Lord of the Flies
Chapter 1
Directions: Our purpose is to create a study guide for the final. Answer all questions and
provide quotations.
1) How does the author first refer to Piggy?
2) Why does the fat boy “look startled” when Ralph says there “‘aren’t any
grownups’”?
3) Describe Ralph. What type of person is he?
4) Why does Piggy want to have a meeting?
5) Describe Piggy. What type of a person is he?
6) How does Golding describe the choir?
7) Why is Ralph elected chief?
8) What does the conch represent?
9) Who is the most obvious leader? Why?
10) Describe Jack. What kind of a person is he?
11) How does Golding describe the relationship between Ralph and Jack?
12) Why does Jack fail to kill the pig?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 2
For questions, provide quotations from the text in support of your answer. For quotations,
identify the speaker and the significance.
1) What is the purpose of the conch? (What function does it serve?)
2) How do Jack and Ralph interact with each other?
3) How do the boys demonstrate respect for the conch?
4) What does the child with the mulberry-colored birthmark report seeing? What
might the sighting represent?
5) How does Jack treat Piggy? Why does he treat him as he does?
6) What does Jack’s treatment of Piggy reveal about Jack?
7) “‘The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain . . . so you shut up.’”
8) “‘We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re
English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things.’”
9) “Piggy glanced nervously into hell . . .” What is that “hell”?
10) Is Piggy justified when he screams and yells at the end of this chapter? Why or why
not?
11) What happens to the child with the mulberry-colored birthmark?
12) What does setting the island on fire demonstrate about the boys?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 3
1) What is Jack doing at the beginning of this chapter? Analyze the style of Golding’s
description.
2) How is the relationship between Jack and Ralph becoming strained?
3) What is the significance of the littluns’ nightmares?
4) “’But you can feel as if you’re not hunting, but—being hunted, as if something’s
behind you all the time in the jungle.’”
5) What is the significance of Jack forgetting about the rescue?
6) What is Ralph’s main complaint to Jack?
7) What kind of a person is Simon?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 4
1) What time of day is hardest on the boys? Why?
2) Why does Maurice feel bad for kicking sand into Percival’s eyes?
3) What is the significance of Roger throwing stones around Henry and not at him?
4) What does Jack notice about his appearance when he first paints his face?
5) “…the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame
and self-consciousness.”
6) What is the symbolism behind a mask?
7) How does Ralph really feel about Piggy?
8) Is Jack aware that he did something wrong in neglecting the signal fire? Does he
care?
9) How is the relationship between Ralph and Jack deteriorating?
10) Why does Jack refuse to give Piggy any meat? What does Jack reveal about himself
through his stingy behavior?
11) What are the hunters chanting? What is the effect of the chanting?
12) Why does Simon give Piggy meat? Why does Jack get angry at him for doing so?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 5
1) What does Ralph think about when he walks around before the assembly?
2) What kind of conclusions does Ralph draw about life in general and the boys’
situation on the island?
3) According to Ralph, what must a chief do? How does he assess his leadership skills?
4) At the assembly, what are some of the complaints Ralph makes concerning the state
of affairs on the island? Relate these complaints to human nature in general.
5) What does Piggy suggest the boys are really frightened of?
6) What is the significance of Percival citing his former address, etc., before bursting
into tears?
7) How does Jack openly challenge Ralph?
8) Why does Piggy want Ralph to blow the conch and re-establish the meeting?
9) “’Fat lot of good we are . . . Three blind mice. I’ll give up.’”
10) Why does Ralph want to give up?
11) Why is Piggy afraid of Jack?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 6
1) What is the effect of Sam and Eric’s beast sighting on the boys?
2) What is Piggy’s proposal and Ralph’s response to him? What is Jack’s reaction?
3) “‘Conch! Conch!’ shouted Jack. ‘We don’t need the conch any more. We know who
ought to say things . . . It’s time that some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and
leave deciding things to the rest of us.’”
4) “‘Hasn’t anyone got any sense? We’ve got to relight that fire. You never thought of
that, Jack, did you? Or don’t any of you want to be rescued?’”
