Plot points
What kind of event is happening in Omelas when the story begins?
A joyful summer festival with a race.
What does “blindness” represent in the story?
Ignoring or accepting the child’s suffering.
What does “imbecile” mean in the story?
A mentally broken child, made that way by neglect and fear.
Why don’t people help the child?
Because they believe their happiness depends on the child’s suffering.
What hard choice do citizens of Omelas face?
Accept the child’s pain or give up their happiness.
Where is the suffering child kept?
A. in a mansion
B. In a car
C. In a small, locked room, like a broom closet or tool room.
C.In a small, locked room, like a broom closet or tool room.
What does it mean when people “walk away”?
They fully see the truth and reject the society's happiness.
What is a “paradox”?
in a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory way
What does Omelas symbolize?
A perfect society with hidden injustice.
Why do some people walk away instead of staying?
They can’t accept joy that’s built on cruelty or suffering.
How old does the child look?
A. 25 years old
B. About six years old, but it's actually nearly ten.
C. 3 years old
B.About six years old, but it's actually nearly ten.
How do most citizens react after seeing the child?
A. They feel guilt or sadness but eventually accept it.
B. They laugh
C. They throw a party
A. They feel guilt or sadness but eventually accept it.
What does “poignancy” mean?
something that feels deeply sad or emotional in a powerful, strong way
How is Omelas different from our world?
Everyone in Omelas knows their happiness depends on one child’s suffering, and they have to choose whether to accept it or not.
What does the story make readers question?
A) If happiness is real
B) If cities are safe
C) If our own lives depend on others’ suffering
D) If music makes people happy
C) If our own lives depend on others’ suffering
What do some people do after learning the truth about the child?
They leave Omelas and never come back.
Who is truly “blind” the people who stay or the people who leave?
The people who stay—they choose to ignore the injustice.
What does “sophisticates” mean?
a person with much worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture
What does the child’s suffering say about the price of comfort?
That comfort often comes at someone else’s expense.
What does the story suggest about facing the truth?
A) It’s always easy to do
B) It helps people make moral choices
C) It’s better to avoid the truth
D) The truth never changes anything
B) It helps people make moral choices
Does the story explain where the people who walk away go?
yes or no?
No, it leaves it a mystery
What does the story suggest about seeing the full truth of a society?
That it’s painful, but necessary for real moral choice.
What does “exuberance” mean ?
The quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness; ebullience
Is Omelas a utopia or a dystopia?
Utopia- an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members
dystopia- an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.
It seems like a utopia but is really a dystopia because of the hidden cruelty.
What is the main moral message of the story?
A) Sacrificing one person is okay for the greater good
B) True happiness must come without hurting others
C) Children should always be protected
D) Running away solves all problems
B) True happiness must come without hurting others