1. The document describes the setting of a barn on a Sunday afternoon, with horses inside eating hay and making noises. Men can be heard playing outside with horseshoes. It is a quiet and lazy time in the barn. 2. The document then focuses on Lennie, who seems to sigh and become conscious of noises from outside. The light in the barn is growing softer. Curley's wife is found lying half covered in hay. 3. The atmosphere in the barn becomes very still and quiet aside from occasional horse noises. Time seems slowed. A pigeon briefly enters and exits the barn before a shepherd

2. O M ce and M
f i en
Resour ce P
O end of t he gr eat bar n w pi l ed hi gh w t h new hay and over t he pi l e hung t he f our -t al oned Jackson
ne as i
f or k suspended f r omi t s pul l ey. They hay cam dow l i ke a m
e n ount ai n sl ope t o t he ot her end of t he bar n, and
t her e w a l evel pl ace as yet unf i l l ed w t h t he new cr op. At t he si des t he f eedi ng r acks w e vi si bl e, and
as i er
bet w een t he sl at s t he heads of hor ses coul d be seen.
I t w Sunday af t er noon. The r est i ng hor ses ni bbl ed t he r em ni ng w sps of hay, and t hey st am
as ai i ped
t hei r f eet and t hey bi t t he w ood of t he m anger s and r at t l ed t he hal t er chai ns. The af t er noon sun sl i ced i n
t hr ough t he cr acks of t he bar n w l s and l ay i n br i ght l i nes on t he hay. Ther e w t he buzz of f l i es i n t he
al as
ai r , t he l azy af t er noon hum i ng.
m
Fr om out si de cam t he cl ang of hor se-shoes on t he pl ayi ng peg and t he shout s of m
e en, pl ayi ng,
encour agi ng, j eer i ng. But i n t he bar n i t w qui et and hum i ng and l azy and w m
as m ar .
Fr omout si de cam t he cl ang of hor se-shoes on t he i r on st ake, and t hen a l i t t l e chor us of cr i es.
e
Lenni e si ghed deepl y. Fr om out si de cam t he cl ang of a hor se-shoe on m al , and t hen a chor us of
e et
cheer s.
Fr omout si de t he bar n cam a cr y of m and t he doubl e cl ang of shoes on m al . For t he f i r st t i m
e en et e
Lenni e becam consci ous of t he out si de.
e
The sunst r eaks were high on the wall by now, and the light was growing soft in the barn. Curley’s w f e l ay on
i
her back, and she w hal f cover ed w t h hay.
as i
I t w ver y qui et i n t he bar n, and t he qui et of t he af t er noon w on t he r anch. Even t he cl ang of
as as
pi t ched shoes, even t he voi ces of t he m i n t he gam seem t o gr ow m e qui et . The ai r i n t he bar n w
en e ed or as
dusky i n advance of t he out si de day. A pi geon f l ew i n t hr ough t he open hay door and ci r cl ed and f l ew out
agai n. Ar ound t he l ast st al l cam a shepher d bi t ch, l ean and long, with heavy, hanging dugs. Half-way to the
e
packing box where the puppies were, she caught the dead scent of Curley’s w f e, and t he hai r ar ose al ong her spi ne.
i
She w m ed and cr i nged t o t he packi ng box, and j um i n am t he puppi es.
hi per ped ong
As som i m happens, a m ent set t l ed and hover ed and r em ned f or m m e t han a m ent . And sound
et es om ai uch or om
st opped and m ovem st opped f or m
ent uch, m m e t han a m ent .
uch or om
Then gr adual l y t i m aw
e akened agai n and moved sluggishly on. The horses stamped on the other side of
the feeding racks and the halter chains clinked. Outside the men’s voi ces becam l ouder and cl ear er .
e

3. Of Mice and Men
GCSE CONTROLLED
ASSESSMENT PREPARATION

5. OBJECTIVES
• Show that you know the story well and
understand the characters.
• Show that you are aware of the Historical
Background to this novel.
• Show that you understand what themes are
explored in this novel.
• Show that you can FOCUS on the question you
are being tested on.
• Show that you can use short and effective
QUOTES to support your POINTS.
• Make sure you ANALYSE and EXPLAIN the
point you are making.

7. Put the following events in the right
order…
1. George and Lennie arrive at the ranch to work.
2. Slim walks away with George and tries to comfort him.
3. Lennie and George were chased out of Weed for something
Lennie did.
4. The boss wonders why George is with Lennie.
5. George shoots Lennie in the back of the head.
6. George reminds Lennie of their dream.
7. Curley tries to have a fight with Lennie.
8. Old Candy’s dog is shot.
9. Lennie and Candy go into Crooks’ room and they start to talk
about the future.
10. Lennie and Curley’s wife chat in the stable.
11. Lennie is given a puppy.
12. George and Lennie argue over Ketchup.

8. Match up the character with the adjectives….
George Smart Streetwise Slow Caring Responsible
Manipulative Optimistic Pessimistic Old
Lennie Worried Lonely Isolated Crippled Bitter
Black Segregated Respected Authoritative
Candy Sad Flirty Trouble-maker Gossip
Trustworthy Untrustworthy
Crooks
Now add five more words to each
Slim character description and see if you can
remember one thing they say….
Curley’s
Wife

9. Complete the following sentences…
• Curley’s Wife is lonely because…
• The dream that George and Lennie share is to …
• George and Lennie had to leave their last job because..
• George and Lennie are working all over the country because..
• Slim is respected because..
• Candy’s dog is killed because..
• Lennie is killed because…
• Lennie makes George feel…
• Crooks is bitter because…
• Curley’s Wife’s dream is…
• The shooting of the dog is prophetic because..
• Steinbeck wrote this novel because..
• Times were hard in the 1930s because..
• This novel is like a play because…

10. Make notes on the following
topics…
• The Great Depression
• Migrant Farm Workers
• Civil Rights in the 1930s
• Women’s Rights in the 1930s
• Steinbeck’s language; poetic and realistic
• The setting of the novel
• Why the novel is like a play
• Who is lonely and why

11. 1
“Although there was evening brightness
showing through the windows of the
bunkhouse, inside it was dusk”.

12. This shows that the light tries to get in but
never manages to penetrate the darkness.
This is important to the themes of the
story because …

13. 2
Crooks‟ eyes
“lay deep in his head, and because of their
depth seemed to glitter with intensity”.

14. The combination of darkness and light here
implies …

15. “In the stable buck‟s room a
small electric globe threw a
meagre yellow light”.

16. The light in Crooks‟ room is „meagre‟. This
suggests …

17. When Curley‟s wife first appears in the
bunkhouse, both Lennie and George notice
that the rectangle of sunshine
in the doorway is cut off. This represents
…

18. 5
Just before Curley‟s wife dies
“the sun streaks climbed up the
wall”
This suggests that …