Lord of the Flies, Chapter 8: Gift for the Darkness quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What does Jack demand at the assembly he calls at the beginning of Chapter 8?

   • Correct answer: A vote to remove Ralph as chief
   • That all boys move to the beach
   • That Piggy be banished from the group
   • A hunting expedition to kill the beast

   Jack calls the assembly to challenge Ralph's leadership and demands a vote to remove him as chief, but no boy votes in Jack's favor.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. How do the other boys respond to Jack's call for a vote against Ralph?

   • Most of the hunters raise their hands against Ralph
   • The vote is split evenly between Ralph and Jack
   • Correct answer: Not a single boy raises his hand against Ralph
   • The boys shout Jack down before he can finish

   In a humiliating defeat for Jack, not a single boy raises his hand to vote against Ralph as chief.

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. Why do the boys relocate the signal fire from the mountaintop to the beach?

   • The smoke from the beach will be seen farther out to sea
   • Piggy's asthma keeps him from climbing the mountain
   • Jack ordered them to move it before he left the assembly
   • Correct answer: They are afraid of encountering the beast on the mountain

   After Ralph, Jack, and Roger reported seeing the beast on the mountaintop, the boys are too terrified to return there, so Piggy suggests building a new fire on the beach.

   Read the passage
4. 4

   Question 4. What makes the killing of the sow in Chapter 8 particularly significant?

   • It is the first pig the boys successfully hunt
   • Correct answer: The sow is a nursing mother feeding her piglets
   • Ralph participates in the hunt for the first time
   • The hunters use a trap instead of spears

   The hunters target a nursing sow in a state of 'maternal bliss,' making the killing especially cruel and symbolizing the complete collapse of moral boundaries.

   Read the passage
5. 5

   Question 5. What does Jack do with the sow's head after the kill?

   • Correct answer: He jams it on a sharpened stick as a gift for the beast
   • He hides it in a covert so the beast cannot smell the kill
   • He carries it back to the beach to show Ralph's group
   • He roasts it over the stolen fire for the tribe's big feast

   Jack has Roger sharpen a stick at both ends, jams the sow's head onto it, and announces, "This head is for the beast. It's a gift." The boys then run from the clearing.

   Read the passage
6. 6

   Question 6. What does the Lord of the Flies tell Simon about the nature of the beast?

   • The beast will leave them alone if they give it fresh meat
   • Correct answer: The beast is part of the boys themselves and cannot be escaped
   • The beast is a hunter that can be tracked down and killed
   • The beast comes out of the sea and hunts only after dark

   The Lord of the Flies tells Simon 'I'm part of you,' revealing that the beast is not an external creature but the inherent evil and savagery within every boy.

   Read the passage
7. 7

   Question 7. How is the new signal fire on the beach lit?

   • Jack lights it before storming off into the forest
   • Ralph borrows Piggy's glass and focuses the sun
   • The twins bring embers down from the mountaintop
   • Correct answer: Piggy removes his glass and focuses the sun himself

   For the first time on the island, Piggy himself takes off his one glass and focuses the sun on the tinder. Jack has already left, and the boys have no fire left on the mountain.

   Read the passage
8. 8

   Question 8. How do Jack's hunters obtain fire for their feast?

   • They invite Ralph's group to bring fire to the feast
   • They carry embers down from the old mountaintop fire
   • Correct answer: They raid Ralph's camp and steal burning sticks
   • They trade meat to Samneric for a burning branch

   Jack's hunters raid Ralph's beach camp and take burning sticks from the signal fire to start their own cooking fire for the feast.

   Read the passage
9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Did any boy publicly vote to remove Ralph as chief during Jack's called assembly?

     Didn't happen

     No boy raised his hand when Jack called for a vote against Ralph. This public humiliation drove Jack to leave the group on his own.

   • Did Simon speak to the other boys about what the Lord of the Flies told him before the end of Chapter 8?

     Didn't happen

     Simon did not relay the Lord of the Flies' message in Chapter 8. He felt that "one of his times was coming on," fell down in a fit, lost consciousness, and did not return to camp within this chapter.

   Read the passage
10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'derisive' mean, as it describes Piggy's expression when Simon suggests climbing the mountain?

    • Causing division or conflict; divisive
    • Expressing warm approval or praise; admiring
    • Correct answer: Expressing contempt or ridicule; mocking
    • Expressing doubt or disbelief; skeptical

    'Derisive' means expressing contempt or ridicule. When Simon says they ought to climb the mountain, Piggy looks at him with an expression of "derisive incomprehension," mocking an idea he cannot understand.

    Read the passage
11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'fervor' mean, as it describes how Jack's followers agree to forget the beast?

    • A high fever or burning heat of the body
    • Correct answer: Intense, passionate enthusiasm or zeal
    • Calm indifference or a lack of interest
    • Solemn respect or awe; reverence

    'Fervor' means intense, passionate feeling. When Jack says they are going to forget the beast, his group shouts its agreement so eagerly that the narrator notes he might have been astonished by their fervor.

    Read the passage
12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'furtive' mean, as it describes how Maurice and Robert look while standing over the dead sow?

    • Correct answer: Attempting to avoid notice, typically due to guilt
    • Passing quickly, typically without leaving a trace
    • Acting openly and boldly, typically without any shame
    • Feeling weary and dazed, typically after exertion

    'Furtive' means attempting to avoid notice, often because of guilt. After the kill, as Maurice and Robert lift the carcass and stand over the dry blood, they look suddenly furtive, as if uneasy about what they have done.

    Read the passage