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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 change do the people of Monterey feel?

2. Near Los Angeles, what does Doc load up on after he eats a hearty chicken dinner?

3. How do people treat Doc after he tells his fib?

4. What date does Doc give Mack as his birthday?

5. Why does the captain think the pups are a nuisance?

Short Essay Questions

1. What bet does Doc make with Frost on the Fourth of July?

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

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

4. How does Mack know that the captain's wife would disapprove of Mack and the boys?

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

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

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

8. Describe Mary Talbot.

9. Why is Mack impressed by Dora?

10. What raises the ire of the normally even-tempered Doc while on the road?

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

Frankie is an ill-fated character in the book. What is Frankie's role in the story? Why does Steinbeck interject him into the plot? What does he come to represent for Doc, especially? Are you surprised by Frankie's ultimate fate?

Essay Topic 3

What does Doc discover about truth on his walking trip from Indiana to Florida during his college days? Why do you think people do not want to believe Doc's real reasons for walking? Why does Doc need to fabricate a story about his journey? Why does Steinbeck call truth a dangerous mistress?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 885 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample