Background Information on Fahrenheit 451:
The story of fireman _______________________first appeared in "The Fireman", a short
story by Ray Bradbury published in________________________________. Montag's story was
expanded two years later, in_______________, when it was published as Fahrenheit 451.
While the novel is most often classified as a work of____________________, it is a social
criticism that warns against the danger of suppressing thought
through_______________________. Fahrenheit 451 uses the genre of science fiction, as a vehicle
for his message that___________________________________, left unchecked, can do irreparable
damage to society by limiting the ____________________________of its people. In particular, the
_________________________ motif popular in science fiction - that of a futuristic society that
demands order and harmony at the expense of individual rights - serves the novel well.
On a more personal level, Bradbury used Fahrenheit 451 as a vehicle to protest what he
believed to be the ________________________who, through their strict control of the books they
printed, impaired the ____________________________________of writers. Ironically, Fahrenheit
45I, itself a vehicle of protest against censorship, has often been edited for foul language.
Important Characters:
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Fahrenheit 451 Reading Questions Part 1: “The Hearth and the Salamander”
Answer the following questions with 3-4 complete sentences.
1. Write a description of Guy Montag. What is his profession?
2. Why is Clarisse so interesting/different? What color is used to describe her and why?
3. Who is Mildred? How would you describe her?
4. Why do all of the firemen look alike? What do they look like?
5. What is the Mechanical Hound and why is Montag afraid of it?
6. Describe the scene and the result at the woman’s house? What does Montag illegally do
there?
7. Why does Montag become so sick? How does the death of the woman affect him?
8. Who came to visit Montag when he was sick? Why did he come and what did he have to
say?
9. How did the job of a fireman come about? Who made the decision to ban books?
10. How does Montag answer Millie’s question, “Why should I read? What for?”
Fahrenheit 451 Reading Questions Part 2: “The Sieve and the Sand”
1. Who is Faber? Why does Montag begin looking for him?
2. Describe the plan that Montag and Faber come up with.
3. Describe how Millie’s friends, Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles, feel about having children.
4. How does Beatty attempt to antagonize Montag at the firehouse? How does Faber help
Montag with this situation?
5.
How does Part 2, “ The Sieve and The Sand” end? What is a prediction that you have
about the Part 3?
Fahrenheit 451 Reading Questions Part 3: “Burning Bright”
Short Answer: Complete each question with 2-3 complete sentences.
1. How does the advice Beatty gives Montag on page 121, “You always said, don’t face a
problem, burn it. Well, now I’ve done both” come back to haunt Beatty?
2. What is Montag’s plan for escape from the city? How does Faber help him execute the
plan?
3. What does the river provide for Montag?
4. Who is Granger? How does he help Montag survive the hound?
5. Why is it necessary that Montag be killed, even though the man clearly isn’t Montag?
6. How are the book burners in the forest different from the firemen in the city? What is their
motivation for burning books?
7. What does Granger mean when he says: “We’re going to go build a mirror factory first
and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year and take a long time to look at them”
(Bradbury 164). Why would mirrors be important in this new society?
8. Why does Granger say that men are similar to the mythical phoenix at the end of the
novel?
9. How has the meaning of fire changed by the end of the novel? What is this an important
realization for Montag?