The Grapes of Wrath Chapters 1-10 quiz

Read this excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath:

Sure, cried the tenant men, but it's our land. We measured it and broke it up. We were born on it, and we got killed on it, died on it. Even if it's no good, it's still ours. That's what makes it ours—being born on it, working it, dying on it. That makes ownership, not a paper with numbers on it.

Which best describes how the diction supports the tone of this passage?

• By using a metaphor to compare ownership to a piece of paper, the author indicates that the land should really belong to the farmers.

• By beginning several sentences with "We," the author uses parallelism to express a formal and objective tone that avoids sentimentality.

• By referring to how farmers "died on" and are "dying on" the land, the author conveys sympathy toward the tenant farmers for being displaced.

• By beginning the excerpt with the word "Sure," the author articulates a fundamental truth that most reasonable people can agree with.

Read the following excerpt from an intercalary chapter in The Grapes of Wrath in which a tractor driver discusses the future:

"Times are changing, mister, don't you know? Can't make a living on the land unless you've got two, five, ten thousand acres and a tractor. Crop land isn't for little guys like us any more. You don't kick up a howl because you can't make Fords, or because you're not the telephone company. Well, crops are like that now. Nothing to do about it. You try to get three dollars a day someplace. That's the only way."

By including this intercalary chapter, what effect is Steinbeck most likely attempting to achieve?

• Providing commentary, separate from the narrative, which illustrates individual experiences during the Great Depression

• Giving readers a better understanding of the background of changes in communication and transportation at the time

• Creating a secondary narrative that runs parallel to the primary narrative but uses different characters and plot

• Breaking from the narrative flow of the novel to advance his purpose and perspective on crop rotation

Which of the following situations best illustrates the word toil?

• The spring runoff made the narrow river unusually high, whirling, and

  murky.

• Unless you have exact change, you will need a special card to drive over

  the bridge.

• We bought a new shower curtain and mat to liven up the dark, dingy

  bathroom.

• All day long, the landscapers dug holes, planted bushes, and scattered

  mulch.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

What does this passage from the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath most likely reveal about the cultural context of the story?

Maybe we can start again, in the new rich land …. We’ll start over.

• People hoped they could find a better life.

• People preferred the safety of staying put.

• People made suggestions but never acted.

• People loved embarking on new adventures.

When he goes into town, how does the narrator feel towards those he talks to?

• Grateful

• Indifferent

• Concerned

• Bitter

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Read this passage: "How'll it be not to know what land's outside your door? How if you wake up in the night and know - and know the willow trees not there? Can you live without the willow tree? Well, no, you can't. The willow tree is you."

What does the willow tree represent?

• Lost childhood dreams

• His personal history

• New opportunities in another place

• The lost love of someone in his life

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Who says, "There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue.  There's just stuff people do"?

• Tom
• Ma
• Gramma
• Casy

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

What was Jim Casy' former occupation?

• truck driver

• ditch digger

• preacher

• mayor

“The man took a deep leather pouch from his rear pocket, untried the strings, and spread it open. It was heavy with silver and greasy bills.” This line from the text infers that the man...

• Is tying to scam Mae

• Has a little more money that he said but has to save it for the trip

• Stole money from the cash register

• Saved his money to spend it all on the candy for the kids

What term was used to describe makeshift shantytowns set up by homeless people during the Great Depression?

• Okie

• Hooverville

• Vernacular

• Verisimilitude