Of Mice and Men Unit Test

Matching. Match the person on the left with his/her description on the right.

1. George A. The old swamper / ranch hand

2. Lennie B. Stable man
3. Curley C. Mentally slow; physically strong
4. Candy D. Killed Candy’s dog
5. Carlson E. Wanted to be in the movies
6. Crooks AB. Skinner; reasonable; understands Lenny and George
7. Curley’s wife AC. Kills Lennie
8. Slim AD. Ill-tempered son of the boss

Multiple Choice. Carefully read questions and pick the best answer for the question.

9. John Steinbeck, the author of the book, was from which state?
a. Nevada
b. New Mexico
c. Arizona
d. California

10. What is the name of the town at which George and Lennie arrive at the beginning of the
book?
a. Soledad
b. Salinas
c. Solitude
d. San Diego

11. From where did John Steinbeck get the name of the book?
a. From a play
b. From a poem by Langston Hughes
c. From a poem by Robert Burns
d. From a local folksong

12. What does George say he could do if he were alone?

a. Go to a “cat house.”
b. Drink whiskey all night
c. Play cards at a pool hall all night
d. All of the above

13. Why are George and Lennie different from other guys who work on ranches?
a. They are actually wealthy
b. They like their work and want to do it forever
c. They are not drifters
d. Each has the other to look out for him

14. What does Slim have that Lennie wants?

a. The best bunk c. A gun
b. Puppies d. A wife
15. Why did Curley fight with Lennie?
a. Curley thought Lennie was laughing at him.
b. They both wanted the same puppy
c. Lennie punched him first
d. Lennie made a rude remark about Curley’s wife

16. What was the real reason that Lennie was mad at the puppy?
a. It tried to bite him
b. George wouldn’t let him tend the rabbits, if he found out
c. It didn’t bounce when he was playing with it
d. It died

17. Which soft thing did not get Lennie in trouble?

a. A dead mouse
b. A dress
c. A piece of velvet
d. A girl’s hair

18. Which word does not describe how George feels about making Lennie almost drown when they
were younger?
a. Ashamed
b. Regretful
c. Guilty
d. Embarrassed

19. What does “livin’ offa the fatta the lan’” mean?
a. Living off of what one produces and grows on his/her own land
b. Only eating fatty meats
c. Living out on the land, without shelter
d. Taking things from other people’s houses

20. What was not one of the reasons that Candy was upset about his dog being shot?
a. He felt he should have shot the dog himself
b. He had had the dog since it was a pup
c. He worried they would want to get rid of him too because he was old
d. He thought the dog had suffered

21. Why did George want Lennie to keep his mouth shut while they talked to the boss?
a. Lennie always offended people
b. Lennie would tell him about the farm
c. The boss might not want to hire them if he heard Lennie talk
d. The boss might get upset with Lennie

22. What is not one reason that George thought that Curley’s wife was trouble?
a. She kept looking at Lennie
b. She liked to play horseshoes with the guys
c. She kept giving men “the eye”
d. He thought she was “jailbait”
23. Which one of the following is not an example of foreshadowing in the book?
a. Crooks saying that guys like George and Lennie never accomplish their dreams
b. George and Lennie having to walk to the ranch
c. The death of the puppy
d. George telling Lennie to remember the location of the pond

24. Over how many days does the story take place?
a. Two
b. Three
c. Four
d. Five

Quotes. Identify the speaker.

A. Curley’s Wife B. Lennie C. Candy D. George

E. Curley AB. Carlson AD. Crooks AE. Slim

25. “I don’ like this place, George. This ain’t no good place. I wanna get outa here.”

26. “I ain’t wanted in your bunk, and you ain’t wanted in mine.” “You all stink to me.”

27. “I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t of let no stranger shoot my dog.”

28. Explains that Curley loves beating up big guys, “kind of like he's mad at 'em because he ain't a big
guy.”

29. “I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing.”

30. “If Curley says anything, you can bust his other hand.”

31. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family.
They don't belong no place. . . . With us it ain't like that. We got a future.”

32. “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their
back an' that same damn thing in their heads . . . every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of
land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it.”

33. “You hadda, George. I swear you hadda.”