Questions Chapter 1
Of Mice and Men
CHAPTER ONE:
1. Describe the mood that is created by the imagery in the first two paragraphs f the novella?
2. Why does George get angry with Lennie after they arrive in the clearing?
3. What does the dead mouse in his jacket reveal about Lennie?
4. Why does George urge Lennie to remain quiet when they meet the boss at the ranch where they'll be working?
5. As they prepare the campfire for dinner, Lennie remarks that he like his beans with ketchup, sending George into a rage. What does George's reaction reveal?
6. Is Lennie capable of manipulating George?
7. What is the purpose of the story of the rabbits that George tells Lennie?
8. Before they go to sleep, George tells Lennie to "hide in the brush" near the campsite and wait for George to come if he gets into trouble. What prediction can readers draw from George's instructions?
9. Give example of how Steinbeck describes Lennie as an animal?
10. What did we learn from the first section of Of Mice and Men?
CHAPTER TWO:
1. How does the boss react to Lennie's silence?
2. Why does the boss find George and Lennie's relationship unusual?
3. How does the boss treat George and Lennie?
4. What is George's fear at this point of the novel?
5. When Lennie questions George about telling the boss Lennie was kicked in the head by the horse. George says, "Be a damn good thing if you was...Save ever'body a hell of lot of trouble." What does he mean?
6. Describe Candy's connection to his dog?
7. How is Candy's relationship with his dog similar to George's relationship with Lennie?
8. When George confronts Candy eavesdropping, Candy says, "A guy on a ranch don't never listen nor he he don't ask no questions." What might this reveal about the lives of the migrant workers?"
9. Steinbeck describs Curley's glance at "at once calculating and pugnacious," and he strides about with 'his elbows...still bent out a little." What does this description reveal about Candy's personality?
10. How do George and Lennie react to seeing Curley's wife for the first time?"
CHAPTER THREE:
1. What caused George to stop playing mean-spirited jokes on Lennie?
2. What detail is added to the Weed story when George confides in Slim?
3. Carlson offers a simple solution to the problem of Candy's dog's smell and feebleness: shoot it. Slim concurs, saying that the old dog only suffers. What is the significance of this scene?
4. When Carlson starts to take Candy's dog out to be shot, Slim reminds him to "take a shovel." What does he mean?
5. The discussion of Curley's wife leads Whit to invite George to come with the other men "to old Susy's place." What is "old Susy's place," and what purpose does it serve in the novel?
6. What is Candy's reaction to the gunshot and later to Carlson cleaning his gun?
7. What is the attraction for Candy with the idea of the farm and rabbits?
8. Why does Candy say that he should have shot his own dog?
9. Why is slim angry with Curley when they return to the bunk house?
10. Why does Curley attack Lennie?
CHAPTER FOUR WORKSHEET:
1. Curley's wife is lonely because she is a woman. Candy is lonely because of his age. Why is Crooks lonely?
2. Why does Lennie wander into Crooks' room?
3. Why is Crook rude to Lennie?
4. What is Crooks' initial opinion of Lennie?
5. How does Crooks taunt Lennie?
6. Why does Crooks relent in his taunting of Lennie?
7. What does Curley's wife suspect about Curley's injury?
8. What is Curley's wife's reaction to the dream of the farm with rabbits?"
9. How does the promise of the farm embolden Candy and Crooks and make them stand up for themselves?
10. Why does Crooks abandon the dream of the farm? What does Curley's wife say to him?
CHAPTER FIVE WORKSHEET:
1. What has Lennie done as the section opens?
2. What is Lennie's fear?
3. What personal information does Curley's wife reveal to Lennie in the barn?
4. To console Lennie over the death of his puppy, Curley's wife tells him that he can get another one, that "the whole country is fulla mutts." What is the significance of this line?
5. Why does Curley's wife get angry when Lennie tells her that George said he shouldn't talk to her?
6. What was Curley's wife's dream?
7. Why does Curley's wife offer to let Lennie stroke her hair?
8. Why does Curley's wife become afraid of Lennie as he's stroking her hair?
9. Why does Lennie kill Curley's wife?
10. Why does Lennie leave Curley's body in the barn, but take the puppy with him when he leaves to go to the river?
CHAPTER SIX WORKSHEET:
1. What two visions does Lennie have while waiting for George in the brush, and what do the
visions tell him?
