Great Gatsby

Who tells the story?

• Jay Gatsby

• Tom Buchanan

• George Wilson

• Nick Carraway

Answer explanation

Nick Carraway is the narrator, which means this story is told in first person minor point of view.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

Which character says, “…I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores…it came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men.”

• Nick Carraway

• Tom Buchanan

• Meyer Wolfsheim

• Mr. McKee

Answer explanation

This is how Nick describes himself in the opening chapter. He believes that he is an impartial (unbiased) narrator.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

What does East Egg represent?

• Old Money

• New Money

• Working Classes

• Poverty

Answer explanation

Old money is inherited money, which is considered more prestigious.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

What does West Egg represent?

• Old Money

• New Money

• Working Classes

• Poverty

Answer explanation

West Egg represents new money, which is "less fashionable" according to Nick.

Which character is "a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining, arrogant eyes have established dominance over his face... you could see a pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat...?"

• George Wilson

• Jay Gatsby

• Nick Carraway

• Tom Buchanan

Answer explanation

This is Nick's description of Tom when Nick has dinner with him and Daisy at their home in Chapter One.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Who does Nick describe as "a slender, small-breasted girl with an erect carriage which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet...?"

• Jordan Baker

• Myrtle Wilson

• Catherine

• Daisy Buchanan

Answer explanation

Nick is attracted to Jordan who has a slender, athletic build that was considered attractive during the 1920s.

How does Jordan Baker support herself?

• With money she inherited

• By marrying rich men

• As a writer

• As a golfer

Answer explanation

Nick remembers seeing Jordan featured on the cover of a sporting magazine. She is unique for the time period because she is able to support herself and does not need to marry for money.

In the first chapter, Tom emphatically recommends a book to Nick. What is the book?

• Vladimir Tostoff's Jazz History of the World

• Simon Called Peter by Robert Keable

• Volume One of The Stoddard Lectures

• The Rise of the Colored Empires by Goddard

Answer explanation

While The Rise of the Colored Empires by Goddard is not a real book, it alludes to The Rising Tide of Color by T. Lothrop Stoddard, which was a popular book in the 1920s. It promotes the racist and erroneous belief that Nordics are genetically superior. Tom's intense interest in this book is one of the many ways Fitzgerald negatively characterizes him.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RI.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.K.6

Which character says, “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world a beautiful little fool...?”

• Jordan Baker

• Daisy Buchanan

• Myrtle Wilson

• Mrs. McKee

Answer explanation

In Chapter One, Daisy tells Nick that she said this when her daughter was born. This statement was supposedly inspired by something Fitzgerald read in the journal of his wife Zelda.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

What does the Valley of the Ashes represent?

• Old Money

• New Money

• Working Classes

• Poverty

Answer explanation

George Wilson owns a gas station and garage, and Michaelis, the Greek, owns a restaurant. They are not poor, but they are working class. They represent "the masses."