Animal Farm Study Guides (Chapters 1-6)

Who is Mr. Whymper and what does he do?

A solicitor from town who conducts the animals' business with humans.

How is the windmill destroyed? Why does Napoleon blame Snowball?

A violent November storm blows it down. Instead of admitting that the windmill's walls were not thick enough to support it against a strong wind, Napoleon blames Snowball for blowing it up. Because Snowball had drawn up the plans, the blame for its failure is partly his.

Who do Snowball's plans benefit? Do you believe the windmill will succeed?

All animals will benefit from Snowball's plans, because less work will need to be done. The pigs might destroy the plans out of greed and control.

Where did the new puppies go? For what reason?

Napoleon took them from their mothers to the loft for "education.

What solution does Major suggest to solve the animals' problems?

Animals must unite against man. They must "struggle" for freedom.

What does Squealer say about the meaning of "bed"?

Anything to sleep on, like a pile of straw, is actually a bed.

Who takes the puppies away for an education?

Napoleon.

"[Squealer] repeated a number of times, 'Tactics, comrades, tactics!' skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions." If the animals didn't understand Squealer's words, why do you think they accepted his explanation?

Because the animals were afraid of the pigs and the power that they had. They were also afraid of the dogs. Squealer was very persuasive when he spoke.

What does Squealer accuse Snowball of?

Being no better than a criminal.

A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance.

Boxer

Clover warned him sometimes to be careful not to overstrain himself, but [he] would never listen to her.

Boxer

He was the admiration of everybody.

Boxer

[He] would even come out at nights and work for an hour or two on his own by the light of the harvest moon.

Boxer

In Chapter V, besides the windmill, on what issue do Napoleon and Snowball disagree?

Defence of the farm.

"'Beasts of England' was irrepressible." From the context, "irrepressible" means:

Difficult to stop.

What would be the benefit of a windmill, according to Snowball?

Electricity would make life easier.

Look at the song "Beasts of England."A. What is the mood of the song?

Encouraging. Powerful. Meaningful

The animals supported Napoleon's announcement that Sunday meetings would be canceled.

False

The animals were surprised by the humans' attack.

False

The other farmers were really good friends with Mr. Jones and wanted to help him.

False

What happens on Animal Farm if the animals do not do the voluntary work?

Half of their food is taken away.

After reading about the Battle of the Cowshed, what can we say of Snowball's character?

He is clever, intelligent, a good strategist, brave, cruel, dedicated, fearless.

What did Napoleon do to the plans on the floor?

He urinated on them.

Characterize Snowball as a leader. Do you think his reaction to the stable-boy's death is the appropriate reaction to have during a revolution?

His reaction to the stable boy's death is very harsh and unsympathetic.

What reasons did Squealer give for Napoleon making all decisions?

If the other animals made decisions, sometimes they might make a mistake.

What did the animals do to Mr. Jones and his men?

Kicked them off of the farm.

"Our labor tills the soil, our dung fertilizes it, and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin."

Major

He was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance.

Major

Napoleon decides to trade with human beings. Which of the following does this contradict?

Major's speech.

Usually, when something is voluntary you

May do it only if you wish.

"Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill?"

Napoleon

[He] ended his speech with his usual cry of "Long live Animal Farm!"

Napoleon

How is Snowball used as a scapegoat (person who takes blame for another's action)?

Napoleon is just blaming everything on Snowball because he does not want the animals to see that bad things happen when he is the leader.

Did Benjamin agree with Napoleon or Snowball about what was said?

Neither. Benjamin does not usually agree with the pigs.

Why can't animals remember their resolutions?

No one has his or her own written copy.

Where does this story take place?

On a farm.

What did Napoleon decide to do in order to get supplies for the windmill?

Sell some of the hay and wheat and, if necessary, some of the hens' eggs to human beings.

What was Snowball's strategy to win the battle?

Skirmishing to disorient the human beings, then luring them into the barn where they could ambush the invaders.

Who does Napoleon blame for the destruction of the windmill?

Snowball

Which seasons pass in this chapter (6)?

