"A Hanging" is one of George Orwell's best-known essays. To make sure that you have read the essay carefully, take this brief quiz, and then compare your responses with the answers at the bottom of the page.
1. George Orwell’s “A Hanging” is set in which one of the following countries?
(A) India
(B) Burma
(C) England
(D) Eurasia
(E) Persia
2. Which one of the following characters does not appear in Orwell’s "A Hanging”?
(A) the hangman, a gray-haired convict in the white uniform of the prison
(B) the superintendent of the jail, [who] was an army doctor, with a gray toothbrush moustache and a gruff voice
(C) Francis, the head jailer
(D) a Hindu prisoner, a puny wisp of a man, with a shaven head and vague liquid eyes
(E) an old Indian judge, with a gold-rimmed monocle and a handlebar moustache
3. In Orwell’s “A Hanging,” what is the one word that the prisoner cries out (repeatedly)?
(A) “Innocent!”
(B) “Help!”
(C) “Ram!”
(D) “No!”
(E) “Stella!”
4. What simple action by the prisoner caused the narrator to realize for the first time "what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man"?
(A) saying "God bless you"
(B) avoiding a puddle
(C) petting the dog
(D) praying
(E) calling for his daughter
5. At the very end of Orwell’s “A Hanging,” what do the remaining characters (i.e., all but the prisoner and, presumably, the dog) do?
(A) pray for the soul of the dead prisoner
(B) discuss the ethical dimensions of their behavior
(C) shoot the dog
(D) hang another Hindu
(E) laugh and drink whiskey
1. B; 2. E; 3. C; 4. B; 5. E
Related Activity:
Sentence Combining: Orwell's "A Hanging"
