The Pearl by John Steinbeck ~ Final Test Study Guide

The test will have 100 points possible

Review the story of The Pearl.  Look over your plot chart and be sure to have basic knowledge of all events in the book.  Know SETTING, PLOT, and the items below. 

Take online plot part of the test from SparkNotes to study.

Who said it?  Tell who said these quotes.

1.  “ ‘This thing is evil.  This pearl is a sin.  It will destroy us.’ ”
2.  “ ‘Thou art named after a great man.  Thy namesake tamed the desert.  It is in the books.’ ”
3. “ ‘You have heard of fool’s gold.  It is too large.  It is a curiosity only.’ ”
4. “ ‘Do you keep the pearl in a safe place?  Perhaps you would like me to put it in my safe?  It would be a shame to have it stolen before you could sell it.’ ”
5. " 'Our son must go to school.  He must break out of the pot that holds us in.' "

Literary Terms

 Are these personification, simile, metaphor, irony, symbolism, internal conflict, external conflict, or theme?  Each term will be used at least once.

• "The buyer’s eyes...steady and cruel and unwinking as a hawk's eyes..."
• "...the nerves of the town were pulsing and vibrating with news..."
• “.The coyotes cried and laughed in the brush.”
• "He hissed at her like a snake..."
• "…the trackers...were little more than dots or scurrying ants..."
• "He was terrified of that monster of strangeness they called the capital."
• "...the wind...whispered through the mangroves..."
• “For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more.”
• At the beginning of the story, Kino wished he had a rifle.  Kino did get a rifle at the end—but not the way he had intended.
• The doctor represents greed.
• Coyotito represented a treasure more precious than wealth.
• After realizing the pearl buyers are trying to cheat him, Kino worries how he will sell the pearl.
• Kino fights off attackers in the middle of the night.
• The scorpion represents evil.
• The beautiful pearl, like winning the lottery today, was thought to only bring wealth and happiness, but to Kino it brought nothing but pain and hardship.