Questions for John Steinbeck

Why does Steinbeck make the trip he reports on in Steinbeck: A Life in Letters and Travels with Charley?

• He wants to visit relatives in the West.

• He wants to try out his custom camping truck.

• He wants to learn about America’s landscapes and people firsthand.

• He is tired of living in one place and thinks it is time that he explored more.

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In the excerpt from Steinbeck: A Life in Letters, Steinbeck finds that most of the people he meets are not interested in

• his books.

• political issues.

• Charley the dog.

• hunting.

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Whom or what does Steinbeck take along on the trip that leads to Travels with Charley?

• his poodle

• his brother

• his son

• his father

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From your reading of the excerpt from Steinbeck: A Life in Letters, it is evident that Charley the dog

• is a skillful fighter.

• makes it easier for Steinbeck to meet people.

• finds it difficult to adjust to life on the road.

• is a good traveling companion.

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Which word best describes Steinbeck’s style in the following sentence from Travels with Charley?

And the night, far from being frightful, was lovely beyond thought, for the stars were close, and although there was no moon the starlight made a silver glow in the sky.

• choppy

• descriptive

• unemotional

• humorous

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In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck stops in the Bad Lands to ask about eggs. What is his real reason for stopping?

• He has not eaten all day.

• He thinks the man looks lonely.

• He wants to meet someone from there.

• Charley needs a break from driving.

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In Travels with Charley, what does Steinbeck mean when he says to Charley, “I have a strong impulse to stay, amounting to a celestial command.”

• He wants to stay in one place so that he can see shooting stars.

• He wants Charley to understand that Steinbeck, not Charley, is in charge of the trip.

• He has such a strong feeling about danger ahead that it feels like a message from heaven.

• He can tell by reading the stars that it is important that they stay where they are.

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How does Steinbeck learn about people on his journey?

• He has casual conversations with people he meets at each stop.

• He interviews people and takes notes.

• He observes people from a distance, so they will not recognize him.

• He pays attention to Charley’s reactions to the people they meet.

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Which word best describes Steinbeck’s tone in this passage from Steinbeck: A Life in Letters?

And I heard that Dag Hammarskjöld [then the secretary general of the United Nations] could easy be President. When I suggested that he was a Swede the reply was—“What of it.” I think I’ll write that to him.

• angry

• sarcastic

• humorous

• respectful

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In Travels with Charley, what is Steinbeck’s purpose in describing the chatty woman in the Bad Lands?

• to make fun of her

• to explain that she moved there recently

• to show how talkative everyone is

• to show how landscape affects people

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