Lesson 4.2.2.2

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

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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

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The 20 questions

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

    • 1948
    • 1985
    • 2018
    • 1962

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

    • Aunt Lydia
    • Offred
    • Moira
    • Serena Joy

  3. In which country is the novel set?

    • The Republic of Ireland
    • The Kingdom of Jordan
    • The Republic of Gilead
    • The Soviet Union

  4. What is the role of a handmaid in Gilead?

    • A fertile woman assigned to bear children for a Commander
    • A teacher who runs the schools in which the young girls are taught the rules of Gilead
    • A soldier who guards the wall and patrols the borders of the state against intruders
    • A servant who cooks and cleans for the Marthas in the kitchens of the Commanders' houses

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

    • Luke
    • Frederick Henry
    • Fred
    • Nick

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

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

  7. What is the function of the Marthas in Gilead?

    • Domestic servants in the Commanders' homes
    • Religious leaders in the church who preach the sermons and lead the state's worship
    • Doctors in the hospitals who treat the sick and deliver babies for the regime
    • Soldiers in the army who guard the wall and patrol the border with the old states

  8. Which feature of the novel's world is most closely tied to the control of women's bodies?

    • Open trade between nations, in which goods flow freely across the country's borders
    • Mass tourism, in which visitors arrive from abroad to see the country's famous sights
    • Free elections and public debate, in which citizens choose their leaders by vote
    • Forced reproduction and the handmaid system

  9. What does the novel's historical notes epilogue suggest?

    • The story is recorded as a historical document
    • The novel is a comedy with a happy ending
    • The novel is a poem recorded for children
    • The novel is a government report

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

    • Oligarchy
    • Theocracy
    • Democracy
    • Anarchy

  11. Which narrative technique does Atwood use to reveal Offred's inner life?

    • First-person narration
    • Third-person omniscient narration
    • Epistolary letters
    • Dramatic monologue in verse

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

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

  13. What does the novel explore about memory?

    • How memory is restricted to the state
    • How memory is unreliable only in men
    • How memory is irrelevant to survival
    • How memory preserves identity under oppression

  14. Evaluate: how does Atwood's use of the Historical Notes change a reader's view of the story?

    • It removes the force of Offred's testimony
    • It makes the regime seem benign
    • It proves the story is pure fiction without any warning
    • It frames the narrative as a record that future readers can judge

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

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

  16. Which broader social theme does the novel share with other Option B texts?

    • Ancient Greek mythology and the stories of gods, heroes and monsters that it contains
    • Gender and the control of women's lives
    • Naval warfare and the tactics of fleets in battle at sea during the age of sail
    • Industrial mechanisation and the machines that replaced hand labour in the factories

  17. What is the significance of the title for the novel's narrator?

    • It emphasises her role as a story-teller for others
    • It describes a sea voyage that the narrator once took across the Atlantic to America
    • It names a Commander's home, where the narrator lives under his strict control daily
    • It is a formal legal document that records the terms of the narrator's assignment

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

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

  19. Which feature of Gilead is most strongly signalled by its Bible-based ideology?

    • Secular scientific progress, which the regime promotes through its laboratories and schools
    • Freedom of speech, which is guaranteed for citizens in every public meeting and paper
    • Religious justification for oppression
    • Free public education, offered to every child in the state regardless of background

  20. What is the effect of Offred's limited freedoms on the reader?

    • It removes all emotional response, leaving the reader with a distant and cool view
    • It creates tension and emotional intensity through restricted perspective
    • It shows the regime is harmless, since the narrator is allowed to speak as she wishes
    • It makes the reader feel free and relaxed, as the narrative moves at a leisurely pace

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