Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. Featuring a brief passage about the Two Minutes Hate from Book 1, chapter 1, this activity may be assigned as independent homework or as a collaborative classroom exercise. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading worksheet, students will:

• Determine and analyze the development of key ideas and themes, including the effects of mob mentality
• Analyze how the author’s word choices add to the text’s complexity
• Explore how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
• Apply and articulate knowledge of literary devices and techniques including consonance, simile, and situational irony
• Activate background knowledge on Nazi Germany’s treatment of the Jews and articulating historical parallels to the Two Minutes Hate
• Write about literature with accuracy, clarity, and precision