Shooting An Elephant -- George Orwell

Shooting an Elephant -- George Orwell

COMPREHENSION and ANALYSIS

_____ 1. In this essay, Orwell describes an experience he had while working as a colonial police officer in a. India b. Ceylon c. Burma d. Pakistan

_____ 2. The natives treated Orwell with a. respect b. indifference c. curiosity d. hatred

_____ 3. Orwell states, "I had … to think out my problems in the utter silence that is imposed on every Englishman in the East." Who or what imposed this silence? a. his own ethical standards and conscience b. his immediate superior c. an unwritten code governing colonial officials of the British Empire d. his native counterparts

_____ 4. The natives were unable to kill the rampaging elephant because a. it was illegal b. they had no weapons c. they were afraid d. elephants were regarded as sacred

_____ 5. The crowd followed Orwell primarily because a. they secretly hoped he would not be able to shoot the elephant b. they were angry at his decision c. they were curious about how the conflict would end d. they wanted to have some fun at the expense of a colonial officer

_____ 6. The real reason Orwell shot the elephant was that a. he did not want to look foolish in front of the crowd b. the elephant had killed one man and therefore had to be shot c. his superiors had commanded him to shoot it d. he was afraid the elephant would attack more innocent people

_____ 7. Orwell's attitude toward imperialism as revealed in the first tow paragraphs is one of a. ambivalence b. antipathy c. enthusiasm d. indifference e. neglect

_____ 8. Orwell's attitude toward his own position in relation to imperialism is one of a. neglect b. indifference c. enthusiasm d. antipathy e. ambivalence

_____ 9. In the first paragraph Orwell uses each of the following EXCEPT a. ironic contrast b. specific example c. colloquial diction d. shift in point of view e. variety of sentence structure

_____ 10. The first paragraph serves each of the following purposes EXCEPT a. it establishes the speaker's tone b. it locates the setting of the piece c. it identifies the central event of the essay d. it establishes the point of view of the narration e. it identifies the narrator's position in relation to the events

_____ 11. The speaker's tone in paragraphs 1-3 can best be described as a. argumentative and outraged b. polemical and didactic c. lugubrious and regretful d. formal and authoritative e. candid and reflective _____ 12. Each of the following quotations contains irony EXCEPT a. "The crowd yelled with hideous laughter" (276) b. "The young Buddhist priests were the worst of all." (276) c. "All these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt." (277) d. "All this was perplexing and upsetting." (277) e. "Theoretically -- and secretly, of course-- I was all for the Burmese." (277)

_____ 13. In the statement "Feelings like these are normal by-products of imperialism; ask any Anglo- Indian official, if you can catch him off duty (paragraph 2) the last phrase serves as a a. fact b. warrant c. claim d. qualifier e. rebuttal

_____ 14. Orwell makes use of which of the following in paragraph 2? I. periodic sentence II. parallel structures III. extended metaphor a. I only b. I and II only c. II only d. I and III only e. I, II, and III

_____ 15. The statement "All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossilbe." (paragraph 2) involves each of the following EXCEPT a. ambivalence b. antipathy c. frustration d. devotion e. reflection

_____ 16. One assumption held by the speaker is that a. honest expression can be expected from the servants of imperialism b. a seemingly trivial event can be of immense significance c. the delight of the crowd arises from their uncivilized nature d. the value of a Burman's life is less than that of an Englishman e. the Buddhist presence had a salutary effect on the situation

INFERENCES On the basis of evidence in the selection, mark these statements as follows: "A" for accurate inferences; "I" for inaccurate inferences, and "IE" for insufficient evidence.

_____ 17. The Burmese had often rioted against British colonial rule.

_____ 18. The Burmese were contemptuous of the British imperialist system of government.

_____ 19. Orwell had mixed feelings about both the imperialist system and the Burmese he was supposed to supervise.

_____ 20. Orwell especially resented the attitude of the Buddhist priests.

_____ 21. The attack of "must" that an elephant periodically undergoes refers to a temporary state of frenzy.

_____ 22. Tame elephants in the East are used primarily as circus animals. _____ 23. Orwell was powerless to act against the will of the crowd watching him.

_____ 24. Orwell knew exactly where to fire his shot.

_____ 25. It was illegal for the people to strip the meat from the elephant's carcass.

_____ 26. As an Indian, the elephant's owner had no legal case or means of recourse against Orwell for shooting his elephant. STRUCTURE

_____ 27. The primary mode of discourse in this selection is a. narration b. description c. exposition d. persuasion

_____ 28. The incident Orwell writes about at the heart of the essay is intended to reveal a. the threat large crowds pose to the safety of the individual b. the horror of death c. the fundamental weakness of the imperialist system and its agents d. the racial tensions between the Burmese and the British

_____ 29. The purpose of paragraph 2 is to explain Orwell's a. feelings of inadequacy b. feelings of hostility c. confusion d. ambivalence

30. Find and write five metaphors that relate to the performing or acting in front of an audience.

31. Study these metaphors and the order Orwell imposes on them. What contrast do they reveal? What is the fundamental irony of imperialism that Orwell intends the reader to see?

32. What is the metaphor Orwell's uses to describe his predicament?

33. Explain the metaphor

34. Read Orwell's description of the elephant's death again. How would you describe his word choice? What might be some reasons that Orwell describes the elephant's prolonged agony in such detail?

35. In Orwell's description of the elephant's death, he writes that once could imagine the elephant "thousands of years old." and later that "he was dying, very slowly and in great agony, but in some world remote from me where not even a bullet could damage him further." What does Orwell mean by these phrases?

_____ 36. Which of the following sentences from the selection best represents Orwell's thesis? a. "In Moulmein, in lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people -- the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me." b. "All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible." c. "And it was at this moment, as I stood there with the rifle in my hands, that I first grasped the hollowness, the futility of the white man's dominion in the East." d. "The crowd would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at."

VOCABULARY For each italicized word from the selection, choose the best definition according to the context in which it appears.

_____ 37. a petty kind of anti-European feeling (1) a. spiteful b. small; unimportant; c. easily observed d. irritable

_____ 38. the younger empires that are going to supplant it (2) a. serve as a model for b. support c. compensate d. replace

_____ 39. the will of the prostrate peoples (2): something that is lying down because of a. weakness b. illness c. humility d. exhaustion

_____ 40. the real motives for which despotic governments act (3) a. popularly elected b. democratic c. absolute; tyrannical d. imperialistic

_____ 41. a labyrinth of squalid bamboo huts (4) a. wretched b. morally repulsive c. crudely build d. humble

_____ 42. a sufficient pretext for shooting the elephant (14) a. a piece of legal evidence b. excuse c. authority d. rationalization

ANALYSIS

43. This essay implies many conflicts, for example, that between the individual and the force of a large hostile crowd. What are some of the other conflicts that Orwell either states or implies?

44. Shooting an Elephant reveals certain cultural traits that are radically different from those of Westerners. Look through the essay and find a few examples. How do these illustrations help explain (or justify) Orwell's contempt for the natives? Do you think that, for their part, the native's actions are justified? 45. Where in the essay does Orwell reveal the heartless attitude toward people that the Burmese so openly display? Is this brutalizing effect of the incident justifiable or not?