Scribd
Upload
655 views6 pages

Guided Reading Questions Chapter One: The Great Gatsby

This document contains guided reading questions for each chapter of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. The questions probe various aspects of the characters, settings, symbols, and plot developments in the novel. They are intended to guide close analysis and discussion of Fitzgerald's acclaimed work about the American Dream during the Jazz Age.

Uploaded by

api-263794791
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
655 views6 pages

Guided Reading Questions Chapter One: The Great Gatsby

This document contains guided reading questions for each chapter of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. The questions probe various aspects of the characters, settings, symbols, and plot developments in the novel. They are intended to guide close analysis and discussion of Fitzgerald's acclaimed work about the American Dream during the Jazz Age.

Uploaded by

api-263794791
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

The Great Gatsby

Guided Reading Questions


CHAPTER ONE
1. How does Nick describe himself at the beginning of the novel?
2. How does Nick describe Tom Buchanan?
3. Who is Jordan Baker?
4. What is Gatsby doing when Nick first sees him?
5. Describe the ambiguity in Nicks initial descriptions of Gatsby.
6. How does the tone of Nicks description of Tom reveal Nicks

feelings about Tom?


7. How would you describe Daisys state of mind during dinner?

What does she say and so that helps reveal her inner conflicts?
8.

Nick thinks that, given the state of their marriage, Daisy should
leave Tom, but it is clear to him that she has no intention of
doing so. What indication is there that Tom and Daisy are
closely linked despite their marital difficulties?

9. What indications are there that the green light will have a

powerful emotional significance to Gatsby?


CHAPTER TWO
1. How does Nick meet Toms mistress?
2. How does Myrtle react to Toms arrival?
3. Describe George Wilson. How does he react to Toms arrival?
4. How does Myrtle behave as the party progresses?
5. Describe the setting of the valley of ashes where George and

Myrtle live. What aspects of the setting imply that it is intended


to have a symbolic meaning as well as a literal one?
6. How does Fitzgerald describe Myrtle Wilson? Does her physical

appearance reflect her character in any way?


7. Compare the setting of the party in this chapter with the setting

of the party in Chapter One.


8. Why does Tom attach Myrtle at the end of the party? How does

this exemplify Fitzgeralds description of Tom in Chapter One?


CHAPTER THREE

1. Describe the two ways in which Nick differs from the other

guests at Gatsbys party.


2. What does Nick think of Gatsby when he first meets him?
3. Describe the events and atmosphere of the party.
4. What does the owl-eyed man in the library find extraordinary

about Gatsbys library?


5. What does Nick learn about Jordan Baker after he has sent some

time with her?


6. Why does Fitzgerald describe the party (in the passage

beginning By seven oclock the orchestra has arrived) in the


present tense?
7. How does Nick characterize the guests at Gatsbys party? What

do his characterizations tell us about how Nick feels about most


of these people? What sense of life in the Jazz Age do we get
from the description of this party?
8. Describe the ambiguity in Gatsbys character that strikes Nick.
9. Describe two incidents involving automobiles in this chapter.

What role do automobiles seem to play in the novel so far?


CHAPTER FOUR
1. What does Gatsby tell Nick about himself?
2. What accomplishments of Meyer Wolfshiems does Gatsby

describe to Nick? How does Nick react?


3. According to Jordan, what did Daisy do on her wedding way?

Why?
4. Why does Gatsby want to have tea with Daisy in Nicks house?

Why doesnt Gatsby ask Nick for this favor himself?


5. What does tom do when he and Daisy return from their

honeymoon?
6. Aside from the improbability of his story, what other evidence is

there that Gatsby is lying when he tells Nick about his


background?
7. What does Gatsbys friendship with Meyer Wolfshiem imply

about his own background?


8. How does Daisy behave after Gatsby goes overseas? What

does her behavior show about her feelings for Gatsby?

9. After Jordan tells Nick the story of Gatsby and Daisy, Nick says

that Gatsby came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the


womb of his purposeless splendor. How does the metaphor of
birth help explain what Gatsbys behavior had meant to Nick up
to then?
10. With Jordan in his arms, Nick thinks of a phrase: There are

only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired. How
do you think this phrase reflects on the events of the novel so
far? Do you think that Gatsby would agree with the phrase?
CHAPTER FIVE
1. Gatsby suggests a spur of the moment trip to Coney Island or

a swim in his pool. What does this tell us about him and how he
is feeling?
2. What does Gatsby offer Nick in return for Nicks cooperation in

inviting Daisy to his house? How does Nick react and why?
3. How does Gatsby change when he knows that Nick will invite

Daisy?
4. Comment on Gatsbys appearance and behavior before Daisy

arrives at Nicks.
5. What is the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy like initially?
6. Gatsby accidentally knocks over Nicks clock. How is this

symbolic?
7. How are Daisy and Gatsby different when Nick returns to the

house after a half an hour?


8. What are Gatsbys feelings by the end of the chapter?
9. What does Gatsby reply when Nick asks him how he makes his

money? Why does Nick find that significant?


