Chapters 1-2 Reading Quiz (OMAM)

Tortilla Flat

East of Eden

The Grapes of Wrath

Of Mice and Men

1918

1923

1937

1941

a short story

a novella

a novel

a play

lower class city-dwellers in the forgotten corners of new cities

upper-middle class families in the sprawling suburbs

farmers and migrant agricultural workers

white collar workers out of work during the great depression

Salinas, California

San Diego, California

San Fransciso, California

Sacremento, California

a decaying, deteriorating structure

a warm, peaceful respite

a looming, untamed wilderness

a welcoming, inviting place for all to find community

"The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow-sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool." (Steinbeck 1)

“On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them.” (Steinbeck 1)

“There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water.” (Steinbeck 1-2)

"... there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it." (Steinbeck 2)

from his own perspective, from the time he lived there as a young boy

from George's perspective, beaten down emotionally, like the path

from Lennie's perspective, always looking down and avoiding eye contact

from a 1st person (the reader's) perspective, forcing us to walk there with George and Lennie

because he knows he will eventually have to give the same directions again

because he knows there is no other water to drink so they must drink it anyway

because he knows Lennie cannot understand his words/language

because he knows it's too late and that they have already poisoned themselves

a filched letter

a dead mouse

a baby rabbit

a stolen puppy

personification

symbolism

allegory

forshadowing

he is angry with Lennie and furious that he ruined things in Weed

he is frustrated, but resolved to stick with Lennie

he is over it and is threatening to ditch Lennie this time

he is embarressed by Lennie and wants a break from it all

people didn't understand his disability and they couldn't get work no matter where they went because of Lennie

he touched a girl's dress; she misunderstood his intent and screamed; an angry mob chased them out of town

he squished a mouse to show his strength; people thought he was threatening them by this gesture and became afraid of him

Lennie acted violently against his boss because of his anger management issues and hurt their boss; they were fired on the spot

dramatic irony

situational irony

allusion

forshadowing

a brown blood-sucking insect

a scratchy, brown itchy rash

a matress made out of a rough, unrefined fabric

a rough flinch or uncontrollable gesture or noise

digging trenches and cesspools

cleaning the horse stable

planting crops (cotton, tobacco, corn)

harvesting grain (wheat, barley, etc.)

the men here are all former convicts, use to owning nothing and living in cells

the men here have given up and have accepted death is inevitable working in conditions like this

the men here do not own much, traveling light, moving from job to job

the men here are being abused by their employer, all exhibiting physical injuries

the stark reality of farm life and how unrealistic their dream is

how understandable their desire is for a place of their own

a much more impressive and almost-fantastical realization of agricultural success

how inhuman some people can be when their dreams are impossible

he's concerned Lennie's mental disability will be immediately apparent and he won't be able to keep the job

he's concerned Lennie will tell the boss the real truth and throw their whole plan

he's concerned the boss will realize that Lennie doesn't speak or understand English

he's concerned Lennie will get confused and overwhelm himself if he has to talk to the boss

The boss suspects that they both are probably incapable of the work they have shown up for and that George is the better hustler so they're relying on George to lie for them both.

The boss suspects that George is covering for Lennie and that he'll be doing all of Lennie's work for him just so that Lennie can "have a job."

The boss suspects that George is trying to take advantage of Lennie. He thinks that George is trying to steal Lennie’s pay while Lennie does all the work.

The boss suspects that Lennie has blackmailed or threatened George into covering for him so that Lennie can hold down a job for a while.

Allegory

Metaphor

Situational Irony

Hyperbole

he's quick to fight and "throw hands"

he's helpful in a pinch

he's skilled at many tasks

he's always touching people, a little too "handsy"

"calculating"

"pugnacious"

"gingerly"

"coldly"

she's not from California and is a runaway from an East coast city (implied that it's New York)

she has a soft spot for puppies and little animals; something she and Lennie have in common

her family owns the farm and ranch and she is very wealthy

she has a "wandering eye" and is looking at other men despite being married (recently) to Curley

it's deeply wrinkled

it's marked with deep scars

it has sharp, "cut" features

all of the above (each are supportable inferences about Slim based on this phrase)

her red dress and red feathery shoes

her hair is rolled into curling rollers like sausages (Lennie's favorite food)

she has a small dog, just like the one Lennie used to love

the way she looks at Lennie

She had 9 puppies, Slim drowned the 4 smallest one. This suggests the deeper theme of this book that only the strong survive and the weak will be pushed aside or killed during times of intense need (the Great Depression)

She had 9 puppies even though Slim barely fed her. This suggests the deeper theme of this book that even when there is very little support of life, even when animals (and those who are treated like animals) are abused, life will find a way (especially nature and animal kind)

She had 9 puppies and Slim is looking to sell all of them. This suggests the deeper meaning that money is so tight and that even though others would have loved and cherished the puppies more, and they probably needed more time with their mother, the money is too needed right now (the Great Depression)

She had 9 puppies and Slim has already given away 4 (and 1 more for Lennie). This suggests the deeper theme of the book that there is no time to be a child in this world and that every one needs to grow up and get a job faster than they are ready to (the Great Depression)

sensitive

senseless

insensitive

offensive

"... some kind of shepherd" (p. 35)

"stinks like hell, too.... got no teeth, damn near blind, can't eat." (p. 36)

"...I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her." (p. 32)

"a messy pile..." (p. 36)