Shooting an Elephant

The sentence in lines 2-5 (It is a serious matter… no more dangerous than a cow.) can be best described as a

• simile

• metaphor

• alliteration

• personification

• hyperbole

Orwell’s tone in lines 35-38 (But I had got to act… if you went too close to him.) can best be described as

• harsh and strident

• informed and analytical

• energetic and colloquial

• optimistic and lucid

• solemn and brave

In paragraph 1, the author’s attitude towards shooting the elephant can best be described as

• unwarranted

• unavoidable

• casual

• willing

Where are the yellow-faced “natives” from according to the passage?

• India

• China

• Burma

• Laos

• Thailand

This passage is most likely set

• in the fall of 1942

• during the era of British Imperialism in the East

• in 1932 or 1933

• during the 1980s

• during the Revolutionary War

In the end, the narrator shoots the elephant because

• he feels pressured by the expectations of the native population and the weight of British

  imperialism.

• he feels genuinely threatened by the elephant

• he is ordered to do so by a commanding officer

• the native population threatens to revolt if he does not shoot the elephant.

• he feels he must avenge the death of the native as a method of atoning for the sins of his country.

Orwell’s attitude towards the native people can best be described as

• absolute hatred

• disinterest

• deep fascination

• sympathetic, but annoyed

• arrogant

The chief topic of this selection is

• the poor relations between native and imperialistic populations

• Orwell's hatred for British imperialism

• peer pressure

• both A & B

• both B & C