Fahrenheit 451: Part One (The Hearth and the Salamander)

Pages 46-77

This task covers pages 46-60 only

Exercise A: True or False

1. Montag feels empathy and concern for a victim of a burning. True/False

2. One of the old lady’s neighbours reported her to the firemen for having books. True/False
3. While inside the house, Beatty reads a line from one of the lady’s books. True/False
4. Bradbury compares the lady’s books to birds that have been killed. True/False
5. Beatty makes the argument that the people inside the books are not real. True/False
6. Stoneman strikes a match to burn the woman along with her books. True/False
7. During her death, the woman is described as maintaining her dignity and composure. True/False
8. Milly talks about the restaurant where she first met Guy. True/False
9. Guy realizes that he wouldn’t be devastated if his wife died. True/False
10. Mildred’s obsession with television emphasises how disconnected lives are. True/False

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This task covers pages 61- 75 only

Exercise B: Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why hasn’t Guy seen Clarisse for a number of days?

a) Her family has gone and Clarisse is most likely dead.
b) Clarisse has reported Guy to the police as a possible stalker.
c) Clarisse has recently gone to study at a nearby university.
d) She has been kidnapped by Beatty.
2. When Guy refers to the relatives, who is he referring to?
a) His stepmother and stepfather.
b) The men who he works with, like Beatty, Stoneman, and Black.
c) The televised characters that Mildred watches on her parlour.
d) Clarisse’s family.
3. What does Mildred look like?
a) She is overweight, thanks to being a couch potato.
b) She is beautiful, reminding Guy of when they first met.
c) She resembles one of the characters that she watches on her parlour.
d) She looks very thin and her skin is too pale.
4. When Montag mentions to his wife that last night an old woman burned to death, how does Mildred react?
a) She inquires how on earth such a thing could happen.
b) She immediately changes the subject and shows no interest.
c) She blames Montag for not saving her.
d) She says that Guy has to change his job and stop being a fireman.
5. How does Millie feel about Guy quitting his job as a fireman?
a) She thinks it’s fine, as long as he finds a new job immediately.
b) She thinks it is a silly idea, and that Guy is being overly sentimental about the old lady who died.
c) She thinks that he needs to ask for an increase in salary rather than quit.
d) She understands because she knows how tough Beatty is as a boss.
6. What does Guy ask Millie to do for him?
a) To lie to Beatty that he is sick.
b) To file for a divorce.
c) To get a job herself, instead of watching her parlor all day.
d) To clean the house.
7. What is Beatty’s attitude like when he enters Montag’s house?
a) He is very stressed out.
b) He is upset.
c) He is very quiet.
d) He is calm and relaxed.
8. According to Beatty, what is a result of the mass production of media?
a) Art becoming more intellectual.
b) Things getting simpler.
c) Products getting more expensive.
d) Even ordinary people becoming famous.
9. What does Mildred almost discover while Beatty and Montag are talking?
a) A plan on how to destroy the mechanical hound.
b) A poem that Clarisse gave to Guy before she disappeared.
c) A book that Guy has left beneath his pillow.
d) A new job that Guy is planning to apply for once he has quit being a fireman.
10. What does Beatty link organized sports such as baseball and bowling to?
a) People becoming less intellectual.
b) People getting fitter and stronger.
c) People having better diets.
d) People being more competitive and aggressive.
11. What reason does Beatty give for the burning of books?
a) He hates the arrogance of intellectuals.
b) He believes that it will keep people happy and stop minorities from rebelling.
c) It is an entertaining spectacle that people love.
d) Everything nowadays is stored electronically, so they are not needed.
12. What does Beatty mean when he mentions needing to ‘nip most of them in the bud’.
a) That new ideas need to be allowed to flourish, like flowers.
b) That it is important to test a policy before making it law.
c) That books have to be burned the moment they are discovered.
d) That people like Clarisse McClellan must be removed quickly and efficiently.

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