Name: _____________ Date: _______________

Of Mice and Men: Chapter 3

Identify the four true statements from the list below by highlighting them.
A. Carlson is a person who is light on his feet.
B. Carlson has some degree of sympathy with Candy.
C. Carlson is persistent with his demands during the conversation.
D. Carlson hates Candy’s dog because it bit him.
E. In the past, the dog has worked hard on a farm.
F. Carlson says that George should shoot Candy’s dog.
G. Candy is accustomed to the smell of his dog.
H. In the past, Candy’s dog was excellent at his job.
I. George agrees with Carlson about the dog being shot.
 1. What is the meaning of ‘kick off’ in
this passage?
a) Fight.
b) Pass away.
c) Jump.
d) Start.
2. What impression does Candy give of
himself in this excerpt?
a) Surprisingly wealthy.
b) Hopeless.
c) Disgusted and cynical.
d) Actually quite strong.
3. How does George respond to Candy’s
financial offer?
a) He accepts it without hesitation.
b) He tells Candy to stop joking.
c) He demands more investment.
d) He asks for time to consider it.
4. When George says, ‘I bet we could
swing her’, what does ‘swing her’
mean?
a) Convince someone.
b) Deceive someone.
c) Lose something.
d) Win something.
5. Why do the men stop speaking?
a) They can’t believe how ridiculous
Candy’s suggestion sounds.
b) They’re considering the merits of
Candy’s generous offer.
c) They can hear Curley’s footsteps.
d) They are imagining their dream.
6. If some gets ‘canned’ it means that…
a) They get shot.
b) They are insulted in front of everyone.
c) They lose their job.
d) They drink a lot of beer: cans of it.
7. Candy leans forward ‘eagerly’. This word means…
a) Slightly, just a little.
b) Lazily, like someone who is very tired.
c) Showing enthusiasm, with animation.
d) Suspiciously, checking around them.
8. What is Candy’s offer?
a) He is too old and debilitated to be of any use to the men, but he will give them nearly all his money.
b) He will do the jobs he is capable of doing and invest all the money he has in the farm.
c) He is going to give them a loan, but they had better pay him back soon.
d) He will have his son work on the farm, while investing nearly all of his capital.
Decide if the statements below are true, false, or doesn’t say.
1. Lennie is not aware of his own strength. True/False
2. Slim calls a doctor from Soledad. True/False
3. George encourages Lennie to keep breaking Curley’s hand. True/False
4. Slim is very concerned about the injuries Lennie sustained. True/False
5. After the event, Carlson organizes everything. True/False
6. It was Curley who threw the first punch in the fight. True/False
7. Lennie is compared to an animal. True/False
8. After he has won the fight, Lennie is overjoyed. True/False
9. Slim does not blame Lennie for his part in the fight. True/False
10. George is concerned about his livelihood after the fight has ended. True/False
Writing

Write three ways in which the theme of strength and weakness is explored in the first three chapters of the book.
1.
2.
3.