Chapter 2 OF MICE AND MEN

Reread the first paragraph of Chapter 2. What do the details the author provides reveal about the men who are staying in the bunkhouse? Choose all three correct responses.

THE bunk house was a long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted. In three walls there were small, square windows, and in the fourth, a solid door with a wooden larch. Against the walls were eight bunks, five of them made up with blankets and the other three showing their burlap ticking. Over each bunk there was nailed an apple box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves for the personal belongings of the occupant of the bunk. And these shelves were loaded with little articles soap and talcum powder, razors and those Western magazines ranch men love to read and scoff at and secretly believe. And there were medicines on the shelves, and little vials, combs; and from nails on the box sides, a few neckties. Near one wall there was a black cast-iron stove, its stovepipe going straight up through the ceiling. In the middle of the room stood a big square table littered with playing cards, and around it were grouped boxes for the players to sit on.

• The men were temporary workers, likely and able to leave whenever they chose.

• The men were impoverished and had very little of value.

• The men felt valued by the boss who tried to provide a nice bunkhouse for them.

• The men were happy to be on the ranch.

• The men were accustomed to living without much comfort or privacy.

What does the boss's treatment of Crooks, the stable buck, reveal about him?

• He treats all his men fairly.

• He treats all his men fairly.

• He is a short man with an anger-control problem.

• He is a racist with an anger-control problem.

When the boss is questioning George about his relationship with Lennie, he responds:

"He’s my.... cousin. I told his old lady I’d take care of him. He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid, He’s awright. Just ain’t bright. But he can do anything you tell him."

What is the purpose of the history George invents for himself and Lennie?

• George is just trying to explain what happened to Lennie and why they travel together.

• George is trying to conceal the fact that he is not related to Lennie and, in fact, takes advantage of him because he isn't very smart.

• George is trying to conceal the truth about Lennie's condition while also providing a story about their relationship that will satisfy the boss.

• George is trying to inspire sympathy for Lennie from the boss and also explain why he feels an obligation to care for Lennie.

Which two of the following quotes BEST support the idea that Lennie will be targeted by Curley?

• "S'pose Curley jumps a big guy an’ licks him. Ever’body says what a game guy Curley is. And s’pose he does the same thing and gets licked. Then ever’body says the big guy oughtta pick somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy. Never did seem right to me. Seems like Curley ain’t givin’ nobody a chance."

• "I seen her give Slim the eye. Slim's a jerkline skinner. Hell of a nice fella. Slim don't need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain team. I seen her give Slim the eye."

• "Don’t tell Curley I said none of this. He’d slough me. He just don’t give a damn. Won’t ever get canned ’cause his old man’s the boss."

• "Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys."

• "He got married a couple of weeks ago. Wife lives over in the boss’s house. Seems like CurIey is cockier’n ever since he got married."

Read the following excerpt from the Chapter 2:

"Seems to me like he’s worse lately," said the swamper. "He got married a couple of weeks ago. Wife lives over in the boss’s house. Seems like CurIey is cockier’n ever since he got married."

George grunted, "Maybe he’s showin’ off for his wife."

The swamper warmed to his gossip. "You seen that glove on his left hand?"

"Yeah. I seen it."

"Well, that glove’s fulla vaseline."

"Vaseline? What the hell for?"

"Well, I tell ya what - Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife."

George studied the cards absorbedly. "That’s a dirty thing to tell around," he said.

The old man was reassured. He had drawn a derogatory

statement from George. He felt safe now, and be spoke more confidently. "Wait'll you see Curley's wife."

Why did the old man (Candy) feel reassured by George's "derogatory statement"?

• Candy was trying to get George to say something bad about Curley so he could go tell Curley and get on his good side.

• Candy felt comfortable sharing his gossip once he knew that he and George shared a similar opinion of Curley.

• Candy feels he knows George better now and will be more guarded around him.

• Candy feels that he and George are going to become close friends because they see eye-to-eye.

What warning does George give to Lennie? What instruction does he repeat?

• George warns Lennie to keep an eye out for bed bugs and lice; George tells Lennie to make up his bed properly.

• George warns Lennie about talking too much to strangers; George reminds Lennie that he is to head back to the river and hide in the brush if he gets into trouble.

• George warns Lennie to stay away from Curley; George reminds Lennie that he is to head back to the river and hide in the brush if he gets into trouble.

• George warns Lennie to stay away from Curley's wife; George reminds Lennie that they are going to get rabbits soon so he needs to follow instructions.

After Curley's wife appears in the bunkhouse, prompting George to tell Lennie to stay away from her, Lennie cries, "I don’t like this place, George. This ain’t no good place. I wanna get outta here.”

This dialogue from the novel best represents which of the following literary devices?

• foreshadowing

• flashback

• characterization

• dialect

• ambiguity

How can the fate of Slim's puppies be seen as a metaphor for life as a migrant worker?

• Migrant workers have to make tough sacrifices and decisions just to survive on their meager resources.

• Migrant workers are cruel and will not hesitate to harm animals if they need resources.

• Migrants are values and the best ones are treated very well by ranch bosses.

• Migrants are no better than animals and frequently abandon their children and families when times get tough.

Read the following excerpt from the author's description of Slim in Chapter 2?

"There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. His hatchet face was ageless. He might have been thirty-five or fifty. His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer."

Which of the following BEST identifies the purpose of the author's characterization of Slim?

• Slim is meant to represent goodness and fair judgment.

• Slim is meant to represent the perfect ranch hand, to serve as a model for the other men.

• Slim is meant to represent royalty, rising above all the other men.

• Slim is meant to represent the kind of man that Curley's wife would be attracted to.

Which of the following is an accurate description of Candy's dog?

• The dog is a shepherd, likely the father of Slim's dog's puppies.

• The dog just had nine puppies, four of whom were drowned by Slim.

• The dog is old but still a very good sheepdog.

• The dog is very old and smelly, mostly blind and without teeth.