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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. Where does Danny stop before he makes it to Torrelli's?

2. What time of day do the paisanos usually get up?

3. Why had the corporal left Mexico with the baby?

4. For what reason does Dolores plan to invite the man in #76 to her home?

5. After Petey gets married, who does his father begin to lust after?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Pirate's daily ritual with his quarter and the canvas bag?

2. Who is Dolores Engracia (Sweets) Ramirez and what is her interest in Danny?

3. What does Pirate do with his dogs after he is moved by the stories of St. Francis in church?

4. Describe the Pirate's visit to Sunday mass.

5. Who is Senora Teresina Cortez and what puzzles her most in her life?

6. How do Danny and Sweets eventually connect?

7. What gift does Danny buy for Sweets and how does he begin to feel about her?

8. Who is Tia Ignacia and with which one of the paisanos does she have a romantic interlude?

9. How does Big Joe's inability to stay awake get him into trouble with Tia and the law?

10. How do the paisanos help Teresina when the bean crop fails and she cannot feed her eight children?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Steinbeck clearly likes to have fun with his readers. Name some examples of humor in this book. Which characters are especially prone to humorous behavior? Which are not? Why does Steinbeck use humor? Is he trying to balance somber stories or does he just find life to be funny most of the time, at least in this story?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the overall setting for the novel. Why does Steinbeck use the setting he does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 3

Danny and the boys are forced to be very resourceful. Give some examples of behaviors exhibited by Danny and the boys that indicate that they know how to get what they need in spite of their obvious lack of typical resources. Would you say that Danny and the boys are creative? Or do they simply use people to avoid work? Do you think you could be friends with Danny and the boys? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 993 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample