To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide

Transcription

1 Name Class English I Date Characters Atticus Finch Jem Finch Tom (Thomas Robinson) To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide Scout (Jean Louise Finch) Boo (Arthur Radley) Dill (Charles Baker Harris) Bob Ewell Mayella Violet Ewell Setting Chapter 1 1. Who is the narrator and what is the narrator s gender? 2. Who is Jem and how is he related to the narrator? 3. What is the age difference between Jem and the narrator? 4. Who is Atticus? What does he do for a living? 5. Who is Simon? What characteristics does the narrator tell us about him? 6. What is Finch s Landing known to produce? 7. How are Atticus and Alexandria related? 8. Who is Calpurnia? Describe her. 9. What is the status of the Finch s mom? 10.Who is Dill? Why is he in town? Of what skill is he proud? 11.Name the neighbor that the Finch kids have never seen. 12.What is the alleged story about the younger Radley boy? 13.How did Mr. Radley feel about his boy being sent to the state industrial school? 14.Why will Atticus not talk about the Radleys even though his children are very interested? 15.What is Miss Stephanie Crawford s claim to fame in Maycomb?

2 16.According to Miss Stephanie, what happened to Mr. Radley at Boo s hands? 17.How old was Boo at the time? 18.What was Boo s consequence? 19.What do folks say happened when Mr. Radley took Boo home? 20.What does Jem imagine Boo looked like? Chapter 2 1. In what grades are Scout and Jem? 2. Scout makes three mistakes during her first day at school in the first grade. What are her mistakes and why do they make Miss Caroline so angry? 3. Why won t Mr. Cunningham work for the WPA? 4. What does the teacher not understand about Walter Cunningham and his lunch? 5. How does Walter Cunningham s father pay Atticus for his legal services? Why? 6. Why does Jean Louise get her hand slapped by the teacher with a ruler? 7. What picture of Atticus, the father, do we get in this chapter? Chapter 3 1. What does Jem call his sister? 2. Jem says, A hain t lives there, about the Radley place. What do you suppose he means? 3. Why hasn t Arthur been able to pass the first grade? 4. What makes Calpurnia different from most other colored folks? 5. Describe Burris physical appearance. 6. What instructions does the teacher give Buris for his personal homework? Why does he laugh at her? 7. What two reasons does Scout give Atticus for her not wanting to return to school? 8. What is the compromise which Atticus suggests for Scout? 9. Why is Burris father allowed to hunt and trap out of season? 10. Burris Ewell, Walter Cunningham, and Chuck Little are all from extremely poor families. However, there are great differences both in appearance and in attitude, particularly between

3 the Cunningham s and the Ewell s. What are those differences and why do you think they exist? 11.Atticus tells Scout, You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb in his skin and walk around in it. What things does Scout begin to realize at this point? Chapter 4 1. What is the first unusual event that draws the children s interest at the edge of the Radley lot? Upon closer examination, what do the children find? 2. What second surprise do the children find in the Radley s tree? Why does Jem believe it is valuable? 3. What does Dill say he smells surrounding the Radley place? 4. What does Jem instruct Dill about a Hot Steam? 5. What happens to Scout after she inserts herself into an old car tire she finds under the house? Where does she end up? 6. What information does Scout give at the end of the chapter? Who do you think was inside the house and what did Scout hear? Chapter 5 1. What does Dill ask Scout to do before he promptly forgets about the whole idea? 2. Once Scout realizes Dill is neglecting her, what does she do to him? 3. Since Dill is not spending time with her, what does Scout do for the remainder of the summer? 4. What two things does Miss Maudie tell Scout about Boo Radley? 5. What religion are foot washers and what do they believe about pleasure? 6. When Jem decides to give a note to Boo Radley, what is his plan to deliver it? 7. What do the boys plan to write on the note? 8. Why doesn t the note plan work? 9. When Atticus finds out about the letter, how does he react? Do you agree with him? Why or why not? 10.What is the oldest lawyer s trick on record? 11.The children view Boo Radley as a strange and frightening figure. How do Miss Maudie and Atticus view Arthur Radley?