Spring, summer, and fall.

"Day and night we are watching over your welfare."

Squealer

He could turn black into white

Squealer

What does Orwell mean when he says Squealer can "turn black into white"?

Squealer is good at speaking.

It was "assumed" that the windmill plans had been rubbed off the floor. How does Orwell use this word to describe the animals' level of thought? This is the second time the animals have assumed something. What did the animals assume in Chapter III that proved false? Howdangerous is it to assume things?

The animals are always assuming things, meaning they rely on the pigs for all the answers. Assuming things is dangerous because it means you could be drawing the wrong conclusions which can get you in trouble.

How is farm life for the animals different in Chapter VI?

The animals work harder and harder and many things aren't finished.

How have the Seven Commandments changed?

The fourth Commandment has been sneakily amended to say: No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.

How does Squealer explain that it is not against the Seven Commandments for pigs to sleep in beds?

The rule is against sheets, not beds.

Why was the windmill difficult to build?

The stones are large and the weather is bad.

What role does "Four legs good, two legs bad," play in Napoleon's propaganda? What is its meaning?

There is very little substance to the chant. The unthinking sheep adopt it and their incessant chanting drowns out opposition. It is 'brainwashing'. A way of making people believe what you say by repeating a simple, easy to understand message.

Who do the animals believe is responsible for the indmill? Do you agree with them? Why or why not?

They believe Snowball is the one who destroyed the windmill. This is because Napoleon blames him for all the things that go wrong.

How useful are speeches like Snowball's if people don't understand them?

They can be useful through the power of the voice. They can create fear or confidence.

Why do human beings hate Animal Farm?Why do they respect it?

They resent a successful farm run by animals because it proves that the animals were right. They respect Animal Farm's efficiency.

How much work are the animals now doing, and how are they forced to work more and harder?

They work a sixty-hour week during spring and summer. Napoleon informs them they can volunteer for Sunday afternoon work as well. However, any animal not volunteering will have his rations cut in half.

Who did it seem the animals would support after Snowball's speech at the Sunday windmill meeting? What were the animals promised?

They would have supported Snowball's plans for the windmill because they were promised less work and many comforts and luxuries.

At the end of the chapter, Napoleon will continue with the plans to build the windmill.

True

Squealer tells the animals that the windmill was actually Napoleon's idea.

True

The chapter (5) begins in winter and ends in spring.

True

Who or what did Mr. Jones shoot his gun at? Why?

A fox. He thought the animals were making noise because a fox was in the hen house. He fired his gun to scare away the fox.

Why did Snowball summarize the Seven Commandments into "Four legs good, two legs bad"?

Because most of the animals could not learn the Seven Commandments by heart.

Alone among the animals on the farm, he never laughed.

Benjamin

Read the following quotations from after the Battle of the Cowshed and compare Snowball's and Boxer's reactions. What does this say about their characters? "'I have no wish to take life, not even human life,' repeated Boxer, and his eyes were full of tears." "'No sentimentality, comrade!' cried Snowball, from whose wounds the blood was still dripping. 'War is war. The only good human being is a dead one.'"

Boxer is a calm, harmless animal who does not wish to take any human's life. Snowball is a vicious animal who wishes to kill humans and create fear through death.

The stable lad was killed by Boxer.

False

What didn't Mr. Jones do?

Feed the animals.

What did Napoleon say at first about the windmill?

Food production is more important.

These two disliked each other so much that it was difficult for them to come to any agreement, even in defence of their own interests.

Frederick and Pilkington

What are Boxer's strong points?

He is hard working and physically strong.

How did Snowball know what to do?

He read a book about military tactics and a book by Roman general and emperor Julius Caesar.

The words Orwell uses to describe the morning after the revolution are very descriptive. What sort of words and images does he use?What does he want us to think about the farm?

He uses many descriptive words like "ecstasy" and "excitement." He wants us to think that the farm was a horrible place, made better without the humans. Orwell wants us to see how great and happy everyone is now that the animals are in charge.

Why did Boxer ask the cockerels to call him a half-hour earlier in the morning?

He wanted to do more work.

