Read the excerpt from chapter 10 of Animal Farm.

Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

Which details in this passage are the best examples of satire? Select three options.

the animals waiting patiently outside

the pigs shouting angrily at the humans

the pigs and humans being indistinguishable

the animals watching the pigs and humans

the 12 voices all sounding alike

The answer is indeed:

1. the pigs shouting angrily at the humans

2. the pigs and humans being indistinguishable

3. the 12 voices all sounding alike

Explanation:

A satire is a criticism against someone's vices, ideas, stupidity etc. made through the use of humor or exaggeration. Satires are commonly used in political contexts. It was also the means through which George Orwell, in his allegorical novella "Animal Farm", criticized the consequences of the Russian Revolution.

The pigs are the characters chosen to represent the Soviet leaders in Russia. Just like those leaders - who came to power having the support of the Russian people, who were craving for equality and justice -, the pigs come to power with the support of the other animals. They preached all animals were equal, and promised to work for the greater good of all. However, as they were corrupted by power and the advantages it brings, the pigs became more and more similar to very humans they once found abominable - the Soviet leaders, too, became more and more like the rulers they fought so hard to destitute.

In the excerpt we are analyzing here, the three lines that best show this satire:

1. the pigs shouting angrily at the humans

2. the pigs and humans being indistinguishable

3. the 12 voices all sounding alike

The correct three answers are: "the pigs shouting angrily at the humans", "the pigs and humans being indistinguishable", and "the 12 voices all sounding alike". The allegorical novella "Animal Farm" by George Orwell (1945) is a satire, given the characteristics of the text. In a satire, the writer exposes and criticizes foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using different tools such as humour, irony, and exaggeration. In the case of "Animal Farm", Orwell uses the animals as a symbol to satirize the important figures from the Russian Revolution. The best examples of satire in the passage presented above exaggerate and humorize the event of the pigs shouting angrily at the humans, the fact that the pigs and humans are indistinguishable, and the fact that the twelve voices that were shouting were all alike.