Vocab in Context
Claims
Evidence Integration
Characterization
Counter arguments
Interpretation
100

What does the word "derogatory" mean in the context of this sentence? 

Sarah overheard a group of girls making derogatory comments about her appearance, leaving her hurt and questioning her self-esteem.

insulting, offensive, rude, belitting

100

What are the three criteria of a strong claim?

1. Complex

2. Debatable

3. Defensible

100

What is a citation and where is it included? 

(Steinbeck 66), cites where the quote comes from the book

Always at the end of a quotation

100

Character that is child-like and likes to pet soft things, such as animals or hair

Lennie

100

What is the difference between a claim and a counterclaim?

A claim is your argument.

A counterclaim is acknowledging the opposing (opposite) argument.

100

What are the three steps of interpretation? 

1. Zoom-in

2. Zoom-out

3. Connect back

200

What does the word "morose" mean within the context of this sentence? 

"The gloomy weather made Sarah's mood morose as she sat alone, contemplating the recent setback in her life."

Sullen, gloomy, somber

200

Why is this not a strong claim (what criteria does it NOT meet?) 

Lennie kills Curley's wife because he panics. 

It isn't debatable or complex (no qualifier).

200

What is the purpose of including context before a quotation? 

To give the reader an idea of what's happening in the book around the quotation

200

Character that is small/ short, used to be a boxer, hates big guys, and is quick to violence

Curley

200

Which of these examples illustrates the best counterclaim?

Claim: Even though he is often hard on Lennie, George cares for Lennie because he feels responsible for him and wants to keep him safe. 

A. Some may argue that George doesn't care for Lennie because he insults him and yells at him.

B. Though it's true that George cares for Lennie, he still insults him. 

C. Nevertheless, George still cares for Lennie because he works hard to protect and provide for him. 

D. No that's not true. 

A. Some may argue that George doesn't care for Lennie because he insults him and yells at him.

200

Which sentence is the zoom-in of the interpretation? 

1) When Candy talks about his pup “proudly” it highlights the deep bond they shared.  

2) This is  significant as it  suggests that for Candy, he was more than a dog, but a friend in a career where men are often on their own. 

3) Ultimately, this supports that because he brought Candy joy and company, he should not have been killed without Candy’s consent.

The first sentence 


300

What does the word "brusque" mean within the context of this sentence? 

The receptionist's brusque response to the customer's question left the customer feeling unwelcome at the store. 

short, abrupt

300

What is this claim missing? 

Despite killing Curley's wife on accident, Lennie should go to jail.

It does not givce a defensible reason. 

300

Where does the period go in a citation? You may show example as answer. 

Period after parenthesis. 

300

Character that is old, missing a hand, wants to be part of the dream, had an old dog that was his bestie

Candy

300

Explain the relationship between the counterclaim and the rebuttal. 

The counterclaim is the opposing viewpoint to the argument, and the rebuttal has to directly respond to the counterclaim by showing its weaknesses/why it is not as important.

300

What is this interpretation missing? 

This is significant as it reflects Crooks' distrust of others and the societal barriers that have excluded him from community and hope. This makes the case by showing that while Crooks momentarily allows himself to dream, his experience with discrimination has conditioned him to self-isolate, making the dream feel unattainable for him.

missing zoom-in

400

What does the word "pugnacious" mean in the context of this sentence? 

Despite his small stature, the student was incredibly pugnacious in the hallway, relentlessly confronting other students by shoving them into lockers and staring them down.

aggressive, combative, hostile

400

What part of this claim is the qualifier? 

Part 1: School should go year-round... 

Part 2: ...even though it would mean shorter summer breaks. 

Part 3: because it would lead to less loss of learning. 

Part 2

400

What formatting rules are wrong in this quotation? 


"‘I been mean, ain’t I?”’ (page 12).  

1. no context included

2. citation is incorrect, should be (Steinbeck 12). 

400

Character that is lonely, hates their husband, flirts with other ranch workers

Curley's wife

400

What is the best rebuttal for this counterclaim? 

Counterclaim: An opposing view is that George didn't actually care for Lennie, because he constantly talks down to Lennie and insults him. 

A. Therefore, it's clear that George didn't actually care for Lennie because people do not treat people they care about like that. 

B. What this argument doesn't consider is that George did care for Lennie. 

C. However, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that despite sometimes yelling at him, George did actually care for Lennie because he goes out of his way to protect him and keep him out of trouble.

C. However, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that despite sometimes yelling at him, George did actually care for Lennie because he goes out of his way to protect him and keep him out of trouble.

400

What word would you zoom-in on to interpret the evidence and prove your claim?

Claim: Despite sometimes getting frustrated with Lennie, George cares about Lennie and doesn’t want to hurt him.

Evidence: “He looked across the fire at Lennie’s anguished face, and then he looked ashamedly at the flames” (Steinbeck 11).

ashamedly 

500

What does the word "anguished" mean in the context of this sentence?

The character in the novel experienced anguished cries as they faced a heartbreaking loss.

mental or physical pain, suffering

500

Write a claim for the following question: 


Was it right for Carlson to have killed Candy's dog? 

(should take a clear stance, include a defensibl reason, and a qualifier that acknowledges a limitation)

500

Revise this quote integration. 


In the text, “unrolled his bindle and put things on the shelf, his razor and bar of soap…” (Steinbeck pg. 19).

While getting settled in the bunkhouse George, “unrolled his bindle and put things on the shelf, his razor and bar of soap…” (Steinbeck 19).

500

Character that is respected by all of the ranch hands, helps George at the end of the book, "prince of the ranch" 

Slim

500

Write a counterclaim for this claim: 


While George and Lennie got in trouble at their lost job, their dream is achievable because they are good workers and have spent so much time thinking about it.

(should include transition word, opposing argument and reason)

500

Write the zoom-out for this interpretation. 

Evidence: After Lennie mentions the lack of ketchup yet again, Steinbeck writes, “‘Well, we ain’t got any,’ George exploded. ‘Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want’” (Steinbeck 11).

Interpretation: 

1) The word “exploded” makes clear that George was bottling up his emotions, and they all came pouring out during this moment due to his frustration toward Lennie. 

2)

3) George’s outburst supports the case that being responsible for someone burdens us by impacting our personal well-being.  

The answer should say something about the evidence suggesting that George is emotionally tired/frustrated from always having to take care of Lennie.