plot
What business is Nick Carraway learning when he moves to New York?
The bond business
Which character is described as having a voice "full of money"?
Daisy Buchanan
What literary device is used when curtains are described as blowing "like pale flags"?
Simile
Question: Why might Nick Carraway be considered an unreliable narrator?
Answer: He admits to reserving judgments but is clearly biased toward Gatsby
In which two locations do the main characters live?
West Egg (Gatsby, Nick) and East Egg (Tom, Daisy)
Why does Tom Buchanan hit Myrtle's nose in Chapter 2?
Which character fixes the 1919 World Series and has human molar cufflinks?
Meyer Wolfshiem
What does the Valley of Ashes symbolically represent in the novel?
Answer: The moral and social decay hidden beneath the wealth
What does Daisy's comment about hoping her daughter will be "a beautiful little fool" reveal about 1920s gender roles?
Answer: Women were expected to be ignorant of their husbands' affairs to maintain comfortable lives
What two words best describe George Wilson's character in Chapter 2?
Submissive and spiritually defeated
What surprising fact does Owl Eyes discover about Gatsby's library?
The books are real, not just cardboard props
What specific character trait does Jordan Baker display that makes Nick question her honesty?
She cheated in her first golf tournament by moving her ball
What does the green light at the end of Daisy's dock symbolize?
Answer: Gatsby's hopes and dreams for the future with Daisy
What does Gatsby's mansion being an "anachronism" reveal about his character?
Answer: He's trying to buy old-world status that can never be authentically his
Identify the rhetorical device used to describe Wolfshiem's eating: "ferocious delicacy"
Answer: Oxymoron - two contradictory terms used together
What military honor does Gatsby show Nick as "proof" of his background?
A medal from Montenegro
How does Gatsby's behavior change dramatically before and after his reunion with Daisy in Chapter 5?
He transforms from nervous and awkward to radiant and confident
How does Fitzgerald use weather as a symbol in Chapter 5?
Answer: Rain represents emotional tension; sunshine represents hope and connection
Explain Nick's phrase: "There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired"
Answer: It categorizes everyone in the novel by their relationship to desire and activity
What does Fitzgerald reveal about the Roaring Twenties through Gatsby's parties?
Answer: The emptiness beneath the glamour - moral decay, superficial relationships, and hollow pursuit of pleasure
What specific event from her past does Daisy reveal about her daughter's birth?
She hoped her daughter would be "a beautiful little fool"
What contradictory nature does Tom Buchanan display through his reading habits and physicality?
He reads "deep books" but is primarily a physical, violent man
Question: What is the symbolic significance of Gatsby almost breaking the clock during his reunion with Daisy?
Answer: It represents his desire to stop time and repeat the past
Why does Daisy really cry over Gatsby's shirts in Chapter 5?
Answer: She's overwhelmed by his devotion and the life she could have had, not the shirts themselves
In chapter 4, why does Gatsby fake his family background?
Gatsby wants desperately to be respected and admired, which requires him to seem like old money. However, his shady behavior in this passage begins to suggest that Gatsby is not from old money at all.