Never Let Me Go

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Book Test (weging 2): wk 25

10 open questions in English (containing sub questions; check the points you can receive) 

Answer in English (dictionary NE-EN; grammar and spelling not assessed).

Write down the whole sentences. 

Don’t copy the sentences from the book. 

YOU CAN USE THE BOOK DURING TEST. Don’t forget to bring it! 

The type of questions:

Plot questions (What happened in the story?) 

Interpretation question (explain, give examples, what is the significance of....) 

Characteristics of the protagonists (compare and contrast) 

Explain the quote (What did they mean by that? )

What genre do you expect this book to be? 

Who is a narrator of the novel? 

What do you know about him/ her? List as much information as possible. 

Any other (important) protagonists mentioned? 

What is the main moral dilemma in Never Let Me Go?

1. The impact of technology on society
2. The value of friendship
3. The ethical treatment of cloned humans
4. The importance of education

How does the novel challenge the reader's moral compass?

1. It celebrates individuality
2. It promotes ethical certainty
3. It questions the value of certain lives
4. It reinforces societal norms

What is the significance of the characters' lack of agency?

1. It represents freedom
2. It symbolizes powerlessness
3. It highlights individuality
4. It raises questions about human rights

Explain the quote: 

"Okay, maybe I am boasting now. " 

(pg 9) 

Explain the quote: 

"Instead, he wanted to hear about Hailsham."

(pg 11) 

Explain the quote:

"He is really stupid, playing football in that." 

(pg 14) 

Summary chapters 1 - 10

Kathy H., the thirty-one-year-old narrator, introduces herself as a “carer.” What does she mean by that?

 

Why didn't boys want to choose Tommy for a soccer game? How did Kathy react? 

Which skill of the students is most valued at Hailsham? Speculate why.

 

What was the purpose of the Exchanges? 

How did Miss Lucy help Tommy to calm down? 

What does Kathy say about Madam? 

Explain the "tokens controversy" related to Madam.

What was the purpose of the monthly Sales? 

What was the task of the secret guard led by Ruth? 

 

How did Ruth get her polka- dotted pencil case?

Compare the life of the students at Hailsham and at the Cottages.

Describe the best/saddest/most emotional/least believable moment of the first part (according to you).  

        Summary chapters 11 - 18 

Why was Kathy so interested in the porn magazines left behind at the Cottages by Steve?  

Who/ what is a 'possible'? 

Why does Ruth want to go to Norfolk? Who is setting off for this trip eventually? 

What rumour about Hailsham couples in love do Chrissie and Rodney bring up? (Mention deferrals.) 

Did Ruth meet her possible? Describe how the trip went. 

Why do Kathy and Tommy go to a secondhand store in Norfolk? 

 

Summarise Tommy's theory about deferrals and Madam. 

Why does Tommy start drawing again? 

Describe the relationship between Kathy and Ruth during their stay at the Cottages. 

Describe the relationship between Kathy and Tommy at the Cottages. Were they in love already, according to you? 

                       Explain the quote: 

"If we’d left it at seeing the woman through the glass of her office, even if we’d followed her through the town then lost her, we could still have gone back to the Cottages excited and triumphant. But now, in that gallery, the woman was too close, much closer than we’d ever really wanted. And the more we heard and looked at her, the less she seemed like Ruth.”

                                  Explain the quote: 

"What they said, Chrisie continued, 'was that if you were a boy and a girl and you were properly in love with each other, really, properly in love, and if you could show it, then the people who run Hailsham, they sorted it out for you. They sorted it out so you could have a few years together before you began your donations.' 

                                     Explain the quote: 

"We all know it. We're modelled from trash. Junkies, prostitutes, winos, tramps. Convicts, maybe, so long as they aren't psychos. That's what we come from. We all know it, so why don't we say it? A woman like that? Come on."

summary ch 19 - 23

Describe Kathy's and Ruth's relationship when Kathy works as Ruth's carer.

Why does Kathy drive Ruth to the Kingsfield recovery center? 

Why does Ruth apologize to Tommy and Kathy? What does she give them to make up for it? 

Why do Kathy and Tommy decide to visit Madam? 

Describe Kathy's and Tommy's visit at Madam's.

Whom else do they meet there? 

What was the outcome of this meeting? 

In what ways were the students of Hailsham privileged? 

What do Kathy and Tommy learn about Miss Lucy's leaving, the purpose of Madam's gallery and the future of Hailsham? 

Why is Tommy throwing his last tantrum on the way back? 

 

Why doesn't Tommy want Kathy to be his carer anymore? 

What does Tommy say about their relationship during their last talk ('river')? 

Why does Kathy drive to Norfolk shortly after Tommy's completing? 

                               

                                Explain the quote: 

“It should have been you two. I’m not pretending I didn’t always see that. Of course I did, as far back as I can remember. But I kept you apart. I’m not asking you to forgive me for that. That’s not what I’m after just now. What I want is for you to put it right. Put right what I messed up for you.”

                               

                                Explain the quote: 

“And so we stood together like that, at the top of that field, for what seemed like ages, not saying anything, just holding each other, while the wind kept blowing and blowing at us, tugging our clothes, and for a moment, it seemed like we were holding onto each other because that was the only way to stop us being swept away into the night.”

                               

                                Explain the quote: 

“The fantasy never got beyond that—I didn’t let it—and though the tears rolled down my face, I wasn’t sobbing or out of control. I just waited a bit, then turned back to the car, to drive off to wherever it was I was supposed to be.”

The Book Test (weging 3)

7 open questions in English (containing sub questions; check the points you can receive) 

Answer in English (dictionary NE-EN; grammar and spelling not assessed).

Write down the whole sentences. 

Don’t copy the sentences from the book. 

YOU CAN USE THE BOOK DURING TEST. Don’t forget to bring it! 

The type of questions:

Plot questions (What happened in the story?) 

Interpretation question (explain, give examples, what is the significance of....) 

Characteristics of the protagonists (compare and contrast) 

Explain the quote (What did they mean by that? )

See the examples of the possible test questions: 

How does Ruth change over the course of the novel, and what motivates her actions and choices?

How does the novel depict the process of becoming a "carer," and what are some of the challenges that this role presents for the characters?

What is the significance of Tommy's artistic talent, and how does it relate to his experiences of isolation and frustration?