10. What is Gatsbys dialogue like in this chapter? What does it tell

us about Gatsby?
11. Why do you think Daisy sobs when Gatsby shows her his shirts?
12. What is the weather like in this chapter? How does it reflect on

the emotional climate of Gatsby and Daisy?


13. In this chapter, Gatsbys dream seems to be fulfilled. What

indications are there, though, that reality cannot satisfy his


dream?
CHAPTER SIX

1. When does James Gatz change his name? Why?


2. What is Daisys real response to the party, according to Nick?
3. What does Gatsby tell Nick he wants Daisy to do?
4. Plato held that reality was an imperfect reflection of an ideal,

permanent realm. With this in mind, what would you say Nick
means when he says that Jay Gatsby sprang from his Platonic
conception of himself?
5. How is the comparison of Gatsby with Christ (he was a son of

G-d and he must be about His Fathers Business) ironic? If


the comparison with Christ were to continue through the book,
what would happen to Gatsby?
6. Tom, Mr. Sloane, and a young lady visit Gatsby and the lady

invites Gatsby to come to dinner with them. What does


Gatsbys response tell us about his social sensitivity? What
connection, if any, do you think this scene might have with
Gatsbys love of Daisy?
7. What is Gatsbys view of the past? When Nick says that Gatsby

wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps,


that had gone into loving Daisy, what do you think he means?
8. At the end of the chapter, Nick describes Gatsby kissing Daisy

in Louisville five years before. What is Gatsby giving up when


he kisses her? Why?
CHAPTER SEVEN
1. Why does Gatsby stop giving parties?
2. When does Tom first realize that Daisy loves Gatsby?
3. Why is Myrtle Wilson upset when she sees Tom and Jordan?
4. Why does George Wilson lock Myrtle in the bedroom?
5. How does Gatsby characterize Daisys voice? What do you

think he means by this?


6. Why does Gatsby lose Daisy during the confirmation at the

Plaza? Could he have done anything to win her, do you think?


If he could have, why doesnt he?
7. Why does Tom insist that Daisy go home with Gatsby? What do

you think this tells us about Toms character and his relationship
with Daisy?

8. What indications are there are the end of the chapter that Tom

and Daisy are going to stay together despite his philandering


and her love for Gatsby?
9. At the end of the chapter, Gatsby is standing alone, looking out

at Daisys house. Where else in the novel does he do this?


How is this different?
CHAPTER EIGHT
1. What does Gatsby tell Nick the night of the accident? Why?
2. Did Gatsby want to go to Oxford?
3. How does George Wilson spend the night after the accident?
4. What evidence had Wilson found that his wife was having an

affair?
5. What would you day is the principal reason for Daisys appeal to

Gatsby?
6. How is Nicks attitude toward Gatsby ambivalent even at the

moment when he says goodbye to him?


7. What do the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg symbolize to George

Wilson? What is significant about this symbol?


8. How do you think Wilson got Gatsbys name? Does any

evidence in this chapter point to a particular person?


9. How does Nick characterize Gatsbys state of mind before he is

killed?
CHAPTER NIINE
1. What is the motive publicly given for Wilsons murder of

Gatsby?
2. What does the telephone call from Chicago tell us about

Gatsbys business?
3. What does Klipspringer want from Nick? How does Nick react to

this?
4. Why is Gatsbys father so proud of him?
5. What does Tom confess to Nick when they meet that fall? Does

he regret what he has done?


6. Nick says that this has been a story of the West, after all.

What do you think he means by that?

7. How does Nick characterize Tom and Daisy at the end of the

book? What has each of them smashed during the course of


the novel?
8. At the end of the book, Nick imagines what the continent must

have been like when it was first seen by Dutch sailors. How
does this contrast with the environment described in the novel?
9. What does the green light symbolize at the end of the novel?

NOVEL AS A WHOLE
1. Discuss Nick Carraways character. How reliable is he as a

narrator? What aspects of his character make him an effective


narrator?
2. Why is first-person narrative an effective and appropriate way of

telling this story?


3. Discuss the title of the book. In what way is Gatsby great?
4. An epigraph is a quotation at the beginning of a work that

reflects on that work. How does the epigraph to The Great


Gatsby reflect on Gatsbys story?
5. How does Fitzgerald use Gatsbys parties to present a satirical

portrait of the Roaring Twenties?


6. Compare and contrast the character of Daisy and Myrtle Wilson.
7. Discuss the relationship between Nick and Jordan Baker. How

does it reflect, if at all, on the story of Gatsby and Daisy?


8. Discuss Fitzgeralds use of the automobile in this novel. What

do you think might have made the automobile an appealing


symbol to Fitzgerald in the early 1920s?
9. Contrast the setting of the valley of ashes with that of East Egg

and West Egg.


10. Describe the gradual revelation of Gatsbys character. What do

we learn about him and when? Why is this an appropriate way


of learning about him?
11. Gatsbys tragedy is that he chooses the wrong dream (Daisy).

Has he been corrupted by society? Or is his choice an indication


that he is part of the corruption?

You might also like