English 2
Summer Reading
Of Mice and Men
Assignment #1 = Study guide questions DUE the first day of school
Assignment #2 = Journal writing responses DUE the first day of school
Assignment #3 = Quiz the first week of school
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When you return to RBCHS in August, you’ll be tested on the book.
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Do your own work!
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Make sure you are working on this throughout the summer. Don’t finish everything right away,
and don’t wait until the last second to start either. Balance your work throughout the summer.
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Put the book and this packet in a safe place where it will not be lost.
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Read everything carefully (both the book and the questions/journal topics).
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If you have any questions, feel free to contact any of the English 2 teachers at:
o
[email protected]
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[email protected]
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[email protected]
Assignment #1
Of Mice and Men
Summer Reading Questions
Name:________________________
Chapter 1
1.) What is George like (based on how he looks, what he says, how he acts)? What is Lennie like
(based on how he looks, what he says, how he acts)?
2.) Where are George and Lennie going? Where have they come from? Why are they camping
out?
3.) What does Lennie have in his pocket? Why? Why do you suppose George won’t let him keep
it? How did George know that Lennie went to look for it? Why do you suppose Lennie always
killed the mice Aunt Clara gave him?
4.) What does George coach Lennie to do if there is trouble? Why?
5.) Prediction: How will Lennie and George be treated on their new job? Will they ever get the
place George tells Lennie about?
Chapter 2
1.) What is the boss like? Why doesn’t Lennie answer him? How does the boss feel about Lennie’s
mental slowness?
2.) Why is Curley’s wife “suddenly apprehensive” when she finds out he has gone into the house?
What do George and Lennie think of her? Why does Lennie mention “defensively” that she is
pretty?
3.) Who is Slim? What is he like? How is he different from the others? How does he treat George
and Lennie? How is his opinion of their friendship different from Curley’s opinion?
4.) Curley’s “eyes flashed over George, took in his height, measure his reach, looked at his trim
middle.” What is Curley thinking? Why do you suppose he is so pugnacious?
5.) Prediction: Will George tangle with Curley? Will Candy shoot his dog? (Why or why not for
both).
Chapter 3
1.) Why does Slim call Lennie a cuckoo? Why does George correct him? How does Slim feel about
the friendship between George and Lennie?
2.) Where does Lennie get the pup? How does George know that Lennie has brought the pup into
the bunkhouse? Why doesn’t he let the puppy stay?
3.) Why do you think Candy allowed Carlson to kill his dogg? Should he have done it himself – or
refused to have it done?
4.) How does Lennie end up hurting Curley? Was George giving good advice when he told Lennie to
fight back? Is Curley’s wife to blame for the fight?
5.) Prediction: Will Curley get revenge? Will Lennie take good care of the pup? Is Curley’s wife “jail
bait”?
Chapter 4
1.) Why does Crooks tell Lennie so much about himself? Do you agree with him that “a guy gets
too lonely an’ he gets sick”? What do you learn about Crooks’ past?
2.) How does Crooks scare Lennie with his talk? Why? How does he apologize? Why? Is he afraid
of Lennie? Does he regret frightening Lennie?
3.) Why does Candy come into Crooks’ room? How can you tell that Crooks is pleased? Why is he
pleased to have visitors?
4.) Why does Curley’s wife insult Candy, Lennie, and Crooks? How does Crooks stand up to her at
first? How does he back down – and why? For which, if any, of these people do you feel sorry?
Why?
5.) Prediction: What kind of trouble will Curley’s “jail bait” wife cause?
Chapter 5
1.) What happens to Lennie’s puppy? How does Lennie feel about it?
2.) Why does Curley’s wife talk to Lennie in the barn? How is the conversation similar to when
Crooks talked to him?
3.) What do we learn about Curley’s wife’s background in this chapter? How do you imagine the
scene where Curley and his wife first met?
4.) Why does Curley’s wife let Lennie pat her hair? Why does she end up screaming? How is this
like what happened to Lennie before?
5.) Prediction: What will happen as a result of this incident?
Chapter 6
1.) How is the setting at the opening of this final chapter like that of the first scene in the story? In
what ways has the story come full circle? How is a killing introduced into this placid opening?
How is the description of the snake’s death like the description of Lennie’s violence against
Curley and his wife?
2.) How is George’s mood when he finds Lennie? Why doesn’t he yell at Lennie at first? Why does
he go ahead with his usual complaints about Lennie – but “woodenly”?
3.) How does George distract Lennie while he takes out the gun? Why does George do it? Do you
think he is doing the right thing? How are Lennie and Candy’s dog paralleled in this chapter?
4.) How does George lie about the circumstances with Lennie? What would happen if he told the
truth – or if the search party had seen what happened? Do you think Slim should tell the
others?
5.) Prediction: How do you suppose George gets along without Lennie? Does George ever get the
place he has talked about?
Assignment #2
Of Mice and Men
Journal Writing
Please write/type a response for each of the three sections listed below. Each section correlates with
two of the chapters from the book. With each section, you’ll see that you have multiple options to
choose from; choose one option from each section. Each response should be a minimum of 200 words.
In the end, you should have three total responses ready to submit when you return in August.
Section 1 (Chapters 1 & 2):
1.) Describe and discuss the relationship between George and Lennie. What is it like?
2.) Discuss Lennie’s character. How is Lennie compared to different animals and what might
Steinbeck be trying to suggest through these comparisons? Give specific examples.
3.) What is George and Lennie’s shared dream? What is its significance to their future? (why is it
so important?)
Section 2 (Chapters 3 & 4):
1.) How is the theme of loneliness shown in this story so far? Give specific examples.
2.) How is the theme of violence shown in this story so far? Give specific examples.
3.) How is the theme of discrimination (any type) shown in this story so far? Give specific examples.
Section 3 (Chapters 5 & 6):
1.) Who is your favorite character in this book? Explain your selection in detail.
2.) If you could “vote” one of the characters off the ranch, who would it be, and why? Explain.
3.) What will you remember the longest about this story? Did you find anything humorous in the
story? Which part was the saddest? The most surprising? The most thought-provoking?