North Plainfield School District
SUMMER
READING
2014
Entering grades 9, 10, 11, and 12
Fahrenheit 451
By Ray Bradbury
Summer Reading at a Glance
Background on the novel Fahrenheit 451 BY Ray Bradbury:
The novel depicts a dystopia (an imaginary, but frightening society) in
which books are not read, but burned. The novel takes place somewhere in the
future in which technology and entertainment have become a priority, and
people no longer take the time to read or think. In addition to the changing
values of the people, the government has also deemed the reading of books
illegal, and, subsequently, firemen do not put out fires, but rather start them in
order to annihilate all books. The novel is about the protagonist, Guy Montag,
who is a fireman who begins to question his occupation as well as society’s values.
The title refers to the temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns.
Enjoy!
***YOU WILL BE TESTED ON YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF
THE NOVEL ON THE FIRST MONDAY OF THE SCHOOL
YEAR****
USE THE QUESTIONS BELOW TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH
YOUR PREPARATION FOR THE TEST. SOME OF THESE
EXACT QUESTIONS WILL APPEAR ON THE TEST.
SHORT ANSWER STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS – Fahrenheit 451
As you read, answer the following questions in complete sentences on a separate
sheet of paper in order to check for your understanding of the basic plot of the
novel.
Part One: The Hearth and the Salamander
1. Identify Guy Montag and describe his job.
2. Describe Clarisse McClellan. Is she antisocial? What happens to her?
3. Who is Mildred, and what happened to her? Why did Emergency Hospital
send technicians instead of doctors to treat Mildred?
4. Who is Captain Beatty?
5. Why did Captain Beatty believe books should be destroyed?
Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand
1.
2.
3.
4.
Who was Faber, and why did Montag go to see him?
What three elements did Faber feel were missing from life?
What plan did Montag and Faber devise?
What was Montag willing to do to convince Faber to help carry out the
plan?
5. Where did Montag hide his books after all the ladies left?
Part Three: Burning Bright
1. Why did Montag kill Captain Beatty and where did he go after he killed
him?
2. What was different about the fire Montag saw after leaving the river?
3. During the manhunt for Montag by the hound, why did the camera
identify an innocent man as Montag?
4. What had Montag been able to memorize?
5. What happened to the city during the war?
6. What did Montag and the intellectuals believe their mission to be once the
war ended?