Of Mice and Men Vocabulary 2

Name ___________________________

Vocabulary for Of Mice and Men – Chapters 3 and 4

Define each of the following words on the back of the sheet and/or on a separate sheet of paper. Example sentences from the book are provided for context clues and to determine part of speech.

1. Derision      Through the open door came the thuds and occasional clangs of a horseshoe game, and now and then the sound of voices raised in approval or derision.

2. Nuisance     “’Course Lennie’s a God damn nuisance most of the time,” said George.

3. Subdue       Slim gazed at him for a moment and then looked down at his hands; he subdued one hand with the other, and held it down.

4. Rapt                        He looked raptly at the wall over Lennie’s head.

5. Reprehensible        When Candy spoke they both jumped as though they had been caught doing something reprehensible.

6. Bemused     They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind was popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about.

7. Poised                     Curley was balanced and poised.

8. Maul                       And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905.

9. Meager       In the stable buck’s room a small electric globe threw a meager yellow light.

10. Sullen        Candy repeated sullenly, “Got it caught in a machine.”

11. Indignation          She was breathless with indignation.

12. Arouse      There was no personality, no ego—nothing to arouse either like or dislike.

13. Avert                   For a moment she stood over him as though waiting for him to move so that she could whip at him again; but Crooks sat perfectly still, his eyes averted, everything that might be hurt drawn in.