. Why was everyone else crushed?
6. What had been cut into their backs?
How does that hurt them?
7. What will happen to the men in the future?
8. How is the ending of the poem different from the ending of Cuckoo?
9. Compare what Hard Rock (section 3) does and what Mac does.
How are their activities and rebellions different?
How does that affect the ending?
10. Do you suppose it makes a difference that Hard Rock is not paired
with a Ratched?
How might a Ratched have changed the ending?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Solo Exam
Introduction
The following exam has a few tricks and turns to it. Be careful, creative
and meticulous.
Character
Matching
Match the characteristics on the right to the characters on the left.
1.d__Sefelt a. Drowned in pool
2.e __McMurphy b. Stuttered
3.h__Chief Bromden c. Had beautiful hands
4.j__Candy d. An epileptic
5.i __Washington e. Had beaten hands
6.g__Nurse Ratched f. Prison Inmate
7.c__Harding g. Had a large "personality"
8.b__Billy Bibbit h. A Columbian Indian
9.f__ Hard Rock i. A black boy
10.a__Cheswick j. A prostitute
Put in Order
The following list of events is scrambled. Put a one next to the first
event, a two next to the second, and continue.
1 __ Mack arrives on the ward
9 __ Mack breaks the window first.
12 __ Mack beats up on Washington
4__ Mack gets the Tub room as a game room
15__ Mack is lobotomized
11__Mack refuses to help the guys with their catch
6__Mack Tries to lift the control panel
13 __Mack has shock
2__Mack makes his bet
7__Mack loses on the World Series again
3__Mack pulls the "towel" trick
8__Mack learns what it means to be committed.
10__Mack organizes a fishing trip
5__Mack loses on he voting the first time
14__Mack attacks Ratched
Continued on next page
Cuckoo’s Test, Continued
Objects
Quotes
Identify
the
following
quotes.
Who said
it and why
is it
important?
Pick ten.
Example:
“Get me
some Gas,
Goddam
it!”; Mack,
showing
whose
boss at the
gas station.
1. "It's the
truth, even
if it never
happened."
2. "We
need that
Vaseline"
Continued on next page
Quotes, Cuckoo’s Test, Continued
3. "Billy, Billy, Billy. Your mother and I are good friends."
4. "I wash my hands of the whole deal."
5. "Thank You."
6. "He is simply a man and is subject to all the fears and all the
cowardice and all the timidity that any other man is subject to."
7. "You men! Stop this. Stop!!"
8. "Stand back you sissies, you're using my oxygen."
9. "You s-s-s-s-aw what she c-c-can do to us. In the m-m-m-meeting."
10. "Mr. McMurphy, my friend, I am not a chicken, I'm a rabbit."
11. "Man, the last time it took eight screws to put him in the hole."
12. "Sure, they con do things like scars and broken noses. But they can't
do that look."
Weird
Section
The following are a list of things that the Chief sees in ways that are not
normally true. Explain how these items are unusual.
1. Nurse Ratched's Pocketbook
2. Nurse Ratched
3. The clock
Continued on next page
Weird, Cuckoo’s Test, Continued
4. The fog
5. a die
6. a pill
7. MacMurphy
8. the ward at night
9. a "whirring" sound
10. rusted gears
Writing
Write a short answer to the following question.
What will the characters of Harding, Bromden, Martini, Ratched and
the Doctor be doing five years from the end of the book?
Extra Credit