Of Mice and Men
Objective Test
Multiple Choice
Choose the best answer and fill it in on your scantron sheet.
1. In which city does the story begin?
a. Sacramento
b. Salinas
c. Soeldad
d. Weed
2. In which city had George and Lennie been working before they went
to the ranch?
a. Sacramento
b. Salinas
c. Soledad
d. Weed
3. Why do George and Lennie arrive at the ranch late?
a. Lennie grabbed a girl's red dress
b. George and Lennie had to hide in an irrigation ditch
c. Murray and Ready lost he work cards
[Link] bus driver dropped them off too soon.
4. Why does George become angry with Lennie before they reach the
ranch?
a. Lennie was carrying a dead mouse
b. Lennie drank too much water at the pool
c. Lennie forgot where they were going
d. All of the above
5. When Lennie threatens to leave George, where does he say he will
go?
a. Back to his Aunt Clara's house
b. To a cave in the hills to live alone
c. Back to Weed
d. To another ranch
6. What talent does Curley have?
a. He is a skilled boxer
b. He is a great skinner
c. He is good at horse shoes
d. He is very intelligent
7. What instruction does George give Lennie in case Lennie gets into
trouble?
a. Lennie should run as far and as fast as he can
b. Lennie should hide in the irrigation ditch
c. Lennie should look for Slim
d. Lennie should run to the place where he and George slept
before reaching the ranch.
8. What handicap does Candy have?
a. He is blind
b. He is deaf
c. He has one leg
d. He has one hand
9. Why can't Crooks walk upright?
a. He was kicked in the head by a horse
b. He was kicked in the back by a horse
c. He was born with a crooked spine
d. He was hit by a train
10. Which of the following did Lennie NOT kill?
a. a rabbit
b. a mouse
c. a person
d. a puppy
11. What are George and Lennie's last names?
a. Wilson and Small
b. Wilson and Jones
c. Milton and Small
d. Milton and Jones
12. What does the boss accuse George of?
a. Beating up Lennie
b. Fighting with Curley
c. Taking Lennie's pay
d. Sleeping on the job
13. Which statement best describes the economic climate of the time
in which the story takes place?
a. Jobs are scarce and prices are high
b. Jobs are plentiful but prices are high
c. Jobs are plentiful and prices are low
d. Jobs are scarce and prices are low
14. How much money does George earn per month on the ranch?
a. $100
b. $75
c. $50
d. $25
15. How much money, in total, does Candy offer to invest in the ranch?
a. $200
b. $400
c. $350
d. $600
16. Who shot Candy's dog?
a. Candy
b. Slim
c. George
d. Carleson
17. Where did Curley meet his wife?
a. The Riverside Dance Palace
b. On the ranch
c. Susy's place
d. In Soledad
18. How did Lennie respond when Curley attacked him?
a. He immediately fought back
b. He ran to hide behind George
c. He his in the corner until George told him to fight
d. He ran out of the bunk house
19. Which man on the ranch has the most possessions?
a. Slim
b. Candy
c. Whit
d. Crooks
20. What does Curley wear on one hand?
a. a boxing glove
b. a glove filled with Vaseline
c. a work glove
d. a catcher's glove
21. When the image of a rabbit yells at Lennie, whose voice does it
speak with?
a. Lennie's
b. George's
c. Aunt Clara's
d. Curley's
22. After George shoots Lennie, where does Slim offer to take
George?
a. for a drink
b. to Susy's place
c. back to the ranch
d. to the police
23. When the boss becomes angry, at whom does he yell?
a. Lennie
b. Slim
c. Crooks
d. Candy
24. How may pups does Slim's dog give birth to? How many live?
a. 8 and 4
b. 9 and 4
c. 9 and 5
d. 8 and 5
25. When the posse begins to look for Lennie, which men have guns?
a. Slim, Carlson and Curley
b. Lennie, Carlson and Curley
c. Lennie, George and Curley
d. Carlson, Curley and George
26. Why was Slim the most respected man on the ranch?
a. He was a handy boxer who could be anybody on the ranch.
b. He knew where the men could find the best whiskey and
women in town.
c. He won every bet, offer and challenge he was offered.
d. He was a skilled skinner and natural leader.
