Black Beauty

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Why is Black Beauty perplexed by what he witnesses during the hunt in which Squire Gordon’s son dies?

A) Horses don’t understand the concept of mortality, so death is incomprehensible to him.

B) Horses don’t understand the concept of inheritance, so he doesn’t understand why the death of an only son is particularly significant.

C) Black Beauty doesn’t understand that primarily upper-class characters engage in hunting, so he’s confused why the grooms and stable boys don’t participate.

D) Black Beauty doesn’t understand why humans pursue a leisure activity that yields little concrete reward and can easily result in injury and death.

2. Which of the following best describes Black Beauty’s attitude when he first begins to live and work at Birtwick Park?

A) He takes pride in working hard but sometimes longs for freedom.

B) He pines for his mother and feels very lonely among the other horses.

C) He feels he can work more effectively than the horses around him.

D) He is constantly confused and overwhelmed by his training.

3. What role does Merrylegs play in the discussions among the horses at Birtwick Park?

A) He often provides inflammatory examples and contributes to generating more anger and frustration.

B) He offers a moderate and optimistic voice, encouraging the horses to focus on what is good in their lives and to behave well.

C) He is very snobby and dismisses the opinions of any horses of lower rank or breeding.

D) He gets bored when the discussions are philosophical or intellectual and wants to focus on playing and enjoying life.

4. What does the chestnut color of Ginger’s coat most likely symbolize?

A) Her fiery spirit and hot-temper

B) Her lower-class origins and breeding

C) Her role as a potential love interest for Beauty

D) Her role as an antagonist in the novel

5. In Part 1, Chapter 18, Beauty plays a heroic role in getting medical aid to Lady Gordon. This event best parallels what later event?

A) James’s efforts to get the horses safely out of the burning stable

B) Lady Gordon’s efforts to stop a man driving a cart from beating his horse

C) The aftermath of Lady Anne’s riding accident

D) Jerry’s commitment to helping a fellow cabman stop drinking

6. Which of the following themes appears most prominently in the time Black Beauty spends at Earlshall?

A) Indulgent parenting leads to spoiled children

B) Physical activity and sport is more beneficial than intellectual pursuits

C) Members of the upper-class value appearance and fashion

D) Lies and deceit invariably cause more problems

7. Which statement best represents Reuben Smith’s relationship to alcohol?

A) He drinks constantly and is proud of the amount of alcohol he consumes.

B) He often tries to quit drinking but periodically relapses and gets very drunk.

C) He has been sober for more than 20 years and the night of the accident is the first time he relapses.

D) He has never been drunk before and the night of the accident is the first time he consumes alcohol.

8. What do the scars on Black Beauty’s knees best symbolize?

A) The humbling of his pride and arrogance

B) The discrepancy between outer appearances and inner beauty

C) The suffering and cruelty animals experience at the hands of humanity

D) The conflict between upper and lower classes

9. Which of the following best explains why Mr. Barry is so unsuccessful with hiring honest employees to tend to Black Beauty?

A) Mr. Barry is well-intentioned but ignorant and overly trusting.

B) Mr. Barry is lazy, neglectful, and preoccupied with building his own investments.

C) Mr. Barry’s tendency to hire only relatives of his friends leads to poor hiring choices.

D) Mr. Barry is so rigid and scrupulous that no one can live up to his standards.

10. The novel’s exploration of workers and horses abstaining from work on Sunday best aligns with which moral principles?

A) Equitable division of labor between genders

B) Social equality between different classes and income levels

C) Integrity, work-life balance, and religious devotion

D) Justice for individuals with physical disabilities

11. What social problem directly precipitates Jerry’s illness?

A) Selfishness and entitlement amongst the upper-classes

B) Abuse of alcohol

C) Poor housing conditions among the working-classes

D) Lack of adequate food and nutrition

12. What is the correct sequence of Black Beauty’s homes?

A) Birtwick Park, Earlshall, Bath, London

B) Earlshall, Birtwick Park, Bath, London

C) Earlshall, Birtwick Park, London, Bath

D) Birtwick Park, Earlshall, London, Bath

Long-Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How are horses shown to be necessary to the functioning of Victorian society? What tasks and roles do they fulfill?

2. Does Black Beauty’s life get better or worse as he gets older?