Name ______Period ____Date ______

PRE-READING Vocabulary Word List

Chapter Three

bemusedPut into deep thought; “lost in thought”; pre-occupied

(They all sat still, bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind popped into the

future when this lovely thing should come about).

concealingHiding; prevent from being seen or discovered

(He reached down and picked the tiny puppy from where Lennie had been concealing it against his stomach.)

connotationThe emotional response evoked by a word; images or feelings conjured up by a word.

(To me, the connotation of alone means being lonely; lack of companionship.)

denotationThe literal meaning of a word; how the word is defined in the dictionary.

(The denotation of alone is "to be by oneself, in a solitary state.")

entrancedFascinated; filled with wonder and delight

(George sat entranced with his own picture.)

impressivelyCommanding attention; making a strong impression

(Whit laid down his cards impressively.)

reprehensibleWorthy of blame; deserving censure; highly unacceptable

(When Candy spoke they both jumped as though they had been caught doing something

reprehensible.)

subduedTo quiet or bring under control by physical force

(Slim gazed at him for a moment and then looked down at his hands; he subdued one hand with the other, and held it down.)

subsidedSettled down; wear off or died down

(He subsided, grumbling to himself, threatening the future cats which might dare to disturb future rabbits.)

Part I. VOCABULARY PRACTICE: FINDING MEANINGS

Directions: Choose two phrases to form a sentence that correctly uses a word from the vocabulary list. Write each sentence on the line provided.

1.a. To subdue a rioting crowd is toc. bring it under control.

b. be disgusted by it.d. To be entranced by something is to

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2. a. An impressive performancec. is worthy of praise and applause.

b. When the noise subsidedd. it was even louder in the cafeteria

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3. a. is not one that should be praised. c. A reprehensible act

b. A bemused expression d. is one that is noisy

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4. a. keep it hidden so it won’t be discoveredc. If a speech is impressive it is

b. To conceal evidence is tod. boring and dull.

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5. a. One who is delighted with a viewc. is entranced by it.

b To subdue an angry animal d. is to annoy it even more.

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6. a. the wind probably died down.c. If the storm subsided

b. To conceal the truthd. is to be open and honest.

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7. a. One of the denotative meanings for "snake" isc. a scaly, legless reptile

b. The word "snake" connotes images of d. a sincere, honest person

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8. a. has a negative connotation.c. a primary residence.

b. For some people, the word "school"d. A denotative meaning of "school" is

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Part II. VOCABULARY - APPLYING MEANINGS

Directions: Circle the letter of the best answer to each of the questions below.

1. Which of the following might be impressive?

a. a napc. a leader

b. seven crackersd. a beat up car

2. Which of the following might one want to conceal?

a. a grade of “A” on a progress reportc. a new outfit

b. a pencild. a blemish

3. What can be subdued?

a. a screaming childc. a wall of stone

b. a bookcased. a bedroom

4. One could be entranced by:

a. a boring bookc. a good night’s sleep

b. beautiful sceneryd. a funny play

5. Which of the following can subside?

a. a bright sunny dayc. a cough

b. a room full of clothesd. track shoes

6. Which act is reprehensible?

a. cursing at your parentsc. getting to work on time

b. believing in the tooth fairyd. not sharing your dessert with a friend

7. Which word might have a connotation of warmth and comfort?

a. firesidec. lightening

b. robberyd. staircase

8. Which is a denotative meaning for "robbery"?

a. heartachec. stealing

b. punishmentd. cashier

PART III. BASIC COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Slim and George have a long conversation. Slim says it's funny how George and Lennie

go around together. What is George's answer?

2. Identify and describe Candy.

3. What did Carlson do with his Luger?

Why?

4. (a) What card game does George play?

(b) What does the author infer about George from this detail?

5. Describe Curley's wife. What's the problem with her?

6. What will Lennie's job be when he and George get their land?

7. What does Candy want when he hears about George's and Lennie's plans? What ishe willing to contribute?

8. Why did Curley fight with Lennie? What happened?

PART IV. Matching

Directions: Place the letter of the description in front of the character.

___1. Slim A. the old swamper

___2. George B. stable man

___3. Candy C. mentally slow; physically strong; liked soft things

___4. LennieD. killed Candy's dog

___5. CrooksE. flirtatious and "loose"

___6. CarlsonF. foreman; reasonable; understands George & Lennie

___7. CurleyG. protective, loyal friend of Lennie's

___8. Curley's wife H. ill-tempered son of the boss

PART V. HSA TYPE QUESTIONS

1. The author's main purpose in including the conversation between George and Slim at the beginning of Chapter Three is MOST LIKELY to:

  1. develop Slim's character as someone who can't be trusted
  2. provide the reader with background on the friendship between Lennie and George
  3. create a tone of boredom to explain George's interest in solitaire
  4. establish the tone of conflict in Chapter Three

2. Combine these sentences using a participial phrase:

George frowned as he thought. George was sitting on the bunk beside Lennie.

a. George frowned as he sat next to Lennie on the bunk.

b. Frowning and sitting on the bunk beside Lennie, George thought.

c. George, sitting on the bunk beside Lennie, frowned as he thought.

d. Lennie, sitting on the bunk beside George, frowned and thought.