27. What similie did George use to describe Lennie?
a. He's as “cuckoo as a clock”
b. He's “strong as a bull”
c. He's “mean like a bear”
d. He's “lazy as a cow”
28. Which line in the story foreshadows what happens to Lennie in the
end?
a. “Your Aunt Clara wouldn't like you running off by yourself,
even if she is dead.”
b. “Well – look, we're gonna work on a ranch like the one we come
from up north.”
c. “Lennie – if you just happen to get in trouble, like you always
done before, I want you to come here and hide in the brush.”
d. “Now remember Lennie – when we talk to the boss, I don't
want you to say a word.”
29. Why did Curley's wife feel lonely and suffocated by the ranch?
a. She was not allowed to have a life or identity of her own.
b. She was a “tart” who was not happy unless she was causing
trouble.
c. She had been a movie star who couldn't stand the rough,
smelly life on a ranch.
d. Curley insulted her in front of the ranchers and teased her
about her looks.
30. How did George convince the boss that he wasn't trying to trick
him or steal Lennie's money?
a. He declared that if a man couldn't look after himself then he
wasn't a man.
b. He told the truth about Lennie's condition and why he was
traveling with him.
c. He lied about his relationship with Lennie and made up a story
that explained his behavior.
d. He took the boss out into the field to watch Lennie work.
31. The main conflict that Lennie had to face in the book was...
a. remembering how to field work so that he could earn enough
money to buy his own land.
b. resisting the temptation to spend all of his money on whiskey,
women and gambling.
c. fulfilling the promise he made to Aunt Clara to take care of
George.
d. keeping himself from doing bad things so George would let
him tend the rabbits.
32. Most ranch workers were afraid of Curley because hr:
a. was a large, intimidating man
b. was the boss' son
c. had murdered a man
d. could kill a fly with a bull whip
33. The term "the fatta the lan' ", means:
a. the fatter land
b. the further land
c. the fat of the land
34. What did the farm workers play outside:
a. horseshoes
b. scrabble
c. croquet
35. When Lennie didn’t let go of the girl in Weed, she accused him of:
a. assault
b. rape
c. stealing
36. Curley accused Slim of:
a. being late for work
b. sleeping with his wife
c. shooting his dog
37. Lennie, after George told him to fight back:
a. hit Curley on the shoulder
b. crunched Curley’s hand
c. both of the above
38. What does Lennie do when he comes in to the stable and sees
Crooks :
a. stands for a while, and then goes away
b. smiles and starts chatting
c. goes straight to work
39. Why does Curley wear a Vaseline-filled glove on one hand?
a. He wants to keep his hand soft for his wife
b. His hand was mangled in a piece of farm equipment
c. He is soothing an old boxing injury
d. He is incredibly vain
40. Of Mice and Men is set in which decade?
a. 1910s
b. 1920s
c. 1930s
d. 1940s
41. What does George say to Lennie before shooting him?
a. He tells Lennie that he is a bad man and that he deserves to
die
b. He tells Lennie that he has no other choice but to shoot him
since it’s the law
c. He tells Lennie the story of their farm
d. He tells Lennie he’s sorry that he let him down
42. Who is the only man to understand the bond between Lennie and
George?
a. Crooks
b. Curley
c. Slim
d. None of the men understand their bond
43. After killing Curley’s wife, which of the following pairs does Lennie
imagine appears to chastise his behavior?
a. Aunt Clara and his mother
b. Aunt Clara and a giant rabbit
c. George and Curley
d. George and Curley’s wife
44. Disappointed with her life, Curley’s wife wonders where she would
be if she had followed her dreams and become which of the following
things?
a. A movie star
b. A schoolteacher
c. A showgirl
d. A nurse
45. Who wrote the novel Of Mice and Men?
a. George Miller
b. John Steelbaker
c. William Shakespeare
d. John Steinbeck
Identify each character by matching his characteristics to his name.
46. George a. stable buck
47. Lennie b. small, smart man
48. Crooks c. quick to fight big men
49. Candy d. old swamper
50. Curley e. child like man
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. When angry at Lennie, George describes the type of life he could
lead if he was alone. What is this life like?
2. Describe Curley's wife's dream. What type of life does she want?
3. How is Candy's dog a symbol of Candy?
4. How does Curley injure his hand? Why doesn't anyone get fired
because of the fight?
