East of Eden, Chapter 55 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What news does Lee give Cal when Cal first comes into the Trask house?

   • The doctors have taken Adam to the hospital
   • Aron has run away and Adam is only asleep
   • Correct answer: Aron is dead and Adam has had a stroke
   • Kate has died and left the house to Aron

   Lee points Cal to the open telegram and tells him his brother is dead and his father has had a stroke.

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2. 2

   Question 2. How does Dr. Murphy describe Adam's stroke?

   • Correct answer: A leakage of blood in the brain after smaller leakages
   • A fall down the hall that fractured Adam's skull bone
   • A tumor pressing on the speech center after headaches
   • A heart attack that starved the brain of oxygen overnight

   Murphy calls it a leakage of blood in the brain and says there have been earlier smaller leakages, which Lee already knew about.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Cal confess at Adam's bedside?

   • That he burned the leftover money from the lettuce scheme
   • That he forged Adam's name on a bank withdrawal
   • That he told Abra to stay away from the Trask house
   • Correct answer: That he took Aron to Kate's and showed him their mother

   Cal says he took Aron to Kate's, showed him his mother, and is responsible for Aron's death and for Adam's sickness.

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4. 4

   Question 4. After Cal hints that he cannot go on living, what does Lee tell him to do?

   • Carry the telegram to the sheriff
   • Correct answer: Leave the house and go to Abra
   • Remain in the kitchen with the nurse
   • Write at once to Aron's officer

   Lee first calls Cal a mouse and a nasty cur, then tells him to go to Abra.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why does Abra refuse to go under the willow tree with Cal?

   • She is afraid her parents will see them from the road
   • Correct answer: She will not go in with him if he is running away
   • She still considers herself promised to Aron
   • Lee has already forbidden her to leave town

   Cal wants the tent-like willow as a hiding place from his father's eyes. Abra stops him because he is running away, then turns him back to the house.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does Lee ask Adam's lips to form, and what does Adam whisper instead?

   • Correct answer: His son's name; Adam whispers Timshel
   • A prayer for Aron; Adam whispers forgive
   • Abra's name; Adam whispers Caleb
   • The word murderer; Adam whispers no

   Lee thanks Adam for the lifted hand and asks him to form his son's name. After failed tries, Adam whispers Timshel, then sleeps.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why does Lee insist on telling Adam what Cal did, even if the telling kills him?

   • He wants Adam to disinherit Cal before dying
   • Dr. Murphy ordered a full confession for the record
   • Abra refuses to stay unless the whole truth is spoken
   • Correct answer: He chooses to speak so Cal is not left alone with guilt

   Lee says he has the choice, takes the blame as his own, and begs Adam to bless Cal rather than crush him with rejection or leave him alone with his guilt.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What is the novel's last image after Adam whispers Timshel?

   • Cal kneels and promises to join the army
   • Lee tells the room that Adam is dead
   • Correct answer: Adam's eyes close and he falls asleep
   • Cal burns the telegram in the kitchen stove

   After the whispered word seems to hang in the air, Adam's eyes close and he sleeps. The book does not narrate a death or a walk out of the house.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually occur in Chapter 55?

   • Lee had to read Adam the telegram announcing Aron's death.

     Happened

     Lee tells Cal that Adam came home tired and adds, "But I had to read him the telegram. That was his right."

   • Abra goes inside the willow tent with Cal.

     Didn't happen

     Abra stops and says, "That's not right"; she will not go in with him if he is running away, and she takes him back to his father's house.

   • The night nurse calls Lee Charley and takes soaky tarts.

     Happened

     The nurse calls Lee "Charley" and takes one tart and then another from the plate Cal set out; Lee had warned that they might be a little soaky.

   • Dr. Murphy says Adam will certainly die before morning.

     Didn't happen

     Dr. Murphy says they don't know: Adam might live for a week, a month, a year, even two years, or he might die tonight.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of these events actually occur at Adam's bedside in Chapter 55?

    • Adam's right hand lifts an inch and then falls back.

      Happened

      After Lee begs for the blessing, the whole bed seems to shake with Adam's effort, and his right hand lifts an inch and then falls back.

    • Adam speaks Cal's name clearly before he sleeps.

      Didn't happen

      Asked to make his lips form his son's name, Adam whispers "Timshel!" instead; then his eyes close and he sleeps.

    • Lee begs Adam not to crush Cal with rejection.

      Happened

      Lee tells Adam that his son is marked with guilt almost more than he can bear and pleads, "Don't crush him with rejection."

    • The nurse stays in the room while Lee asks for the blessing.

      Didn't happen

      Lee orders the nurse out of the room, Cal tells her to go and close the door, and she slams it before Lee asks for the blessing.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'shriveled' mean as used in: 'Lee was shriveled up like a leaf in the chair beside the lamp'?

    • Swollen from lack of sleep
    • Correct answer: Dried, shrunken, and withered
    • Flushed with sudden anger
    • Stiff with military posture

    Shriveled means dried and shrunken. Steinbeck compares Lee in the cold sitting room to a leaf in the chair beside the lamp.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'crucible' mean as used in: 'an angry and disgusted God poured molten fire from a crucible'?

    • Correct answer: A heat-proof vessel used to melt metal
    • A pulpit from which a sermon is given
    • A grave dug for a burned offering
    • A courtroom where a verdict is read

    A crucible is a vessel for melting substances in great heat. Lee uses it for the old idea of a God who pours fire to destroy or purify.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'haggard' mean as used in: 'Lee's face was haggard'?

    • Smooth and calm as in sleep
    • Flushed and pleased with success
    • Blank and empty of all feeling
    • Correct answer: Drawn and worn from strain

    Haggard means looking exhausted and worn. Lee's face is haggard after he has begged the blessing and watched Adam lift a hand an inch.

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