Animal Farm Exam
I. Multiple Choice. Choose the answer that best fits the question. Write on the scantron.
l. The dogs symbolize which of the following?
a. proletariat b. bourgeois c. KGB d. Pravda
2. Moses, the raven, tells the animals about Sugar Candy Mountain in
order to do which?
a. make them stop lying so much b. inspire them to be more
loyal to Napoleon c. make them run away d. make them
continue to work
3. The character who talks a lot, changes and manipulates the commandments,
and convinces the animals to follow orders is
a. Napoleon b. Squealer c. Snowball d. Mollie
4. Napoleon represents
a. Joseph Stalin b. Vladimir Lenin c. Leon Trotsky d. Czar Nicholas II
5. Which of the following would not have a leader?
a. Capitalism b. Socialism c. Communism d. Fascism
6. All of the following are true except
a. Napoleon orders a newspaper.
b. Snowball plots to take back the farm.
c. Napoleon’s favorite sow wears Mrs. Jones’ dress.
d. Napoleon gets the Order of the Green Banner
7. A government in which a single leader is vested with total power is
a. Fascism b. capitalism c. Naziism d. totalitarianism
8. George Orwell was born in
a. Bengal, India b. London, England c. Paris, France d. Geneva
9. Which of the following represents his life span?
a. 1902-1951 b. 1903-1950 c. 1901-1960 d. 1901-1950
10. Which of the following did Orwell not write?
a. Down and Out in Paris and London b. 1984 c. “Such Such Were the Joys”
d. Brave New World
11. Which is not true about Orwell?
a. He attended Eton b. He disliked prep school.
c. He wrote an essay about misuse of authority when he was a schoolboy.
d. He won a Nobel Prize.
12. The Battle of the Windmill is representative of
a. the death of Trotsky
b. the failure of Stalin’s 5-Year Plan
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c. the industrial revolution in Russia
d. Stalin defeating Trotsky
13. Who was Leon Trotsky?
a. the revolutionary who inspired the 1917 Russian Revolution
b. the first Socialist leader of Russia
c. Stalin’s rival for power
d His theories are the basis of Communism
14. Which is true of Boxer?
a. He represents the proletariat
b. He represents the blind masses who follow whoever is in charge
c. He represents a sneaky opportunist
d. He represents the bourgeois
15. Pilkington of Foxwood and Frederick of Pinchfield represent
a. England and France b. Germany and France
c. England and Germany d. Germany and Russia
16. All of these are true of Snowball EXCEPT
a. He is pure in his sincerity to animalism.
b. He is a rival with Napoleon
c. He believes in the possibility of utopia.
d. He triggers the animals’ revolt
17. What does the name Napoleon not suggest?
a. an ambitious leader b. a militaristic leader c. a kind leader
d. a domineering leader
18. Manor Farm is in
a. England b. Germany c. Russia d. India
19. The windmill is a first destroyed by
a. a storm b. Snowball c. flood d. blasting powder
20. The emblem of the flag at first is
a. Napoleon’s face b. a hoof and horn c. a windmill d. a horn
and a scythe
21. The best writer on the farm is
a. Squealer b. Snowball c. Minimus d. Napoleon
22. The animal who believes that life will continue to be bad is
a. Snowball b. Napoleon c. Clover d. Benjamin
23. The middleman who conducts business for the animals is
a. Mr. Foxwood b. Mr. Pilkington c. Mr. Whymper
d. Mr. Jones
24. Napoleon and Pilkington had trouble because both
a. played the ace of spades b. wanted the same piece of land
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c. had plans for the windmill d. wanted to own Animal Farm