2. Why isn’t George annoyed with Lennie?
3. While he is telling Lennie about their dream, what does George tell Lennie to do?
4. Who realizes what transpired in the brush, and what is his comment that lets us know this?
5. Why did George tell Candy to wait and tell Curley what happened to his wife?
6. Do you believe that George was justified in killing Lennie?
CHAPTER ONE:
1. Describe the mood that is created by the imagery in the first two paragraphs f the novella?
2. Why does George get angry with Lennie after they arrive in the clearing?
3. What does the dead mouse in his jacket reveal about Lennie?
4. Why does George urge Lennie to remain quiet when they meet the boss at the ranch where they'll be working?
5. As they prepare the campfire for dinner, Lennie remarks that he like his beans with ketchup, sending George into a rage. What does George's reaction reveal?
6. Is Lennie capable of manipulating George?
7. What is the purpose of the story of the rabbits that George tells Lennie?
8. Before they go to sleep, George tells Lennie to "hide in the brush" near the campsite and wait for George to come if he gets into trouble. What prediction can readers draw from George's instructions?
9. Give example of how Steinbeck describes Lennie as an animal?
10. What did we learn from the first section of Of Mice and Men?
CHAPTER TWO:
1. How does the boss react to Lennie's silence?
2. Why does the boss find George and Lennie's relationship unusual?
3. How does the boss treat George and Lennie?
4. What is George's fear at this point of the novel?
5. When Lennie questions George about telling the boss Lennie was kicked in the head by the horse. George says, "Be a damn good thing if you was...Save ever'body a hell of lot of trouble." What does he mean?
6. Describe Candy's connection to his dog?
7. How is Candy's relationship with his dog similar to George's relationship with Lennie?
8. When George confronts Candy eavesdropping, Candy says, "A guy on a ranch don't never listen nor he he don't ask no questions." What might this reveal about the lives of the migrant workers?"
9. Steinbeck describs Curley's glance at "at once calculating and pugnacious," and he strides about with 'his elbows...still bent out a little." What does this description reveal about Candy's personality?
10. How do George and Lennie react to seeing Curley's wife for the first time?"
CHAPTER THREE:
1. What caused George to stop playing mean-spirited jokes on Lennie?
2. What detail is added to the Weed story when George confides in Slim?
3. Carlson offers a simple solution to the problem of Candy's dog's smell and feebleness: shoot it. Slim concurs, saying that the old dog only suffers. What is the significance of this scene?
4. When Carlson starts to take Candy's dog out to be shot, Slim reminds him to "take a shovel." What does he mean?
5. The discussion of Curley's wife leads Whit to invite George to come with the other men "to old Susy's place." What is "old Susy's place," and what purpose does it serve in the novel?
6. What is Candy's reaction to the gunshot and later to Carlson cleaning his gun?
7. What is the attraction for Candy with the idea of the farm and rabbits?
8. Why does Candy say that he should have shot his own dog?
9. Why is slim angry with Curley when they return to the bunk house?
10. Why does Curley attack Lennie?
CHAPTER FOUR WORKSHEET:
1. Curley's wife is lonely because she is a woman. Candy is lonely because of his age. Why is Crooks lonely?
2. Why does Lennie wander into Crooks' room?
3. Why is Crook rude to Lennie?
4. What is Crooks' initial opinion of Lennie?
5. How does Crooks taunt Lennie?
6. Why does Crooks relent in his taunting of Lennie?
7. What does Curley's wife suspect about Curley's injury?
8. What is Curley's wife's reaction to the dream of the farm with rabbits?"
9. How does the promise of the farm embolden Candy and Crooks and make them stand up for themselves?
10. Why does Crooks abandon the dream of the farm? What does Curley's wife say to him?
CHAPTER FIVE WORKSHEET:
1. What has Lennie done as the section opens?
2. What is Lennie's fear?
3. What personal information does Curley's wife reveal to Lennie in the barn?
4. To console Lennie over the death of his puppy, Curley's wife tells him that he can get another one, that "the whole country is fulla mutts." What is the significance of this line?
5. Why does Curley's wife get angry when Lennie tells her that George said he shouldn't talk to her?
6. What was Curley's wife's dream?
7. Why does Curley's wife offer to let Lennie stroke her hair?
8. Why does Curley's wife become afraid of Lennie as he's stroking her hair?
9. Why does Lennie kill Curley's wife?
10. Why does Lennie leave Curley's body in the barn, but take the puppy with him when he leaves to go to the river?
CHAPTER SIX WORKSHEET:
1. What two visions does Lennie have while waiting for George in the brush, and what do the
visions tell him?
2. Why isn’t George annoyed with Lennie?
3. While he is telling Lennie about their dream, what does George tell Lennie to do?
4. Who realizes what transpired in the brush, and what is his comment that lets us know this?
5. Why did George tell Candy to wait and tell Curley what happened to his wife?
6. Do you believe that George was justified in killing Lennie?