Of Mice and Men: Final Test KEY

THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS WILL BE THE MOST DIFFICULT ON THE TEST. HOWEVER, YOU WILL HAVE QUESTIONS THAT DEAL WITH THE VOCABULARY, LITERARY TERMS, AND COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS FOUND IN THE “OMAM” STUDY GUIDES.

Choose the best answer, using your scantron.

  1. Which of the following characteristics does not describe Lennie?
  2. stalwart
  3. innocent
  4. mentally disabled
  5. vicious
  6. childlike
  7. Which of the following characteristics does not describe George?
  8. frustrated
  9. prudent
  10. sagacious
  11. heartless
  12. None of the above
  13. What narrative point of view has Steinbeck chosen for this novella?
  14. 1st person
  15. 1st person omniscient
  16. 3rd person limited
  17. 3rd person omniscient
  18. None of the above
  19. Which genre does not describe the novella?
  20. Naturalism
  21. Romanticism
  22. Tragedy
  23. Realism
  24. None of the above
  25. Which of the following episodes does not portray the theme of survival of the fittest (or strong vs. weak)?
  26. The drowning of Lulu’s puppies
  27. The shooting of Candy’s dog
  28. The grouping of Crooks, Lennie, Candy, and Curley’s wife while the other characters are in town
  29. The constant dreaming George and Lennie share of owning a future place together
  30. The shooting of Lennie
  31. How is the name “Lennie Small” ironic?
  32. One does not expect the name “Small” because Lennie is a big guy.
  33. The name “Small” connects to Lennie’s small brain.
  34. One does not expect the name “Small” because that is George’s last name.
  35. The name “Lennie” connects to the mental lenses that the audience perceives in Lennie.
  36. None of the above
  37. Which term best describes Steinbeck’s writing style?
  38. Straightforward
  39. Degrading
  40. Pretentious
  41. Earnest
  42. Superfluous

Use the following passage from the novella to answer Question 8, 9, 10, and 11.

“Curley’s wife lay with a half-covering of yellow hay. And the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face. She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young. Now her rouged cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly. The curls, tiny little sausages, were spread on the hay behind her head, and her lips were parted.

“As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment.

“Then gradually time awakened again and moved sluggishly on. The horses stamped on the other side of the feeding racks and the halter chains clinked. Outside, the men’s voices became louder and clearer.”

  1. According to the passage, what might the author be suggesting about the natural realities of the world?
  2. Time stops for a moment after a person dies.
  3. Death is a part of life, and although someone may die, life nevertheless continues.
  4. People are not truly happy until they have faced death.
  5. Curley’s wife was a discontent person who could not find true peace until deceased.
  6. What tone best describes the moment of Curley’s wife’s death?
  7. indifference
  8. sagacious
  9. discouraging
  10. hyperbolic
  11. What mood best describes the moment of Curley’s wife’s death?
  12. sympathetic
  13. intolerable
  14. vindictive
  15. exuberant
  16. “Then gradually time awakened again and moved sluggishly on” is an example of what figurative language?
  17. simile
  18. metaphor
  19. irony
  20. personification
  1. What is the purpose of the following passage?
    “‘I get lonely,’ she [Curley’s wife] said. ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?’

Lennie said, ‘Well, I ain’t supposed to. George’s scared I’ll get in trouble’” (87).

  1. Curley’s wife is very lonely because she cannot speak to others.
  2. Lennie cannot understand Curley’s wife’s loneliness.
  3. The passage connects Lennie and Curley’s wife through the theme of isolation.
  4. The passage contrasts Lennie and Curley’s wife through the theme of loneliness.
  1. Which of the following characters is dynamic?
  2. Carlson
  3. Slim
  4. Curley
  5. Lennie
  6. the boss

Abstract Significance of Characters

While Of Mice and Men occurs in a very specific time and place, each of the characters can be thought of as symbolizing broader populations. Though the book is not an allegory, and each character can stand alone as simply a character, there’s still something to be gained by looking at each character as representative of their larger group.

