The Great Gatsby
The
Great Gatsby
By F. Scott Fitzgerald
“"There are only the
pursued, the pursuing,
the busy and the tired."
--F. Scott Fitzgerald
How does consumer
culture drive individuals'
lifestyles and aspirations of
the American Dream?
Name:____________________________________________________________________
Ms. N’s English Class Period: ______
STUDENT READER The Great Gatsby Part I - DO NOT LOSE THIS.
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Ms. N
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby Chapter 1 – Getting the Basics
Do Now: Would you date or marry someone for money? Why or why not? Do you know anyone (or
celebrity) that has? What was the result? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?
The Setting
In chapter 1, Nick describes Long Island and the houses of the people who live in each part. Using
evidence from pages 4-6, complete the descriptions of West Egg and East Egg.
Compare and Infer: What are the main differences between East Egg and West Egg? How might these
differences impact individuals attitudes toward one another? Why?
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The Great Gatsby
Character Introductions - Our narrator, Nick Carraway, briefly introduces himself, Jordan Baker, and Tom and Daisy
Buchanan. What is established about each character’s personality and relationship with one another?
Nick Carraway
Tom Buchanan
Daisy Buchanan
Jordan Baker
Answer each of the following questions in complete sentences.
1.) What name does Jordan Baker mention that grabs Daisy’s interest? What might this foreshadow?
2.) What figurative language device does Daisy use to describe Nick? Provide textual evidence.
3.) What does Jordan Baker reveal about Tom when he goes inside to take the phone call? What does this reveal about
Tom’s character and his relationship with Daisy? What does this reveal about Miss Baker’s personality?
4.) What does Daisy say is the best thing a girl can be? Use textual evidence. What does this reveal about her character
and her view on life?
5.) When Nick leaves the Buchanan’s house, he is “confused and a little disgusted.” Why?
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The Great Gatsby
Great Gatsby - Chapter II
Vocabulary: Using context clues for the chapter, infer the meanings of the following words.
_____1. languid
a. continuing without interruption
_____2. incessant
b. making or having a harsh sound
_____3. hauteur
c. arrogance; haughty manner
_____4. strident
d. indefinite; vague
_____5. contiguous
e. inactive; sluggish
_____6. oculist
f. touching; in contact
_____7. indeterminate
g. eye doctor
*******************************Use the vocabulary words to fill in the blank.
1. Consult a(n) _______________________________ if you think you need glasses.
2. The _______________________________ of the newcomer repelled those in the room.
3. The ballplayers felt ______________________________ due to the extreme heat.
4. We refused to purchase land for our new home that was _______________________ to a busy supermarket and a
loud night club.
5. Her anger was reflected by her ___________________________ voice.
6. At first the sounds from the bell tower pleased us, but the _________________________ clamor finally gave us a
headache.
7. The flavor of the stew was enhanced by a(n) _____________________ spice, which was a carefully guarded secret of
the chef.
SETTING: What is about half way between
West Egg and New York?
- - How is it described? Use textual evidence.
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The Great Gatsby
Chapter 2 questions:
Using setting and descriptions to determine characterization.
1.
What effect might living in a place such as the Valley of Ashes have on a person? Why?
2. Using textual evidence, describe George Tom Wilson and Myrtle Wilson.
George Wilson
Myrtle Wilson
3. How was Mr. Wilson suited to the place where he lived? Why did Myrtle seem a misfit in her environment?
Explain.
4. How does Tom react to Myrtle mocking Daisy’s name? What do his actions reveal about his character?
5. What is his Tom’s “reason” for why he cannot divorce Daisy? What other underlying reasons may there be?
6. Why did Tom likely choose Myrtle as his mistress? How does her level of income and her character convey
messages developing in the novel regarding dreams and wealth?
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The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby - Chapter III
Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
Do Now: Activate Prior Knowledge
Have you ever been to a party where you did not know the guest? Did you try to introduce yourself to
the guest? Have you ever hosted a party where you did not know many of your guests? In either circumstance,
how did you feel as a guest/host?
