Fahrenheit 451
Learning Targets:
I can comprehend a literary text.
I can respond to a comprehension question.
DUE DATE: EXAM IS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH. TURN STUDY GUIDE IN
THEN.
Part 1: The Hearth and the Salamander [Pages 3-33]
1. What symbols does Montag wear on his uniform? (6)
The salamander on the arm and the phoenix disc on his chest. 451 is on his helmet.
2. How old is Montag? How long has he been a fireman? (8)
Thirty years old. He has been a fireman his entire adult life. His father and his grandfather were
firemen.
3. Explain the significance of the following quote: What does it tell us about the society in
which Montag lives? “I sometimes think drivers don’t know what grass is, or flowers,
because they never see them slowly, “ she said.
Clarisse says this to capture how everyone in their society does not appreciate nature.
4. What kind of marriage do Montag and Mildred have? Explain.
Mildred cannot remember when she and Montag met. The hardly communicate about their
relationship.
5.
Why does Clarisse go to a psychiatrist? (22-23)
People say that she is crazy.
6. What is the Mechanical Hound? What do the firemen do with it when they are bored? (24)
It is a mechanical hunting dog that can sniff out scents. The firemen would set loose rats,
chickens, and other animals in the firehouse to see which animal the hound would get first.
Part 1: The Hearth and the Salamander [Pages 34-68]
1. What line from a book does Montag let slip in conversation with Captain Beatty? How is this
significant to Montag’s character development? (31)
“Once upon a time” was the phrase Montag accidently let slip. Montag is reading more books, so
even his language is changing with what he is learning from the books.
2. What are the fireman’s rules of conduct? (32)
According to Ben Franklin,
1. Answer the alarm quicly
2. Start the fire swiftly.
3. Burn everything.
4. Report back to firehouse immediately.
5. Stand alert for other alarms.
3. According to Mildred, what happened to Clarisse and her family?
Clarisse was run over by a car. Clarisse’s family left.
4. What are people in this time and this society led to believe about themselves? (61)
They should know shallow knowledge. Anything that might offend them should be burnt, so that
is why books are burnt.
5. Captain Beatty says the following about firemen: “We stand against the small tide of those
who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought. We have our
fingers in the dike.” What role does Captain Beatty see firemen have in this time?
Fireman are fighting against the small group of revolutionary thinkers, intellectuals who believe
deeper knowledge is good.
6. What is and has been hidden behind the grille of the air conditioning system? What is
Mildred’s first response?
Books! She freaks out since she believes Beatty will come back and find out.
Part 2: The Sieve and the Sand [Pages 71-112]
1. Why does Montag call Faber? How does Faber react? (75-76)
Montag wants to learn more about books and knowledge. Faber is suspicious Montag is setting
him up on the phone.
2. How does the following quote relate to how Montag feels about books: “Once a child had
sat upon a yellow dune in the sea in the middle of the blue and hot summer day trying to fill a
sieve with sand, because some cruel cousin had said, ‘Fill this sieve with sand and you’ll get
a dime.’ And the faster he poured the faster it sifted through with a hot whispering. His
hands were tired, the sand was boiling, the sieve was empty.
Just as the boy cannot fill the sieve with sand, Montag feels that he cannot fill his head with
knowledge from the books because his brain is not used to retaining this information and doing
something productive with the knowledge.
3. Describe Faber. What would Faber like to see happen to the firemen? (85-86)
Faber used to be an English professor. He and Montag plan to plant books in firemen’s houses as
a way to bring down the system of censorship against books.
4. What does Montag do with the Bible? Why does he do this? (88) What does Montag
ultimately do with the Bible? (91)
Originally hid it and then brings it to Faber for their first meeting at Faber’s house. Montag
eventually tries to memorize the book of Ecclesiastes and Revelations.
5. What does Montag show to the women to shock them? (98) What reason does he tell Faber
for showing them?
Montag reads Matthew Arnold’s “Sea of Faith” poem. He wanted to shock them to show them
their shallowness.
6. Where is the alarm that the firemen go to? (110)
Montag’s house.
Part 3: Burning Bright [Pages 113-165]
1. What does Beatty want Montag to do? Why? (116) What does Faber want Montag to do?
MONTAG BELIEVE BEATTY WANTED MONTAG TO KILL HIM.
FABER WANTS MONTAG TO PLANT BOOKS IN FIREMEN’S HOUSES.
2. Describe in detail what happens to Captain Beatty. (119)
MONTAG KILLS BEATTY WITH A FLAMETHROWER ONCE HE REALIZES THAT
BEATTY KNOWS MONTAG IS TALKING TO FABER.
3. Explain the incident with the Mechanical Hound. What happens to the hound? (120)
MECHANICAL HOUND CHASES MONTAG UNTIL HE EVADES IT BY THE RIVER
AFTER BATHING AND CHANGING INTO FABER’S CLOTHES.
4. Where does Faber suggest Montag should go? Who else will he find there? (132)
TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS TO FIND HOBO PROFESSORS.
5. Who is Granger and what is his importance?
GRANGER IS A PREVIOUS PROFESSOR. HE HAS VISION FOR THEM TO MEMORIZE
BOOKS (KEEP BOOKS ALIVE).
6. How does the book end? Explain why Bradbury ends it this way.
CITY IS BOMBED. GO BACK TO CITY TO RECORD THEIR STORIES/ START REBUILDING.