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Study Guide: Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men—John Steinbeck
The best laid schemes o’ mice and men,
Gang aft a’ gley
And leave us naught but grief and pain,
For promised joy.
Answers to all study guide questions should be written in your notebook.
Chapter 1
1. In what part of the country does the story take place?
2. Describe Lennie.
3. Describe George.
4. List at least five hints we are given that Lennie is retarded.
5. Why is George angry with the bus driver?
6. Where are George and Lennie going?
7. How did they get the job?
8. What happened to Lennie’s work card and bus ticket?
9. What does Lennie have in his pocket?
10. Why does George say he’ll do all the talking?
11. Why did George and Lennie leave Weed?
12. How does George feel about Lennie?
13. What are they going to have for supper?
14. Why does Lennie insist on keeping the dead mouse?
15. How does Lennie react when George takes the mouse away?
16. Lennie used to accidentally kill the mice Aunt Clara gave him. What does this reveal about Lennie?
17. What does Lennie say that makes George explode?
18. How would George spend his life if he didn’t have to take care of Lennie?
19. What is a “cat house”?
20. What did Lennie do in Weed that got him and George run out of town?
21. Based on what you know about Lennie, why do you think he did it?
22. How does George respond when Lennie says he’ll leave?
23. What does this reveal about George?
24. How does he really feel about Lennie?
25. What promise does he make to Lennie?
26. What is George and Lennie’s dream?
27. How are George and Lennie different?
28. What does it mean to “live off the fatta the land”?
29. What is Lennie supposed to do if he gets in trouble?
30. What is foreshadowing. Give an example from Chapter 1.
31. How is Steinbeck comparing Lennie to a dog in the opening chapter?
Chapter 2
1. Describe the bunkhouse.
2. Where does each man keep his possessions?
3. What do their possessions reveal about the men?
4. What handicap does the old swamper have?
5. Why does the swamper say the boss is “sore as hell” at George and Lennie?
6. What might be wrong with George’s bed?
7. List three words or phrases that are used as synonyms for bedbugs.
8. Why does the boss yell at the stable buck when he’s angry?
9. Where did the stable buck get his nickname? What is it?
10. What did the boss do at Christmas and what does this tell us about the kind of man he is?
11. What does it tell us about the men in the bunkhouse?
12. Describe the boss.
13. What is George’s last name?
14. What is Lennie’s last name?
15. Why is Lennie’s last name ironic?
16. What would a place like Murray and Ready be known as today?
17. What does Lennie say that angers George?
18. What does the boss suspect George is doing to Lennie?
19. Why does he suspect it?
20. What does George say his job was in Weed?
21. Are George and Lennie related?
22. Why does George tell the boss that Lennie is his cousin?
23. Describe the swamper’s dog.
24. How does the swamper feel about his dog?
25. Describe Curley.
26. Why does Curley pick on Lennie?
27. Why does George say Curley better watch out for Lennie and how do we know that what George says is true?
28. Why does Candy say that Curley picking on big guys is unfair?
29. Why can Curley do whatever he wants without worrying about losing his job?
30. Why is Curley worse now than he was before?
31. Why does Curley wear a glove on his left hand?
32. What does Candy mean when he says that Curley’s wife has “got the eye”?
33. What is a “tart”?
34. Why does George tell Lennie to stay away from Curley?
35. What is Lennie supposed to do if he gets in trouble?
36. Describe Curley’s wife.
37. What excuse does Curley’s wife use for coming into the bunkhouse?
38. Why does she leave so quickly when Slim says Curley is in the house? What does it reveal about her relationship with Curley?
39. What does George say about Curley’s wife?
40. What does Lennie say about her?
41. Why is his opinion of her significant?
42. Why does George tell Lennie to stay away from her?
43. Why do George and Lennie decide they have to leave as soon as possible?
44. Describe Slim.
45. How do the other men on the ranch feel about Slim?
46. Why does Slim say few men travel around together?
47. Describe Carlson.
48. What does Carlson want to do to Candy’s dog and why?
49. Does the dog have a name?
50. What does Lennie want George to ask Slim?
51. Why does Curley return to the bunkhouse?
52. Based on what you have read so far, in what decade is Of Mice and Men set?
53. Why do you think John Steinbeck, the author, chose not to give Curley’s wife a name?
Chapter 3
1. How do the men spend their evenings after work?
2. Why won’t Lennie come into the bunkhouse?
3. What does Slim say about the quality of Lennie’s work?
4. Why does Slim think it’s so odd that George and Lennie travel together?
5. Why does George say he isn’t so smart?
6. How did George start traveling with Lennie?
7. Why did he play tricks on Lennie?
8. Why did he stop?
9. Who does Slim think are the nicest guys in the world?
10. What happens to people without families who travel alone according to George?
11. Why does George decide to tell Slim what happened in Weed?
12. Summarize, in your own words what happened in Weed.
13. What does Lennie bring into the bunkhouse?
14. What phrase does Slim keep repeating about Lennie?
15. How is Lennie “jes’ like a kid”?
16. Why does Carlson think Candy’s dog should be killed?
17. How does Candy feel about the dog?
18. Why do Carlson and Candy present their arguments about the dog to Slim?
19. What decision does Slim make about the dog?
20. How do the men act when Carlson leaves the room?
21. What does Candy do?
22. How does Crooks feel about Slim?
23. Why do you think he feels this way?
24. Why does Crooks come to the door of the bunkhouse?
25. What does Whit say about Curley’s wife? Why does he call her a kid?
26. What does Whit mean when he says “Curley’s got yella-jackets in his drawers” and his pants is just crawlin’ with ants”?