25. The animals that represent the blind masses who do not think
for themselves are
a. the dogs b. the sheep c. the horses d. the donkeys
26. The animal that organizes many committees is
a. Mollie b. Squealer c. Snowball d. Boxer
27. What does Clover’s act of protecting the ducklings show about her?
a. her intelligence b. her loyalty c.. her vanity d. her motherly nature
28. Who is the only animal to defeat one of Napoleon’s dogs?
a. Benjamin b. Boxer c. Clover d. Muriel
29. Why does Boxer look forward to his twelfth birthday?
a. he will be able to vote b. Benjamin has bought him a present
c. a big celebration in planned d. it is his retirement age
30. The pigs get the money for the whiskey that they drink at Boxer’s memorial banquet
from
a. the horse slaughterer b. the sale of timber c. Boxer’s will d. the sale of eggs
31. Frederick fools Napoleon by
a. not buying the timber
b. paying with counterfeit money
c. spreading rumors
d. hiding Snowball
32. Who protests Napoleon’s plan to sell hay and wheat?
a. three hens b. two horses c. five sheep d. four pigs e. one goat
33. After Napoleon’s takeover, what is set up near the flagstaff?
a. a second flag b. a medal c. Snowball’s drawings d. Old Major’s skull e.
Jones’s whips
34. Old Major’s skull is supposed to represent the body of which leader who lies in state in a
glass casket in Moscow?
a. Karl Marx b. Joseph Stalin c. Vladimir Lenin d. Leon Trotsky
35. After his takeover, Napoleon spends most of his time
a. in bed b. inspecting the grounds c. visiting neighbors d. in the farmhouse
II. True or False.
Select A for true and B for false.
36. Snowball is driven off by bullets.
37. A limestone quarry provides stone for the farm.
38. Boxer and Snowball are the two animals that get the award,
Animal Hero, First Class.
39. A satire is a symbolic story.
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40. George Orwell is referred to as a prophet in the introduction.
41. Mollie represents the bourgeois because of her lack of devotion to the Revolution
and her preoccupation with ribbons and sugar.
42. Napoleon sires (fathers) 32 pigs.
43. The novel ends with the farm being financially well off.
44. Boxer and Benjamin are good friends who become enemies.
45. The book was first published in 1943.
46. Old Major repeats Karl Marx’s ideas, replacing communism with animalism.
47. Napoleon thinks he is dying when he has a hangover.
48. The pigs tolerate Moses the raven.
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49. The animals defeat man in the “Battle of the Windmill.”
50. The pigs are given the apples and mash, but they share it
with their favorite animal friends.
III. Multiple Choice. Select the best answer.
51. How did Old Major die?
a. He is slaughtered for meat.
b. He dies in his sleep.
c. He commits suicide.
d. He dies of starvation.
52. Snowball summarizes the Seven Commandments into one doctrine in order to
simplify them for
a. the neighboring farmers
b. the pigs
c. the slower animals on the farm
d. Mr. Jones
53. Taking the milk and the apples is an early sign of the pigs’
a. intelligence b. corruption c. rebellion
d. cowardice
54. After the executions Clover is
a. talkative
b. nervous
c. sad and horrified
55. Who composes a new song for Animal Farm?
a. Minimus
b. Squealer
c. Clover
d. sick
d. Muriel
56. Napoleon’s use of confessions and executions is similar to that of
a. Karl Marx b. Vladimir Lenin c. Joseph Stalin d. Snowball
57. When does the last scene of Animal Farm take place?
a. right after Boxer’s death
b. a year after the rebellion
c. many years after Boxer’s death d. after Clover’s death
58. Animal Farm is told from which point of view?
a. omniscient b. first person c. second person d. third person
59. Why is cheating at cards the final act that makes the pigs and the humans
indistinguishable?
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a. It signifies that pigs and humans cannot get together.
b. It shows that the pigs are now masters at human corruption,
even down to the smallest detail.
c This is when the groups become friends.
d. It is only then that the animals look thorough the window.
60. Mollie probably allows Pilkington’s man to stroke her nose because
a. she enjoys attention b. she is a spy c. she has no other friends
d. she is afraid of him
61. At their first meeting, the animals vote that the rats are
a. comrades b. enemies c. dirty d. not animals
62. Who asks the silliest questions about animalism?
a. Clover b. Muriel c. Mollie d. Minimus
63. Orwell makes some differences between history and the characters. What is not one
of them?
a. Trotsky dies; Snowball does not.
b. Lenin is alive during the revolution; Old Major is not.
c. Farmer Jones is killed like Czar Nicholas II.
d. Stalin is a tyrant; so is Napoleon.
