This GCSE English Literature quiz will challenge you on context in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.
Context means the environment in which a text is written. This makes context in many ways very similar to setting. You might like to think of context as the author’s setting. Social issues, geographical location and political events together create the context of any particular text. Sometime issues and events from the author’s recent past have as much effect on a text as those which occurred nearer to the time of writing. Context also includes any personal beliefs of the author which help to shape the work.
How to write about context
Understanding the context of a fictional work is important because of the effects which this has on the meaning of text. The relationship between text and context is not always straightforward, however.
[readmore]
History itself is complex and does not dictate the meaning of any text. Instead, the context of a work is mediated through the mind and aims of the author. In Of Mice and Men, for example, Steinbeck aimed not to address recent labour unrest directly, as he would in other works of fiction, instead attempting to create an almost timeless vision of human solitude.
Researching a work’s context will help you to develop a deeper understanding. What was happening at the time the text was written? Understanding context can help you better understand the meaning of the text or of the issues it raises. Pay especially close attention to the text when writing about context. What does the text itself say about history, about politics, or about social issues? Compare your knowledge of historical context to whatever the text says about these issues.
Remember, however, that any work of art exists beyond its context and good texts continue creating meaning long after the time when they are written.
Remember to distinguish between the setting of the text and its context. Even a novel such as Of Mice and Men, which is set in a time and place very close to that when it was written, will be affected by the difference between setting and context.
Research the context of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, remembering everything you have learned in English lessons, and try these questions to see how much you know.
[/readmore]
1.
|
When was Of Mice and Men first published? |
|
[ ] |
1927 |
[ ] |
1937 |
[ ] |
1947 |
[ ] |
1957 |
|
|
2.
|
Where was John Steinbeck born? |
|
[ ] |
New York |
[ ] |
Oklahoma |
[ ] |
California |
[ ] |
Mississippi |
|
|
3.
|
What are itinerant labourers? |
|
[ ] |
Workers who have several part-time jobs at the same time |
[ ] |
Illegal immigrants |
[ ] |
Self-employed workers |
[ ] |
Workers who must move from one job to another |
|
|
4.
|
George and Lennie carry their "bindles" with them. What is a "bindle"? |
|
[ ] |
A sack or bundle |
[ ] |
A suitcase |
[ ] |
A box |
[ ] |
A trunk |
|
|
5.
|
What does the bindle signify? |
|
[ ] |
Poverty |
[ ] |
Homelessness |
[ ] |
Frequent unemployment |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
6.
|
What effect did the "Dust Bowl" have on 1930s California? |
|
[ ] |
California's rich agricultural land was slowly eroded and impoverished during the long drought |
[ ] |
A severe drought in California led to a shortage of agricultural labour in the state |
[ ] |
A severe drought in the southwest caused an influx of migrants into the state |
[ ] |
The Dust Bowl had no effect on California; its effects were confined to Oklahoma |
|
|
7.
|
What event took place on 29th October 1929? |
|
[ ] |
The sinking of the Lusitania |
[ ] |
The bombing of Pearl Harbour |
[ ] |
The assassination of William McKinley |
[ ] |
The Wall Street Crash |
|
|
8.
|
In the novel, California's rich and productive agricultural land provides a stark contrast with which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
The impoverishment of the owners of the land |
[ ] |
The impoverished lives and circumstances of those who work the land |
[ ] |
The impoverishment of the bosses |
[ ] |
The impoverishment of those working in factories and other industries |
|
|
9.
|
Who is the victim of the racist attitudes prevalent in the United States at the time the novel was written? |
|
[ ] |
Crooks |
[ ] |
Candy |
[ ] |
Curley's wife |
[ ] |
Lennie |
|
|
10.
|
The title of the novel is taken from a poem by Robert Burns which includes these lines: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang oft a-gley." How are these lines relevant to the novel? |
|
[ ] |
When their dream seems finally within reach, everything falls apart for Lennie and George |
[ ] |
Lennie and George do not plan well, unlike the "mice and men" of Burns's poem |
[ ] |
If Lennie and George had been better workers, they would already have bought their own land |
[ ] |
If Lennie and George had been more careful with their money, they would already have bought their own land |
|
|
1.
|
When was Of Mice and Men first published? |
|
[ ] |
1927 |
[x] |
1937 |
[ ] |
1947 |
[ ] |
1957 |
|
|
2.
|
Where was John Steinbeck born? |
|
[ ] |
New York |
[ ] |
Oklahoma |
[x] |
California |
[ ] |
Mississippi |
|
|
3.
|
What are itinerant labourers? |
|
[ ] |
Workers who have several part-time jobs at the same time |
[ ] |
Illegal immigrants |
[ ] |
Self-employed workers |
[x] |
Workers who must move from one job to another |
|
|
4.
|
George and Lennie carry their "bindles" with them. What is a "bindle"? |
|
[x] |
A sack or bundle |
[ ] |
A suitcase |
[ ] |
A box |
[ ] |
A trunk |
|
|
5.
|
What does the bindle signify? |
|
[ ] |
Poverty |
[ ] |
Homelessness |
[ ] |
Frequent unemployment |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|
6.
|
What effect did the "Dust Bowl" have on 1930s California? |
|
[ ] |
California's rich agricultural land was slowly eroded and impoverished during the long drought |
[ ] |
A severe drought in California led to a shortage of agricultural labour in the state |
[x] |
A severe drought in the southwest caused an influx of migrants into the state |
[ ] |
The Dust Bowl had no effect on California; its effects were confined to Oklahoma |
|
|
7.
|
What event took place on 29th October 1929? |
|
[ ] |
The sinking of the Lusitania |
[ ] |
The bombing of Pearl Harbour |
[ ] |
The assassination of William McKinley |
[x] |
The Wall Street Crash |
|
|
8.
|
In the novel, California's rich and productive agricultural land provides a stark contrast with which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
The impoverishment of the owners of the land |
[x] |
The impoverished lives and circumstances of those who work the land |
[ ] |
The impoverishment of the bosses |
[ ] |
The impoverishment of those working in factories and other industries |
|
|
9.
|
Who is the victim of the racist attitudes prevalent in the United States at the time the novel was written? |
|
[x] |
Crooks |
[ ] |
Candy |
[ ] |
Curley's wife |
[ ] |
Lennie |
|
|
10.
|
The title of the novel is taken from a poem by Robert Burns which includes these lines: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang oft a-gley." How are these lines relevant to the novel? |
|
[x] |
When their dream seems finally within reach, everything falls apart for Lennie and George |
[ ] |
Lennie and George do not plan well, unlike the "mice and men" of Burns's poem |
[ ] |
If Lennie and George had been better workers, they would already have bought their own land |
[ ] |
If Lennie and George had been more careful with their money, they would already have bought their own land |
|
|