Chapter 5 Questions
Answer the following questions, which are based on the events in Chapter 5. Think carefully about why things happen and what they mean.
1. What role does “Four legs good, two legs bad,” play in Napoleon’s propaganda? What is its meaning?
2. “[Squealer] repeated a number of times, ‘Tactics, comrades, tactics!’ skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.”
If the animals didn’t understand Squealer’s words, why do you think they accepted his explanation?
3. How useful are speeches like Snowball’s if people don’t understand them?
4. It was “assumed” that the windmill plans had been rubbed off the floor. How does Orwell use this word to describe the animals’ level of thought? This is the second time the animals have assumed something. What did the animals assume in Chapter III that proved false? How dangerous is it to assume things?
5. Who do Snowball’s plans benefit ? Do you believe the windmill will succeed?