English I—Summer Reading Study Guide for Incoming Freshmen
Congratulations on your acceptance into Notre Dame High School! It’s exciting to welcome you and your family into the Notre Dame
community. As always, be sure you read and follow these instructions carefully.
At Notre Dame, part of the English department’s curriculum is to assign summer reading for every student. And please take note
that you’re going to be quizzed on your reading assignment on the second day of school, which means that Blue day classes
will be quizzed on Monday August 21st and Gold day classes will be quizzed on Tuesday August 22 nd. The quiz will consist of
30 reading comprehension questions.
In addition, during the first three weeks of school you and your English I teacher will be discussing and analyzing the novels you have
read. This summer’s novels are John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and George Orwell’s Animal Farm. In order to help your
understanding of these works and to help you prepare for your quiz, we have prepared some study guide questions for you.
Directions: Choose and answer any three questions for Of Mice and Men and any three questions for Animal Farm. This
means that you need to have a written response for at least six questions total. Your answers should be written in complete
sentences, and be sure that they are thorough and insightful. Please expand upon your answers and provide specific examples to
show your ideas in action. Please note: each response needs to have at least one quote from the novel in order to support
your answers and show your ideas in action.
BRING YOUR RESPONSES TO THESE QUESTIONS ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. A written response isn’t
required for the questions you do not choose to do, but you should use them as a way to review the novels’ plots, conflicts, major
events, and characters. Annotating isn’t required, although it’s highly recommended. We hope you enjoy your summer, and we’re
excited to see you this upcoming August!!
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
1. After reading chapter one, identify some of George and Lennie’s traits. How would you describe the relationship/friendship they
have together?
2.
What’s Candy’s character like? Describe him and provide some of his important traits. How is the novel impacted when he joins
George and Lennie’s dream?
3.
How is Slim characterized? What’s the importance of his role in the novel? Provide a specific example that shows his
significance.
4.
What’s Curley’s character like? Why doesn’t he like Lennie? What’s Curley’s wife like? How does she create tension in the
story?
5.
Steinbeck gives Crooks’ character much development in chapter four. What’s Crooks’ most evident character trait? Provide
evidence of this trait with a specific example or a quote. What does Crooks open up to Lennie about? What’s the main
message/theme of this scene chapter?
6.
What are the main events of chapter six? How are these events foreshadowed earlier in the novel?
Animal Farm by George Orwell
7. In chapter one, Old Major gathers the animals and speaks of the hardships they’re facing. Sum up the difficulties he addresses.
What’s the major cause of the animals’ problems?
8.
How are Snowball and Napoleon described and characterized? Briefly discuss the relationship between these two characters and
show the conflict that’s developed between them.
9.
What happens to the Seven Commandments over the course of the novel? What’s the overall importance of this?
10. Briefly summarize what happens at the Battle of Cowshed? What’s Snowball’s part in this battle? How do the events of the
Battle of Cowshed change over the course of the novel? What’s the importance of these changes?
11. What changes does Napoleon make after he has his dogs chase Snowball off of the farm? Focus attention on the construction of
the windmill and summarize its role in the novel. In what ways does Napoleon become a tyrant as the novel progresses?
12. Describe Boxer’s character. What are his important traits? What eventually happens to him and why do the other animals allow
this?
13. What has happened to the pigs’ appearance at the end of the novel? How might this be symbolic? What’s ironic about this?