Animal Farm

Chapter 8 Comprehension Questions

1. In what ways do the pigs use the other animals’ illiteracy and lack of intelligence

to keep the animals from rebelling against the pigs?

Answer: They changed the rules because the animals either couldn’t read the rules or couldn’t remember the original rules. Also, they told the animals that production was higher and their lives were better than before, but the animals could not know if that was correct because they couldn’t remember and couldn’t read the lists and figures they were told.

2. In what ways is Napoleon treated like a very special animal? Why do the pigs

want Napoleon to be considered special?

Answer: He rarely went outside, and when he did, he was surrounded by his bodyguards. When he spoke, a rooster would announce that he was giving a speech.

Also, the animals gave him honorific titles and they made a song about him. These things made the animals think he was superior to them, so they wouldn’t question his authority.

3. What clues are there in the account of the Battle of the Windmill that Napoleon

might be a coward and that Squealer probably is a coward? Answer: During the battle Napoleon directed the other animals in the fighting, but he did this from the back, so he wasn’t really fighting and he had less chance of getting hurt. Squealer wasn’t even around during the battle. We don’t know where he was.

4. How does Squealer “spin” the Battle of the Windmill to make the animals happy

and proud? Why does he do this?

Answer: He tells the animals that it was a victory, and the pigs organize celebrations for their victory. Squealer wants the animals to think they won so that they do not blame Napoleon for a defeat. If they thought Napoleon failed them, they might be less likely to follow him.