Animal Farm: Unit Test
Name: ______________________________
Date: ________________________________
Part I: Matching (5%)
George Orwell described Animal Farm as a satire of the Russian Revolution and Josef Stalin's rise to power.
Column A has descriptions of key characters from Animal Farm and Column B has a list of important
people and groups during the Russian Revolution. Write the letter of your from Column B that best
parallels the character from Column A; you must write this choice next to the corresponding number in
Column A. Each question is worth a half mark (0.5).
Column A
Column B
___ 1. Napoleon: An aggressive and ambitiouss pig
who becomes leader of Animal
Farm. He is responsible for the
the slaughter of many animals.
A) Tsar Nicholas II: Ruler of Russia who was
hated by his subjects.
___ 2. Snowball: A creative and intelligent pig who
is run off the farm by a pack of
vicious dogs because Napoleon
thinks he is a threat.
B) KGB: A Soviet police force that was
created to track down and arrest
suspected lawbreakers.
___ 3. Boxer: An enormous horse who was worked
to death by Napoleon.
C) Lenin: A political rebel who dreamed of
A society where all Russians worked
together and shared all profits.
___ 4. Napoleon's dogs: A pack of nine dogs who
are trained to attack and
kill suspected traitors or
lawbreakers.
D) Trotsky: An intellectual who was sent
into exile and eventually killed by Stalin.
___ 5. Old Major: An old, idealistic pig who dreamed
of a society where all animals were
Equal.
E) Stalin: An ambitious political rebel who
becomes dictator of the Soviet Union.
He is responsible for killing his own
people.
___ 6. Mr. Jones: The hated owner of Manor Farm
who treats the animals like slaves
and leaves them little food.
F) Proletariats: the working class of Russia
and the Soviet Union.
___ 7. Moses: Mr. Jones's tame raven who is despised
by the rest of the animals. He tells
stories of an animal heaven called
Sugarcandy Mountain.
G) Propaganda: A means of persuading
people to accept a point of view that is
not necessarily correct.
___ 8. Mollie: A horse who does not like the new
order of the farm. She misses her
comfortable like under Mr. Jones;
wearing ribbons in her hair and
eating sugar cubes.
H) Hitler: Leader of fascist German who
was allied with the Soviets, but proved
to be untrustworthy.
___ 9. Squealer: A pig who is very good at giving
speeches. He has the ability to
persuade the animals to believe
what Napoleon wants them to
believe.
I) Bourgeoise: The wealthy class in preSoviet Russia who fled the country
after the revolution
___ 10. Mr. Frederick: A tough, shrewd neighbouring
farmer who proves to be
untrustworthy.
J) Rasputin: A priest who was very close
to the Russian royal family. He was hated
By the Russian people because of his
influence on Tsar Nicholas II.
K) Marx: A 19th-century theorist who
developed the idea of Communism.
Part II: Passage Analysis (5%)
Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. Write your choice in the blank beside the
question number. Each question is worth one mark (1).
Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the Golden future time.
Soon or late the day is coming,
Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown,
And the fruitful fields of England
Shall be trod by beasts alone.
Rings shall vanish from our noses,
And the harness from our back,
Bit and spur shall rust forever,
Cruel whips no more shall crack.
Riches more than mind can picture,
Wheat and barley, oats and hay,
Clover, beans and mangel-wurzels
Shall be ours upon that day.
Bright will shine the fields of England,
Purer shall its waters be,
Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes
On the day that sets us free.
For that day we all must labour,
Though we die before it break;
Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,
All must toil for freedom's sake.
Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken well, and spread my tidings
Of the Golden future time
___ 1. This song was created by Old Major after he had a dream about a world in which animals live
without men: They are free, happy, well-fed, and treated with dignity. This is an example of a/an:
a) Dystopia
b) Fantasy
c) Utopia
__ 2. The lines” Soon or late the day is coming/Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown/And the fruitful fields of
England/Shall be trod by beasts alone” suggest that the animals are growing restless on the farm. This is an
example of what literary device?
a) Foreshadowing
b) Irony
c) Metaphor
___ 3. What is the tone of this song?
a) Pessimisitc
b) Optimisitc
c) Realisitc
___ 4. What is the theme of this song?
a) Freedom
b) Peace
c) Unity
___ 5. “Beasts of England” is a _______ of the major themes and ideas of Soviet Communism.
a) Allegory
b) Satire
c) Symbol
Part III: Essay (15%)
Choose from one of the following questions and respond to the question in formal essay format. Use the
space on the next page to write your answer, if you need more space you can use the back. The space below
may be used to plan your response. Your answer will be worth fifteen (15) marks.
1. In the first chapter of the novel, Old Major expresses his vision of a society free of human influence and
control. Compare and contrast this against what eventually plays out on Manor Farm once the animals have
taken over. What, if any, concepts or goals remain the same?
2. Initially, the seven commandments issued by the animals were deemed unalterable, and symbolized a
code by which the animals could live peacefully and equally among themselves. How and by what means
were the commandments eventually changed? Choose and discuss one or two individual commandments.
Who benefited in each instance and how?
3. In reading Animal Farm, the phrase "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"
may come to mind. Simply put, this statement says that one person in a position of complete and total
power over others becomes corrupt (dishonest/bad). How is the novel a satire of absolute power? Use
specific references to character, conflict, and the elements of satire in your answer.
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