Character Quick Review
_____ 1. George Wilson
A. Only been drunk two times in his life, narrator
_____ 2. Jay Gatsby
B. Sister of a mistress
_____ 3. Myrtle Wilson
C. a mechanic in the Valley of Ashes
_____ 4. Tom Buchanan
D. red-headed misfit in her own environment
_____ 5. Nick Carraway
E. violent man who is having an affair
_____ 6. Catherine
F. mysterious man in West Egg
_____ 7. Mr. Mckee
G. golfer who is a gossip
_____ 8. Daisy Buchanan
H. cynical east ender girl who believes ignorance is bliss
_____ 9. Jordan Baker
I. photographer who tries to network
Questions:
1. Using textual evidence, describe elements that make Jay Gatsby’s parties extravagant.
2. Why is Nick such an unusual guest to the party? How do the majority of the guests arrive?
3. Where does Nick have to hang out because otherwise, he’ll look “purposeless and alone”? Whom does Nick
eventually join up with to help him feel more at home among all the people he doesn’t know?
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4. What had Gatsby done for the girl who had ripped her dress at a previous party? What does this reveal about
his party-goers and himself as a host?
5. What are some of the rumors surrounding Gatsby? Although the novel is named after Gatsby, Fitzgerald
does not give Gatsby dialogue until Chapter 3. What is the impact of hearing these rumors before meeting him?
6. What astonishes the drunk man in the library about the books there? Why is that surprising to him?
7. What is odd about the way Nick meets Jay Gatsby? Where had they met before?
8. How is Gatsby different than his guests? How much does he participate in his own parties?
9. Nick meets Owl Eyes again. What happens to the car that he is driving? What did the guests’ reactions to the
automobile accident reveal about their characters?
10. Is Jordan an honest person? Provide two examples.
Theme At the end of the party the image of the party-goers is that of people living lives of sadness, bitterness
and disappointment. How is this ironic? What does this show about the society and their lifestyle perception?
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The Great Gatsby
Great Gatsby – Chapter IV
Respond in complete sentences. Make sure to answer all parts of the question.
Do Now: Activate Prior Knowledge: What are some habits people do when they are lying? What
makes someone a successful or ineffective liar?
Class Vocabulary Practice – Using the following vocabulary words from Chapter 3, write sentences to
highlight character relationships thus far in the novel to review before reading Chapter 4 today.
erroneous (adjective)—wrong
contemptuous - showing
contempt, disrespect, hatred
cordial - polite and formal
condescend - to look down on, to
talk down to
notorious - famous for something,
often for something negative
1. Why does Fitzgerald list the people who attend Gatsby’s parties? What different types of people are
there, and what is the significance
2. What are at least two inconsistencies or pieces of evidence that Gatsby is lying about his past?
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The Great Gatsby
3. What two actual pieces of physical evidence make Nick re-think his judgment and make him begin to
think maybe Gatsby might be telling the truth?
Chapter Four – Revealing Gatsby’s Character
Chapter 4 reveals two sides to Jay Gatsby: “The lovesick soldier” and “the crooked businessman”.
Describe both characters. Consider Gatsby’s interactions and motives with other characters.
Jay Gatsby “The Lovesick Soldier”
Jay Gatsby “The Crooked Businessman”
4. What’s the implication about how and why Wolfsheim got his cuff buttons? What is ironic about
Wolfsheim’s comment regarding Gatsby?
5. When did Jordan first meet Gatsby? How did he look at Daisy? Use textual evidence.
6. What are two reasons why Daisy married Tom Buchanan instead of Jay Gatsby?
7. Is Myrtle Tom’s first mistress? What is implied through Jordan’s story?
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The Great Gatsby
Great Gatsby – Chapter V (5)
Respond in complete sentences. Make sure to answer all parts of the question.
1.) Why did Nick think Gatsby offered him some extra work? How did Nick react? What does this reveal about Gatsby
and about Nick and their views on their friendship?
2.) What symbolic object does Gatsby accidentally almost knock off Nick’s mantle? What does his clumsiness
symbolize?
3.) What is the atmosphere in the room when Daisy and Gatsby first reunite and how does it change when Nick re-enters
the house? How is this highlighted through the motif of weather?
4.) What lie does Nick catch Gatsby? How does Gatsby correct himself?
5.) During the tour of Gatsby’s mansion, what are some of the
rooms visited?
