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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What fib does Doc make up about his walking trip?

2. Who leaves La Ida's in the company of girls?

3. What change do the people of Monterey feel?

4. Why does Doc have to treat the people who come down with the illness?

5. How does Doc view Mack?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mack perceive Doc?

2. Which character seems to assimilate the combined woes of everyone in Cannery Row?

3. Describe Mary Talbot.

4. What does Steinbeck believe about truth which is explained by Doc's walking trip during college?

5. How do Mack and the boys react to ruining Doc's party?

6. How does Mack extract the date of Doc's birthday?

7. What impact have Mack and the boys had on the captain?

8. How does Doc respond to Mack's request to know Doc's birth date?

9. How does Steinbeck show that Doc is one with nature?

10. What are some of the morning rituals on Cannery Row?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Steinbeck mentions "the hour of the pearl" several times in the novel. How else could he have described this fleeting time in the mornings? What name would you give to the California sunsets? What is the significance of "the hour of the pearl" in relation to Doc?

Essay Topic 2

Although the residents of Cannery Row live on the fringe of acceptable society, they take care of each other. What is the bond between the residents of Cannery Row that makes them want to help each other even when others won't? Is there a common denominator among the Cannery Row residents that they recognize themselves in each other? Explain some situations in the book where the Cannery Row residents exhibit humanity toward one another.

Essay Topic 3

Mack and the boys are a band of homeless men who live together in a warehouse they name the Palace Flophouse. Why do Mack and the boys become like a family after a while? How do they exhibit behaviors inherent in families? What lessons is Steinbeck trying to teach about the various ways that families can be created, outside of the obvious biological combinations?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 943 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample