Of Mice and Men
Chapter 1
1. What is the setting of the novel?
Salinas Valley, CA
2. Why does George try to stop Lennie from drinking the pond water?
Because it is stagnant.
3. Why is George so angry about the bus driver?
He was too lazy to drive them the whole way and dropped them off 4 miles away from their goal.
4. Who always carries the work cards?
George
5. What was Lennie hiding in his pocket?
A dead mouse
6. What does George make Lennie repeat over and over?
To not say anything when he meets the boss.
7. What did Lennie bring back instead of firewood?
The dead mouse
8. What lady always gave Lennie mice?
His Aunt Clara
9. How does George hurt Lennie’s feelings?
He tells him that life would be easier without him.
10. What does Lennie threaten to do if George doesn’t want him around?
Leave and go live in a cave.
11. Give three details about Lennie and George’s dream. What part does Lennie look forward to the most?
(1) they want a farm, (2) there will be rabbits, (3) they are going to live “off the fatta the lan’”
Lennie’s favorite part is that he gets to take care of the rabbits
12. Explain: “An’ live off the fatta the lan’”?
George and Lennie are going to grow crops and live off of what the land provides.
13. What is Lennie supposed to do if he gets in trouble at the ranch?
Go hide in the brush
Of Mice and Men
Chapter 2
1. Give three important details about the bunk house.
(1) There are 8 bunks, (2) there is a table for playing cards, (3) each person has a place to put their belongings
2. What are graybacks? What is a swamper?
Grayback = lice; swamper = handyman
3. What was the result of the boss’ Christmas gift?
The guys went into Soledad and “raised hell”
4. Who “wore high-heeled boots and spurs to prove he was not a laboring man”?
The boss
5. What does the boss notice about Lennie?
That he doesn’t talk
6. What does the boss accuse George of doing to Lennie?
Stealing his pay
7. Name three lies that George tells the boss.
(1) Lennie and George are cousins, (2) Lennie got kicked in the head by a horse when he was little, (3) they were working on a cess pool
8. What trouble does Curley start when he comes into the bunk house?
He tries to pick a fight with Lennie
9. Why does Curley pick on Lennie? What does “handy” mean?
He is insecure about being small. Handy means that he is a good boxer.
10. What kind of woman is Curley’s wife? What does it mean to “give the eye”?
She is “a tart” aka promiscuous and flirtatious. When she “gives the eye” that means she is flirting.
11. Why does George make Lennie repeat “hide in the brush by the river”?
Just in case something bad happens at the ranch
12. Why does George grab Lennie’s ear and yell at him?
Because he was staring at Curley’s wife
13. How is Slim different from the other characters at the ranch?
He is a good man, he is a leader
14. What does Carlson want Candy to do? Why?
Carlson wants Candy to shoot his dog because it stinks
15. What is Lennie excited about at the end of the chapter?
Getting a puppy from Slim
Of Mice and Men
Chapter 3
1. In his first line of dialogue, what is Slim talking about?
Lennie’s puppy
2. Why is Slim so impressed with Lennie?
Because he is a hard worker
3. What incident made George stop playing tricks on Lennie?
George convinced Lennie to jump in a pond and Lennie nearly drowned but thanked George for rescuing him.
4. List the three most important details about Lennie’s trouble in Weed.
(1) He just wanted to touch the girl’s dress, (2) he held on when she got scared, (3) the girl said she had been raped
5. Why does George get mad at Lennie as soon as he comes into the bunk house?
Because he took the puppy back to the bunk house
6. What are Carlson’s arguments for shooting Candy’s dog?
The dog is old and stinks
7. Why did Slim go with Crooks to the barn?
To tar up the mule’s foot
8. Where did Curley think Slim was?
With Slim
9. What does Candy offer to George and Lennie?
That they can get the farm together
10. How long until their dream will become a reality?
About a month
11. Why does Candy feel like he “ought to of shot that dog” himself instead of letting a stranger shoot it?
Because it was his dog and he was the person who cared for it
12. Why did Curley think that Lennie was laughing at him?
Because Lennie was still smiling at the though of the farm when Candy made a dirty joke at Curley’s expense
13. Describe the injuries that occurred during the fight.
Lennie got a bloody nose and Curley got his hand crushed
14. What is George worried about? What is Lennie most worried about?
George is worried about getting fired and Lennie is worried that George won’t let him take care of the rabbits
15. How are they going to keep Curley from telling his father about the fight?
They won’t tell that he lost if he won’t tell about the fight