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Historical Context Quiz

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Where was John Steinbeck born?

a)

Salinas, Mexico

b)

Stanford, California

c)

Salinas, California

2.

What university did Steinbeck graduate from?

a)

He didn't graduate

b)

Stanford University

c)

Cal State Monterey Bay

3.

Many of Steinbeck's most famous novels and short stories were written in the 1930s during America's __________.

a)

Great Drought

b)

Great Depression

c)

Great Plains

4.

Steinbeck had a strong interest in

a)

photography

b)

migrant mothers

c)

migrant workers

5.

What was the name of Steinbeck's "breakout work" (his first piece of writing that garnered attention)?

a)

Grapes of Wrath

b)

Tortilla Flat

c)

East of Eden

6.

When severe drought hit the Great Plains in 1930, many sought refuge in

a)

Texas

b)

New York

c)

California

7.

In 1936, Los Angeles Authorities blockaded the California _______.

a)

rails

b)

bridge

c)

border

8.

Steinbeck's novels showed __________ versions of the very real problems people faced in California during the 1930s.

a)

fictional

b)

non-fictional

9.

Like Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange was a

a)

Californian

b)

writer

c)

migrant worker

10.

Unlike Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange was a(n)

a)

author

b)

photographer

c)

teenage hobo

11.

The photographs of Dorothea Lange offer __________ examples of hardship.

a)

fictional

b)

non-fictional

12.

Dorothea Lange's most famous picture is called

a)

Migrant Mother

b)

Migrant Worker

c)

Riding the Rails

13.

The documentary "Riding the Rails" showed how homeless teenagers during the Great Depression traveled by __________ to find work.

a)

car

b)

metro

c)

freight train

14.

Being a homeless migrant was considered a crime.

a)

True

b)

False

15.

In an effort to send teenagers back home, the authorities were __________ on them than they were on older transients.

a)

easier

b)

tougher

16.

Young migrants were usually paid _______ than adults for the same work.

a)

less

b)

more

17.

_______ teenagers fared better than _______ teengaers.

a)

White, black

b)

Black, white

18.

For African Americans, traveling in the _______ was especially dangerous.

a)

North

b)

East

c)

West

d)

South

19.

Temporary camps set up by hobos along the outskirts of towns were known as __________.

a)

bunkhouses

b)

forests

c)

jungles

20.

What novel by John Steinbeck are we going to read as a class?

a)

Tortilla Flat

b)

Grapes of Wrath

c)

Of Mice and Men