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The Great Gatsby
Chapter 5 Quote Analysis
Directions: For each of the following quotations, write in the space provided, what each quotation suggests about the
character(s) involved: This is an analysis. Explain the context and significance to character development or theme.
1. “We haven’t met for many years,” said Daisy, her voice as matter-of-fact as it could be.
“Five years next November.” The automatic quality of Gatsby’s answer set us all back at least another
minute (87).
EXAMPLE: Daisy’s response was “matter-of-fact” meaning she was calm and confident in her answer that
she and Gatsby had not seen each other in a long time. The fact that Gatsby knew the exact amount of time
emphasizes how much he has been missing her and has been thinking about her, waiting for this moment. He
also responded with an “automatic quality” that surprised everyone.
2. “He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine
flannel which lost their folds as they fell and covered the table in many-colored disarray. […] Suddenly with a
strained sound Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily. ‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she
sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such – such beautiful shirts
before” (92).
3. “There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of [Gatsby’s] dreams – not
through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond
everything…No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man can store up in his ghostly heart” (93).
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The Great Gatsby
Chapter VI Questions
Do Now
Following a ruined friendship or relationship, is it possible to rekindle things and go back the way things were?
1. Who are Gatsby’s
parents? Why and when
did he leave them?
Provide textual evidence.
2. What is Gatsby’s
birth name? When
and why does he
change it?
4. Why doesn’t Gatsby receive the
money left for him in Dan Cody’s will?
3. For James Gatz, what would the
ideal Jay Gatsby be, do, and have?
What does Dan Cody’s yacht
symbolize? Fill in the yacht to the
right with your response. 
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The Great Gatsby
CharaCter Development at Gatsby’s party
Tom Buchanan
Daisy Buchanan
Jay Gatsby
1.
How does Tom’s comment
regarding “old-fashioned” and
“woman run[ning] around too
much these days” reflect him?
2. What is Daisy’s opinion of
Gatsby’s party and the people
present? How does this reflect her
character?
3. Why can Gatsby not understand
Daisy and Tom’s reaction to his
party? What makes their wealth
different?
Theme: What does Gatsby want Daisy to understand? Using textual evidence, provide an analysis of
Nick’s revelations of Gatsby’s hopes and dreams at the end of this chapter. Are they realistic?
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The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby – Chapter XII
Answer in complete sentences.
1. Why did Gatsby fire his entire staff? Who are his new hires and what is the state of the house?
2. What aspect of her child does Daisy focus on? What does this reveal about her character? How does Gatsby
react to Daisy’s daughter?
3. How does Tom discover that Daisy loves Gatsby? What is the mood at Daisy’s house?
4. How does Gatsby describe Daisy’s voice? Use textual evidence. Why is this emphasized?
5. How do the group travel into town? Why did they arrange it this way?
6. Why does Wilson need money? He says he “wised up to something funny”. What is he likely referring to?
7. Why are Mytle’s eyes “wide with jealous terror” as she stares at Gatsby’s yellow car?
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The Great Gatsby
8. How were both Tom’s wife and mistress “slipping precipitately from his control” in this chapter ?
9. Describe the atmosphere in the hotel room, both in terms of weather and human emotions.
10. How does Tom insult Gatsby during the chapter? Explain how each of the following statements is meant to
be insulting:
a.
“You can get anything at a drugstore these days”
b.
“You must have gone [to Oxford] the same time Biloxi went to New Haven.”
11. How does Tom defend his cheating? What does Daisy imply about the reason Daisy and Tom leave
Chicago? Provide textual evidence.
12. How does the argument begin between Tom and Gatsby? What happens?
13. What does Daisy admit? Who do you think “won”? Why?
14. Why does Fitzgerald include Nick’s realization that it was his birthday? What does this say about him and
the other characters?
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The Great Gatsby
Chapter 7 Part II-The Great Gatsby
Valley of Ashes
Police Department
Accident Report
Omniscient Investigator Name: __________________________________________________________________
The Great Gatsby – Accident Report
You are the all-knowing, omniscient, investigator. After reading the end of chapter 7, fill out the following
accident report.
Setting of Crime:
Location:
Witness Reports:
Names of Witnesses:
Time of Day:
Description of Witnesses (2 Concrete Details):
Witness Report(s) (3 concrete details of what they saw BEFORE and AFTER accident) Provide textual evidence:
Note any disparities in witness reports.