4 Chapter 6 1. How do the kids manage to get Dill up high enough to look in the Radley s window? 2. What scares the kids and makes them run for safety? 3. As Scout trips half way through the collards, what do they hear? 4. What stops Jem from keeping up with the other two kids? 5. What do the neighbors believe has happened at the Radley place;what is the real story? 6. What is Dill s explanation for the loss of Jem s pants? 7. What does Dill say they have been playing with? Why does he not say cards? 8. Atticus has never whipped Jem and he wants to keep it that way, so he decides to do what? 9. Is Jem successful? 10.What can you tell about the relationship between Jem and Atticus after the pants incident? 11.What line indicates that Jem decides what they did was wrong? 12.What might account for Jem s change of heart? Chapter 7 1. Why does Scout not enjoy the second grade any better than the first? 2. Jem has been acting odd since he went to get his pants that night. What surprises him that night. 3. Who do you suppose is responsible for the gifts in the knot hole and in Jem s pants? Why does he do this? 4. What are the white gifts in the knot hole? What do they look like? What does this say about the person who is leaving the gifts? 5. Just as Jem and Scout decide to leave a note in the knot hole, what do they find? 6. Why is Jem crying at the end of this chapter? Chapter 8 1. Why does Atticus make the children leave the house and stand in front of the Radley house?

5 2. Who put the blanket around Scout s shoulders and how does the person know she is cold? 3. Why does Atticus decide to keep the blanket incident secret? 4. After the fire is over, how does Miss Maudie feel about the destruction of her house? What does this tell you about her character and her values? Chapter 9 1. Why does Atticus think that he can not win Tom Robinson s case? 2. Explain Atticus statements about the following things: His personal reasons for defending Tom Robinson Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a negro comes up, is something I don t pretend to understand Who calls Scout a coward;why does she walk away? 4. Why is Atticus worried about Scout learning to keep her head in the next few months? 5. What does Scout mean in the last sentence of this chapter? Chapter Scout is ashamed of Atticus at the beginning of the chapter. List his faults as she sees them. 2. Explain why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. 3. Why are the children a little disappointed and a little ashamed when they compare Atticus to other fathers? 4. What does Atticus do that surprises the children and makes them feel proud? 5. Why won t Jem allow Scout to brag about Atticus at school? Do you agree with him? Why or why not? Chapter How does Atticus advise Jem to react to Mrs. Dubose s taunts? 2. What does Mrs. Dubose say about the children s mother? 3. What request does Mrs. Dubose make of Jem? Is this a fair punishment for his crime?

6 4. Explain, in your own words, what Atticus thinks of insults like nigger lover. How far do you agree with him? 5. Why, in Atticus view, was Mrs. Dubose a great lady? 6. Atticus says that Mrs. Dubose is a model of real courage rather than a man with a gun in his hand. What does he mean? Do you think he is right? 7. Chapters ten and eleven are the last two chapters in the first part of the book. Explain why Harper Lee chooses to end the first part here. Chapter Comment on Jem s and Scout s visit to First Purchase Church. 2. What new things does Scout learn here about how black people live? 3. What does Scout learn from Calpurnia s account of Zeebo s education? 4. Explain why Calpurnia speaks differently in the Finch household, and among her neighbors at church. Is she being honest or hypocritical in what she does? Why? 5. Jem is now 12. There is a widening gap of understanding between him and Scout. Find two examples which illustrate the emotional distance between them. 6. How do you explain Lula s antagonism toward Jem and Scout? Chapter Why does Aunt Alexandra come to stay with Atticus and his family? What is she like? 2. Alexandra thinks Scout is dull (not clever). Why does she think this, and is she right? Are all adults good at knowing how clever young people are? 3. Comment on Alexandra s ideas about breeding and family. Why does Atticus tell them to forget it? Chapter How does Aunt Alexandra feel about, or regard, Calpurnia? Explain why this is in character for her. 2. Why is Scout so happy about the brawl with Jem? 3. Explain how Jem broke the remaining code of our childhood. 4. Dill tries to explain to Scout why he did not want to stay with his mother and stepfather. Briefly state his reasons in your own words. Chapter 15

