Study Guide for Great Gatsby

Hey guys! Some of you were asking about a study guide for The Great Gatsby in class on Friday. I found one online!!!

Chapter 5
1. Why does Gatsby deliver so many goods and services to Nick's house?

2. Describe the effect of rain on the plot.

3. Why does Gatsby offer Nick work? How does Nick feel about this?

4. Explain the significance of the green light.

5. Why does Gatsby get so many phone calls? What does this say about him?

Chapter 6
1. How truthful was Gatsby when he relayed the story of his life to Nick? Why does Fitzgerald tell the story of Jay Gatz now?

2. Describe the meeting of Tom and Gatsby. What does this meeting reveal about them?

3. Why did Daisy and Tom find Gatsby's party loathsome?

4. How did Gatsby measure the success of his party?

5. When Nick told Gatsby that "you can't repeat the past", Gatsby replied, "Why of course you can!" Do you agree with Nick or Gatsby?

Chapter 7
1.Who is Trimachio? Explain how this describes Gatsby.

2. Describe Daisy and Gatsby's new relationship.

3. Compare George Wilson and Tom. What did each man learn about his wife and how did they each react?

4. If Daisy says she's never loved Tom, is there someone whom she thinks she loves?

5. Describe the fight between Gatsby and Tom. What do these men think of each other? How are they similar and how are they different?

6. What was significant about Nick's 30th birthday?

7. What do you think Tom and Daisy were saying to each other in the kitchen? Do you think that

8. Tom knew Daisy was driving the "death car"? Why, why not?

9. At this point, how would you end the novel?

Chapter 8
1. How does Fitzgerald achieve a melancholic mood in the beginning of this chapter?

2. How are seasons used in constructing this novel?

3. Who is Dan Cody and what is his significance in Gatsby's life?

4. How does Nick's statement "You're worth the whole bunch put together" show a change in Nick from the beginning of the novel?

5. How does T. J. Eckleberg affect Mr. Wilson?

Chapter 9
1. Why did Nick take care of Gatsby's funeral?

2. How was Jay Gatz's childhood schedule consistent with the adult Gatsby's behavior?

3. Who attended Gatsby's funeral? How and why is this significant?

4. What is the purpose of Nick's last meeting with Jordan?

5. Why does Nick call Tom and Daisy "careless people"?


Post Reading
1. Does this novel have villains and heroes? Why, why not? If yes, who fits into these categories and why?

2. Nick is both part of the action and acting as an objective commentator. Does this narration style work? Why, why not?

3. How did Fitzgerald use weather to reflect the mood of the story?

4. Again, why are we still reading a book written in the 1920's? What gives a book its longevity? Which of its themes are eternal in the American psyche?


hope it helps!!! (the website was www.teachervision.fen.com )
-Lauren