27. What is “jail bait”?
28. What is Old Susy’s Place?
29. List two reasons why the guys think it’s better than Clara’s.
30. Why does Curley go after Slim? What does he think Slim has been doing?
31. What does the phras, “Curley’s handy” mean?
32. Why do all the guys leave the bunkhouse?/ What are they hoping to see?
33. What was Slim actually doing in the barn?
34. Why does George say he’d prefer to go to a whorehouse rather than get involved with a woman?
35. What deal does Candy offer George and Lennie?
36. Where did Candy get $350?
37. How long will it be before they can buy the ranch?
38. Why does Candy think he’s going to get fired?
39. What did the death of his dog make Candy realize about his future?
40. What does Candy regret most about the death of his dog?
41. What does Slim say to Curley?
42. What does Carlson say to Curley?
43. Why does Curley attack Lennie? What was Lennie doing that made Curley attack him?
44. Why doesn’t he attack Slim and Carlson who have just told him off?
45. What does Lennie do to Curley? Be specific.
46. Why aren’t George and Lennie going to get fired?
47. Why does Slim protect George and Lennie?
48. What is Lennie most concerned about?
Chapter 4
1. Why isn’t Crooks allowed in the bunkhouse?
2. Describe the place where Crooks sleeps?
3. Why does Crooks have more possessions than the other men?
4. Describe Crooks.
5. Why is Lennie hanging around in the barn?
6. What does Crooks say when Lennie comes into the barna nd why?
7. The guys say that Croosk stinks. Why does he stink?
8. Wahtis Candy doing alone in the bunkhousxe?
9. Where have the rest of the men gone?
10. Why does Crooks invite Candy and Lennie to stay?
11. Why didn’t Crooks’ father want him playing with the white kids?
12. Why does Crooks decide he enjoys talking to Lennie?
13. Why does Crooks tell Lennie that George might not come back tonight?
14. What does Crooks say will happen to Lennie if George doesn’t return?
15. What does Crooks think George is doing in town?
16. Why does Crooks invite Candy into his room?
17. Why does Curley’s wife come into the barn?
18. She says, “They left all the weak ones here.” How is it true?
19. Why does she get along fine if she’s alone with a man, but she doesn’t if there’s more than one?
20. How does Curley’s wife feel about her husband?
21. How had she planned on spending her life?
22. What names does she call Crooks, Candy and Lennie?
23. Crooks doesn’t believe they’ll ever get a place of their own, so why does he offer to join them?
24. She says she’s enjoying herself talking to this group of misfits. What does this reveal about her?
25. What does Candy say about Curley’s wife? Why does he feel free to say what he thinks?
26. Crooks starts to tell her off and then stops. Why?
27. What does she say about their dream?
28. How does she discover that Lennie is the only who broke Curley’s hand?
29. Explain how and why, Curley’s wife treats Lennie, Candy, and Crooks so poorly.
30. How does she feel about Lennie breaking Curley’s hand?
31. Why is George angry that Lennie is in Crooks’ room?
32. Why is George angry with Candy?
33. Why does Crooks take back his offer of joining them on the ranch?
Chapter 5
1. How are the guys spending Sunday afternoon?
2. How long have George and Lennie been at this ranch?
3. What does Lennie do to the puppy? Why does he do it?
4. Why is he afraid to tell George?
5. Why is he angry at the puppy?
6. Who joins Lennie in the barn?
7. Why does she say she wants to talk to Lennie?
8. What does she say about Lennie’s pup?
9. What opportunity did she have when she was fifteen?
10. What does Lennie say that demonstrates he’s not listening to anything she says?
11. What happened to the man she went to the Riverside dance Palace with?
12. Why did she marry Curley?
13. How does she feel about him?
14. What’s the one thing Lennie likes most about rabbits?
15. What did his Aunt Clara give him to play with (besides mice) when he lived with her?
16. What happens when Lennie starts to stroke Curley’s wife’s hair?
17. What evidence is there that Lennie didn’t mean to do it?
18. What does Lennie do with her body?
19. Where is Lennie going?
20. Why does he take the puppy with him?
21. Reread the description of Curley’s dead wife. What does it reveal about the reasons she acted the way she did? (P101)
22. Who discovers the body?
23. What does Candy say to George that sounds like something Lennie would say?
24. Why does Candy think they should let Lennie get away?
25. What does George say he’s going to do that will make him like all the other drifters?
26. What does George finally realize about their dream? (p103)
27. Why does George want Candy to be the one to tell the rest of the guys about Curley’s wife?
28. Why is Candy so upset about her death?
29. What does Slim say when George asks him if they could bring Lennie in and lock him up?
30. What happened to Carlson’s gun?
31. What does the line, “Curley was cold now” mean?
32. Who is Candy talking about at the end of the chapter when he says, “Poor bastard”?
Chapter 6
1. Find several similarities between the beginning of the novel and the end.
2. On what day did the novel begin?
3. What day is it now?
4. How many days have elapsed since the beginning of the novel?
5. What two people or things does Lennie dream talk to him while he’s hiding?
6. What do they both say to him?
7. Why does Lennie want George to “give him hell”?
8. What does George do to Lennie?
9. What is he telling Lennie as he does it?
10. Who stole Carlson’s gun?
11. What earlier scene does the final scene remind you of? List the similarities.
12. Who’s the only one who knows what happened between George and Lennie?
13. What do the rest of the guys think happened?
14. What’s going to happen to George?