Grapes of Wrath Exam Questions

We’ll be taking an exam over The Grapes of Wrath on Thursday in AP Language. The test will consist of answering two essay questions taken from a list of three options. Each answer should be a well-developed response that shows understanding of the details of the text and our discussion about it.

Because the questions may contain some spoilers, I’ve posted them below. Click “Read more” to see the specific questions that could be asked on the test.

1. Ultimately, what, according to Steinbeck, is the nature of sin? Consider the point of view articulated by characters in the novel and Steinbeck’s narrative voice in the intermediary chapters.
2. One critic argued that The Grapes of Wrath was “more effective as a stimulus to sorrowful memory than as a call to action.” Is this a fair criticism of the novel?
3. Discuss the end of the novel. Does it fit with the rest of the book? Is it believable for Rose of Sharon to assume the role of a transcendent giver of life and for Tom to become the fulfillment of Casey’s promise?
4. Critics have argued that The Grapes of Wrath is a collective novel, in the sense that it derives more of its impact from its critique of society as a whole than from its portrayal of individual characters. Do the Joads matter more as symbols than as characters?
5. How does Steinbeck assert the importance of rage in the novel? How does the motif of anger transform over the course of the story?
6. One of the essential themes of the novel is the development of a group identity among the migrants, exemplified by this quote: “This is the beginning—from “I” to “we”. If you who own the things people must have could understand this, you might preserve yourself. If you could separate causes from results, if you could know that Paine, Marx, Jefferson, Lenin were results, not causes, you might survive.” Explain how this quote demonstrates the meaning of the work as a whole.