Study Questions
1. Why does George say Lennie will want to sleep in the barn that Friday night?

2. According to George, how did he end up traveling with Lennie?

3. What happened that made George stop playing dirty tricks on Lennie?

4. Why did George and Lennie have to flee from Weed?

5. Who makes the final decision on whether or not Candy’s old dog should be shot?

6. What is significant about the letter Whit reads from the Western magazine?

7. Why does George agree to let Candy come with them to their dream farm?

8. Why does Curley attack Lennie in the bunk house?

9. Why does Curley agree not to get Lennie fired for crushing his hand?

10. What punishment does Lennie fear he will get for hurting Curley?

Answers
1. George says Lennie will want to sleep with the puppy Slim has said Lennie can have when it is weaned.

2. George says that he and Lennie are both from Auburn and that he knew Lennie’s Aunt Clara who raised him. He says that when the aunt died Lennie had just come along with him to work.

3. The last time George played a trick on Lennie, he told Lennie to jump into a river and Lennie did even though he couldn’t swim. Before George got him out, he almost drowned. Lennie, however, was thankful to George for getting him out instead of angry for telling him to jump in.

4. George says that he and Lennie had to flee from Weed because Lennie was accused of trying to rape a girl there. In fact, he had only been trying to feel the dress she was wearing.

5. Slim is the one who makes the final decision.

6. The letter was written by a former ranch hand they had known.

7. Candy offers to give George $350, his life’s savings, if they will let him come along. With his money they should be able to buy the farm at the end of the next month so George agrees to let him in on their dream.

8. Curley attacks Lennie because he thinks Lennie is laughing at him after Carlson has called him “yella as a frog belly.” In fact, Lennie is smiling at the idea in his head of their farm.

9. Slim convinces Curley that if he tells, everyone will laugh at him for getting beaten up by a retarded man.

10. George has told Lennie that he will not let Lennie tend the rabbits if he does one more bad thing. Lennie is afraid this will be that bad thing.