Lesson 4.2.2.2

4.2.2.2 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Quiz: AQA English Literature, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 4.2.2.2, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA English Literature (7712), Unit 2: Texts in shared contexts, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. In what year was The Handmaid's Tale published?

    • 1962
    • 1948
    • 2018
    • 1985

  2. Who is the narrator of The Handmaid's Tale?

    • Moira
    • Offred
    • Serena Joy
    • Aunt Lydia

  3. What is the name of the totalitarian regime in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale?

    • District Twelve
    • State of Oceania
    • Republic of Texas
    • Republic of Gilead

  4. In Gilead, what is the primary role enforced upon the Handmaids?

    • Domestic housecleaning
    • Policing citizens
    • Bearing children
    • Teaching school

  5. Who is Offred's commander in the household?

    • Luke
    • Fred
    • Frederick Henry
    • Nick

  6. Which group of women enforces discipline among the handmaids?

    • The Jezebels
    • The Econowives
    • The Aunts
    • The Marthas

  7. In Gilead, what is the primary role assigned to the Marthas?

    • Government leaders
    • Armed guards
    • Fertile surrogates
    • Domestic servants

  8. What system in Gilead enforces the state-controlled reproduction of women?

    • The Salvagings
    • The Red Centre
    • The Particution
    • The Handmaid system

  9. How is Offred's narrative presented to the reader in the Historical Notes epilogue?

    • As newspaper articles
    • As court testimony
    • As handwritten diaries
    • As audio recordings

  10. Which term describes a society ruled by a religious state?

    • Anarchy
    • Democracy
    • Oligarchy
    • Theocracy

  11. Which narrative point of view does Margaret Atwood use throughout Offred's story?

    • Third-person limited
    • First-person
    • Second-person
    • Third-person omniscient

  12. Which concept describes the way Atwood uses dystopian settings to comment on present societies?

    • Historical realism
    • Pastoral idyll
    • Satirical comedy
    • Speculative dystopia

  13. What function do Offred's memories primarily serve under the totalitarian regime of Gilead?

    • Spreading state propaganda
    • Preserving personal identity
    • Justifying regime rules
    • Aiding escape plans

  14. In the Historical Notes, what academic event forms the setting for discussing Offred's story?

    • A political rally
    • A radio broadcast
    • A university conference
    • A murder trial

  15. Which concept describes the loss of individual rights under an oppressive regime?

    • Federal union
    • Liberal democracy
    • Free market
    • Totalitarian control

  16. Which social theme is central to the depiction of women's lives in Gilead?

    • Class mobility
    • Gender and control
    • Industrial expansion
    • Racial integration

  17. Which literary work is directly referenced by the title structure of The Handmaid's Tale?

    • The Canterbury Tales
    • The Odyssey
    • Paradise Lost
    • Wuthering Heights

  18. Which kind of text is The Handmaid's Tale most often described as?

    • Verse drama
    • Historical biography
    • Dystopian novel
    • Lyric poem

  19. What does the regime of Gilead use to justify its oppressive social structure?

    • Economic theory
    • Scientific research
    • Biblical scripture
    • Democratic voting

  20. What narrative effect is created by limiting the reader strictly to Offred's perspective?

    • Objective detachment
    • Claustrophobic tension
    • Historical distance
    • Comic relief

All AQA English Literature quizzes