Anthem Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. In the abandoned house, what discovery finally resolves Equality’s confusion about how to describe himself as one person?
He reads a law granting inventors the right to speak in the singular.
He learns that his original name was preserved in a family record.
He discovers that “we” once referred only to married couples.
He finds the word “I” in books from the earlier civilization.
2. Why do the Scholars reject Equality’s electric light even though it could improve illumination?
It was created by one person without collective approval and threatens the established candle system.
They conclude that the device is too fragile to function outside the cavern.
They want Equality to surrender it so they can present it as a Council invention.
They believe electricity belongs exclusively to the Unmentionable Times and cannot be reproduced.
3. What private name does Equality give Liberty before they choose names from the old books?
The Golden One
Gaea
The Unconquered
The Saint of the Pyre
4. How does International 4-8818 respond after discovering the hidden tunnel with Equality?
He immediately reports it to the Council of the Home.
He claims the tunnel as his own place for experiments.
Although afraid, he agrees not to reveal Equality’s secret.
He refuses to return unless Liberty accompanies them.
5. Which occupation does the Council of Vocations assign to Equality 7-2521?
Farmer
Scholar
Street Sweeper
Cook
6. Equality wants to become a Scholar, but the Council assigns him another occupation. What principle of his society does this decision best illustrate?
Citizens must master manual work before pursuing intellectual work.
Collective authority takes precedence over individual aptitude and preference.
Occupations are assigned temporarily and rotate each year.
Scientific work is reserved for people who discover underground artifacts.
7. Based on the ending, why is Anthem an apt title for the novella?
The story becomes a hymn of praise to the individual self and the concept of ego.
Equality preserves the musical anthem of the civilization that built the tunnel.
The title refers to a victory song performed by the Street Sweepers.
The citizens sing a state hymn whenever the Councils announce a new law.
8. Why does the Uncharted Forest function as both a frightening and liberating setting?
It is controlled by a rival city that allows scientific research but forbids relationships.
The state portrays it as a place of doom, yet it lies beyond the state’s rules and surveillance.
It is dangerous mainly because Equality’s electric device stops working there.
It contains the city’s prisons but also its hidden libraries.
9. Why is Equality 7-2521’s act of writing the story a serious transgression in his society?
Only members of the Council of Scholars may record historical events.
Street Sweepers are forbidden to learn the official language.
He is thinking and writing privately for himself rather than as part of the collective.
He is documenting an invention before receiving a patent.
10. What future does Equality envision near the end of the novella?
Returning alone to ask the Council of Scholars for a second hearing
Making the house a stronghold and eventually bringing chosen friends to a freer life
Destroying every surviving object from the Unmentionable Times
Founding a new Council that assigns occupations according to ability
11. The narrator initially uses “we” when describing his own private thoughts. What does this language most clearly reveal?
Citizens use plural speech only when discussing forbidden subjects.
Equality believes International is present during every event.
The story is being narrated jointly by all the Street Sweepers.
The society has suppressed the concept of the individual self.
12. Why are the names Prometheus and Gaea especially fitting for Equality and Liberty?
They are the names of the architects who built the underground tunnel.
Prometheus represents obedience, while Gaea represents scientific authority.
They identify two rulers who restored collective government after the Unmentionable Times.
Prometheus evokes the bringer of light, while Gaea evokes the earth and new life.
13. What is the underground place found by Equality 7-2521 and International 4-8818?
A newly dug passage leading to the Palace of Mating
A mine secretly operated by the Council of Scholars
A surviving tunnel from the Unmentionable Times
A natural cave used by people hiding in the forest
14. Who is Liberty 5-3000 when Equality first encounters her?
A member of the Council of Vocations
A prisoner assigned to the Street Sweepers
A keeper in the Home of the Scholars
A worker tending the fields outside the city
15. Who narrates most of Anthem?
International 4-8818
Equality 7-2521
Liberty 5-3000
Union 5-3992
16. After following Equality into the forest, Liberty struggles to express personal love. Which statement captures her difficulty?
She says “We love you” because she does not yet know the singular pronoun.
She can discuss duty but has no word corresponding to affection.
She knows the word “I” but has been forbidden to speak Equality’s name.
She communicates only by giving Equality a new collective title.