Name_______________________
Study Guide for Fahrenheit 451: “The Hearth and the Salamander”
I. VOCABULARY: Create a + chart for the following words. Be sure to include the
definition, an illustration, 2 synonyms, and a sentence for each vocabulary word. There
will be a vocabulary test on _________________.
1. Hearth: the floor of a fireplace, usually of stone, brick, etc., often extending a
short distance into a room.
2. Salamander: a mythical being, esp. a lizard or other reptile, thought to be able to
live in fire.
3. Kerosene: a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons obtained by distilling petroleum,
bituminous shale, or the like, and widely used as a fuel, cleaning solvent, etc.
4. Luxuriously: present or occurring in great abundance, rich profusion, etc.; opulent
5. Compress: to press together; force into less space.
6. Hypnotize: to influence, control, or direct completely, as by personal charm,
words, or domination
7. Marionette: a puppet manipulated from above by strings attached to its jointed
limbs.
8. Thimble: a sleeve of sheet metal passing through the wall of a chimney, for
holding the end of a stovepipe or the like
9. Distill: to subject to a process of vaporization and subsequent condensation, as
for purification or concentration.
10. Gush: to flow out or issue suddenly, copiously, or forcibly, as a fluid from
confinement
11. Phoenix: a mythical bird of great beauty fabled to live 500 or 600 years in the
Arabian wilderness, to burn itself on a funeral pyre, and to rise from its ashes in
the freshness of youth and live through another cycle of years
12. Proclivity: natural or habitual inclination or tendency; propensity; predisposition
13. Cellophane: a transparent, paperlike product of viscose, impervious to moisture,
germs, etc., used to wrap and package food, tobacco, etc.
14. Asylum: an institution for the maintenance and care of the mentally ill, orphans,
or other persons requiring specialized assistance.
15. Odious: highly offensive; repugnant; disgusting
16. Flourish: to be successful; prosper.
17. Cacophony: harsh discordance of sound; dissonance
18. Pantomime: significant gesture without speech.
19. Centrifuge: an apparatus that rotates at high speed and by centrifugal force
separates substances of different densities, as milk and cream.
20. Incinerator: a furnace or apparatus for burning trash, garbage, etc., to ashes
II. LITERARY TERMS:
Define and give an example from the novel of the following:
verbal irony
dramatic irony
simile
metaphor
symbol
What genre is Fahrenheit 451?
Who is the author of Fahrenheit 451?
Who is the protagonist?
From what point of view is the story told?
conflict
human vs. human ______________ vs. ________________
human vs. himself/herself _________________ vs. __________________
III. QUESTIONS: Answer the following questions.
1. What do firemen do in the world of Fahrenheit 451?
2. What is written on the firemen’s helmets?
3. What are the two professional symbols that Montag wears?
4. What does Montag say he always smells like?
5. Whom does Montag run into on his way home?
6. Why is it ironic that so many people are afraid of firemen?
7. What is etched on Montag’s igniter?
8. What does Montag hit with his foot?
9. What is Montag’s wife’s name?
10. What are the two machines being used on Montag’s wife? What do they do?
11. Where does the laughter that Montag hears come from?
12. What does Mildred have in her ears?
13. What does Mildred remember of the night before? Or what did she pretend to
remember?
14. What kind of program is Mildred going to watch in the afternoon?
15. Explain Montag’s television. What does Mildred want for the television that
Montag claims they cannot afford?
16. What does Clarisse rub under her chin? Why?
17. What does Clarisse’s psychiatrist want to know?
18. According to Clarisse, how is Montag “not like the others”?
19. Describe the Mechanical Hound.
20. What happens when Montag touches the muzzle of the Mechanical Hound?
21. How does Montag escape the Hound and get to the upper level of the firehouse?
22. What is Montag’s theory on why the Hound reacted the way it does?
23. How many times before has the Hound reacted this way toward Montag?
24. Why has Montag never had any children?
25. Explain a school day in the world of Fahrenheit 451.
26. What is life like for teenagers in this novel?
27. Why does Clarisse find it odd that people find her to be antisocial?
28. Name one thing that Clarisse talks about that is different today than in the past.
29. What happens to people who try to fool the government?
30. Why is Montag foolish to use the phrase “Once upon a time”?
31. What is the history of Firemen of America?
32. How is the fire engine described?
33. What was different at Mrs. Blake’s? What did Montag not like about the way
things were being done?
34. What does Montag do with the book that lands in his hand?
35. What does Beatty say to Mrs. Blake about the books?
36. What question does Montag ask his wife when he finally talks to her?
37. What does Montag cry about?
38. What does Montag notice about the television shows?
39. What does Mildred say about Clarisse to Montag?
40. What does Montag imagine being outside his window?
41. What excuse is Montag trying to use to avoid going to work?
42. Why does Montag not want to go to work anymore? What are some revelations
he has had?
43. Who comes to visit Montag?
44. What does Mildred find behind Montag’s pillow?
45. Why does society lower the kindergarten age year after year?
46. According to Captain Beatty, if you don’t want a man unhappy politically, what do
you do?
47. What does Beatty say about firemen taking books?
48. According to Clarisse’s uncle, why did the architects get rid of front porches?
49. About how many books had Montag hidden in the ventilator?
50. What happens right before Montag and Mildred begin to read the books?
IV. CHARACTERS: write a brief characterization of the main characters in this section
of the book. Include physical descriptions if they are available, the way the characters
act, their relationship to other characters, and/or how they function in the story.
Character
Guy Montag
Clarisse
McClellan
Mildred
Montag
Captain Beatty
Physical
Description
Way He or
She Acts
Relationship
to Others
Function in
Story