Match each character with the correct abstract significances.

Characters / Abstract Significance
Lennie
George
Carlson
Slim
Crooks
Curley
Curley’s Wife
Candy / archetypal hero, king, or leader
symbolic of “small” people who may feel inferior and overcompensate by inflating or flaunting their power and status
symbolic of Eve, who brings sin and death to the world
symbolic of people who are discriminated against because of their race
symbolic of people who are mistreated and discriminated against because of their mental handicaps.
symbolic of people who are oblivious to the feelings of others, and who can only be concerned about something if it affects them personally
symbolic of people who are undervalued and discriminated against because of their age
symbolic of women who are repressed by male-centered societies
symbolizes the difficulty ordinary people face of trudging through the everyday world
symbolizes the few who, in their wisdom and strength, seem larger than life
the “everyman” with whom most readers will identify
the archetypal "wise fool"

Abstract Significance of Settings

Setting / Abstract Significance
The green pool
The bunkhouse
Crook’s room
The dream farm / a sanctuary away from society
atmosphere filled with cruelty, violence, jealousy, and suspicion
symbolic of heaven
symbolic of the Garden of Eden
symbolizes George and Lennie’s friendship
symbolizes the retreat (and jail cell) of the repressed
the spot where conflict is most evident

Short Answer

On your own sheet of paper, copy the prompt. Then, answer the prompt, explaining your answer and supporting it with evidence from the selection. Remember: the answer can be no longer than 10 lines.

  • How does Steinbeck utilize parallelism to portray the natural cycling of life? Explain your answer and support it with evidence from the selection.

Abstract Significance of Characters -- KEY
Lennie is symbolic of the archetypal "wise fool," who is mentally inferior but able to reveal the best and the worst of others. Lennie’s foolishness often allows him to speak honestly where others won’t, and he sometimes taps into things that "normal" people can’t (like the fact that the ranch isn’t a good place for him and George to be hanging out). Lennie is also symbolic of people who are mistreated and discriminated against because of their mental handicaps.
Curley’s wife is symbolic of Eve – the female character who, in the Biblical story, brings sin and death to the world. She is also symbolic of women everywhere who are repressed by male-centered societies.
Curley is symbolic of "small" people who may feel inferior and overcompensate by inflating or flaunting their power and status.
Crooks is symbolic of people who are discriminated against because of their race.
Candy is symbolic of people who are undervalued and discriminated against because of their age.
Carlson is symbolic of people who are oblivious to the feelings of others, and who can only be concerned about something if it affects them personally.
Slim is symbolic of the archetype of the hero, king, or leader. He represents those few who, in their wisdom and strength, seem larger than life.
George is symbolic of "the everyman" – the type of normal, average person who is found everywhere and whose feelings and actions are neither exceptional nor terrible. He is the character with whom most readers will identify, as he symbolizes the difficulty of trudging through the everyday world (and extraordinary situations) when you’re just an ordinary guy.

Abstract Significance of Settings -- KEY

The pool by the river is the place where Lennie and George’s story begins and ends. It is a safe sanctuary to meet and a place free from society, where Lennie and George can be themselves. What happens in the grove stays in the grove. This is where the story is born and where the dream farm and Lennie meet their end.
The bunkhouse represents the spot where conflict is most evident. Cruelty, violence, jealousy, and suspicion all arise here.
Crooks’s room represents the retreat (and the jail cell) of the repressed. Here we see the most obvious manifestations of discrimination: name calling, isolation, fear, and the threat of death.
The dream farm is symbolic of Lennie and George’s friendship. It is the thing that ties them together and keeps them working, even when times are hard. It is also their personal form of religion, with the re-telling of the dream serving as a form of litany or catechism. It is, ultimately, their version of heaven, so that when Lennie kills a human being, their chances of going there are forever ruined.