CliffsNotes on

The Handmaid's Tale

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About the Author

The Early Years

About the Novel

Introduction
The Dystopian Novel
Character List
Timeline
A Brief Synopsis

Summaries and Commentaries

Epigraphs
I Night
II Shopping
III Night
IV Waiting Room
V Nap
VI Household
VII Night
VIII Birth Day
IX Night
X Soul Scrolls
XI Night
XII Jezebeus
XIII Night
XIV Salvaging
XV Night
Historical Notes on The Handmaids Tale
The Femaleroad

CRITICAL ESSAYS

Literary Analysis
Literary Devices
Women in The Handmaids Tale
Themes
Setting
A Note on the Film Version of The Handmaids Tale

Study Help

Quiz
Review Questions And Essay Topics

Cite this Literature Note

Would you rather . . . ?

Have a third arm.
Have hair down to your toes.
Have no nose.

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Study Help

Quiz

1:  The main reason the Gilead state is established by the fundamentalists is

a. to punish corrupt politicians

b. to perpetuate the white race

c. to perpetuate multiple races

d. to protect the environment
2:  Offred and Luke’s daughter is being groomed to be a(n)

a. Unwoman

b. White-Gowned Daughter

c. Handmaid

d. Aunt
3:  How do Moira and Offred know each other?

a. They met in college.

b. They are sisters.

c. They met at the Red Center.

d. They met at a feminist rally.
4:  Moira escapes the Red Center by

a. boarding an escape boat operated by Offred’s mother

b. disguising herself as a Commander

c. disguising herself as Aunt Elizabeth

d. pretending to be seriously ill
5:  The main purpose of Handmaids in Gilead is to

a. shop and clean for the Commanders’ wives

b. act as nurses to the elderly

c. take care of the Commanders’ children

d. give birth to Commanders’ children
6:  What does the handmaid’s red uniform symbolize?

a. Adultery

b. Menstruation and the female cycle

c. The blood of Christ

d. The blood of Gilead’s soldiers
7:  Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale can be classified with Orwell’s 1984, Huxley’s Brave New World, and Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange as

a. Utopian

b. Epistolary

c. Surrealistic

d. Dystopian
8:  What happened to Offred’s predecessor?

a. She was executed for having an abortion

b. She committed suicide

c. She escaped to Canada via the Underground Femaleroad

d. She gave birth to a son
9:  Who tells Offred, “I want to see as little of you as possible.”

a. Aunt Lydia

b. The Commander

c. Serena Joy

d. Aunt Elizabeth
10:  Whom is Offred referring to when she wonders, “If I knew for certain he’s dead, would that make a difference?”

a. Luke

b. Nick

c. Commander Fred

d. Her father
11:  Offred’s real name is

a. never revealed

b. Janine

c. Maryann Crescent Moon

d. Alma
12:  Who thinks the following thought: “I would not be able to stand it, I know that. . . . I’ll say anything they like, I’ll incriminate anyone. It’s true, the first scream, whimper even, and I’ll turn to jelly, I’ll confess to any crime, I’ll end up hanging from a hook on the Wall.”

a. Moira

b. Offred

c. Offred’s predecessor

d. Ofglen



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