Harrison Bergeron Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Which action most directly demonstrates Harrison’s rejection of the government’s enforced limitations?
He asks George to petition for lighter handicaps.
He tears off his handicaps and removes those of his chosen Empress.
He disguises himself as a television announcer.
He agrees to return to jail after making a speech.
2. In what year is “Harrison Bergeron” set?
1984
2081
2021
2112
3. What event interrupts the televised bulletin announcing Harrison’s escape?
The studio loses power during a storm.
George turns off the television after hearing a noise.
Harrison enters the studio and takes control of the broadcast.
Hazel calls the Handicapper General to protest.
4. Why is it significant that Harrison’s rebellion unfolds during a live television program?
Television is the only place where handicap laws do not apply.
The public briefly witnesses suppressed excellence and the state’s violent response through a controlled medium.
The studio gives Harrison legal authority over the government.
The broadcast allows George and Hazel to communicate directly with Harrison.
5. George recognizes that the handicap laws burden him, yet he resists Hazel’s suggestion that he rest the weight bag. What does this response most strongly suggest?
He has internalized the rules and fears that disobedience would unravel society.
He believes Harrison designed the handicap system fairly.
He wants to qualify for a government promotion.
He thinks the weight improves his physical health.
6. A sharp noise interrupts a character’s thoughts every few moments. Who experiences this directly?
Hazel Bergeron
Diana Moon Glampers
The television announcer
George Bergeron
7. Which statement best captures the central irony in the story’s use of “equality”?
Equality is achieved by forcibly limiting people rather than giving them equal dignity or opportunity.
Citizens use equality laws to gain more political influence than officials.
The most talented citizens voluntarily hide their abilities from one another.
Equality exists only on television and has no effect on daily life.
8. The television announcer cannot read Harrison’s news bulletin clearly, so a ballerina takes over. Which feature of the society does this moment best illustrate?
The announcer is helping Harrison control the broadcast.
Only dancers are legally permitted to report breaking news.
People are made to display imposed limitations even while performing public duties.
Ballerinas hold greater political authority than government officials.
9. Which warning is most strongly supported by the story’s ending?
Artistic talent inevitably leads people to seek political power.
Technological entertainment is more dangerous than government authority.
Authoritarian control can endure when force, distraction, and impaired memory prevent sustained resistance.
Individual rebellion always produces immediate social reform.
10. After entering the television studio, what title does Harrison claim for himself?
Handicapper General
President
Supreme Announcer
Emperor
11. Near the end, Hazel has been crying but cannot explain the upsetting event she saw. What prevents her from recounting it?
The broadcast was hidden from viewers.
George forbids her to discuss Harrison.
She quickly forgets what happened.
A government official erases her memory.
12. Once Harrison and the ballerina remove their handicaps, their dance reveals what the system had been suppressing?
Their knowledge of the government’s laws
Their talent for delivering news reports
Their plan to leave the country
Their extraordinary physical grace and ability
13. Why does Hazel not wear a mental-handicap radio like George does?
She secretly removed it before the story began.
Her intelligence is considered average under the system.
Her hearing prevents the device from working.
She works for the Handicapper General.
14. How does Diana Moon Glampers end Harrison and the ballerina’s rebellion?
She restores their handicaps remotely.
She orders the musicians to restrain them.
She cuts the broadcast and arrests them off camera.
She shoots them with a shotgun.
15. Which official is responsible for enforcing the handicap system?
Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General
The Secretary of Equality
The television announcer
The President of the United States
16. George considers removing some birdshot from the bag around his neck. What consequence does he say could follow?
He could face a fine and imprisonment for each piece removed.
He would immediately lose his television access.
Hazel would be required to carry the missing weight.
Harrison would receive additional handicaps in jail.