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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. Who is driving the car in the beginning of Chapter 13?

2. What does Mrs. Wilson give Tom a paper from to write a note regarding Grampa's death when they bury him?

3. What does Tom Joad offer the truck driver a "snort" of in Chapter 2 (14)?

4. How does the narrator describe the sun in Chapter 1?

5. What does Tom say his father strung up in a tree that he points out in the fields in Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the purpose of the author's focus on the turtle in Chapter 3?

2. What does Tom discover when he reaches his family's homestead in Chapter 6?

3. What were the causes of the Dust Bowl in America?

4. What information does Tom reveal about Uncle John in Chapter 8?

5. What happens to the Joads' dog at the gas station in Chapter 13?

6. Why do the Joads and Wilsons decide to travel together?

7. Why does Jim Casy ask to accompany the Joads? Why do they let him?

8. What symbolism is evoked by the tractors in Chapter 11?

9. Where does Tom encounter Jim Casy? What is Casy doing when he encounters Tom?

10. Where does Tom Joad solicit a ride in Chapter 2? Who gives him a ride?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the symbolism of the tractors described in the novel. What do the tractors represent? What themes do they relate to in The Grapes of Wrath? How and why do the tractors replace the farmers?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of greed in The Grapes of Wrath. How does the author develop this theme through the characters in the novel? How is this theme supported through symbolism and imagery? What do statement do you think the author is making regarding greed? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Al Joad. How old is Al? What are Al's main objectives in the novel? Whom does Al marry and how does his character change in the course of the story?

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