This GCSE English Literature quiz takes a look at character in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, is populated with very few characters. These are friends George and Lennie, Curley, Slim, Candy, Crooks, Carlson and Curley’s wife, with only one or two other figures being given names. George and Lennie travel for work while the remainder of the characters are more settled and are attached to the ranch. The arrival of the two friends brings disaster both to their friendship and to lives on the ranch.
George and Lennie’s unlikely friendship draws attention, highlighting the crushing loneliness felt by most of the other characters, even where that loneliness is barely acknowledged, such as by Slim. By innocently sharing his dream with Candy and with Crooks, Lennie encourages the other men on the ranch to begin to hope for a better, more companionable future.
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These hopes are irrevocably smashed by the encounter between Curley’s lonely wife and Lennie, who is incapable of controlling his own strength and whose greatest fear is disappointing George.
We understand a character through their speech, their actions, and through narratorial descriptions. Of Mice and Men has an omniscient, third-person narrator. The narrator refrains, however, from making any statements about how characters feel, instead showing characters’ emotions to the reader through describing only what can be externally observed in their speech and behaviour. This technique makes the characters appear simultaneously easy to understand and yet fundamentally mysterious and unknowable. Like the characters, the reader must slowly come to appreciate Lennie’s uniqueness and to empathise with George’s sense of responsibility and occasional frustration with his travelling companion.
Answer the questions below to see how well you understand the characters in this novel.
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1.
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In the opening chapter of the book, George asks Lenny what he has taken from his pocket. What does the reader learn about Lennie's character from the following response to George's question: "'Ain't a thing in my pocket,' Lennie said cleverly"? |
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[ ] |
Lennie is clever |
[ ] |
Lennie is calculating |
[ ] |
Lennie is dishonest |
[ ] |
Lennie is childlike |
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|
2.
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Curley is introduced as having a "pugnacious" glance. Which of the following details does NOT emphasise this description? |
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[ ] |
Curley bends his elbows and makes fists when meeting Lennie and George for the first time |
[ ] |
Curley wears high-heeled boots and a leather glove |
[ ] |
Curley crouches when first meeting Lennie and George |
[ ] |
Curley reacts with a swift and violent movement when challenged by George |
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|
3.
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Which of the following adjectives does NOT accurately describe George as he is characterised throughout the novel? |
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[ ] |
Despairing |
[ ] |
Clever |
[ ] |
Loyal |
[ ] |
Pragmatic |
|
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4.
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"His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer." What does this physical description tell the reader about Slim? |
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[ ] |
He is an exceptionally skilled worker |
[ ] |
He has worked formerly as a dancer |
[ ] |
He is a physically delicate man |
[ ] |
He likes to show off |
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5.
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Why is it significant that Curley's wife is not given a name? |
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[ ] |
Steinbeck never named his female characters |
[ ] |
It was not considered important in 1930s California for women to have names |
[ ] |
The absence of a name highlights her loss of identity after her marriage to Curley |
[ ] |
The absence of a personal name is not significant |
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6.
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Which of the following best describes Crooks? |
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[ ] |
Approachable, gentle, lonely |
[ ] |
Proud, cowardly, self-critical |
[ ] |
Cruel, cowardly, lonely |
[ ] |
Proud, resentful, lonely |
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7.
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Candy is eager to join in with Lennie and George's plan to buy land. Why? |
|
[ ] |
He is cheerful, hopeful and naive |
[ ] |
His age and disability mean that he will soon be out of work |
[ ] |
He wants revenge on Curley and the boss for their mistreatment of him |
[ ] |
He is mistrustful of daydreams and does not believe that anything will really come of the plan |
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8.
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George admits to Slim that he has not always been a good friend to Lennie. What does this episode tell the reader about George's character? |
|
[ ] |
George is just using Lennie in order to have a better chance of getting work |
[ ] |
His friendship to Lennie results merely from his faithfulness to a promise |
[ ] |
His friendship for Lennie is genuine |
[ ] |
His resentment towards Lennie outweighs his gratitude for the presence of the other man |
|
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9.
