Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Anticipation Questions
Respond to the following statements with A if you agree, D if you disagree, and NS if you’re not
sure.
1. Left without any adults, a group of six to twelve year old boys would probably just have a
lot of fun. ______
2. Human beings need boundaries, including laws and law enforcement. ______
3. Whenever people live with others, there will be a struggle for power. ______
4. Everyone is capable of murder. ______
5. Hunters hunt primarily for food. ______
6. Democracy always works. ______
7. Any problem can be solved if you think about it long enough. ______
8. Children are capable of cruel and ruthless behaviour. ______
9. Political leaders usually do what is best for the people they serve. ______
Introduction to the Novel
Answer the following questions after reading the About the Author page and Chapter 1. Write
your answers on a separate piece of paper.
1. How did William Golding’s experiences in World War II influence his opinions about
human nature?
2. (a) Which characters in the novel are potential leaders?
(b) What are their qualities?
(c) Which leader/s are chosen and why?
3. List the many challenges the characters face.
4. Create a priority list for the boys.
5. What are your first impressions of the main characters?
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Character Identification
Write the name of the appropriate character or characters beside the descriptions below.
1. Father is a commander in the Navy. ___________________
2. Doesn’t want the boys to call him by the nickname he was given at school.
___________________
3. Head boy at his school. ______________________
4. The first to appear after the conch is blown. _______________________
5. Says a conch is very valuable. _______________________
6. Fears the boys will stay on the island until they die. ______________________
7. Go on an expedition to determine whether or not they have landed on an island.
__________________________________________________________
8. Twin brothers. __________________________
9. The first boy to take off his uniform. _____________________
10. In control of the choir. ____________________
11. Suggests the boys vote for who will be chief. _____________________
12. Hunters. ________________
13. Responsible for taking names. ___________________
14. Has a knife. _________________
15. Faints. _________________
16. Elected chief. ___________________
17. Saw flames coming from the plane before it landed. ________________
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell
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Where are the boys? How did they get there? When does the story take place?
Describe Ralph and Piggy. How would you describe their initial relationship?
How does each boy react when he realizes there are no adults on the island?
Piggy keeps mentioning his “auntie”. When does he bring her up? What is he trying to
accomplish when he mentions her?
Why does Ralph respond, “Sucks to your auntie”?
Golding spends some time describing the conch shell, and even names the chapter after it. Why is
the conch important in this chapter? How is the conch a symbol?
Who is Merridew? What gives him his power?
What job does Jack claim for his choir?
What discoveries do the boys make at the top of the mountain?
How do we know that the boys expect to be rescued soon?
What excuse does Jack give for not killing the piglet? What is the real reason he didn’t do it?
At the end of the chapter, Golding describes Jack’s actions: “He snatched his knife out of the
sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would be no mercy.” What could this
incident foreshadow?
Chapter 2: Fire on the Mountain
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9.
How does the importance of the conch change in this chapter?
Explain how the conch is supposed to be used in its new role.
Describe the first sighting of the “beastie”. Who sees it?
Contrast Ralph’s reaction to the report of a Beast with Jack’s reaction. How do the two boys
differ in their approaches? Whose attitude is more generally accepted?
How does Ralph “know” they will all eventually be rescued? What is his plan?
What do the boys use to start the fire? How does this change Piggy’s “status” within the group?
What happens to the “little ‘un” who reported seeing the “beastie”?
Examine the way the boys respond to Ralph’s plan and what happens as a result. What could this
whole incident foreshadow?
What is “a voice of reason”? In what ways is Piggy the voice of reason for the castaways?
Chapter 3: Huts on the Beach
1. What is Jack doing at the start of this chapter?
2. Approximately how much time has passed since the events of the previous chapter took place?
3. What has Ralph been working on all this time? Suggest two reasons why this is very important to
the boys’ survival.
4. Who are the little ‘uns? What is happening to them at night?
5. Jack describes a strange fear he has while he’s out in the jungle by himself. What is it?
6. If the fear isn’t real and it’s all in his head, what is it that Jack is really experiencing?
7. Why are the boys arguing? Outline both sides of the argument.
8. Who is Simon? Why do both Ralph and Jack consider him strange?
9. How is the way Simon relates to people different to the way Ralph and Jack relate to people?
10. Where does Simon go at the end of the chapter?
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Chapter 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair
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Describe the average routine of the boys’ lives on the island.
