Chapter 5 Practice Quiz — Of Mice and Men
by John Steinbeck — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 5
Where does Chapter 5 take place, and what day of the week is it?
Chapter 5 takes place in the barn on a Sunday afternoon while most of the other men are outside playing horseshoes.
What is Lennie doing at the very beginning of Chapter 5?
Lennie is sitting alone in the barn, stroking the body of a dead puppy that he accidentally killed by petting it too hard.
What is Lennie's main concern after killing the puppy?
Lennie is worried that George will find out and will not let him tend the rabbits on their dream farm.
What dream does Curley's wife reveal to Lennie in the barn?
She reveals that she once dreamed of becoming a Hollywood movie star after a man told her she was a natural, but the promised letter never arrived.
Why did Curley's wife marry Curley?
She married Curley on the rebound after the letter from the man who promised her a movie career never came. She believed her mother stole the letter.
What does Curley's wife invite Lennie to do that leads to her death?
She invites Lennie to stroke her soft hair, knowing he likes to touch soft things.
How does Lennie accidentally kill Curley's wife?
When she tries to pull away and begins to scream, Lennie panics, holds on tighter, covers her mouth, and shakes her, breaking her neck.
What does Lennie do immediately after killing Curley's wife?
He partially covers her body with hay and flees to the clearing by the Salinas River — the meeting spot George designated in Chapter 1.
Who is the first person to discover Curley's wife's body?
Old Candy discovers the body when he enters the barn.
What does Candy ask George after they find the body?
Candy asks whether the two of them can still buy the farm and pursue the dream without Lennie.
What is George's response when Candy asks about the farm?
George says the dream is over, admitting he thinks he always knew from the very first that they would never achieve it.
What is the pattern of escalating deaths caused by Lennie throughout the novel?
The deaths escalate from a mouse, to a puppy, to Curley's wife — each caused by Lennie's inability to control his strength while petting soft things.
How does the dead puppy at the start of Chapter 5 function as a literary device?
The dead puppy serves as foreshadowing, signaling to the reader that a greater catastrophe — the death of Curley's wife — is about to occur.
What is ironic about the interaction between Lennie and Curley's wife?
Both are seeking human connection and comfort — Curley's wife wants someone to talk to and Lennie wants to touch something soft — but their meeting results in death.
Why is it significant that Curley's wife is never given a first name?
Her anonymity reflects her lack of identity and agency in the patriarchal world of the ranch, where she is defined solely as Curley's possession.
What does the death of the dream farm symbolize in Chapter 5?
It symbolizes the impossibility of the American Dream for marginalized, powerless people during the Great Depression.
What important item is discovered to be missing at the end of Chapter 5?
Carlson's Luger pistol is discovered to be missing, which foreshadows the novel's conclusion.
How does Curley react when he sees his wife's body?
Curley immediately organizes a lynch mob to hunt down and kill Lennie, showing more rage and desire for revenge than grief.
What does George do before the lynch mob sets out?
George slips away from the group before they leave, ensuring no one suspects him of involvement while giving himself a head start to find Lennie.
How does Steinbeck create sympathy for Curley's wife in Chapter 5?
He allows her to speak at length about her loneliness, her shattered dreams, and her unhappy marriage, humanizing a character previously seen only through the men's hostile perspective.
What does the word 'consoled' mean as used in the context of Lennie talking to the dead puppy?
Consoled means comforted during a time of grief or disappointment. Lennie tries to console himself by reasoning that the puppy's death is not as bad as it seems.
What does the quiet Sunday afternoon setting contribute to the chapter?
The peaceful, still atmosphere of the barn on a Sunday contrasts sharply with the violence that erupts, heightening the tragedy through dramatic contrast.
How does Candy's reaction to the death reveal his character?
Candy's bitter words blaming Curley's wife for ruining their dream reveal the raw selfishness that grief can produce, as well as how desperately the farm dream mattered to him.