The Ultimate John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" Quiz | Steinbeck, John

Answer: Small

In "Of Mice and Men" it is quite humourous that such a physically large man like Lennie has the surname Small. Indeed Carlson certainly seems to think so. On meeting George and Lennie for the first time he says "Glad to meet ya," which is followed by "He ain't very small...Ain't small at all." Considering the damage Lennie does throughout the course of the novel, crushing Curley's hand, accidentally killing his puppy and of course, killing Curley's wife, it becomes more and more apparent that he is in fact, anything but "small".

Therefore his surname, is unavoidably ironic, which seems to have been Steinbeck's intention.

Answer: Because he is black

John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" is set against the backdrop of the depression of the 1930s, a time which is virtually synonymous not only with poverty and unemployment, but also racism. As a result, Crooks is considered an outcast due to the colour of his skin.

Answer: Slim

In "Of Mice and Men", the character of Slim is one of the most respected men on the ranch. He holds the position of "jerkline skinner" and is described as "the prince of the ranch". He is authoritative and powerful and yet unlike Curley, (the boss's son), he is also fair and just.

Indeed he is presented as an almost Godlike figure, due to the way in which the rest of the ranchworkers worship him.

Answer: California

In "Of Mice and Men", during Crooks' first encounter with Lennie he confesses that he "ain't a southern negro", but was "born right here in California". His father owned a chicken ranch and the "white kids come to play" sometimes. Crooks makes a point of mentioning the fact that his "ol' man didn't like that".

He admits that he "never knew till a long time later why he didn't like that" before revealing that he knows now. He never elaborates on this ominous sentence, but the reader only has to consider Crooks' treatment on the ranch, (he is segregated, ridiculed and ignored), to imagine the story behind these particular words.

Answer: Solitaire

During the course of "Of Mice and Men", George is seen many times, playing solitaire which is a card game that he plays alone. Of course solitaire can also be played with pegs or marbles too, but in Steinbeck's novel George chooses to use a pack of cards, which he lays out "slowly and deliberately". What is interesting is that there are often others around while George is doing this, and yet the playing of this game seems to suggest that even whilst in the company of others George remains alone. One might argue that it is his way of preparing himself for the inevitable - a future alone, which is another way for Steinbeck to foreshadow Lennie's death.

Answer: big baby

Curley's wife is one of the most frequently insulted characters in Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". As the only female on the ranch she is subjected to abuse and hostility and is only ever known as "Curley's wife", or by some other derogatory label. She is never given a proper name, which is something that even Crooks is entitled to.

She is continually perceived as trouble, a temptress out to seduce the lonely ranchworkers around her. Even in death she continues to suffer. Steinbeck describes her as lying on "her back", an obvious sexual innuendo that arouses the reader's sympathy, as even in death she is mistreated.

Answer: ...guy got to sometimes.

At the very end of "Of Mice and Men", only Slim seems to understand how George is feeling. The other ranchmen seem oblivious to George's loss, and this is summed up by the ever insensitive Carlson, who ends the novel with the statement "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys."

Answer: Crooks

Midway through the novel "Of Mice and Men", while most of the ranchworkers are out for the night, Lennie innocently invades Crooks' privacy. Having realised that Lennie is not as mentally or emotionally strong as his physique suggests, he seizes the opportunity to torment him, venting his own frustrations in the process.

He bullies Lennie by targeting his worst fear, that George might leave him.

Answer: Weed

At the beginning of "Of Mice and Men" we only get small pieces of the jigsaw regarding what happened back in Weed. These fragments gradually build up during the course of the novel, until we finally learn that George and Lennie were run out of Weed after Lennie was accused of rape, after initially innocently touching a girl's dress in order to feel the material.

The story echoes the fate of Curley's wife, although the girl in Weed seems to have had a lucky escape. Once again Steinbeck uses the story itself to foreshadow the novel's ending.

Answer: It foreshadows George's decision to shoot Lennie at the end of the novel, rather than let Curley shoot Lennie "in the guts".

Poor old Candy's dog plays a significant role in Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". As Candy's faithful companion he serves as a reminder that, even after his death, parallels continue to be drawn between his relationship with Candy and the relationship of Lennie and George. They share many similarities, and the death of Candy's dog foreshadows Lennie's own death at the end of the novel. Indeed at the end of the novel, George realises that it is he who must put an end to Lennie's "suffering" rather than allow him to be tortured by Curley.