Of the three boys playing in the sand, Henry is the leader. Why?
Why does Maurice “hurry away” after getting sand in little Percival’s eye?
After the others leave, Roger is left alone and starts throwing stones at Henry. What kind of
conflict is Roger experiencing? What prevents him from throwing the stones at Henry?
Explain the significance of Jack’s face paint. Why does he use it and what effect does it have on
Jack himself and on the other boys?
A ship passes by at a distance, but the hunters have let the fire go out. This is a pivotal moment in
the story. Examine the impact this has on the community of boys and explain why this moment is
so important to the plot.
In what ways is the conflict between Ralph and Jack different than the conflict between Jack and
Piggy? Find two examples of each conflict to support your answer.
As the hunters re-enact their experience, Golding says, “Ralph watched them, envious and
resentful.” How can he be both envious and resentful?
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Chapters 1-4
Across
2. The function of the fire is to send a ____ to passing ships.
4. Hunters (23)
6. Helps Ralph to build shelters and finds choice fruit for the littluns.
7. At the second meeting, Jack likes the idea of having lots of ___, and he is excited by the prospect of
punishing those who break them.
8. Its sound signals an assembly, and he who holds it has the right to speak.
10. Roger and Maurice destroy the littluns’ ___.
11. Piggy limits physical exertion on account of this.
13. When Ralph watches the hunters re-enact the hunt he is “___ and resentful” (75)
14. To assert his power, Jack withholds meat from him.
16. Also known as the snake-thing.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
19. Jack wants to wear ___ ___ for hunting, like in the war, “like things trying to look like something
else--”(63).
21. Author of Lord of the Flies.
Down
1. Piggy’s spectacles are used for ___ ___. (40)
2. Ralph screams insanely, “Come back!” at this, as he ran back and forth along the cliff, his face always
to the sea.
3. When confronted with the fact that he was responsible for a missed chance to be rescued, Jack punches
and threatens Piggy, and his voice is described as “vicious with ___” (71).
4. Piggy’s aunt owns one, much to his delight.
5. Says, “There isn’t a snake-thing. But if there was a snake we’d hunt it and kill it” (36).
7. Throws stones at Henry but threw them to miss; “___’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that
knew nothing of him and was in ruins” (62).
9. Jack chooses ___ over rescue when he leaves the fire unattended.
10. The hunters’ weapons.
12. Jack’s surname.
15. Ralph tells everyone at the meeting, “We’re on an ___ island with no other people on it” (32).
17. Ralph’s first decision is to determine whether or not they’ve landed on one; he, Jack, and Simon go on
an expedition to find out.
18. The hunters re-enact the hunt, dancing and singing and chanting, “___ the pig. Cut her throat. Bash
her in” (75).
20. Ralph’s father is a commander in these armed forces.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Chapter 5: Beast from Water
1. How is the assembly different from any of the other meetings they’ve had before?
2. Ralph makes observations on his clothes and the log they call the “twister”. What do his
observations tell the reader about how Ralph is changing?
3. List some of the concerns that Ralph feels must be put straight. How would most of these issues
be dealt with “back home”?
4. After Jack starts his speech at the meeting, Ralph is stunned. Why?
5. What does Jack say about “the Beast”?
6. What does Piggy say about “the Beast”?
7. What does Simon say about “the Beast”?
8. How do the boys react to the suggestion that the Beast comes from the sea?
9. Why won’t Ralph blow the conch after the meeting breaks into chaos?
10. Piggy, Simon, and Ralph remain behind and talk about Ralph being chief. List some of the
reasons why Piggy and Simon believe that Ralph should not give up.
11. Ralph was the kid who was happy that there were no grownups on the island. Now he’s
desperately wishing for some adult influence. Why doesn’t he just give up and join the hunters
and have some fun?
Chapter 6: Beast from Air
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What is the “Beast from Air?” How did it get on the island?
What does it do that frightens Sam and Eric so much? How does it do this?
What do the boys decide to do? Who goes along?
Where do they end up looking for the beast? Why there?
Describe the boys’ reaction to the rock formation. What does this say about them?
Golding describes Ralph: “At once the ideas were back, and the anger.” Why is this observation
significant?
