Name:
Book: Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Week 1
Chapters 1-2
Date:
Pre-Reading Activity
Trapped on an Island
After a plane crash, you and your group are stranded on a tropical island. There is fruit in the
trees, a fresh water spring, and fish in the stream, but no adults have survived. The clouds in the
sky are gathering.
1. Will you appoint a leader? Who will be the leader and how will you decide? If not, why won’t
you?
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2. Think of three jobs that will be necessary for the group to survive. Who will do these jobs?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
B.____________________________________________________________________________
C.____________________________________________________________________________
3. What are three problems that you predict you will face? How will you deal with those
problems?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
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B.____________________________________________________________________________
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C.____________________________________________________________________________
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4. Prioritize the following goals: having fun, working hard, trying to get rescued. Explain your
choices.
1.
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2.
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3.
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Part 1 - Vocabulary
Match the vocabulary word with the definition
#
Vocabulary Word
Definition
mortification
a.
enclosed within; imprisoned
furtive
b.
deviating from usual, established pattern or from
accepted usage or conduct
recrimination
c.
characterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant
sound
motif
d.
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of
thoughts or feelings
immured
e.
hatred; ill will
ebullience
f.
volunteering one’s services where they are neither
asked for nor needed; meddlesome
officious
g.
a bitter retort; a charge against an accuser
strident
h.
sense of humiliation and shame caused by
something that wounds one’s pride or self respect
eccentric
i.
a single or repeated design or color
enmity
j.
expressive of stealth; sly; secretive
Use at least five vocabulary words in sentences to show you understand their meaning
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Part 2 - Discussion Questions
Chapter 1: “The Sound of the Shell”
1. Describe the major characters: Ralph, Piggy, and Jack.
2. What instances of foreshadowing occur in this chapter? What predictions can you make about
what sorts of things might happen later in the novel?
3. What do the boys‟ attitudes and actions (e.g. Ralph‟s joy at being free of “grownups,” the
vote for leader, Ralph‟s telling the other boys about Piggy‟s nickname) reveal about human
nature?
4. What is the significance (the meaning and importance) of the boys‟ encounter with the wild
piglet?
5. What do you think the “sound of the shell” and the conch itself might symbolize?
Chapter 2: “Fire on the Mountain”
1. What do you think is the significance of the “snake-thing” or “beastie”? Consider the little
boy‟s description of the creature, the discussion of nightmares, Ralph‟s feeling that he is “facing
something ungraspable” when confronted with this problem, and his need to repeat loudly that
“there isn‟t a beast.”
2. What does Jack‟s behavior in this chapter suggest about him (e.g. his attitude toward killing
pigs and hunting the beast, his excitement about the rules and the consequences of violating
them, his treatment of Piggy etc.)? In what way(s) might the behavior of the boys during the
meeting foreshadow later events?
3. What do you think Piggy‟s glasses might represent? Consider their normal function, the use
they are put to in this chapter, Piggy‟s intelligence, and Piggy‟s helplessness without them.
4. What hypocritical irony is there in the boys‟ treatment of Piggy in contrast with their
treatment of Ralph and Jack? What does this fact suggest about human nature?
5. What is ironic about consequences of the boys‟ decision to light a fire? In light of these
consequences, what do you think it and the “drum-roll” represent?
6. What do the events of these first two chapters reveal about the major themes of the novel?