Of Mice and Men, Chapter 3 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Who gives Lennie a puppy at the beginning of Chapter 3?

   • Candy, the aging swamper in the bunkhouse
   • George, Lennie's traveling companion and caretaker
   • Carlson, the ranch hand who complains about the dog
   • Correct answer: Slim, the respected mule driver on the ranch

   Slim gives Lennie one of his dog's newborn puppies. This gesture shows Slim's kindness and understanding of Lennie's gentle nature.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why did George and Lennie have to leave Weed?

   • George assaulted a local man with a fence picket during a violent quarrel
   • Lennie nearly drowned a man by shoving him into an irrigation ditch
   • Correct answer: Lennie grabbed a girl's dress and wouldn't let go, causing panic
   • They were fired after Lennie wore out his partner bucking barley

   In Weed, Lennie wanted to feel a girl's red dress. When she screamed, he held on out of fear. The girl then told the law that Lennie had raped her, and men from Weed set out to lynch him, so George and Lennie hid in an irrigation ditch all day and fled that night.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What reason does Carlson give for wanting to shoot Candy's dog?

   • The dog has bitten several ranch workers and is dangerous
   • Correct answer: The dog is old, blind, arthritic, suffering, and smells bad
   • The dog keeps running away and getting lost on the property
   • Carlson is allergic to dogs and cannot sleep in the bunkhouse

   Carlson argues that Candy's dog is too old and sick to enjoy life, that it stinks up the bunkhouse, and that shooting it in the back of the head would be a merciful act.

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4. 4

   Question 4. How much money does Candy offer to contribute to the dream farm?

   • Correct answer: Three hundred and fifty dollars from his life savings
   • Five hundred dollars from selling his personal property
   • One hundred dollars from his monthly ranch wages
   • Two hundred and fifty dollars he inherited from family

   Candy offers three hundred and fifty dollars, which includes compensation money he received after losing his hand in a ranch accident. This sum makes the dream farm seem suddenly achievable.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why does Curley attack Lennie in the bunkhouse?

   • Curley suspected Lennie had been alone with his wife in the barn that evening
   • Correct answer: Lennie was smiling about the dream farm, and Curley mistook it for mockery
   • Curley blamed Lennie for handling Slim's new pups too roughly in the barn
   • Lennie joined Carlson and Candy in ridiculing Curley's vaseline glove

   Curley comes back into the bunkhouse behind Slim, who has just told him off about his wife, and Carlson and Candy mock him. His eyes then land on Lennie, who is still smiling with delight at the memory of the farm George described. Curley takes the smile as laughter at him and attacks.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What excuse does Curley agree to give for his injured hand?

   • He tells people he injured it in a boxing match off the ranch
   • He says he slammed it in a door while leaving the bunkhouse
   • He says he fell off a horse during his ranch work duties
   • Correct answer: He claims he caught his hand in a piece of farm machinery

   Slim convinces Curley to say he caught his hand in a machine. Slim threatens that if Curley tells the truth, the men will spread the humiliating story of how Lennie crushed his hand.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What shameful incident does George confess to Slim about his past with Lennie?

   • He once convinced Lennie to steal food from a general store as a prank on the owner
   • He once abandoned Lennie in a strange town to see if Lennie could survive alone
   • Correct answer: He once told Lennie to jump into the Sacramento River, though Lennie couldn't swim
   • He once took Lennie's wages and gambled them away at a card game in town

   George admits he once told Lennie to jump in the river as a cruel joke. Lennie obeyed and nearly drowned. When Lennie thanked George for rescuing him instead of being angry, George was so ashamed he never mistreated Lennie again.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What is the primary role Slim plays in Chapter 3?

   • Correct answer: He serves as a moral authority, confidant to George, and mediator after the fight
   • He functions as a narrator, explaining events to the reader through dialogue
   • He serves as Curley's rival, secretly meeting Curley's wife and starting a fight
   • He acts as the antagonist, creating conflict between the ranch workers

   Slim is the person George trusts enough to confide in about his history with Lennie, and after Lennie crushes Curley's hand, Slim takes charge of the situation by convincing Curley to lie about what happened.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of the following events actually happens in Chapter 3?

   • Correct answer: Candy overhears the dream farm plan and offers his savings to join George and Lennie
   • Crooks is invited to join the dream farm plan by George during a private conversation
   • Curley's wife comes into the bunkhouse and flirts with Lennie while George is away
   • Slim fires Carlson for shooting Candy's dog without getting proper permission first

   Candy overhears George and Lennie discussing the dream farm, and grief-stricken from losing his dog, he offers his three hundred and fifty dollars in savings to join them. The other events do not occur in this chapter.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of the following events actually happens in Chapter 3?

    • Slim jumps in and physically restrains Curley to stop him from beating Lennie
    • Carlson escorts Curley outside and fights him after Curley dares him to step outside
    • George separates Curley from Lennie and punches him to interrupt the attack
    • Correct answer: Lennie crushes Curley's hand after George tells him to fight back against the attack

    Lennie does not fight back until George repeatedly shouts at him to defend himself. When Lennie finally acts, he catches Curley's fist and crushes his hand; Slim says it looks as if every bone in it is broken.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does the word 'derision' mean in the description of "voices raised in approval or derision" at the horseshoe game?

    • Uncertainty or confusion about what has just happened
    • Loud cheering or applause meant to encourage the players
    • Correct answer: Contemptuous ridicule or mockery aimed at someone or something
    • A formal ruling or judgment reached after careful thought

    Derision means scornful ridicule or mockery. The men outside cheer good throws and jeer at bad ones, so their voices swing between approval and derision.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does the word 'reprehensible' mean when George and Lennie jump "as though they had been caught doing something reprehensible"?

    • Deserving praise or reward; admirable and worth imitating
    • Correct answer: Deserving blame or disapproval; wrong, shameful, or improper
    • Liable to be caught or arrested; able to be seized
    • Showing regret or sorrow; openly sorry for a past mistake

    Reprehensible means deserving blame or disapproval. When Candy suddenly speaks up, George and Lennie jump as if caught in a shameful act, because they had been sharing their private dream of the farm.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What is a 'swamper' in the context of ranch life in the novel?

    • A traveling salesman who visits ranches selling supplies and equipment
    • A skilled horse trainer who breaks and manages the ranch's livestock
    • Correct answer: A general handyman or janitor who does menial cleaning and maintenance tasks
    • A laborer who drains marshy land and excavates irrigation ditches for crops

    A swamper is someone who does menial cleaning work. Candy serves as the ranch swamper, sweeping the bunkhouse and doing odd jobs since losing his hand in an accident.

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