How well do you know Orwell’s 1984? Take the quiz to find out

Many of us will have referred to or quoted George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece 1984, particularly when defending the concept of truthfulness. But it turns out that we are often less than honest about our relationship with it. Some years ago, a UK World Book Day survey found that 1984 is the book people blag about the most, with 42% of respondents admitting they’d lied about having read it when in fact they hadn’t.

The main reason for doing so was to impress people. But perhaps it’s more than that. 1984 is a cultural touchstone and many of its coinages, iconography, and quotes are so familiar that some people may feel as if they’ve read it even though they haven’t. Memory is fallible, so perhaps they assume they read it when they were younger, because so many people did. As Orwell writes in the novel: “Every now and then he’s troubled by false memories” – a line spoken to chilling effect by actor Andrew Scott, who stars in a new dramatisation from Audible alongside Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo and Tom Hardy.

But whether the untruths people tell about 1984 are deliberate or false memories, they are amusingly ironic given 1984’s key themes of truth twisting and memory editing.

So, to sort out the pretenders from the Party members, we’ve devised a quiz to give you an indication of how well you really know 1984. And even if you’re an Orwell aficionado, you might learn something new. Remember, no cheating – Big Brother is watching you.

1. What was George Orwell’s alternative title for 1984?

   1. Big Brother.

   2. The Last Man in Europe.

   3. Who Controls the Past Controls the Future.

2. What is found in Room 101?

   1. Your greatest fear.

   2. The worst pain you will ever feel.

   3. Total sensory deprivation.

3. Many phrases and words from 1984 have become part of our everyday language, but which of the following phrases doesn’t actually appear in 1984?

   1. Newspeak.

   2. Doublespeak.

   3. Unperson.

4. Actor Andrew Scott is well cast as the alluring and menacing O’Brien in Audible’s new dramatisation. But in which film did a character played by Scott attempt to create an Orwellian-style global intelligence alliance?

   1. The James Bond film Spectre.

   2. All of Us Strangers.

   3. Code 46.

5. Who really wrote the book that O’Brien gives to Winston?

   1. Emmanuel Goldstein.

   2. O’Brien.

   3. Syme.

6. Orwell famously wrote the novel in a race against time as he was dying of pulmonary tuberculosis. The feat of finishing it worsened his illness. How old was when he succumbed to it?

   1. 71.

   2. 35.

   3. 46.

7. How does Winston define freedom?

   1. The freedom to be able to say two plus two equals four.

   2. The open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit of human dignity.

   3. Slavery.

8. The physical relationship between Winston and Julia is central to their resistance against the Party. But where do they first make love?

   1. Worsley House.

   2. The upstairs room above Mr Charrington’s shop.

   3. In a natural clearing of trees in a rural woodland outside London.

9. By what numerical designation is Winston Smith also known?

   1. Number 6.

   2. 90210.

   3. 6079.

10. What activity does Winston participate in almost immediately after getting out of bed?

    1. The Two Minutes Hate.

    2. The Solidarity Service.

    3. The Physical Jerks.

Solutions

1:B - Orwell was torn between the two titles but decided on 1984 at the last minute. “Who controls the past controls the future” is one of the most famous lines from the book, while Big Brother, of course, went on to become the name of what is arguably the world’s best-known surveillance-based TV show., 2:A - Room 101 is both a torture chamber and a symbol of the party’s omniscience, because they know what your greatest fear is. Spoiler alert: in the case of the novel’s protagonist, Winston Smith, it’s rats – and a cage of rats is put on his head, so they can eat his face., 3:B - Although the idea of doublespeak occurs frequently in the book and has since been subsumed into Orwellian parlance, Orwell never actually uses the term. However, Newspeak (the name given to the compressed English vocabulary in 1984) and unperson (someone whose existence and memory has been erased) both appear in the novel., 4:A - In the 24th Bond film, Andrew Scott plays Max Denbigh, a corrupt intelligence official with plans to take Bond out of action. Although All of Us Strangers stars Scott, it is a romantic comedy based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Meanwhile, Code 46 is a dystopian love story, directed by Michael Winterbottom and does not feature Scott., 5:B - It was O’Brien and other party members. Although Goldstein is the principal enemy of Oceania, he may never have existed or may be based on several people. Syme is a colleague of Winston’s who specialises in language and whom Winston speculates may be too clever for the Party’s comfort., 6:C - He died in January 1950, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of novels, essays and criticism., 7:A - He is asserting that objective truths (rather than those defined by the Party) exist., 8:C - Ironically, Julia knows the spot from her hiking expeditions with the Junior Anti-Sex League. However, the room above Mr Charrington’s shop eventually becomes Winston and Julia’s sort of cutesy love nest. , 9:C - Officially, he is referred to as 6079 Smith W. “Number 6” is the number given to the protagonist of the Orwellian British TV show The Prisoner, who famously declares: “I am not a number, I am a free man.” And 90210? Let’s just say it’s a postcode a long way from Airstrip One., 10:C - Orchestrated by telescreen, the physical jerks are mandatory morning exercises in 1984. The Two Minutes Hate takes place every day, but not immediately after getting up.

Scores

1. 10 and above.

   Inner Party. Well done, there's nothing Big Brother knows that you don't, is there?

2. 9 and above.

   Inner Party. Well done, there's nothing Big Brother knows that you don't, is there?

3. 8 and above.

   Inner Party. Well done, there's nothing Big Brother knows that you don't, is there?

4. 7 and above.

   Inner Party. Well done, there's nothing Big Brother knows that you don't, is there?

5. 6 and above.

   Brotherhood. You know your stuff but are still seeking answers.

6. 5 and above.

   Brotherhood. You know your stuff but are still seeking answers.

7. 4 and above.

   Brotherhood. You know your stuff but are still seeking answers.

8. 3 and above.

   Blagger. Did you get your reading history from the Ministry of Truth?

9. 2 and above.

   Blagger. Did you get your reading history from the Ministry of Truth?

10. 0 and above.

    Blagger. Did you get your reading history from the Ministry of Truth?

11. 1 and above.

    Blagger. Did you get your reading history from the Ministry of Truth?

Audible’s new dramatisation of George Orwell’s classic tale stars Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott and Tom Hardy, with an original score by Matthew Bellamy and Ilan Eshkeri. Listen now. Subscription required. See audible.co.uk for terms.

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