Brave New World: A Study Aid

Posted on Apr 5, 2025 in Philology

Brave New World: Chapter Questions and Answers

Chapter 14 Questions

  1. What is Ward 81 like?
  2. What shocks and embarrasses the nurse?
  3. In what condition is Linda?
  4. What are John’s first memories as he sits at Linda’s bedside?
  5. What disturbs the Savage’s memories?
  6. How does the Savage react when one boy squeezes up beside him?
  7. How does the nurse try to pacify the children?
  8. Whose name does Linda speak? What does this do to John?
  9. What upsets the nurse when the Savage shouts for her to come to Linda?
  10. How does the Savage leave the ward?

Answers

  1. Ward 81 is synthetically pleasing with music, aromas, and television. Everything is in bright colors.
  2. The Savage says that Linda is his mother.
  3. Linda is in her soma dreams, unaware of everything around her.
  4. John remembers the Linda who sang to him and told him stories and, in her own way, loved him.
  5. The group of Delta twins crowd into the ward for their death conditioning.
  6. The Savage grabs the boy, slaps him, and makes him cry.
  7. The nurse offers chocolate to try to distract the children.
  8. Linda speaks the name Popé. This upsets John and makes him angry.
  9. The nurse doesn’t want the children upset and perhaps deconditioned.
  10. The Savage shoves the children, knocking one down, and storms out of the ward.

Chapter 15 Questions

  1. Why isn’t the Savage aware of the crowd around him?
  2. How do the Delta twins react to the Savage’s pushing through?
  3. To what does the Savage compare the Delta twins?
  4. What does the Deputy Sub−Bursar threaten if the group doesn’t settle down?
  5. What does the Savage do with the soma boxes?
  6. Whom does the Sub−Bursar call? Why?
  7. What does Helmholtz do at the hospital?
  8. Why are the Delta twins truly upset?
  9. How do the police subdue the crowd?
  10. What does the Sergeant do?

Answers

  1. The Savage is grief−stricken and remorseful over Linda’s death.
  2. The Deltas are upset because their routine is upset.
  3. The Savage says the Deltas are like maggots swarming over Linda’s body.
  4. The Sub−Bursar closes the cash box and threatens to stop the soma distribution.
  5. The Savage throws the soma boxes out the window.
  6. The Sub−Bursar calls Bernard because he thinks he is the Savage’s friend.
  7. Helmholtz pushes through the crowd to join the Savage.
  8. The Deltas are the most upset with the soma ration being gone.
  9. The riot police use soma spray and anesthetic−loaded water pistols on the crowd.
  10. The Sergeant takes the Savage, Helmholtz, and Bernard into custody.

Chapter 16 Study Questions

  1. When Bernard, Helmholtz, and the Savage are ushered into Mond’s office, how does each place himself?
  2. How does Mond greet the Savage?
  3. Why are things like Shakespeare’s plays prohibited?
  4. Why can’t Othello be rewritten?
  5. Why can’t a world of Alphas be created?
  6. What proved that an Alpha society would fail?
  7. Why are some labor−saving devices not put to use?
  8. What is Bernard’s reaction to exile?
  9. What event changed people’s ideas about truth and beauty?
  10. For what does Helmholtz ask? Where is he to be sent?

Answers

  1. Bernard tries to be as inconspicuous as possible. Helmholtz confidently sits in the best chair. The Savage paces restlessly.
  2. Mond walks directly to the Savage and speaks of his discontent with society.
  3. Alphas would be unhappy doing menial jobs and that would breed discontent.
  4. The Cyprus experiment proved an Alpha society would fail.
  5. People must have a certain percentage of their days taken up with what must seem to be meaningful work. Labor−saving devices could take this away.
  6. Bernard begs not to be taken away and is carried out crying.