Of Mice and Men

1. Of Mice and Men Tackling Exam Questions

2. 3. The character of Lennie 2. The character of George 1. The plot! 4. The character of Curley’s wife Of Mice and Men: What Do We Know? 9. Symbols in the novel 5. The character of Crooks 8. Pessimistic and optimistic moments 7. Theme of friendship 6. Theme of loneliness

3. Notes • You need to know the full plot-line of the story inside and outbefore you can even think of marking well on a Studied Fiction Question. • No matter what particular question is asked you will always have examples to draw on if you know the text well. • However, if you think a summary answer will get you any more than a high D grade, you are fooling yourself. The plot is the starting point from which you much discuss, examine and analyse the novel.

4. analysing Numbers 2 – 9 in ‘What Do We Know’ is what you need to bring in to your answers in order to get a high grade. For example: • What you learned about particular characters and what you thought about them? (Who: George, Lennie, Crooks and/or Curley’s wife) • What particular characters (Who: George, Lennie, Crooks and/or Curley’s wife) taught you about the theme? (What: Friendship? Loneliness?) • Did you enjoy the novel because it was interesting or gripping or complex? (In what way: Complex characters? Complex themes? A pessimistic and optimistic novel? Good use of symbols?) • Did you enjoy the plot because you learned something from it? (I learned: Something about friendship? Something about loneliness? Did you learn something from particular characters?) • Etc. etc.

5. 2015 Exam Question 1 • Choose a novel or a short story that you have studied. In your view, which two of the following words best describe the story you have chosen? • Inspiring • Atmospheric • Disappointing • Gripping • Revealing • Complex Give reasons for both of your choices, supporting them with reference to your chosen novel or short story. (2 × 15)

6. Sample: Gripping and Complex • GRIPPING (I.E. It held my attention, I wanted to know what was going to happen, I cared about the key characters and their fate.) What was gripping about Of Mice and Men? • What was going to happen to our main characters George and Lennie. • Were they going to achieve their dream. • The ending of the novel. • COMPLEX (I.E. It wasn’t a simple story, it had complicated characters, it dealt with important themes, the writer used techniques) What was complex about Of Mice and Men? • The characters • The themes • Steinbeck’s writing techniques

7. Sample: Gripping How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining how we found the novel gripping?

8. Sample: COMPLEX How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining how we found the novel complex?

9. 2015 Exam Question 2 2. The most interesting characters in stories are characters that display both strengths and weaknesses. Choose a character from a novel or short story you have studied and explain how that character's strengths and weaknesses make him or her an interesting character. Support your answer with reference to your chosen novel or short story. (30)

10. Character: George How then do we turn this in to 5 - 6 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining how George is an interesting character with strengths and weaknesses?

11. Character: George How then do we turn this in to 5 - 6 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining how George is an interesting character with strengths and weaknesses?

12. 2014 Exam Question 1 • Select a novel or short story you have studied that you think has a well-chosen title and an interesting opening or beginning. • In your view, why was the title of your selected novel or short story a well-chosen title? Explain your answer with reference to your chosen text. (15) (b) What aspects of the opening or beginning of your chosen text did you find interesting? Give reasons for your answer. (15)

13. Why is it called of mice and men? The title of the novel comes from a Robert Burns’ poem called ‘To A Mouse’. Although it was originally written in a Scottish dialect, the poem contains lines that translate as: ‘The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry’ Why is that line relevant for this novel? • The premise for the novel is two men with an idea for the future that doesn’t go according to plan. • In the poem Burns says that mice are blessed because both men and mice will die but only men are aware of it. • In other words, mice can’t think about the future or the past or worry about it. In this way Lennie is essentially like the mouse in the story. • George then is the man and life messes things up for both George and Lennie but only George has to deal with the consequences because Lennie doesn’t remember any of it. • Whatever happens to Lennie is dealt with only in that moment – he doesn’t regret anything or anticipate anything, even his own death. • George, on the other hand, will have to live with what he has done for the rest of his life.

14. (a) Is it a well-chosen title? How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining why we think this is a well chosen title?

15. (b) Interesting opening? How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining why we think this novel has an interesting opening?

16. 2014 Exam Question 2 • 2. When we read a story we enter a world that can be both familiar and unfamiliar. Choose a novel or short story that you have studied to which this statement applies. • Describe one aspect of your chosen story that was familiar to you and one aspect of your chosen story that was unfamiliar to you. (15) (b) How did the author's use of both the familiar and the unfamiliar add to your enjoyment of your chosen story? Explain your answer with reference to the story. (15)

17. 2014 Exam Question 2 How do we tackle question (a)? Familiar to you: The friendship between George and Lennie, the struggle to achieve a difficult dream, the disappointment when it doesn’t become a reality etc. Unfamiliar to you: The poverty the men experience, the loneliness the men experience, the racism of the time etc. How do we tackle question (b): Added to enjoyment: The familiar and unfamiliar elements you discussed made the novel more entertaining, educational, gripping, fascinating, complex etc.

18. (a) Familiar and unfamiliar How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining a familiar and unfamiliar aspect of the novel?

19. (b) Added to enjoyment How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining how the familiar and unfamiliar aspects of the novel add to your enjoyment?

20. 2013 Exam Question 1 1. Choose a novel or short story you have studied. • In your view, is the world portrayed in the novel or short story that you have chosen, a fair world? Give reasons for your answer. (15) (b) Using an important incident from the story, explain how the actions of any one character help to make the world more fair or less fair in your chosen text. Support your answer with reference to your chosen text. (15)

21. (a) Fair world How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining whether the world of the novel is fair or unfair?

22. (b) Important incident How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, Explain how a character made the world more or less fair?

23. 2013 Exam Question 2 2. You wish to nominate a novel or short story that you have studied for an award. The rules state that both of the following comments must apply to the winning entry: • The story stayed in my mind long after I had finished reading it • The story was skilfully written. Using these two comments, write the letter you would submit to the judges in support of your chosen novel or short story. Support your answer with reference to your chosen story. (30)

24. Story stayed in my mind How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining how the novel stayed in our minds (i.e. was gripping)?

25. (b) Skilfully written story How then do we turn this in to 3 paragraphs, using our notes, explaining how we found the novel skilfully written?