Question

At last, feeling this to be in some way a substitute for the words she was unable to find, she began to sing "Beasts of England." The other animals sitting round her took it up, and they sang it three times over—very tunefully, but slowly and mournfully, in a way they had never sung it before.

They had just finished singing it for the third time when Squealer, attended by two dogs, approached them with the air of having something important to say. He announced that, by a special decree of Comrade Napoleon, "Beasts of England" had been abolished. From now onwards it was forbidden to sing it.

The animals were taken aback.

"Why?" cried Muriel.

"It's no longer needed, comrade," said Squealer stiffly. "'Beasts of England' was the song of the Rebellion. But the Rebellion is now completed. The execution of the traitors this afternoon was the final act. The enemy both external and internal has been defeated. In 'Beasts of England' we expressed our longing for a better society in days to come. But that society has now been established. Clearly this song has no longer any purpose."

Frightened though they were, some of the animals might possibly have protested, but at this moment the sheep set up their usual bleating of "Four legs good, two legs bad," which went on for several minutes and put an end to the discussion.

Which detail from the text best shows a parallel to authoritarian governments?

the sheep's bleating of "Four legs good, two legs bad"
the abolishment of a song from the rebellion
the defeat of all internal and external enemies
the establishment of a better society for all

Answer 1

The detail from the text that best shows a parallel to authoritarian governments is the abolishment of a song from the rebellion.

Step-by-step explanation:

The detail that best shows a parallel to authoritarian governments is the abolishment of a song from the rebellion. This is because in many authoritarian governments, the ruling regime seeks to control what people can and cannot say, write, or sing. The abolishment of "Beasts of England" demonstrates the leadership's desire to control the narrative and prevent any expression of dissent or criticism of the regime. Additionally, the justification for abolishing the song, that it is no longer needed because the society has already been established, is reminiscent of the rhetoric used by authoritarian leaders to justify the suppression of free speech and dissent, often claiming that such actions are necessary for the greater good or to maintain stability.