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Name:
Date:
Of Mice and Men Test
I. Character Identification
Match the characters with their descriptions. Some characters may not be used.
___ 1. a proud, aloof man, his body was bent over to
his left by his crooked spine and his eyes lay deep
in his headhis lean face was lined with deep black
wrinkles and he had thin, pain-tightened lips.

a. Carlson
b. Slim

___ 2. a thin young man with a brown face, brown eyes

and a head of tightly curled hair; he wore a work
glove on his left hand, and wore high-heeled boots.

c. Curley
d. Lennie

___ 3. a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes,

with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily,
dragging his feet a little the way a bear drags his paws.
His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.

e. George
f. Crooks

____ 4. he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty

and master craftsmenThere was a gravity in his manner
and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he
spokeHis hatchet-face was ageless. He might have been
thirty-five or fifty.

g. Whit

___ 5. small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and
sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined;
small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose.

j. the boss

h. Candy
i. Curleys wife

II. Location Matching (2 points each)

Match each location with the appropriate identifying phrase
___ 6. Soledad

a. the place where Lennie dies

___ 7. the barn

b. the place where Lennie admires a red dress

___ 8. Weed

c. the place where George and Lennie hide

___ 9. sycamore pond

d. the place for Saturday-night fun

___ 10. an irrigation ditch

e. the place where Curleys wife dies

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III. Quotation Matching
Match the following quotations with the sources. Some characters may be used more than once;
some may not be used at all.
___ 11. I hardly never seen two guys travel together.
___ 12. They play cards in there, but I cant play because

a. George

Im black.
___ 13. Any you boys seen Curley?

b. Slim

___ 14. I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I

shouldnt of ought to let no stranger shoot my dog.

c. Candy

___ 15. How longs it gonna be till we get that little place
an live off the fatta the lanan rabbits?

d. Curleys wife

___ 16. Now what the hell ya suppose is eating them

guys?

e. Lennie

___ 17. I could get along so easy and so nice if I didnt

have you on my tail. I could live so easy

f. Crooks

___ 18. Spose I went in with you guys. Thas three

hunderd an fifty bucks Id put in. I aint much

g. Carlson

good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and

hoe the garden some. Howd that be?

h. Curley

IV. TrueFalse (2 points each)

If the statement is True, mark it T; if False, mark it F.
___ 19. Lennie does not kill the puppy Slim gives him.
___ 20. George helped Lennie escape a lynching mob.
___ 21. Lennie was once kicked in the head by a horse.
___ 22. George isnt really Lennies cousin.
___ 23. The stable buck has only one hand.
___ 24. Lennie wants to turn himself in after the murder of Curleys wife.
___ 25. Candy has lost a foot.
___ 26. Carlson kills the dog with a pistol.

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___ 27. The men frequently visit Crooks in his room.
V. Mutliple Choice
Choose the best answer.
___ 28. Curley is
a. tall.
b. fat.
c. unpopular.
d. friendly.
___ 29. After the murder, George steals
a. Curleys glove.
b. Carlsons gun.
c. Slims puppy.
d. Candys money.
___ 30. To help buy the farm, Candy will contribute
a. $1,000.
b. $350.
c. $100.
d. $200.
___ 31. Curleys wife wishes she had
a. married Slim.
b. married Carlson.
c. been a movie star.
d. had children.
___ 32. Crooks is set apart from the other men because
a. he is black.
b. he is married.
c. he is old.
d. he is the bosss son.
___ 33. The first person to discover the murder is
a. Curley.
b. Candy.
c. Curleys wife.

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d. George
___ 34. Curley always wears
a. a Stetson hat.
b. a glove.
c. a gunbelt.
d. spurs.
___ 35. After the murder, Lennie is afraid that George will
a. kill him.
b. turn him in.
c. tell Aunt Clara.
d. leave him.
___ 36. George says that he and Lennie are different because
a. they have money.
b. they have good jobs.
c. they have each other.
d. they have a farm.
___ 37. On Saturday night, most of the men
a. play horseshoes.
b. read magazines.
c. go to town.
d. visit Crooks.
___ 38. Curley has been married for
a. two weeks.
b. two months.
c. two years.
d. five years.
___ 39. Susys place is
a. a restaurant.
b. a pool hall.
c. a house of prostitution.
d. a farm which George wants to buy.
___ 40. Curleys wife threatens

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a. to tell George about the dead puppy.
b. to have Crooks lynched.
c. to run away to Hollywood.
d. to have Lennie fired.
___ 41. Lennie is most often compared to
a. a deer.
b. a dog.
c. a bear.
d. a horse.
___ 42. On the farm, Lennie wants to raise
a. barley.
b. rabbits.
c. pigs.
d. chickens.
___ 43. At the end of the novel, Lennie escapes to
a. Soledad.
b. the highway.
c. the brush.
d. the barn.
___ 44. Curley likes to fight
a. bartenders who will not serve him when he is drunk.
b. men who are bigger than he.
c. men who are smaller than he.
d. men who beat him at horseshoes.
___ 45. Curley threatens Slim but fights
a. Lennie.
b. Candy.
c. George.
d. Carlson.
___ 46. Curleys wife knows that Lennie
a. is dangerous.
b. does not like her.
c. killed a mouse.
d. hurt Curley.

___ 47. A character who reads a lot is

a. Curley.
b. Crooks.
c. Whit.
d. George.
VI. Extended Response
Choose THREE of the following five prompts to write about. For each question you choose, you
should compose a strong, thoughtful paragraph (5-6 sentences) that completely answers the
question.
48. At the beginning of this unit, we discussed the literary genre of Naturalism and how many
consider John Steinbeck to be a naturalist. In a paragraph, explain how Of Mice and Men could
be considered a naturalist novel. In your paragraph, you should discuss at least two
characteristics of the genre of Naturalism and how they surface in Of Mice and Men.
49. The title for Steinbecks Of Mice and Men is an allusion to Scottish poet Robert Burns poem
To a Mouse. In this poem, a man plowing his field accidentally upturns and destroys a
mouses nest. Following is an excerpt from the poem:
But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

First, closely read this passage. Then, in a paragraph, discuss why Steinbeck might have chosen
to name Of Mice and Men after this poem. Based on this passage, what do the poem and the
novel have in common in terms of character, theme, etc.?
50. Of Mice and Men is often studied as an example of foreshadowing in literature. How does
Steinbeck foreshadow the pivotal events of the book?
51. Consider Curleys wife. Is she a sympathetic or unsympathetic character? Would you
characterize Steinbecks portrayal of her as fair, or do you detect misogyny (sexism) in his
depiction?
52. In tragedies, the central character comes to a realization about his/her life or an
understanding of life in general as a result of his suffering. Is this true of Of Mice and Men?
Explain.