Of Mice and Men, Chapter 5 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What is Lennie doing at the very beginning of Chapter 5?

   • Visiting Crooks in the harness room and listening to him describe his childhood
   • Correct answer: Sitting in the barn stroking a dead puppy he accidentally killed
   • Playing horseshoes outside with the other ranch workers on Sunday
   • Talking to George about their plans for the dream farm

   Chapter 5 opens with Lennie alone in the barn on Sunday afternoon, sitting with the puppy he killed while playing with it too roughly.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What dream does Curley's wife confide to Lennie during their conversation?

   • She longed to join a dance hall in town after meeting a man at the Riverside
   • She wanted to leave Curley and go back to live with her mother in Salinas
   • Correct answer: She dreamed of becoming a Hollywood movie star after a man said she was a natural
   • She hoped to save enough money to buy a little place of her own someday

   Curley's wife tells Lennie that a man once told her she was a natural for the movies and promised to write her a letter, but the letter never came.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Curley's wife initially start talking to Lennie in the barn?

   • She noticed Lennie was injured and wanted to offer medical help
   • She is looking for Curley and thinks Lennie knows where he went
   • She wants to get information about George's plans to report to Curley
   • Correct answer: She is lonely and seeking companionship while the men play horseshoes

   Curley's wife is deeply lonely and isolated on the ranch. With most of the men outside playing horseshoes, she seeks out Lennie for conversation and companionship.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What directly causes Lennie to panic and hold Curley's wife too tightly?

   • Correct answer: She jerks her head away and cries at him to let go of her hair
   • He suddenly remembers that George told him to stay away from her
   • George enters the barn and startles him during the conversation
   • Curley's wife insults him and threatens to have him fired from the ranch

   Curley's wife jerks her head sideways and cries "Let go," and Lennie's fingers close on her hair and hang on. He panics; only then does she scream, and he covers her mouth and nose.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Who is the first person to discover Curley's wife's body in the barn?

   • Curley goes searching for his wife and discovers her in the barn
   • George comes to the barn looking for Lennie after the horseshoe game
   • Slim enters the barn to check on the horses and finds her body
   • Correct answer: Candy enters the barn and finds her lying still in the hay

   Old Candy is the first to discover Curley's wife's body. He hurries out of the barn and brings George back, then simply points at her.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does George tell Candy about the dream farm after they find the body?

   • He says they need to wait a few months before making any final decisions
   • He says they should still buy it and dedicate it to Lennie's memory
   • Correct answer: He says the dream is over and he always knew they would never achieve it
   • He tells Candy to buy the farm alone while George goes to find Lennie

   George responds with quiet resignation, saying he thinks he knew from the very first that they would never get the farm. The dream dies with this admission.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What important item is discovered to be missing at the end of Chapter 5?

   • Candy's savings for the farm, which he had promised to put toward it
   • Correct answer: Carlson's Luger pistol, which Carlson finds is missing from his bag
   • George's bindle, which holds the few belongings he carries with him
   • Curley's work glove, which he keeps full of Vaseline for his wife

   When Curley calls for guns, Carlson runs out to get his Luger and comes back shouting that it is not in his bag. Curley decides Lennie took it.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Where does Lennie plan to go after killing Curley's wife?

   • Correct answer: To the brush, where he will hide until George comes, as George told him
   • To the hills above the ranch, where he can hide from Curley for good
   • To Crooks's room in the barn, where he can hide safely until nightfall
   • To the nearest town, where he can look for work on another ranch

   Lennie remembers George's order to "hide in the brush till he come," hides the puppy under his coat, and creeps out of the barn.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of the following events actually happens in Chapter 5?

   • Slim offers to help Lennie escape before the other men learn what has happened
   • Crooks joins the search party and volunteers to lead the men on the road heading south
   • Correct answer: Curley's wife tells Lennie she believes her mother stole the letter from Hollywood
   • George punches Curley in the barn after learning that his wife has been killed

   Curley's wife confides to Lennie that she suspects her mother intercepted the letter from the man who promised her a movie career, which is why she married Curley.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of the following does NOT happen in Chapter 5?

    • Curley's wife shares her dream of being in the movies
    • Correct answer: Lennie crushes Curley's hand in a fight in the bunkhouse
    • Candy discovers Curley's wife's body in the barn
    • Lennie grieves over a puppy he killed while playing with it

    Lennie crushes Curley's hand in the bunkhouse fight in Chapter 3, not Chapter 5; here Curley's hand is already in a sling. Chapter 5 does include the dead puppy, Curley's wife's movie dream, and Candy finding her body.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'consoled' mean in 'She consoled him,' when Curley's wife sees Lennie's dead puppy?

    • Concealed evidence of wrongdoing to avoid being caught or punished
    • Celebrated a small victory in order to distract from a larger problem
    • Criticized or scolded oneself harshly for making a careless mistake
    • Correct answer: Comforted someone during a time of grief, disappointment, or distress

    'Consoled' means comforted someone during grief or disappointment. Curley's wife consoles Lennie by telling him the puppy "was jus’ a mutt" and he can get another one easy.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'complacently' mean when Curley's wife says that some people have coarse hair?

    • Correct answer: In a smug, self-satisfied way, pleased with oneself and one's qualities
    • In a hesitant, uncertain manner, unsure whether to continue speaking
    • In an obliging, accommodating manner, eager to satisfy other people
    • In a bitter, resentful manner, irritated by unfair treatment by others

    'Complacently' means in a smug, self-satisfied way. Curley's wife sounds pleased with herself as she contrasts Curley's hair, "jus’ like wire," with her own soft, fine hair.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'sulkily' mean when Candy asks George whether the plan for the farm is all off?

    • In a cheerful, optimistic manner, expecting everything to improve
    • In a stubborn, inflexible manner, refusing to reconsider a decision
    • In a smooth, soothing manner, speaking gently to calm another person
    • Correct answer: In a gloomy, resentful manner, showing one's hurt and disappointment

    'Sulkily' means in a gloomy, resentful way that shows hurt or disappointment. Candy asks sulkily because he already knows George's answer: the dream of the little place is over.

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