Animal Farm Chapter 5 Reading Guide
During Reading
Directions: Start and stop at the page(s) indicated. Answer the questions and be prepared to share with
your class.
Page Number
Start Page 45:
“As winter drew on, Mollie
became more and more
troublesome.”
DURING READING QUESTIONS
1. Why do you think that Napoleon and
Snowball always disagree?
2.
pig.
Snowball wants to help
the people and napoleon
don’t want to do
anything
“But of all their
controversies, none was so
bitter as the one that took
place over the windmill.”
“In the long pasture, not far
from the farm buildings…”
Both have different
leadership styles
Contrast the leadership style of each
To Page 48:
Start Page 48:
STUDENT RESPONSE
Contrast Napoleon and Snowball’s
perspectives on the windmill.
Snowball is saying It
won’t take a lot of work
and napoleon is saying
we shouldn’t do it at all
To the end of Page 53:
“It was noticed that they
wagged their tails…”
Start Page 54:
“Napoleon, with the dogs
following him…”
To Page 58:
“The animals were not
certain what the word
meant…”
How do Napoleon’s actions in this scene
affect the other animals?
They are terrified
Consider the changes Napoleon makes to how
the farm will be run.
He is trying to gain more
power
In your opinion, what is his likely motivation
for the changes?
How does Squealer manipulate the animals to
go along with Napoleon’s changes to the
farm?
He makes snowball seem
bad
Consider Squealer’s words on page 55:
In Russia they have to
believe everything he
says
“Loyalty and obedience are more
important…discipline, comrades, iron
discipline!”
How does this quote connect to the
leadership style in Soviet Russia?
1. What does Squealer admit about
Napoleon and the windmill?
2.
Why do the animals accept this?
He is saying that
napoleon was thinking
about the windmill
Because they will listen
to the pigs
End of Chapter Discussion
Questions
Which would be more valuable to a leader,
the ability to give powerful speeches or
having a large group of very devoted
followers? Why?
having a large group of
very devoted followers
because they will do
whatever you say
Based on the events of Chapter 5, what do
you predict life on the farm would be like
without the pigs? How would this help or hurt
the other animals? Why?
It would help them
because they would have
more freedom
If Snowball had won the struggle for power on
the farm and Napoleon was gone, how would
the outcome be similar or different? Why?
Because they would keep
the meetings
After Reading
Answer the multiple-choice questions for Chapter 5.
1. Reread the following passage from page 45:
“She [Mollie] was late for work every morning and excused herself by saying that she had overslept, and
she
complained of mysterious pains, although her appetite was excellent. On every kind of pretext she
would run
away from work and go to the drinking pool where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own
reflection in
the water.”
What is the best meaning of “pretext” as it is used in the passage?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Excuse
Principle
Weakness
Advantage
What do Napoleon’s interactions with the dogs in Chapter 5 reveal about his motivations for “the education of
the young” (page 34)?
1. He is motivated to educate the young because they are weaker than the other animals and need more
attention to become strong members of Animal Farm.
2. He is motivated to educate the young because they are more willing and interested to learn something
new.
3. He is motivated to educate the young because they are easy to transform into loyal followers.
4. He is motivated to educate the young because they are loyal to Mr. Jones and the other humans.
2.
How do Squealer’s speeches differ from Snowball’s?
1. Squealer’s speeches focus on the promise of a better future, but Snowball’s speeches focus on creating
a positive impression of Napoleon.
2. Squealer’s speeches focus on building confidence in Old Major’s plan, but Snowball’s speeches focus on
making work easier for all animals.
3. Squealer’s speeches focus on making work easier for all animals, but Snowball’s speeches focus on
building confidence in Old Major’s plan.
4. Squealer’s speeches focus on creating a positive impression of Napoleon, but Snowball’s speeches focus
on making work easier for all animals.
4.
A common characteristic of totalitarian governments is that they rewrite historical events to make themselves
look more successful. Which of the following pieces of evidence best illustrates how the pigs are transforming into a
totalitarian government?
1. “Napoleon, on the other hand, argued that the great need of the moment was to increase food
production, and if they wasted time on the windmill they would all starve to death.”
2. “According to Snowball, they must send out more and more pigeons and stir up rebellion among the
animals on the other farms.”
3. “...Napoleon stood up and, casting a particular sidelong look at Snowball, uttered a high-pitched
whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him utter before.”
4. “On the contrary, it was [Napoleon] who had advocated it in the beginning, and the plan which
Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon’s
papers.”
3.