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Twenty Questions
Posted by CORINNE SIKORA on 3/3/2014
The first chapter of a book is usually the most confusingfor students, and it’s the place where an immature reader is most likely tolose focus. To promote the idea thatgood readers consciously work through early confusion, I ask students togenerate Twenty Questions after reading Chapter 1 of any text. Here are the questions that William, age 17,wrote after reading the first few pages of 1984.
1. How can clocks striker thirteen?
2. What are “Victory Mansions”?
3. What is “Hate Week”?
4. Who is Big Brother?
5. What is a telescreen?
6. Who belongs to the “Party”?
7. Why do party members wear uniforms?
8. What does “INGSOC” mean?
9. What I the Ninth Three-Year Plan?
10. Who are the “Thought Police”? Why are theycalled this?
11. Which countries are found in Oceania?
12. What is Airstrip One?
13. What do the following slogans mean?
a. War is Peace.
b. Freedom is Slavery
c. Ignorance is Strength
14. What is the Ministry of Truth?
15. What is the Ministry of Peace?
16. What is the Ministry of Plenty?
17. What is the Ministry of Love?
18. Why are products like gin and cigarettes called“Victory Gin” and “Victory Cigarettes”?
19. How could it be that “nothing is illegal”?
20. What is the “Two Minutes Hate”? What functiondoes it serve?