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The "mottled" sycamores reappear in the final chapter.
Of Mice and Men - Language
This GCSE English Literature quiz takes a look at language in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men as a novelette, or what he described as a “playable novel”. The text is tightly structured as a series of scenes; dialogue forms a significant proportion of most of these scenes. The language of narration is clear and precise while characters speak in an honest and unsophisticated dialect dictated by geography, class and other social circumstances.
Beyond dialogue, the language choices in Of Mice and Men tell us subtly about what characters are thinking and feeling. Steinbeck does this not through telling us directly, but through careful depictions of scenes and of characters’ physical actions and responses while they interact with one another.
1 .
"Well, s'pose, jus' s'pose he don't come back. What'll you do then?" - Crooks. This dialogue is an example of which of the following?
Speaking in dialect
Delivering a soliloquy
Speaking in Standard English
Delivering a monologue
Each of the characters in Of Mice and Men speaks in dialect
2 .
When he first moves into the bunkhouse, George is suspicious of its cleanliness. He demands to know why the previous inhabitant had "greybacks". What are "greybacks"?
Mice
Rats
Cockroaches
Lice
Candy claims that the previous inhabitant was overly-scrupulous and that's the reason he had a tin of insecticide on the shelf
3 .
In the opening paragraph, the sycamores by the pond are described as having "mottled, white recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool". What effect is created by this description?
It foreshadows later events which take place in Crooks's room
It foreshadows later events which take place in the bunkhouse
It emphasises the restful atmosphere of the setting
It creates a light, cheerful mood
"Recumbent" means "lying down", an image reinforced by the arching branches
4 .
The "mottled" sycamores reappear in the final chapter. Why is this appropriate?
The description is naturalistic and has no other significance
The two descriptions emphasise the passing of a significant amount of time
The whiteness and the mottling are reminiscent of death and decay
Steinbeck wanted his two descriptions of the pool to be identical
Death and decay are present in the grove all along. This becomes apparent in the final scene when the heron waits to devour unsuspecting little snakes and Lennie harbours no suspicion of George's intentions
5 .
"Lennie covered his face with his huge paws and bleated with terror." Which of the following words most strikingly convey Lennie's character and appearance?
Covered, bleated
Face, huge
Face, terror
Paws, bleated
Lennie is frequently described as having the characteristics of an animal. Bleating is the sound that lambs make, especially when they are looking for their mothers, and the use of the word highlights Lennie's innocence
6 .
What do Lennie and George mean when they refer to living "on the fatta the lan'"?
They intend to lease land to others and live as landlords
They intend to benefit fully from the abundant hunting and harvest of their own land
They intend to relax and let other people look after them
They intend to raise geese and pigs and other animals which produce copious fat
The phrase envisages an abundant, rich land which requires minimal work to produce a sufficiency of food. Its origin is Biblical (Genesis 45:18) and has traditionally been used to conjure an image of plenty
7 .
"The bunkhouse 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 latch." Which of the following best describes the use of language in these lines?
Mythical, convoluted, opaque
Fantastical, complex, dark
Complex, opaque, metaphorical
Simple, straightforward, naturalistic
The narration is clear, naturalistic and simply-expressed. This is in tune with the subject matter, the setting and the ordinary characters and, as a result, powerfully conveys the drama of their lives
8 .
Curley's wife has hair arranged in "tiny little sausage" curls. What is the effect of this image?
It reminds the reader that she puts effort into her appearance and wants to look attractive to men
It creates the impression that her attractiveness is bound to the physical, rather than to her character
The description is slightly ridiculous, as the character herself can sometimes be
All of the above
The curls take on an almost halo-like appearance when she lies dead in the hay, with her curls spread around her head. In death, she loses the ugliness of her usual schemes, instead seeming like a lost, innocent child
9 .
After George praises Lennie to the boss, the boss asks him suspiciously, "Say — what you sellin'?" What does he mean by "selling"?
The boss implies that George has a personal interest in persuading him to hire Lennie
He believes that Lennie might be bullying George
He is admiring George's skills as an advertiser
He implies that George is engaging in illicit sales of some sort
He asks George if he is stealing Lennie's wages because the idea of friendship between the two men seems so unlikely to him
10 .
"Crooks scowled, but Lennie's disarming smile defeated him." What is meant by "disarming"?
Lennie's smile is very disturbing to the other man
Crooks is nervous of Lennie because of his smile
Lennie's smile is like a scowl
Lennie's smile defeats Crooks's scowl
Crooks's scowl is meant to be off-putting to Lennie, but the other man's smile metaphorically dis-arms Crooks
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