5) Cite some examples of the continuing power struggle between Ralph and Jack.
6) Who leads the hunting procession for the beast? Why is this significant?
7) What is Simon’s conception of the beast? What does he mean?
8) How do Ralph and Jack react differently to Castle Rock? What does the difference
reveal about the boys?
9) When do the boys seem to follow Jack, and when do they seem to follow Ralph?
10) How does Castle Rock represent the boys’ increased tendency towards primitivism?
(Find quotations and make a list of the characteristics.)
11) What is Ralph most concerned about?
12) How is Ralph losing his influence?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 7
1) What childlike act does Ralph revert to that indicates his growing insecurity and
fear?
2) What discovery does Ralph make about his condition and that of the other boys?
3) What causes Ralph to lose hope?
4) What is the implication behind Simon’s statement (“‘You’ll get rescued.’’’) to Ralph?
5) What startling discovery does Ralph make about himself when he joins in with the
hunting of the pig and the prodding of the boy with his spear?
6) What does Jack suggest the boys use in place of a real pig for their game?
7) Why does Simon volunteer to return to Piggy?
8) How do Jack and Ralph challenge each other?
9) What is the significance of the dead parachutist being described as “a great ape”?
10) What are the boys afraid of? What should they be afraid of?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 8
1) What mistake does Ralph make concerning Jack and his hunters?
2) How does Jack formally break with Ralph?
3) How does Piggy act once Jack is gone?
4) What is Jack’s plan for his group?
5) What is the significance of leaving part of the pig for the beast?
6) What kind of pig do the boys select, and why is their choice especially repellant?
7) Analyze Golding’s description of the killing. Through his description, what does
Golding liken the killing to?
8) How does Jack plan to lure boys away from Ralph’s camp?
9) How does Jack’s group plan to get fire?
10) What is the Lord of the Flies?
11) What does Jack wear during the fire-raiding scene?
12) What does Jack train his savages to do?
13) “’Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! . . . . You knew,
didn’t you? I’m part of you?’”
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 9
1) What is the effect of the weather on the setting?
2) How does Simon’s description reflect his state of mind?
3) How is Simon a Christ figure?
4) What is the significance of Piggy’s reaction to Ralph splashing water?
5) How is Jack featured at the party? (Analyze his description, his actions, and his
speech pattern.)
6) How does Piggy being burned affect the party?
7) How does Jack conduct himself as chief?
8) “‘Come away. There’s going to be trouble. And we’ve had our meat.’”
9) Why do the boys fail to recognize Simon?
10) How do the boys kill Simon?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 10
1) How does Ralph feel about Simon’s murder?
2) How does Piggy rationalize the murder?
3) How do they face their involvement in the murder?
4) What is Ralph frightened of?
5) What does Jack say about the murder?
6) How has Jack become a tyrant?
7) How has Ralph become less of a competent leader?
8) What is Piggy afraid might happen if they are not rescued?
9) What is the significance of loose teeth?
10) What does Jack’s tribe steal? Why is the theft of this item particularly dangerous
and despicable?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 11
1) Why do the boys take the conch to Castle Rock?
2) What does the “painting” provide for Jack’s tribe?
3) What is the significance of the falling rocks?
4) What is the significance of Ralph’s labeling Jack a “beast”?
5) What is Piggy trying to get the other boys to realize with his speech?
6) What does Piggy’s death symbolize?
7) What does the destruction of the conch symbolize?
8) Why does Ralph flee?
9) Who is now chief?
10) What does the last paragraph of this chapter foreshadow?
Lord of the Flies
Chapter 12
1) How does Ralph assess his prospects for survival?
2) What do Jack and Roger have planned for Ralph? Why?
3) What will they do when they catch him?
4) In this chapter, how is Ralph like the pigs on the island?
5) How does Ralph feel when he first encounters the naval officer?
6) What happens to the savages when they encounter the naval officer?
7) What is ironic about the naval officer’s comment?
8) What does Ralph cry for at the end?
9) What does the ravaging fire symbolize?