Animal Farm, Chapter IV quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What military leader's campaigns did Snowball study to prepare for the defense of Animal Farm?

   • Correct answer: Julius Caesar, the Roman general and statesman
   • Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military commander
   • Hannibal Barca, the Carthaginian strategist
   • Alexander the Great, the Macedonian conqueror of Persia

   Snowball found a book about Julius Caesar's campaigns in the farmhouse and studied it to develop his battle strategy.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Who are the owners of the two neighboring farms, and what are their farms called?

   • Mr. Frederick owns Foxwood; Mr. Jones owns Pinchfield
   • Mr. Pilkington owns Pinchfield; Mr. Jones owns Foxwood
   • Correct answer: Mr. Pilkington owns Foxwood; Mr. Frederick owns Pinchfield
   • Mr. Frederick owns Foxwood; Mr. Pilkington owns Pinchfield

   Foxwood is a large, overgrown farm owned by the easygoing Mr. Pilkington, while Pinchfield is a smaller, well-kept farm owned by the tough and shrewd Mr. Frederick.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What is the name given to the battle in which the animals defend the farm against Jones and the other farmers?

   • The Battle of the Five-Barred Gate, named after where the men entered
   • Correct answer: The Battle of the Cowshed, named after where the ambush was launched
   • The Battle of the Farmyard, named after the location of the fighting
   • The Battle of the Rebellion, named after the revolutionary cause

   The battle is called the Battle of the Cowshed because the animals hid in the cowshed before launching their decisive ambush against the men.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What is the first phase of Snowball's defensive strategy against the human attackers?

   • The pigs set traps and obstacles along the approach to the farm
   • All animals hide in the cowshed and wait for the men to enter
   • The horses and cows charge directly at the men from the barn
   • Correct answer: The pigeons and geese harass and peck at the advancing men

   The first wave involves pigeons swooping at the men's heads and geese pecking at their calves, designed to annoy and distract rather than defeat them.

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5. 5

   Question 5. How does Boxer react after he strikes the stable-lad during the battle?

   • He feels proud and boasts to the other animals about his great strength
   • Correct answer: He is deeply distressed and remorseful, believing he has killed the boy
   • He immediately moves on to fight another human without concern
   • He asks Napoleon for permission to check if the boy survived

   Boxer is genuinely upset, believing he has killed the boy (in fact the stable-lad was only stunned). His compassion contrasts with Snowball's cold response: "The only good human being is a dead one."

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6. 6

   Question 6. What military decorations are created after the Battle of the Cowshed?

   • "Animal Hero, First Class" for Snowball and the sheep; "Animal Hero, Second Class" for Boxer
   • "Animal Hero, First Class" for all pigs; "Animal Hero, Second Class" for all horses
   • "Animal Hero, First Class" for Snowball alone; "Animal Hero, Second Class" for Boxer and the sheep
   • Correct answer: "Animal Hero, First Class" for Snowball and Boxer; "Animal Hero, Second Class" for a dead sheep

   Snowball and Boxer receive "Animal Hero, First Class" for their bravery, while the sheep killed in battle is posthumously awarded "Animal Hero, Second Class."

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7. 7

   Question 7. What do the animals decide to do with Jones's gun after the battle?

   • They bury it beside the dead sheep under the hawthorn bush
   • They hide it in the farmhouse in case of another attack
   • Correct answer: They place it at the base of the flagstaff and fire it on anniversaries
   • They give it to Snowball to keep as commander of the defense

   The gun is placed at the base of the flagpole and will be fired twice yearly: on October 12th (Battle of the Cowshed anniversary) and Midsummer Day (Rebellion anniversary).

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8. 8

   Question 8. Where is Mollie found during and after the Battle of the Cowshed?

   • Correct answer: She is hiding in her stall, having fled when the gun went off
   • She is carried off by the men when they retreat to the road
   • She is on patrol duty at the farm perimeter with the sheep
   • She fights alongside Boxer in the main counterattack force

   Mollie characteristically avoids any risk to herself by hiding during the battle, reflecting her self-centered nature and lack of commitment to Animalism.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of the following events DID happen in Chapter IV of Animal Farm?

   • The animals burned Jones's farmhouse to celebrate their victory
   • Correct answer: Snowball was wounded by buckshot during the battle
   • Napoleon personally led the charge against Jones
   • Mr. Frederick was captured by the animals during the fighting

   Snowball was wounded when Jones fired: the pellets scored bloody streaks along his back. It was Snowball, not Napoleon, who dashed straight for Jones. Mr. Frederick himself is never said to be at the battle (only men from Foxwood and Pinchfield), no one was captured, and the farmhouse was not burned.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of the following DID NOT happen in Chapter IV?

    • Correct answer: Napoleon devised and led the battle strategy against the humans
    • Pigeons spread news of the Rebellion to neighboring farms
    • A sheep was killed during the fighting and given a hero's burial
    • The stable-lad struck by Boxer later recovered and escaped

    It was Snowball, not Napoleon, who studied Caesar's campaigns and was in charge of the defensive operations. The chapter's account of the battle never names Napoleon.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does the word "manoeuvre" mean in the description of the pigeons' and geese's first attack?

    • A complete retreat from battle following a heavy defeat
    • A public speech designed to rally troops before an engagement
    • A formal written agreement between two opposing military forces
    • Correct answer: A planned military movement intended to gain an advantage

    A manoeuvre (American spelling: maneuver) is a planned movement made to gain an advantage. The text calls the pigeons' and geese's attack "a light skirmishing manoeuvre, intended to create a little disorder."

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does "ignominious" mean when describing the humans' defeat?

    • Resulting from poor planning and inadequate military preparation
    • Extremely violent and bloody, causing widespread destruction
    • Correct answer: Deserving or causing public disgrace or shame; humiliating
    • Happening quickly and without any prior warning or expectation

    An ignominious defeat is one that causes shame and humiliation. The humans' rout by farm animals would be deeply embarrassing.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does "irrepressible" mean when the text describes how Beasts of England spread?

    • Easily forgotten, fading from memory after one hearing
    • Correct answer: Impossible to hold back, restrain, or keep under control
    • Incomprehensible to anyone who hears it the first time
    • Unpleasantly loud and harsh, irritating to listeners

    Irrepressible means impossible to hold back or control. Although any animal caught singing Beasts of England was flogged, "the song was irrepressible": blackbirds whistled it in the hedges and pigeons cooed it in the elms.

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