64. What is the final commandment?
a. Two legs good, four legs better.
b. Two legs bad, four legs good.
c. Four legs good, two legs better.
d. Two legs rule.
65. George Orwell compares his tale to a fairy story because
a. both present a moral
b. he presents a world beyond good and evil; things simply are
c. it is unrealistic
d. it is about an ideal world
66. Orwell makes the point about revolutions that
a. they are necessary in order for change to occur
b. they end up destroying too many people
c. the ones for whom they are fought often end up victims
d. they are an evil necessity
67. Orwell directs his satire to many things. Which is not one?
a. People who believe that Utopian societies are possible.
b. totalitarian governments
c. harsh schools that use corporal punishment
d. the period of Stalin’s rule in the Soviet Union
68. Which literary device is used by Orwell’s reference to the Russian Revolution?
a. allegory
b. allusion
c. symbolism
d. irony
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69. Squealer represents
a. the windmill
b. the Pravda
c. the Communist Manifesto
d. Vladimir Lenin
70. The Battle of the Cowshed is equivalent to
a. the death of Lenin
b. the Russian Revolution of 1917
c. the exile of Trotsky
d. the tyranny of Stalin
71. Which word means an ideal society?
a. scapegoat
b. utopia
c. propaganda
d. allusion
72. Which word refers to a society with no social classes and common
ownership of property?
a. totalitarianism
b. socialism
c. communism
d. fascism
73. Which term refers to the middle class?
a. bourgeois
b. proletariat
c. scapegoat
d. monarchy
74. Who ruled first, Stalin or Lenin?
a. Stalin
b. Lenin
75. Which is not true?
A. George Orwell died of tuberculosis
B. George Orwell adopted a son.
c. George Orwell’s first wife died.
d. George Orwell left college after a year.
76. Which book is about Orwell’s experience in Spain?
a. Down and Out in London and Paris
b. Wigan’s Pier
c. 1984
d. Homage to Catalonia
77. Which pair is incorrect?
a. Stalin/Napoleon
b. Benjamin/cynic
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c. Snowball/Lenin
d. Moses/Russian Church
78. Animal Farm was published later because
a. Russia was still an ally at the time it was written.
b. Orwell had trouble getting anyone to look at it.
c. Orwell had gotten sick and was not able to finish the final draft.
d. Churchill blocked its publication date.
79. Which is not true of Orwell?
a. He was distrustful of authority.
b. He was always conscious of his financial status.
c. He felt Lenin could have saved communism.
d. He favored government that did not concentrate too much power
in one source.
80. Which is not a theme of the book?
a. Revolutions do not always bring improvements.
b. Total equality is impossible.
c. Apathy, ignorance, and passivity are factors in the failure
of Communism.
d. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely
81. Which point is NOT made in the Introduction and Preface?
a. Animal Farm was published and the atomic bomb was
dropped in the same month
b. Orwell believed the truth should always be told.
c. Orwell fought for Franco’s side in the Spanish Civil War.
d. Orwell wrote against totalitarianism.
82. Napoleon objects to the windmill; then
a. refuses to build it
b. changes his mind
c. calls a vote on it
d. asks Snowball for advice.
83. The book is called
a. a satire, a fable, and an allegory
b. a satire and an allusion
c. a fable, a dystopia, an allusion, and an allegory
d. an allegory and a satire
84. Which is not a commandment at some point in the book?
a. No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.
b. Whatever walks on two legs is an enemy, four legs a friend.
c. No animal shall kill another animal.
d. No animal shall kill another human without cause.
85. Which is not part of the allegorical meaning of the book?
a. Animal Farm represents the Soviet Union.
b. Mollie represents the Whites, the bourgeois
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c. Old Major dies after being leader for a few years; so does Lenin.
d. The farmhouse is like the Kremlin.