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Chapter 7: Shadows and Tall Trees
1. Summarize the main events of this chapter.
2. How does Jack react to Ralph’s participation in the hunt? Why?
3. Describe the hunt re-enactment in the jungle. What’s different about this one? What does it show
about the boys’ mental state?
4. What other events in this chapter contribute to the conflict between Ralph and Jack?
Chapter 8: Gift for the Darkness
1. Summarize the main events of this chapter. Which of these events are the most important to the
plot of the story?
2. What is the meaning behind the chapter title “Gift for the Darkness”?
3. Describe Simon’s experience with the “Lord of the Flies”. What is it really? What does it tell
Simon? Who is he really talking to?
4. Consider Ralph, Jack, Simon, and Piggy. What changes are evident in each boy? How do the
qualities of will, conscience, and reason also change in their counterparts?
Chapter 9: A View to a Death
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What does Simon discover on top of the mountain? What does he do about it?
Where are most of the boys at this time?
Describe Jack’s appearance. Why is he “dressed up” in this way?
Suggest a reason why Jack gives meat to Ralph and Piggy.
For a moment, when the rain starts, the boys seem to waver between joining Jack’s tribe and
staying with Ralph. What does Jack do to get them back? Why does this work?
6. What happens to Simon? What might this symbolize?
7. What happens to the dead pilot’s body?
Chapter 10: The Shell and the Glasses
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How does Ralph explain his participation in the attack on Simon? How does Piggy explain it?
How does Jack react to the attack on Simon?
What has the warriors’ dance become?
What is happening to Ralph? What does that say about the will of the group?
Explain the meaning behind the chapter title “The Shell and the Glasses”.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Chapter 11: Castle Rock
1. After his glasses are stolen, what does Piggy expect from Ralph as the “chief”?
2. Throughout the story, Piggy’s glasses have been a symbol. What do they symbolize now?
3. How does Piggy plan to get his glasses back? What does Ralph say or do that shows us he knows
it won’t work?
4. What is the significance of the fact that Sam says (about Jack), “He’ll be painted”? Why does it
matter?
5. Eric says, “I’ve got both socks kept in the shelter…so we could pull them over our heads like
caps, sort of.” What is the significance of caps? Why do you think the four boys are concerned
about the way they look as they plan to confront Jack and his tribe?
6. Examine Roger’s role in the attack on Piggy. How does it start? How did the author prepare us
for this moment in a previous chapter?
7. Explain what happens that causes Piggy’s “fall through the air”.
8. Why is the capture of Samneric important to this scene?
9. Throughout the book, Piggy has represented reason.
a. Write a definition of reason in your own words.
b. Suggest an explanation why Piggy has been hated so much by the other boys.
c. If Piggy symbolizes reason, what does their hatred of him tell us about “the tribe”?
d. What happens to reason in the story? Explain your answer.
Chapter 12: Cry of the Hunters
1. What frightening realization does Ralph make about Jack and his tribe as he’s walking back to the
beach?
2. How does Ralph react when he finds the pig’s skull mounted on its stick in the forest? Suggest
two reasons why he reacts in this way.
3. Why does Ralph believe he is an outcast?
4. How do Samneric explain their joining of the tribe? What do they do that finally betrays Ralph’s
trust in them?
5. Outline Jack’s plan to capture Ralph.
6. What is the significance of the stick sharpened at both ends?
7. Identify the three options Ralph thinks he has when the tribe starts their hunt for him. Which does
he choose?
8. What is different now about the way Ralph identifies the other boys? How does the “Cry of the
Hunters” fit into his perception of them?
9. The Naval officer who comes ashore to investigate the island says he saw their smoke. How does
the fire start? How big does it get?
10. What does the officer think the boys have been doing before he arrived? What does Ralph say
that convinces him they weren’t playing?
11. Compare the descriptions of the “tribe” before the officer arrives and then through the eyes of the
officer. What are some of the main differences?
12. As the rest of the boys gather on the beach, Ralph finally gets to be a kid again and he lets himself
break down and cry. Name the three things for which he is crying.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Across
1. Tied up for hours and beaten at Jack’s command.
3. “They understood only too well the liberation into ___ that the concealing paint brought.” (172)
4. Ralph asks Piggy, “Can’t they understand? Without the ___ we’ll die here?” (139). 2 words
5. Members of Jack’s tribe are called ___ by the narrator.
6. Jack has “two anonymous savages” (Maurice and Robert) say this at his command when he’s finished talking.
(141) 4 words
7. He took up a small stone and flung it between the twins, aiming to miss….Some source of power began to pulse
in his body. (175)
8. Jack says that when they re-enact the pig hunt, they could kill one of these, and everyone laughs. (115)
9. Enraged and afraid, he punches the pig’s skull on the stick, causing the skull to break in two, and bruising his
knuckles.
