View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What symbolism is evoked by the turtle in Chapter 3?

2. What is referred to as "the monster" in Chapter 5 (36)?

3. Approximately when did the Dust Bowl occur?

4. What does the willow tree hang over at the Joad homestead?

5. Of whom does Tom say in Chapter 8, "He's gettin' screwy like a gopher, livin' like he does" (69)?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does the narrator describe the spirit of man in Chapter 14?

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

4. How does the narrator describe the vacant farmsteads in Chapter 11?

5. Whom do Jim and Tom encounter at the Joad homestead in Chapter 6? How is this character described?

6. What do the banks represent in the novel?

7. Describe the setting of Oklahoma as introduced in Chapter 1. What are the circumstances of the inhabitants here?

8. Who are Tom's siblings and how old are they?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the character of Jim Casy in the novel. Why did Casy stop preaching? Where does he first encounter Tom? Why does Casy go west along with the Joads?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of wrath in the novel. When does the title of the novel directly appear in the text? In what context? How is this theme developed through character, setting, and symbolism?

Essay Topic 3

What are examples of foreshadowing used by the author to indicate that the Joads' perceptions of California are not based in reality? What characters do the Joads meet that indicate the lack of jobs in the region? How do the Joads respond to these forebodings?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 708 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample