Lord of the Flies by William Golding Study Guide
(Please answer questions on a separate sheet of paper).
Chapter One:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
Describe the setting.
What is the significance of the conch shell?
Why is Ralph chosen to be the leader?
What happens when Jack first sees a pig on the island, and what does he say in regards to
it?
5.) What are the similarities and differences between Piggy and Jack?
Chapter Two:
1.) How do the older boys respond when one of the smaller boys claims to have seen a
“beastie?”
2.) What might Piggy and his spectacles represent?
3.) How do the rest of the boys view Piggy?
4.) Describe what the fire represents.
5.) What do the boys do with Piggy’s spectacles?
Chapter Three:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
What two groups are beginning to form on the island among the boys?
How is Simon different from Ralph and Jack? Where is there evidence of this in the text?
Why is Ralph angry with the boys?
What is Jack set on doing?
Which point of view does Golding write the story in?
Chapter Four:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
Who is the biggest of the smaller boys?
Why didn’t Roger throw the stones directly at the smaller boys?
Why do the hunters paint their faces?
What idea does Piggy suggest to Ralph, and what are Ralph’s feelings in regards to it?
Why do the boys continually harass Piggy?
Chapter Five:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
Why does Ralph say that they need a meeting?
What does Jack say in regards to the boys’ fear of the beastie?
What does Piggy say in regards to the beastie?
What does Piggy say in regards to the idea of Jack being chief?
What do Piggy, Ralph, and Simon say about adults, and what do you Golding wants the
significance of this conversation to be?
Chapter Six:
1.) Why is the chapter titled, “Beast from Air?”
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
Where did the parachutist come from, and why is he dead?
How do the boys react to the dead parachutist?
What does Jack say about the conch?
Why are the boys annoyed at Ralph?
Chapter Seven:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
What embarrassing thing does Ralph say when he is sitting by himself?
Describe Ralph’s memories from home.
What do the boys do to Robert, and what almost happens in the process?
Why does Ralph become annoyed with Jack?
What do the boys think they see on the mountain, and how do they react to it?
Chapter Eight:
What is Golding’s writing style when describing the “lord of the flies?”
What does Ralph say in response to Jack’s accusation?
What is the result of Jack and Ralph’s argument?
What words of wisdom does Piggy give Ralph in the aftermath of Jack and Ralph’s
argument?
5.) Describe Simon’s experience with the “Lord of the Flies.”
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
Chapter Nine:
1.) What does Simon find, and what is his reaction to it?
2.) Describe the changing tone before and after the “beast’s” death.
3.) What does Jack say all of the boys must do, and how does this affect them
psychologically?
4.) Who is the “beast,” and what do the boys do to him?
5.) What does the event of the boys killing the “beast” symbolize in regards to who the boys
have become?
Chapter Ten:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
How do Piggy and Ralph respond to what happened the night before?
What happens to Wilfred, and what does this signify about Jack?
Where in the text is there evidence of Ralph feeling stressed about the whole situation?
What does Piggy say will happen if they don’t get rescued soon, and what is ironic about
this statement?
5.) What did Jack and his hunters come to Ralph’s for?
Chapter Eleven:
1.) What is Piggy angry about, and what does he decide he is going to do about it?
2.) On page 171 Sam says, “He’ll be painted…you know how he’ll be.” What does this
statement signify about Jack?
3.) Why are there so many boys on Jack’s side?
4.) How does Ralph try to reason with Jack?
5.) Describe what happens to Piggy.
Chapter Twelve:
1.) What does Ralph not want to admit about Jack and the others? How does he reason with
himself about what they have done?
2.) What does Ralph desperately want to be able to do?
3.) What does the destruction of the conch represent?
4.) What do Jack and the others plan to do to Ralph?
5.) What is Ralph’s realization at the end of the novel, and how does the officer respond to
him?