Harrison Bergeron

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Reading Check

1. What are “handicaps” in this story?

2. What are the two main duties of the Handicapper General?

3. List three adjectives to describe Harrison Bergeron.

4. What title does Harrison Bergeron give himself?

5. What ultimately happens to Harrison Bergeron?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why won’t George lighten the handicap bag he wears?

2. Hyperbole is excessive exaggeration. List three examples of hyperbole in the story.

3. Why can’t Hazel remember why she was crying?

4. What is Vonnegut’s main message (theme) in this story?

Recommended Next Reads

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

• This 1959 novel preceded “Harrison Bergeron” and is set in a world where all are equal due to handicaps.
• This text shares the theme of State Control with a more involved plot in a similar state-controlled society.
• The Sirens of Titan on SuperSummary

“The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury

• This 1951 short story depicts the consequences of being different in a state-controlled society.