Grapes of Wrath Chapters 21-25

Why did Mr. Thomas lower the wages from thirty cents to twenty five cents per hour?

• He was greedy and wanted more profit.

• He thought it would be more helpful to the workers to employ more men and pay them less.

• The Farmers' Association and banks set the wages and forced the little farmers to comply with their wage scale.

• He really wanted them to quit, because he knew where he could get workers for even less money.

What tip did Mr. Thomas give Timothy?

• He told Timothy that starting the next week, only men between the ages of twenty-one and forty were going to be allowed to work

• He told Timothy that the Association was planning to send in people to start a fight at the government camp on Saturday night so that the police would have an excuse to come in and harass the people.

• He told Timothy that he had a friend farther north who was going to harvest a big crop in two weeks. He offered to call his friend and recommend them for jobs.

• He said the townspeople were trying to find a way to poison the running water at the camp to drive the residents away

Who are Timothy and Wilkie Wallace?

• Farmers who hire Tom to work picking peaches

• Father and son from the government camp who help Tom get a job with them

• Brothers who work as caretakers for the government camp

(Chapter 22) What sets Tom apart from the rest of the men in the family?

• He manages to find a job

• He's the only one without a love interest

• He's left the family

What does Steinbeck show us in Chapter 23?

• He shows us how the small farmers were really caught, too, and were not to blame.

• He shows us that we all are victims in some way or another.

• He shows that the migrants are people, too, just trying to make the best of each day and find a little pleasure in difficult times.

• He shows that nature does not favor one group of people over the other.

(Chapter 24) How did the camp "guards" ruin the Association's plot to invade the government camp?

• They didn't let anyone from outside in. They said there was an outbreak of the flu, and it was best for the visitors to stay out.

• They found the people who had been sent to start the fight. When it started, a large group of men from the camp surrounded the troublemakers and escorted them out of the camp.

• They cancelled the dance.

• They told the government supervisor, who called on the National Guard to come

  and protect the camp.

What moral crime was committed in Chapter 25?

• The children of the migrants were made to work, and were not permitted to attend the local schools.

• The state let in too many people and caused its own problems.

• Tons and tons of fruit were left to rot even though thousands of people were starving.

• Anyone who became too sick to work was killed.

According to Tom, what is a "red"?

• any son-of-a-bitch that wants thirty cents-an-hour when they're paying twenty-five

• a staunch believer in the economic theory of Karl Marx

• a spy from the Soviet Union

What social faux pas does Ma commit at the camp?

• She washes laundry in the drinking water

• She butchers a chicken in the middle of camp

• She uses the men's bathroom