10. As Ralph pleads for order, for everyone to play by the rules, to keep a signal fire going at all times, the savages
react with ___; Golding describes it as “silvery” (178).
11. The head of the sow is a ___ for the beast.
12. When Piggy is killed, the conch that he is holding explodes into a ___ (a number) white fragments and ceases to
exist. (181)
14. Ralph thinks of his childhood, a cottage vacation, cereal with cream and sugar, books, when “everything was
___; everything was good-humored and friendly” (112). 2 words
19. Chapter in which Jack tries to discredit Ralph and take the title of chief away from him, and then goes his own
way.
21. What Ralph calls Jack’s hunters when he suggests they can conquer the beast on the mountain. (125) 4 words
24. By Chapter Ten, when Sam and Eric ask Ralph what’s the good of maintaining a signal fire, Ralphs can’t quite
___ and Piggy has to answer for him.
25. After Simon’s death, Ralph says, “I’m frightened. Of us. I want to go ___. Oh God, I want to go ___” (157).
Same word repeats.
27. As Piggy is struck down by the rock, he is holding the conch, which is described as a “___” (180), an object that
is thought to have magical powers or to bring good luck.
29. Piggy gives reasons for Simon’s death. Two of the reasons are: it was ___ and they were ___. 2 words
33. Sam and Eric describe Jack and Roger as these, and they perceive Roger as being the worse of the two. (189)
34. Piggy thought Jack wanted to steal it from them, but to Jack it has no value.
35. Ralph wonders, “Supposing we go [to meet with Jack and his tribe at Castle Rock], looking like we used to,
washed and hair brushed—after all we aren’t savages really and being rescued isn’t a ___” (170).
37. A stress-related habit that Ralph develops. 2 words
Down
1. Ralph asks Jack this question which goes answered. (118) 5 words
2. Simon prophetically tells Ralph, “You’ll get back to ___” (111). 4 words
5. The Lord of the Flies speaks in the voice of one; a word meaning teacher.
12. Ralph to Jack: You could have had fire whenever you wanted. But you didn’t. You came sneaking up like a ___
and stole Piggy’s glasses! (176) Jack challenges him to say it again. Ralph does, twice, after which Jack rushes him
and stabs at his chest with a spear. He screamed at Jack, “You’re a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody ___!”
Same word repeats.
13. Simon’s ___ is foreshadowed by his conversation with the Lord of the Flies, when he is warned that the boys
will do him in.
15. Described in the following passage: “A little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap on his red
hair and who carried the remains of a pair of spectacles at his waist, started forward [when the naval officer wants to
know who’s boss], then changed his mind and stood still” (201).
16. Number of “biguns” remaining in Ralph’s tribe after the boys split into two tribes and Simon is killed.
17. Piggy has an ___ attack when Jack and two hunters raid their shelter in the middle of the night.
18. Suggests they build a fire between the bathing pool and the platform since no one wants to confront the beast on
the mountain.
20. The naval officer’s initial assessment of the boys’ situation is “fun and ___”, and he asks if they were having a
___. 2 words
22. Ralph considers his options: ___, break the line, climb a tree. He wonders which is best. Chapter 12
23. Sam thinks they should carry these when they go to Castle Rock.
26. Jack uses this as a tool to bring Ralph out of hiding as they hunt him; it also brings a ship.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
28. Piggy stubbornly argues that Simon’s death was an ___; Ralph disagrees.
30. Piggy’s last words are “Which is better—to have rules and agree, or to hunt and ___?” (180). Roger chooses the
latter.
31. Ralph believes he is an outcast because he has some “___” (186); Eric says to him, “Never mind what’s ___.
That’s gone” (188). Same word repeats.
32. At the end of the story, Ralph cries for “the end of ___, the ___ of a man’s heart, and the fall through the air of
the true, wise friend called Piggy” (202). 2 words
36. Without his glasses, Piggy has none.