Who does Major say is responsible for the animals' condition?

Human beings.

What are some of the animals' objections to Animalism?

If Mr. Jones were gone, how would the animals eat? If the Rebellion is going to happen no matter what, why do the animals need to work for it? Why should the animals care about what happens after they die? Will there be sugar and ribbons after the Rebellion?

What does Squealer say to make the animals afraid?

If the pigs aren't healthy, Mr. Jones will come back.

At the end of Chapter IV, the animals decide to fire Mr. Jones' gun twice a year to celebrate the anniversaries of the Battle of the Cowshed and the Rebellion. In your culture, are there any celebrations that are similar to these anniversaries?

Independence Day and Aung San's birthday. They may be important to teach people about history, to keep society unified, to increase support for the government

Look at the song "Beasts of England." C. Why do you think the animals liked the song so much?

It is a very powerful song that depicts strength. The animals feel represented.

Think about the events that began the Revolution - Jones' mismanagement of the farm, hungry cows, violence by the human beings - as well as all the thinking, teaching, planning, and organizing that the pigs did. In your opinion would it have been possible for the Revolution to have happened without Animalism?

It was more the immediate feeling of the animals that caused them to act rather than the philosophy of the pigs.

Describe how the Rebellion takes place.

It was not planned. Mr. Jones was very drunk and forgot to feed the animals. The animals rebelled. Mr. Jones comes back and tries to drive them away.

Do you think all the animals will follow the rules? Who?

Many animals may be greedy but most animals will follow the rules and respect the ideals.

Major describes the current life of animals as

Miserable.

In the first paragraph, the pigeons were sent out to mingle with the animals on neighboring farms. To "mingle" probably means:

Mix with.

He was a spy and a tale-bearer, but he was also a clever talker.

Moses

Which animal leaves the farm with the humans?

Moses the raven.

What did Squealer do that was so convincing to the other animals?

Move his tail.

Most of this time [he] had spent sitting in the taproom of the Red Lion at Willingdon...

Mr. Jones

Who could never agree in the Sunday meetings?

Napoleon and Snowball.

In the future, all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs presided over by himself.

Napoleon is going to make all the decisions.

What are the rules Major gives the animals?

No animal is ever to live in a house. No animal is ever to sleep in a bed. No animal is ever to wear clothes. No animal is ever to drink alcohol. No animal is ever to smoke tobacco. No animal is ever to touch money. No animal is ever to engage in trade. No animal is ever to tyrannize his own kind. No animal must ever kill another animal. All animals are equal. Whatever walks on two legs is evil. Do not resemble humans. All animals are brothers.

Where do you find the pictures of a hoof and horn?

On the new flag.

What technique does Orwell use to cast doubt on the likelihood of a successful revolution?

Orwell uses foreshadowing in old Major's speech in Chapter I to cast doubt on the Revolution. In his speech, old Major alludes to Animalism being a goal for many years but never actually being attained.

There is a description of animals on other farms: "Bulls which had always been tractable suddenly turned savage, sheep broke down hedges and devoured the clover, cows kicked the pails over, hunters refused their fences and shot their riders on to the other side. Above all, the tune and even the words of "Beasts of England" were known everywhere." What are these examples of?

Other animals' rebelliousness.

They did not work, but directed and supervised the others.

Pigs

What further examples of the difference between the pigs and the other animals occur in this chapter?

Pigs eat the apples and drink the milk. The pigs oversee the work on the farm, they do not do any physical labour. The pigs control the Sunday meetings in the barn.

What "department" of the government of Animal Farm did the pigeons work for?

Propoganda

Which is closest in meaning to, "Snowball flung his fifteen stone against Jones' legs."

Ran into Jones with his heavy weight.

Snowball's committees and programs were not very successful except for which one?

Reading and writing classes.

The pigs begin to slowly take more control than the others. Can you find some examples of this in Chapter II?

Reading, writing, teaching, distributing food (milk and a double ration of corn), calling the animals to harvest.

The animals change the name of the farm from Manor Farm to Animal Farm. Why is this important? What does changing a name do for ideas, behavior, power, etc.?

