Analyzing “The Censors”: Questions and Answers
“The Censors”: Questions and Answers
In “The Censors,” how does Juan get his first promotion after taking the job as a censor?
By betraying a fellow worker.
Which statement best sums up Juan’s career in “The Censors”?
He begins at a low level and then keeps getting promoted.
What happens to Juan at the end of “The Censors”?
He censors his own letter, getting himself in trouble, and is executed.
“The Censors” takes place in a country ruled by a dictator. What do the details and outcome of “The Censors” suggest most clearly about dictatorships in general? Choose three options:
- They encourage conformity.
- They can be very violent.
- They often seem absurd.
Which description best illustrates what it means to sabotage something?
A spy removes a vital part of a car so that it no longer starts.
How would someone most likely intercept a message being delivered?
Read the message before it is delivered.
What sort of person can best be described as subversive?
Someone who is plotting a rebellion.
Early in “The Censors,” the narrator makes this comment:
Well, you’ve got to beat them to the punch, do what everyone tries to do: sabotage the machinery.
Juan wants to prevent a friend from getting in trouble.
Part A & B Questions
Part A: What do the details in “The Censors” suggest about the work of censoring letters? (CHOOSE FROM ANSWERS A THROUGH D.)
Part B: Which of these sentences from “The Censors” best supports the answer to Part A? (CHOOSE FROM ANSWERS E THROUGH H.)
(Part A): A letter can be censored for a variety of reasons.
(Part B): He knows that they examine, sniff, feel, and read between the lines of each and every letter, and check its tiniest comma and most accidental stain.
Part A: In “The Censors,” what main change has Juan experienced by the time he reaches Section B in the Censorship Division? (CHOOSE FROM ANSWERS A THROUGH D.)
Part B: Which of these sentences from “The Censors” best supports the answer to Part A? (CHOOSE FROM ANSWERS E THROUGH H.)
(Part A): He becomes proud of his job as a censor.
(Part B): He had a truly patriotic task, both self-denying and uplifting.
Read this excerpt from “The Censors.”
It’s true that on the third day, a fellow worker had his right hand blown off by a letter…
She humorously exaggerates characters and situations, poking fun in order to criticize the society in which the story is set.
Who or what is the main target of satire in “The Censors”?
The repressive practices of dictatorships.
Read this quotation from “The Censors.”
He knows that all letters pass from hand to hand and go through all sorts ….
What customs, institutions, or beliefs does the social commentary criticize most clearly? Choose two options:
- Government censorship
- Government procedures
Which word in this quotation from “The Censors” best illustrates a cynical tone?
[T]here’s nothing to stop them from going as far as that hidden Paris neighborhood…
Noble
Which of the following quotations from “The Censors” best illustrates the story’s humorous, mocking tone?
But he knows that the Censor’s Secret Command operates all over the world and cashes in on the discount airfares …
Vocabulary
What is the meaning of the Latin prefix sub-?
Under; below.
The Latin root -terr- means “earth.” Using this information and your knowledge of the prefix sub-, indicate where you would most likely find a subterranean hideout.
In the ground.
Literary Devices
Which of the following sentences contains an example of hyperbole?
The crickets’ racket is louder than any noise in the world.
Which of the following sentences contains an example of understatement?
The sharks surrounding our life raft pose a bit of a problem.
In which of the following sentences is a humorous tone achieved through understatement?
“I’m a little uncomfortable,” she said after…