Questions 3 - 7 refer to the following sentence:

There was a clang of horseshoes on iron stake outside and a little cheer of voices.

3. Which word is used as a modifier?

  1. horseshoes
  2. there
  3. was
  4. iron

4. Which of the following is a verb?

a. wasb. andc. clangd. outside

5. "There was a clang of horseshoes on iron stake" is an example of:

  1. a dependent clause
  2. an independent clause
  3. an appositive phrase
  4. a participial phrase

6. Which of the following are prepositional phrases?

  1. of voices; on iron stake
  2. a clang; little cheer
  3. there was a ; and a little
  4. of horseshoes; and a little

7. In the sentence, the word "little" is used as a:

  1. verb
  2. noun
  3. preposition
  4. modifier

Questions 8 - 11 refer to the following poem:

I Am Not Lonely

by Gabriela Mistral

Trans. Langston Hughes

The night is left lonely
from the hill to the sea
But I, who cradle you,
I am not lonely!
The sky is left lonely
should the moon fall in the sea.
But I, who cling to you,
I am not lonely!
The world is left lonely
and all know misery.
But I, who hug you close,
I am not lonely!

8. The speaker in the poem is:

  1. Gabriela Mistral
  2. not obvious
  3. a mother
  4. a baby

9. Which line best shows the author's belief that loneliness is universal?

  1. The night is left lonely (line 1)
  2. But I, who cradle you (line 3)
  3. Should the moon fall into the sea (line 6)
  4. And all who know misery (line 10)

10. Which of the following theme statements can apply to both the above poem and Of Mice and Men?

  1. Companionship can often overcome loneliness.
  2. Being overly protective is not love.
  3. The world is a wonderful place.
  4. Only nature can truly address man's loneliness.

11. The tone of the poem can best be described as:

  1. depressing
  2. exuberant
  3. hostile
  4. satisfied

Questions 12 - 13 refer to the following sentence.

So he reaches out to feel this red dress an' the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on 'cause that the only thing he can think to do.

12. The author most probably used the underlined words in order to:

  1. Reveal George's opinion that the girl might have over-reacted to Lennie's holding onto her dress.
  2. Create the impression that the girl imitated animal sounds.
  3. Explain why Lennie touched the red dress in the first place.
  4. Develop Slim's character as being a good listener.

13. If the author's purpose had been to create sympathy for the girl in the red dress which of the following

would be the best diction to replace the underlined words?

  1. an' the girl acted real stupid like
  2. an' she goes and screams her head off
  3. an' the poor girl screams in terror
  4. an' the smart girl thought to yell real loud

14. Steinbeck's point-of-view in Of Mice and Men is:

  1. third person limited
  2. first person
  3. third person omniscient
  4. both b and c

15. The conflict between Curley and Lennie in Chapter Three is:

  1. internal - conscience vs need for acceptance
  2. external - man vs nature
  3. internal - religious upbringing vs personal ambition
  4. external - man vs man

16. Which of the following can be inferred about Curley's perspective on life?

  1. Material rewards are the result of hard work.
  2. The weak exist to be oppressed.
  3. Friendship is to be valued above all.
  4. Authority over others is a responsibility to be taken seriously.

17. Which of the following most likely explains why the author does not mention the name of Curley's wife?

  1. To emphasize the workers' perspective that she is not seen as a person but merely as Curley's property.
  2. To establish the setting as being Depression - era in which women's rights were minimal.
  3. To create a tone of sexism and prejudice against women.
  4. To hide her true identify from the reader.

Questions 18 - 20 refer to the following quote.

"Me and Lennie's rollin' up a stake," said George._I might go and set and have a shot but I ain't puttin' out no two and a half."

18. The phrase "rollin' up a stake" is an example of:

  1. an appositive phrase
  2. an idiom
  3. an expression
  4. a Southern accent

19. Based on the context of the sentence, one can infer that "rollin' up a stake" means:

  1. saving money
  2. preparing meat for dinner
  3. gambling
  4. a type of game

20. Which is the best way to revise the underlined part of the sentence:

  1. said George; I might
  2. said George. "I might
  3. said George, "I might
  4. said George, I might

21. Which of the following is true:

a. Steinbeck develops the theme that the weak and powerless have little hope of protection by Carlson's

shooting of Candy's dog.

b. Steinbeck develops the theme that loneliness makes for strange friendships by creating conflict between

Lennie and Curley.

c. Steinbeck develops the theme that even the oppressed will seek to destroy those who are weaker by

describing Lennie's attachment to the puppies.

c. Steinbeck develops the theme that the weak and powerless little hope of protection by describing

how the men spend all their hard-earned money in town.