What do Bernard and John have in common?

• A. Loyalty to the State
• B. Social popularity
• C. Alienation from culture
• D. Religious devotion

Answer: (C)

Both Bernard and John are outsiders who don’t fit the World State’s culture. Bernard feels detached from the conditioning that promotes constant happiness and conformity, and his sense of not belonging makes him isolated despite being an Alpha. John, raised on the Savage Reservation and shaped by Shakespeare, views the World State’s values as hollow and oppressive, so he cannot reconcile his beliefs with its norms. Their shared experience of alienation from the culture around them is what they have in common. The other options don’t capture this core dynamic: their struggles aren’t about loyalty to the State, they aren’t truly socially popular, and religious devotion isn’t the central trait they share.