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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 does Doc do after his meal?

2. How deep is the frog pool?

3. What is ironic about Henri the Painter?

4. What is Mack's method of catching the frogs?

5. What happens when the boys approach the frog pool?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the irony of the tax troubles Dora experiences?

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

3. Why does Mack initially reject the captain's offer of whiskey?

4. Describe Mary Talbot.

5. How does Mack perceive Doc?

6. What is the symbolism of the music in Doc's head when he finds the body of the beautiful dead woman in the water?

7. Describe Steinbeck's use of humor in the frog-catching scene.

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

9. What is the significance of the flagpole sitter at Holman's Department Store?

10. What is ironic about Henri the Painter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Even though Doc is a marine biologist, he tends to the needs of people and animals on Cannery Row, too. Name some examples of Doc's care toward people. How does he help animals? How does he rally the town's residents to help each other when widespread influenza hits?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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