Renaming a country (or cities within a country) may have an effect on the sense of identity of a country, may make people feel more connected to the country, or perhaps feel more nationalistic.

Why does Snowball tell Mollie she cannot wear ribbons?

Ribbons symbolize slavery.

What happened to Mollie?

She betrayed Animal Farm and went to work for humans.

"Can you not understand that liberty is worth more than ribbons?"

Snowball

What shows that there are already problems in the leadership of the new government?

Snowball and Napoleon start fighting with each other.

Who would you say is/are the hero/heroes of the battle? Why?

Snowball leading them into battle and knowing what to do; All the animals that participated in the fight; The sheep that died; Boxer for his might.

Why did the animals wait for Mr. Jones to go to bed?

So that they could have a secret meeting.

When will the revolution which Major speaks about happen?

Some time in the future.

Why don't the pigs like the pet raven Moses' stories about Sugarcandy Mountain?

Sugarcandy Mountain sounds like an animal paradise where all animals go when they die. If all animals will go to such a paradise when they die, there is nothing to worry about and no need to work for the Rebellion.

What did Napoleon cancel?

Sunday meetings.

What did the animals remember the morning after the Rebellion? How did they react?

That they had rebelled yesterday and were now free. They were happy and excited.

Who enjoyed the slogan "Four legs good, two legs bad," the most?

The Sheep.

Why did the animals enjoy their food more?

The animals produced it for themselves.

How do the animals feel about Major?

The animals respect Major.

Look at the song "Beasts of England." B. What are some of the images in the song?

The animals taking over the farm. Animals becoming the rulers of the land.

Why do you think the cat joined the ReEducation Committee?

The cat wanted to eat the birds.

What stopped the other pigs' protests?

The dogs' growling.

What does Major mean when he says "no animal escapes the cruel knife"?

The farmer will kill all the animals.

What impressed the animals about the Jones' house?

The luxury.

How do the pigs gain the rights to the cows' milk? Why do the other animals allow this to occur? What does this event suggest about the power hierarchy on the farm?

The pigs are just taking the milk because they feel entitled to it and the animals blindly let it happen. This suggests that the pigs are at the top of the power hierarchy because they are the clever ones.

Who did the most speaking in the Sunday meetings?

The pigs spoke the most. Snowball and Napoleon were very active.

What happened to the milk and apples?

The pigs took them to eat.

"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"

The pigs will remain in control. The other animals should not be trusted.

Which animals begin teaching the others?

The pigs.

"In January there came bitterly hard weather." This sentence means:

The weather made it difficult to live.

They continued to behave very much as before, and when treated with generosity simply took advantage of it.

The wild animals.

Why is it difficult for the pigs to convince the animals of the principles of Animalism?

Their system is very theoretical (lots of ideas). Most of the animals are concerned only with very practical matters.

Look at the song "Beasts of England." D. Why are songs a good way to communicate ideas and encourage support?

They are universal. Songs are easy to remember and easy to sing together.

What ability do the pigs "reveal" that they have?

They can read and write.

Why would Frederick and Pilkington be threatened by Animal Farm?

They feared a rebellion by the animals on their own farms.

What effect did Major's speech have on the more intelligent animals?

They looked at life in a very different way.

How did human beings respond to the animals singing "Beasts of England"?

They pretended it was stupid because they were afraid. They flogged and whipped the animals to try and keep control of them.

What do the animals do to celebrate their victory?

They sing "Beasts of England," tell stories about their adventures in battle, and give medals to Boxer, Snowball, and the sheep that died.

Why did the cows break into the storeshed?

They were hungry.

What was the problem with the farm tools?

They were made for human hands.

The animals would "assemble" in the barn every Sunday. This most likely means

They would all meet together in the barn.

What do the animals destroy?

Things that remind them of Mr. Jones' power.

Snowball commanded the animals in battle.

True

What did the animals decide to do with the farmhouse?

Turn it into a museum.

Major uses the phrase "produce of our labour" several times. What are some examples of produce of the animals' labour?

milk, eggs, wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables.