Inferences using Harrison Bergeron

HARRISON BERGERON by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General. Some things about living still weren't quite right, though. April for instance, still drove people crazy by not being springtime. And it was in that clammy month that the H-G men took George and Hazel Bergeron's fourteenyear-old son, Harrison, away. It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.

According to the first 3 paragraphs, how does the government view people that are "smarter" than the average person?

• they believe that being smarter than average is an wonderful advantage

• they believe that being smarter than average is an unfair advantage

• they don't have an opinion on people's intelligence

• they celebrate diversity

Which statement can be inferred by the following sentence, "Some things about living still weren't quite right, though"

• Society was a complete utopia, because things were perfect

• Everyone in the society was happy and satisfied

• Society was viewed as being better than the past, but still had improvements to make

• Society was viewed as being worse than the past and had not improved over time.

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CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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Which quote suggests that people are not able to truly process emotions?

• It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard.

• Nobody was smarter than anybody else.

• THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal.

• And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear.

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CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.

What inference can we make from the last sentence of this paragraph?

• People in society are celebrated for being different

• People in society are "handicapped" in order to be more "equal"

• People in society are viewed as equal even though they might be born with various "handicaps"

• People in society are genetically altered to be equal