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from The Grapes of Wrath

Total questions: 13

Worksheet time: 3hrs 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

In the excerpt, what are the characters selling? Choose TWO options.

a)

horses they hope to get cash for

b)

assistance for people moving away

c)

extra food they have in their pantry

d)

the house they no longer plan to live in

e)

belongings they cannot carry on their journey

2.

In the excerpt, how does the narrator mainly feel toward those he interacts with in town?

a)

grateful

b)

bitter

c)

satisfied

d)

indifferent

3.

According to the excerpt, where is the narrator planning to travel?

a)

the St. Louis Fair

b)

the East Coast

c)

his hometown

d)

California

4.

In the excerpt, why do the characters decide to move away?

a)

They want to live closer to their extended family.

b)

They heard rumors that a destructive storm is approaching.

c)

They can no longer survive on their dry farmlands.

d)

They want to start a business somewhere new.

5.

What do the characters in the excerpt do with the belongings that they cannot sell or take with them?

a)

drop them by the road

b)

leave them for others

c)

burn them

d)

give them away

6.

Which of these people would most likely be described as "ruthless"?

a)

a dictator who treats his subject cruelly

b)

a teacher who knows little about instruction

c)

a politician who raises money for a campaign

d)

an employer who always encourages her workers

7.

Which of the following situations best illustrates the word "toil"?

a)

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

b)

Unless you have exact change, you will need a special card to drive over the bridge.

c)

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

d)

All day long, landscapers dug holes, planted bushes, and scattered mulch.

8.

If a woman digs through her purse "frantically," which of the following is most likely true?

a)

She behaves in a way meant to amuse her companions.

b)

She suggests that the purse does not really belong to her.

c)

She panics when she does not find what she seeks.

d)

She searches for her belongings in a slow, careful way.

9.

When the narrator of the selection from The Grapes of Wrath says, "You're not buying only junk, you're buying junked lives," what does he mean?

a)

Those who buy others' junk have little meaning in their lives.

b)

Only people with bad taste would accumulate and sell such rubbish.

c)

The value of junk is only clear to those who learn to appreciate it.

d)

The people who owned the junk have lives that now seem worthless.

10.

In the excerpt, what does the narrator think will happen to the characters who buy his belongings?

a)

They will regret their cheapness.

b)

They will suffer a similar fate.

c)

They will never use what they buy.

d)

They will have better luck in life.

11.

What theme is suggested by this passage from the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath? To California or any place--every one a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness.

a)

Bitterness is never the answer to one's troubles.

b)

Everybody carries personal pain throughout life.

c)

We can escape bitterness if we go to new places.

d)

People need to rise above their petty problems.

12.

What is the meaning of the suffix -less in the capitalized word? The worker turned an EXPRESSIONLESS face to us; he showed no reaction at all.

a)

able to be

b)

starting up

c)

not having

d)

seeming to

13.

The base word "speech" refers to talking. Using this information as well as your knowledge of the suffix -less, to select the correct definition of "speechless."

a)

unable to talk

b)

starting to talk

c)

trying to talk

d)

able to talk