Miss Geschel

English 2

Of Mice and Men Test

Part I

Multiple Choice: Choose the best answer for each question.

1.  What excites Lennie most about his dream life with George?

  1. He will learn to farm
  2. He will get to tend the rabbits
  3. They will both find “purty” girls and settle down
  4. He will strike it rich panning for gold

2.  Why is Candy unable to imagine getting rid of his old dog?

  1. The dog is a fine watchdog
  2. He makes too much money breeding the animal
  3. He promised his wife on her deathbed that he would care for it
  4. He has had the dog since it was a puppy

3.  Why does Carslon insist on shooting Candy’s dog?

  1. The dog has attacked several people
  2. Carlson is mean-spirited and drunk
  3. Carslon believes the dog is too old and decrepit to be of any use
  4. Carlson hates the dog

4.  Who discovers Curley’s dead wife?

  1. George
  2. Curley
  3. Candy
  4. Carslon

5.  Who cared for Lennie before George?

  1. Lennie’s Aunt Clara
  2. Lennie’s mother
  3. George’s Aunt Clara
  4. George’s mother

6.  Of Mice and Men is set in which decade?

  1. 1910’s
  2. 1920’s
  3. 1930’s
  4. 1940’s

7.  What does Curley’s wife offer to let Lennie touch?

  1. Her dress
  2. Her face
  3. Her hand
  4. Her hair

8.  What does George say to Lennie before shooting him?

  1. He tells Lennie that he a bad man and deserves to die
  2. He tells Lennie that he has no other choice than to shoot him because it’s the law
  3. He tells Lennie the story of their farm
  4. He tells Lennie he’s sorry that he let him down

9.  Whom do Lennie and George agree to let live on their farm?

  1. Candy
  2. Curley’s wife
  3. Carlson
  4. Slim

10.  Why doesn’t Crooks allow Lennie to enter his room at first?

  1. Because Lennie isn’t much of a conversationalist
  2. Because he fears Lennie’s strength
  3. He says a white man shouldn’t be allowed in his room since he is not allowed in the bunk house
  4. Because he prefers to keep to himself

11.  Disappointed with her life, Curley’s wife wonders where she would be if she had followed her dreams and become which of the following things?

  1. A movie star
  2. A teacher
  3. A nurse
  4. A secretary

12.  After George kills Lennie, who comforts him by saying, “ You hadda, George, I swear you hadda.”

  1. Candy
  2. Crooks
  3. Slim
  4. Curly

13.  In the beginning of the novel, Steinbeck compares Lennie to what animal?

  1. A mouse
  2. A rabbit
  3. A tiger
  4. A bear

14.  George told Lennie that, if he ever gets into trouble to

  1. Run to the police
  2. Tell the boss
  3. Run back to the brush and wait for him
  4. Tell Slim

15.  The death of Lennie’s puppy was foreshadowed by the death of

  1. The mouse in the beginning of the story
  2. The death of Curley’s wife
  3. The incident in Weed
  4. The death of Lennie’s Aunt Clara

16.  For George and Lennie, Lennie’s tremendous physical strength equaled

  1. Money
  2. More work
  3. Trouble
  4. Death

17.  How does Crooks fill his loneliness?

  1. By playing horseshoes
  2. By playing cards in the bunkhouse
  3. By reading books
  4. He sleeps a lot

18.  What does Curley’s wife threaten to Crooks?

  1. That she’ll have him fired
  2. That she’ll get Lennie after him
  3. That she’ll get Curley after him
  4. That she’ll have him hung

19.  Who does Lennie imagine speaking to him at the end of the novel?

  1. Aunt Clara
  2. George
  3. A rabbit
  4. Both A and C

20.  Euthanasia is:

  1. committing suicide
  2. mercy killing
  3. killing an animal
  4. killing in self-defense

Part II

Vocabulary: Write down the letter of the definition that matches up to the word.

____ 1. contemplate a. preoccupied; deep in thought

____ 2. bemused b. suddenly, almost rudely

____ 3. pugnacious c. to think about something deeply

____ 4. apprehensive d. eager and ready to fight

____ 5. subside e. able and willing to accept new information or ideas

____ 6. abruptly f. to judge

____ 7. appraise g. imitating

____ 8. mimicking h. become less excited; to calm down

____ 9. receptive i. in a sad, gloomy manner

____ 10. morosely j. anxious; fearful

Part III

Idioms: Match up the following idioms with their literal meanings.

1.  wing-ding a. save up some money

2.  roll up a stake b. to be overly excited

3.  yella-jackets in his drawers c. cost

4.  flat bust d. a pretty lady

5.  yella e. time with a prostitute

6.  flop f. a great person

7.  loo-loo g. ready to go

8.  set you back h. idiot

9.  set on the trigger i. completely broke

10.  goo-goo j. to be a wuss

Part IV

Characters: Write the name of the appropriate character to their descriptions or quotes. Some characters may be used more than once.

1.  “…a proud, aloof man, his body was bent over to his left by his crooked spine and his eyes lay deep in his head…his lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles and he had thin, pain-tightened lips.”

2.  “…a thin young man with a brown face, brown eyes and head of tightly curled hair; he wore a work glove on his left hand, and wore high-heeled boots.”

3.  “Any you boys seen Curley?”

4.  “Then George won’t let me tend the rabbits…”

5.  “…a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.”

6.  “…he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen…There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke…His hatchet-face was ageless. He might have been thirty-five or fifty.”

7.  “…old, tall, stoop-shouldered, missing his right hand…”

8.  “I ought to shoot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t of ought to let no stranger shoot my dog.”

9.  “I could go along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy…”

10.  “I told you- Min’ George because he’s such a nice fella an’ good to you. But you don’t never take no care. You do bad things.”

Part V

Short Answer: Answer each question in at least 3-4 sentences.

1.  Discuss at least two examples of foreshadowing. What happened and how was each event foreshadowed?

2.  Describe how each of the following characters are lonely and how they “play” on each other’s weakness and fears: Candy, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks.

3.  Define “The American Dream.”

Discuss the following about George and Lennie’s dream:

A) How was it briefly made to seem possible?

B) Was it possible in the end? Why or why not?

C) Do you think it was ever possible? Why or why not?

D) What do you believe was Steinbeck’s point about the “American Dream”?

4.  Choose one character and describe why they had loyalty.

5.  Describe your standpoint on euthanasia. Back up your side with concrete reasons.

Extra Credit:

Write a paragraph using either first, second, or third person perspective. Tell which perspective in which it is written. It can be about anything you’d like.

Of Mice and Men Answer Sheet

Miss Geschel

Name:

Period:

Part I Part II Part III Part IV

1.  ______11. ______1. ______1. ______1. ______

2.  ______12. ______2. ______2. ______2. ______

3.  ______13. ______3. ______3. ______3. ______

4.  ______14. ______4. ______4. ______4. ______

5.  ______15. ______5. ______5. ______5. ______

6.  ______16. ______6. ______6. ______6. ______

7.  ______17. ______7. ______7. ______7. ______

8.  ______18. ______8. ______8. ______8. ______

9.  ______19. ______9. ______9. ______9. ______

10.  ______20. ______10.______10.______10.______

Part V

Answer the questions #1-5 on the back of this answer sheet. Number each answer as you write. Do extra credit on the back as well. If you run out of room, ask for scrap paper.