Summary of Lord of the Flies by Golding - per chapter of 1st edition

MC-questions - Question 1 to 20

MC-question 1

How do the boys end up on the island?

1. That is not stated in the book.

2. They were taken to the island so that they could safely wait there until the war was over.

3. The plane in which the boys were sitting was shot above the sea.

4. The ship in which the boys were sitting was shot at and sank.

MC-question 2

How do Piggy and Ralph ensure that all the boys find each other on the island?

1. They walk through the woods and shout out loud.

2. They blow on a horn.

3. They make a fire.

4. They wave with a pig's head.

MC-question 3

Who is chosen as the leader by the boys?

1. Piggy

2. Simon

3. Jack

4. Ralph

MC-question 4

What is Jack's group called?

1. The littleuns

2. The gatherers

3. The hunters

4. The piggies

MC-question 5

How does Piggy not want to be mentioned by the others?

1. Braniac

2. Piggy

3. Four eyes

4. Fatty

MC-question 6

The boy with a birthmark says he has seen something at night. What was it?

1. A beast

2. A "nastie"

3. A ghost

4. A plane of the enemy

MC-question 7

When may someone speak during a meeting?

1. The one who steps forward may speak

2. The one who has the shell may speak

3. The person who has permission from Ralph to speak

4. The one who raises his hand may speak

MC-question 8

In what way do the boys make fire?

1. With the help of Piggy's glasses

2. A piece of glass that they found on the beach

3. Piggy's sundial

4. Flint

MC-question 9

What is the most important thing to do according to Ralph?

1. To hunt

2. To not let the fire go out so that they can eat and warm up

3. To make a list with the names of all the boys on it

4. To not let the fire go out, so that someone may be able to find the boys and rescue them

MC-question 10

What happens to the boy with the birthmark when a part of the forest is on fire?

1. He calls himself the leader

2. He gets burned while he tries to extinguish the fire

3. He disappears and he probably died

4. He gets lost and cries until the older boys find him

MC-question 11

Ralph gets frustrated because he wants to get more help from the other boys. What does he do?

1. He collects fruit for the boys

2. He builds shelters

3. He writes down the boys' names

4. He takes care of the little boys

MC-question 12

What is Jack doing in the woods?

1. He is collecting water

2. He is hunting

3. He is building shelters

4. He is collecting fruit

MC-question 13

What is more important according to Jack than arranging hiding places and keeping the fire going?

1. Meat

2. Telling stories

3. Meetings

4. Fishing

MC-question 14

Who helps Ralph with building the third shelter?

1. Roger

2. Sam and Eric

3. Piggy and the little boys

4. Simon

MC-question 15

Where does Simon often go on his own?

1. He goes to a place in the jungle

2. He goes to the beach

3. He goes hunting

4. He goes to the top of Castle Rock

MC-question 16

Which of the following statements is correct about the way the boys sleep?

1. The boys sleep peacefully by the sea

2. The boys are often sleepwalking

3. The boys sleep warm by the fire

4. The boys often have nightmares and cry in their sleep

MC-question 17

What happens when the fire goes out?

1. A plane is flying over the island

2. A boat is passing by

3. Jack apologizes

4. Ralph sets the whole forest on fire

MC-question 18

Why does the fire go out?

1. It goes out because the little boys ran away

2. It goes out because Ralph was too busy with building shelters

3. It goes out because the boys who had to take care of the fire went into the forest to hunt

4. It goes out through the rain

MC-question 19

What happens with Piggy's glasses?

1. Jack steals the glasses from Piggy and says that the glasses are his now

2. Jack throws the glasses away and consequently also breaks one of the glasses

3. Piggy accidentally drops his glasses on the rocks and his glasses break

4. The little boys steal the glasses from Piggy to play with them

MC-question 20

What do the boys do during dinner?

1. The boys dance around the fire

2. The boys vote for a new leader

3. The boys talk about how much they want to go home

4. The boys make plans to build new shelters

Open questions - Question 1 to 3

Open question 1

Why can it be said that Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel? What are the important symbols in the novel?

Open question 2

In what way does Jack use the beast to control the boys?

Open question 3

Compare Ralph and Simon. Both of them seem to be "good" people. Is there a difference in their "goodness"?

Answer indication MC-questions - Question 1 to 20

MC-question 1

C. The plane in which the boys were sitting was shot above the sea.

MC-question 2

B. They blow on a horn.

MC-question 3

D. Ralph

MC-question 4

C. The hunters

MC-question 5

B. Piggy

MC-question 6

A. A beast

MC-question 7

B. The one who has the shell may speak

MC-question 8

A. With the help of Piggy's glasses

MC-question 9

D. To not let the fire go out, so that someone may be able to find the boys and rescue them

MC-question 10

C. He disappears and he probably died

MC-question 11

B. He builds shelters

MC-question 12

B. He is hunting

MC-question 13

A. Meat

MC-question 14

D. Simon

MC-question 15

A. He goes to a place in the jungle

MC-question 16

D. The boys often have nightmares and cry in their sleep

MC-question 17

B. A boat is passing by

MC-question 18

C. It goes out because the boys who had to take care of the fire went into the forest to hunt

MC-question 19

B. Jack throws the glasses away and consequently also breaks one of the glasses

MC-question 20

A. The boys dance around the fire

Answer suggestions Open questions - Question 1 to 3

Open question 1

An allegory is a symbolic representation of an idea that is sustained throughout the story in a book. Lord of the Flies can be considered an allegorical novel, because the characters and objects are direct representations of the central themes and ideas in the book. The central point that the author is trying to make is that there is a conflict between the human tendency for civilization and the tendency for cruelty. Each character in the book represents a certain aspect on this spectrum of civilization versus cruelty. Ralph and Piggy are on the side of civilization. Ralph because he tries to create order and build a civil society. Piggy reflects the scientific side of civilization. Jack and Roger are on the cruelty side. Jack strives for power and dominance, and Roger for violence. In addition to the characters, there are also objects that have a symbolic function. The shell that is used to start meetings represents order and political legitimacy. Piggy glasses reflect the power of science and intellect. The pig's head represents the other side of the spectrum and stands for cruelty, violence and barbarism.

Open question 2

Jack manipulates the boys by making the beast a common enemy, as well as a common idol and a common belief. Depending on the situation he finds himself in, he uses these representations. He uses the boys' fears to bring about strong control and to justify his violence. He lets the boys adore the beast in order to stimulate their lust for blood and to motivate them to hunt. Finally, he creates a kind of god by leaving the pig's head in the forest as a sacrifice. This turns the fears in the children's nightmares into reality. The skull becomes a kind of religious item with psychological powers that encourages the boys to leave civilization and give in to their wild impulses.

Open question 3

Both Ralph and Simon can be considered as "good" persons, because they are on the side of civilization (and not on the side of barbarism). Both boys try to achieve order and harmony within the group. However, they seem to have different motivations for this. The civilization of Ralph seems to have been taught to him. It becomes clear in the book that Ralph has a tendency towards cruelty deep down. Simon, on the other hand, seems to possess a kindness that comes from his heart and that was not imposed on him by his youth. Although Ralph is a good leader, at the end it is Simon who recognizes that the beast is not in a material form on the island, but that the beast is the tendency for violence in every individual.

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