the pearl, literary packet by. john steinbeck name: do not ... · 5. why do you think juana and...

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The Pearl, Literary Packet

By. John Steinbeck

Name: _______________________

DO NOT LOSE THIS PACKET. IT IS A TEST GRADE.

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Chapter 1

Part One: Vocabulary

Define the following words:

1. Pulque:

2. Lymphatic:

3. Bougainvillea:

4. Avarice:

5. Indigent:

6. Indigene:

7. Suppliant:

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Part Two: Analyzing the Chapter (Answer each question in 1-3 complete

sentences)

1. Briefly describe the songs Kino hears in Chapter 1. What is the significance

of the songs?

2. Describe Kino and Juana’s morning routine. What do they eat? What do

they talk about?

3. Describe how the scorpion attacks Coyotito.

4. According to the servant, why can’t the doctor treat Coyotito? What is the

real reason?

5. At the end of the chapter, Kino strikes the gate outside the doctor’s house.

What emotions do you think he is feeling? Would you react similarly if you

were in the same situation?

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Chapter 2



1. Estuary:

2. Lateen Sail:

3. Bulwark:

4. Poultice:


sentences)

1. Describe the “secret little inner song” that Kino hears.

2. Why is the canoe important to Kino?

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3. Describe the way the pearl is created.

4. How does Kino find the large pearl? What two similes does the narrator use

to describe the appearance and size of the pearl?

5. Early in the chapter, the narrator says Juana’s homemade poultice is

probably a better treatment for Coyotito’s illness than what the doctor

could come up with; yet, Juana prays that she and Kino can get enough

money to pay the doctor to treat Coyotito. What point do you think

Steinbeck is making about Juana’s feelings about herself and money? What

do these feelings reveal about the ways the Europeans control the Indians?

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Chapter 3



1. Colonial Animal:

2. Distillate:

3. Lucent:

4. Benediction:

5. Dissembling:

6. Furtive:

7. Consecrated:

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8. Crooning:


sentences)

1. How does Kino and Juana feel about their future right after the pearl is

found? By being very specific, what does Kino plan to do with the money

after he sells the pearl?

2. Describe the first and second visits of the doctor. Find evidence (a quote)

from this chapter that you can tell for sure whether the doctor, on his first

visit, gave Coyotito something to make him sick?

3. What happens to the family’s home in the night?

4. Describe the internal conflict Kino has to resolve in this chapter about the

doctor. Why does he decide to let the doctor treat Coyotito?

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5. Juana is a dynamic character, so how do her feelings about the great pearl

change in this chapter? What causes the change?

6. How do the concluding paragraphs of the chapter suggest that the pearl is a

symbol? What do you think the pearl may symbolize at this stage in the

story?

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Chapter 4



1. Tithe:

2. Legerdemain:

3. Collusion:

4. Coagulating:

5. Lethargy:


sentences)

1. Juan Tomas tells Kino of a method used in the past by the villagers to get

more money for their pearls. What was this method? How did the priest

explain its lack of success?

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2. What do the buyers say about Kino’s pearl? How does Kino end the

bargaining?

3. What happens to Kino in the evening? Describe the contrasting reactions of

Kino and Juana.

4. Describe the internal conflict Kino has to resolve in this chapter about the

doctor. Why does he decide to let the doctor treat Coyotito?

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5. Juana is a dynamic character, so how do her feelings about the great pearl

change in this chapter? What causes the change?

6. How do the concluding paragraphs of the chapter suggest that the pearl is a

symbol? What do you think the pearl may symbolize at this stage in the

story?

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Chapter 5



1. Skirled:

2. Edifice:

3. Leprosy:

4. Gourd:


sentences)

1. What is Juana attempting to do as the chapters opens? How does Kino stop

her?

2. What happens to Kino as he returns from the beach?

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3. Juana gives Kino first aid, and they make a decision. Why can’t they act on

that decision?

4. Explain in your own words why Juana has no anger for Kino, despite the

way he treated her. Do you agree with her attitude?

5. Did the violent conflict between Kino and Juana in this chapter surprise

you? Or did passages in earlier chapters suggest that it might occur? Explain

your answer by using a citation.

6. At the end of the chapter, Kino says, “This pearl has become my soul…If I

give it up I shall lose my soul” (Steinbeck 67). Explain what he means. Does

the statement represent a change in Kino’s feelings and character from

earlier chapters?

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Chapter 6



1. Waning:

2. Covert:

3. Sentinel:

4. Guttural:

5. Monolithic:

6. Irresolution:

7. Cleft:

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8. Escarpment:

9. Petulant:

10. Intercession:


sentences)

1. Describe the first part of Kino and Juana’s flight. Where do they stop to

rest?

2. As they rest, what vision does Kino see in the pearl?

3. Where do the trackers camp, and what happens to them?

4. Identify two passages in this chapter in which Coyotito’s fate is

foreshadowed.

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5. Why do you think Juana and Kino throw the pearl back into the sea?

6. Do you think the novel ends on an optimistic note? That is, does the future

look brighter for the couple after the awful events of the preceding days?

Have Kino and Juana gained something valuable from their experience? Or

is the ending pessimistic, showing the couple were defeated by the events?

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