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Curley's wife tells Lennie that she could have been in the movies. Which of the following statements is true of her character? |
|
[ ] |
She has a naive trust in other people's promises |
[ ] |
Her beauty is wasted on the ranch |
[ ] |
She is the victim of an uncaring family who spoiled her chances of appearing in films |
[ ] |
She is a talented actress |
|
|
10.
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Which of the following traits gets Lennie into trouble? |
|
[ ] |
His love of touching soft things |
[ ] |
His underestimation of his own strength |
[ ] |
His fear of disappointing George |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
1.
|
In the opening chapter of the book, George asks Lenny what he has taken from his pocket. What does the reader learn about Lennie's character from the following response to George's question: "'Ain't a thing in my pocket,' Lennie said cleverly"? |
|
[ ] |
Lennie is clever |
[ ] |
Lennie is calculating |
[ ] |
Lennie is dishonest |
[x] |
Lennie is childlike |
|
|
2.
|
Curley is introduced as having a "pugnacious" glance. Which of the following details does NOT emphasise this description? |
|
[ ] |
Curley bends his elbows and makes fists when meeting Lennie and George for the first time |
[x] |
Curley wears high-heeled boots and a leather glove |
[ ] |
Curley crouches when first meeting Lennie and George |
[ ] |
Curley reacts with a swift and violent movement when challenged by George |
|
|
3.
|
Which of the following adjectives does NOT accurately describe George as he is characterised throughout the novel? |
|
[x] |
Despairing |
[ ] |
Clever |
[ ] |
Loyal |
[ ] |
Pragmatic |
|
|
4.
|
"His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer." What does this physical description tell the reader about Slim? |
|
[x] |
He is an exceptionally skilled worker |
[ ] |
He has worked formerly as a dancer |
[ ] |
He is a physically delicate man |
[ ] |
He likes to show off |
|
|
5.
|
Why is it significant that Curley's wife is not given a name? |
|
[ ] |
Steinbeck never named his female characters |
[ ] |
It was not considered important in 1930s California for women to have names |
[x] |
The absence of a name highlights her loss of identity after her marriage to Curley |
[ ] |
The absence of a personal name is not significant |
|
|
6.
|
Which of the following best describes Crooks? |
|
[ ] |
Approachable, gentle, lonely |
[ ] |
Proud, cowardly, self-critical |
[ ] |
Cruel, cowardly, lonely |
[x] |
Proud, resentful, lonely |
|
|
7.
|
Candy is eager to join in with Lennie and George's plan to buy land. Why? |
|
[ ] |
He is cheerful, hopeful and naive |
[x] |
His age and disability mean that he will soon be out of work |
[ ] |
He wants revenge on Curley and the boss for their mistreatment of him |
[ ] |
He is mistrustful of daydreams and does not believe that anything will really come of the plan |
|
|
8.
|
George admits to Slim that he has not always been a good friend to Lennie. What does this episode tell the reader about George's character? |
|
[ ] |
George is just using Lennie in order to have a better chance of getting work |
[ ] |
His friendship to Lennie results merely from his faithfulness to a promise |
[x] |
His friendship for Lennie is genuine |
[ ] |
His resentment towards Lennie outweighs his gratitude for the presence of the other man |
|
|
9.
|
Curley's wife tells Lennie that she could have been in the movies. Which of the following statements is true of her character? |
|
[x] |
She has a naive trust in other people's promises |
[ ] |
Her beauty is wasted on the ranch |
[ ] |
She is the victim of an uncaring family who spoiled her chances of appearing in films |
[ ] |
She is a talented actress |
|
|
10.
|
Which of the following traits gets Lennie into trouble? |
|
[ ] |
His love of touching soft things |
[ ] |
His underestimation of his own strength |
[ ] |
His fear of disappointing George |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|