86. The pigeons
a. disseminate or spread propaganda about the farm
b. are killed by Snowball
c. do not believe in Animalism
d. represent the Pravda
87. After Napoleon’s takeover, the animals’ belief that they are their own masters is
a. irony b. foreshadowing c. atmosphere d. symbolism
88. The Windmill represents
a. Stalin’s tyranny
b. Stalin’s Five-Year Plan
c. Stalin’s treatment of Trotsky
d. the failure of Animal Farm
89. George Orwell’s belief about Socialism can best be stated
a. He thought it was a bad idea.
b. He wanted it to work and never gave up on it.
c. He first believed it and then realized he was wrong but later came back to it.
d. He saw it as an ideal, not a reality.
90. In what way do NOT the animals contribute to their own failure?
a. They are intimidated by the pigs.
b. They do not understand what is going on.
c. The pigs are greedy.
d. They do not take responsibility into their own hands.
91. In “The Communist Manifesto” the enemy is
a. the capitalist b. the proletariat c. the bourgeois d. the Communist
92. How did Orwell serve in WWII?
a. The Home Guard and working for the BBC
b. the National Guard
c. as a policeman
d. as a soldier and then as a war correspondent
93. “Orwellian” means
a. a very strict society with lots of rules
b. a Communist government
c. a totalitarian state in which the citizens still have rights
d. a totalitarian state in which citizens have no rights or freedom
94. “Big Brother” comes from the book
a. Animal Farm b. 1984 c. Burmese Days c. The Communist Manifesto
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95. Orwell wrote his first satirical essay about
a. his experiences as a police officer and imperialism
b. his experiences at St Cyprian’s boys school with corporal punishment
c. his experiences with the corruption of the English language
d. his parents
96. Which animal sometimes reads to the other animals?
a. Benjamin b. Moses c. Snowball d. Muriel
97. Napoleon’s use of confessions and executions is similar to
a. Lenin’s b. Marx’s c. Hitler’s d. Stalin’s
98. England and Germany are similar to Foxwood and Pinchfield because
a. they both engage in disputes and quarrels
b. they both send spies to one another’s homes
c. they do not allow their animals (people) to have freedom either
d. they run unsuccessful countries or farms
99. What does Snowball tell Boxer when he fears he has killed a man in battle?
a. “It wasn’t your fault” b. “All’s fair in love and war” c. “You couldn’t help it; you
had to protect yourself” d. “The only good human is a dead one.”
100. The sheep probably bleat noisily during Snowball’s speeches because
a. the like Snowball b. they are intelligent c. Snowball has told them to d. Napoleon has told
them to
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Essay Section: 10 pts each
Choose one to answer. Use introductory sentences and closing sentences. Do at
least one page each (for normal-sized handwriting). Paragraph as needed.
I recommend at least 3. Be thorough and use lots of examples.
l. What causes Animal Farm to fail? Present at least five reasons for its failure and
give examples to prove your point.
2. What is an allegory? How is this story an allegory? Tell about at least 7 allegorical
elements such as characterization, setting or plot.
3. Give two examples for two of the following themes to explain how they are present
in the story? How do they relate to Orwell’s message?
a. Political idealism
b. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
c. Communication as a means for control
d. There must be leaders and they must be given power, but
that power always corrupts.
e. Rebellion
f. Passivity
g. Individual responsibility.
4. Explain the complete satire going on in the story. What specific and what general
things is Orwell satirizing? Explain. What form of government do you think Orwell
would favor and why?
5. How is the story similar to the events of and that follow the Russian Revolution?
Explain at least 6 similarities.
A Sample Structure for an Essay
(Sample intro) Many themes are present in George Orwell’s famous story, Animal Farm.
Human passivity or the tendency of humans to sit back and allow others to assume leadership or
do the work is a flaw revealed by the animals that do not protest the pigs’ corruption and
assumption of power. One example of this is when the other animals do not argue or object when
the milk and the apples are taken for the pigs’ consumption. Another example is whenever
Squealer tells the animals about a commandment change, they do nothing to object. Reasons for
this passivity differ, however. Ignorance, laziness, and blind trust are some possible
explanations.
(Opening line for a body paragraph) Yet another theme in the book is….Some examples of
this are….
(Conclusion) George Orwell reveals his political views and concerns in the novel Animal
Farm. By presenting the various themes, the reader can see that Orwell does not have much faith
in revolutions and their power to effect change.
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