English IV (Porter)
1984 Questions
Name: ____________________1
Part 1
Chapters 1-2
1. Find a powerful picture that Americans see in public or on TV often
and attach it to the 1984 pictures page of the wiki.
(http://bit.ly/MuULPi)
2. How did the government use fear and children to keep people from
rebelling?
3. Explain what you think the slogan means: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM
IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
4. What is so horrible about Winston's thought crime of journaling? Include
the type of book, where he bought it, the type of pen, and what he is
writing.
Chapters 3-4
5. Fill out the Venn diagram about the time of Winston's mother's death and
the year 1984.
6. Double Think: Clarify Winston Smith's thoughts on this balanced sentence. Who controls the past
controls the future; who controls the future controls the past.
7. Describe the job of the Department of Records in the Ministry of Truth.
Chapters 5-6
8. Describe the idea behind Newspeak as expressed in the beginning of chapter 8. Also, use this balanced
sentence to help with your explanation: Newspeak is Engsoc and Engsoc is Newspeak.
9. Why is Winston’s memory of the truth such a dangerous attribute?
10. Why would it be hard to defend yourself if you committed face crime?
11. What were the intimacy (sex) rules in Oceania?
12. Why did Winston and his wife get a separation? What did they each want?
Chapters 7-8
13. Who has the true power in Oceania? How do they have power?
14. Explain the balanced sentence: They cannot rebel until they become conscious; they cannot become
conscience until they rebel. How is this statement a "Catch 22"?
15. What are some possible symbols for the Chestnut Cafe?
16. Define/Explain one of these three phrases: "Capitalism," "Truth ought to be defended," "If there was
hope it lay in the Proles."
English IV (Porter)
1984 Questions
Name: ____________________2
17. What are the differences between the old man in the pub and Mr. Charrington in the shop? Had
Winston seen either of them before their meeting in chapter 8?
18. Who does Winston think the black haired girl is?
Part 2
Chapters 1-2
1. Do you think that the girl with the dark hair is a member of the thought police, a member of the
underground brotherhood, or someone else? Why do you think that way?
2. (After reading chapter 2) Contrast the “woman with black hair” and Julia' with at least 4 differences.
Use two columns.
Woman with Black Hair (before Winston met her)
Julia (after Winston met her)
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
3. How ware the events in chapter 2 a political act? Describe the political message that is being sent.
Chapters 3-4
4. What is the difference between evading the rules and rebelling against them?
5. How are sex and family used by Big Brother, according to Julia's theory?
6. What presents did Julia bring to Winston? Where did they come from? How does this show corruption?
Chapters 5-6
7. What are the room, the paper-weight, and the rhymes symbols of?
8. If there is no evidence available for the truth, does that mean that the truth is not true?
9. Who approached Winston in order to give Winston his address?
Chapters 7-8
10. How is Winston's idea of Proles and party members changing? How
does Winston kicking the dead Proles’ arm into the gutter
symbolize his previous thought?
11. Compare Winston's speech at the end of Chapter 7 to Peeta's speech in
The Hunger Games (below).
12. O'Brian is able to turn off the telescreen and has many luxuries not
available to everyone because he is an inner party member. What
does this reveal about the corruption of Engsoc?
13. Why would Winston agree to all of the horrible acts of the
Brotherhood that O'Brian listed out?
Chapters 9-10
*Most of chapter 9 is informative. Read it as a history text and not as a narrative.
14. What was the purpose of the mad rush of the forgery of the war with
Eurasia? Why would the party members not speak out against the
lies?
English IV (Porter)
1984 Questions
Name: ____________________3
15. Color the map of the world with three colors (one for each superpower described by "The Book."
Key
16. Explain what “The Book” says that the slogan means: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY,
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
17. Draw a social pyramid for the social structure of Oceania. Include the percent of people and any
metaphor/moniker used for the group.
18. Describe Mr. Charrington in Chapter 10. How has he changed and who does he work for?
Part 3
Chapter 1
1. Where is (6079W) Smith headed to at the beginning of Part 3?
2. The thought police prisoners will do anything in order to come clean. Some of them have not done
anything wrong but were accused and therefore feel guilty. Some of them trust Big Brother so much
that, even though they are innocent, will trust that they are guilty because Big Brother cannot make a
mistake. How is Winston a contrast from these ideas? What makes him a different kind of prisoner?
Chapter 2
3. If there is no difference between thought and deed, are we innocent of anything?
4. “We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them.” Explain this quote from O’Brian.