Owner Information:
Owner of Vehicle:
Other known Aliases
Description of Owner (age/race/gender):
Address:
Description of Residence:
Vehicle Description (3 Concrete details) :
Employment:
Known Associates:
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Operator Information:
Operator of Vehicle:
Physical Description of Operator (3 Concrete Details)
Demeanor or Attitude of Operator:
Explain possible reasons for operator’s demeanor or reason for accident.
Intoxicated?
Other Passengers:
Yes
No
Description of Passengers (attire / demeanor):
Accident Report:
Name of Victim(s):
Next of Kin (2):
Description of Victim:
General Description of Accident (What happened in a paragraph) Provide Textual Evidence:
Accident Sketch:
Illustrate the accident and label: cars, people, landmarks and other information:
Following the accident, you follow Nick Carraway to Tom’s house. You observe and overhear the following
interaction between Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway (include demeanor / concerns):
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The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby Chapter XIII
Answer the following in complete sentences.
1. Nick describes Gatsby’s first impression of Daisy (before the war) on pages 155-157. Why is it that he
mainly describes her house, rather than her? What does her house represent to the young Gatz and
what does this say about his attraction to her.
2. What does Gatsby tell Nick the night of the accident? Why? (155)
3. Before leaving, how does Nick compliment Gatsby and what is Gatsby’s reaction? Why is it important
that Nick thank Gatsby? Use textual evidence. (162)
4.
Nick remarks that he did not care if he “never talked to [Jordan] again in this world” (163). Why?
What bothered him about their final conversation?
5. How does George Wilson spend the night after the accident? What evidence had Wilson found that his
wife was having an affair?
6. What incident occurs at the pool? How does Nick characterize Gatsby’s state of mind before “the
incident” which occurs at the end of the chapter? (169)
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Critical Thinking: When Fitzgerald used the word “holocaust” in the last line of chapter 8, it had a different
meaning than it does today. The definition of the word is “a great or complete devastation or destruction.” How
does this situation (think about the whole book) fit the description of this word? How is it “great” or “complete”,
and what has been “devastated” or “destroyed?”
Gatsby Symbolism
Take an in-depth look at the following symbols in The Great Gatsby. – Following class discussion, provide textual
evidence and explain their significance and progression throughout the novel.
Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg
The color green / the greenlight
The Valley of ashes
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The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby - Chapter IX
Objective: SWBAT identify and analyze symbolism in relation to theme.
Respond in complete sentences and to each part of the question.
1.) What does Nick remember about the day immediately following the incident at the pool? (171). Provide
textual evidence. How does this emphasize Nick’s criticism of society?
2.) What does Nick learn about Tom and Daisy? (172) What motivations do they have to do this?
3.) What does Nick try to do for Gatsby? (173)
4.) When Nick tries to get Wolfshiem to attend Gatsby’s funeral, what does Wolfshiem send? (174) Why can’t
he go?
5.) A man who refers to himself as “Slagle” calls the house. He tells Nick about a wire, a note, and a man who
is in trouble for a bond. What does this imply about Gatsby’s business with Slagle?
6.) Who is Henry C. Gatz? What evidence is there that reveals he is proud of Gatsby?
7.) What is Klipsringer’s excuse for not attending Gatsby’s funeral? (177) What was Klipspringer calling about?
(177) How does Nick react?
8.) What does Mr. Gatz show to Nick in the “Hopalong Cassidy” book that had belonged to Gatsby when he
was a child? (181) What does it reveal about his character, even as a child?
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9.) What was the last item on his list of general resolves? How did he achieve this?(182)
10.) How does Nick describe Tom and Daisy? (187–188) Provide textual evidence. How is it fitting?
11.) How is the aftermath of Gatsby’s service ironic?
12.) In Nick’s eyes, what made Gatsby “great”?
13.) Explain what Nick means by his closing statement: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back
ceaselessly into the past.”
Theme: How does Jay Gatsby represent the American dream? What is Fitzgerald saying about the
American dream in the 1920s and the moral (ethos) or society? Consider East vs West Egg and the
Valley of Ashes.
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