Sample Question

Have a go at planning and writing your answer away from the computer, before coming back to check your answer against ours. To help you, print off the skeleton answer below and use it as a guide.

Re-read the end of Chapter One, from: 'George's voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before.' to the end. What does this tell us about the relationship between George and Lennie and why is it important to the novel?

Paragraph 1 - Introduction

• Locate the extract in the story.
• Mention where George and Lennie are, and why.

Paragraph 2 - Ranch hands' loneliness

• Comment on George's idea that ranch hands are 'the loneliest guys in the world.'
• How does this prepare us to meet other characters in the novel?

Paragraph 3 - George and Lennie's dream

• Describe George and Lennie's dream
• Most of the characters in the story have a dream of some kind - a reaction to their loneliness

Paragraph 4 - George's rabbits

• Why is it important to the plot that Lennie wants to tend the rabbits and likes to pet soft things?

Paragraph 5 - The new job

• Describe George's instructions to Lennie about how to behave in the new farm.
• What does this show about George and Lennie's relationship?
• How it prepares us for what unfolds in the story.

Paragraph 6 - Conclusion

• Look carefully at the closing paragraphs of the chapter that describe the sunset. Is this symbolic?
• What have we learnt about George and Lennie's friendship and about what might happen in the rest of the novel?