7 1. What is the nightmare that now descends upon the children? 2. What is the Ku Klux Klan? What do you think of Atticus comment about it? 3. How does Jem react when Atticus tells him to go home? Why? 4. What persuades the lynching party to give up their attempt on Tom s life? 5. Comment on how Scout affects events without realizing it at the time. 6. What does it mean in Maycomb when grown men stand outside in the front yard instead of coming into the house? Chapter What subtle change does Scout notice in her father? 2. What sort of person is Dolphus Raymond? 3. How does Reverend Sykes help the children see and hear the trial? Is he right to do so? 4. Comment on Judge Taylor s attitude toward his job. Does he take the trial seriously or not? Why? 5. Why does Harper Lee have the children sitting in the balcony? (There is definitely a reason for this.) Chapter What are the main points in Heck Tate s evidence? What does Atticus show in his cross examination of Sheriff Tate? 2. What do you learn indirectly of the home life of the Ewell family in this chapter? 3. What do you learn from Bob Ewell s evidence? 4. Why does Atticus ask Bob Ewell to write out his name? What does the jury see? Chapter Is Mayella like her father or different from him? In what ways? 2. What might be the reason for Mayella s crying in the court? 3. How does Mayella react to Atticus politeness? Is she used to people being polite? 4. What is Atticus strategy in questioning Mayella? 5. What is wrong with Tom Robinson s arm?

8 6. What question is the key to Tom s defense? 7. How well does Mr. Gilmer prove Tom s guilt in your eyes and in the eyes of the jury? Chapter What made Tom visit the Ewell s house in the first place? 2. Why does Scout think that Mayella Ewell is the loneliest person in the world? 3. In your own words explain Mayella s relationship with her father. 4. In contrast with the Ewells, what kind of person is Tom Robinson? Explain with examples. 5. What is the true story of the rape? 6. What is the fatal mistake that Tom makes in his testimony and in his life? Chapter Why does Mr. Dolphus Raymond want people to think he s a drunk? 2. What, according to Atticus, is the thing that Mayella has done wrong? 3. How is Atticus closing statement in defense of Tom Robinson also an attack upon racism? Chapter What does Calpurnia s note say? 2. What does Jem expect the verdict to be? Does Atticus think the same? 3. What is unusual about how long it takes the jury to reach a verdict? Is the verdict predictable or not? 4. Why do the Negro people stand when Atticus leaves the courtroom? Chapter Although Atticus did not want his children in court, he defends Jem s right to know what has happened. Explain, in your own words, Atticus reasons for this. (Look at the speech beginning, This is their home, sister. 2. Miss Maudie tells Jem that things are never as bad as they seem. What reasons does she give for this view? 3. Why does Dill say that he will be a clown when he grows up? Explain his reasoning. 4. This story is set in the 1930s but was published in Have attitudes to racism remained the same in the USA or have there been any changes (better or worse) since then?

9 5. Why does Bob Ewell feel so angry with Atticus? Do you think his threat is a real one, and how might he try to get Atticus? 6. How does Jem use a metaphor of a cocoon to describe himself? Chapter What do you think of Atticus reaction to Bob Ewell s challenge? Should he have ignored Bob, retaliated, or done something else? 2. What does Atticus tell Scout about why the jury took so long to convict Tom? 3. At the end of this chapter, Jem forms a new theory about why Boo Radley has never left his house in years. What is it? How likely is it to be true? Chapter What is ironic about the concern the ladies of the Missionary Society have for the living conditions of the Mrunas? 2. What is your opinion of the Maycomb ladies, as depicted in this chapter? 3. Explain briefly how Tom is killed. What is Atticus explanation for Tom s attempted escape? Do you agree with Atticus? 4. How, in this chapter, is Aunt Alexandra seen in a new light? How does Miss Maudie support her? 5. Scout learns something about being a true lady in this chapter. What is it? 6. What does Atticus mean when he says, I guess Tom was tired of white men s chances and preferred to take his own.? Chapter Why does Scout say that Jem is getting more like a girl? 2. To what does Mr. Underwood s editorial compare Tom s conviction and death? 3. What remark does Mr. Ewell make on hearing of Tom s death and what seems to be the significance of the remark? Chapter How does Scout feel about the way they once treated Boo Radley? 2. In her lesson on Hitler, Miss Gates says that we (American people) don t believe in persecuting anyone. Why is Scout puzzled about this?

10 3. Why does Scout s question ( How can you hate Hitler an turn around an be ugly about folks right at home? ) upset Jem? 4. Explain Atticus answer to Scout s question. Chapter What three things does Bob Ewell do that alarm Aunt Alexandra? 2. Why, according to Atticus, does Bob Ewell bear a grudge? Which people does Ewell see as his enemies and why? 3. What is the purpose of the Halloween pageant? What practical joke had persuaded the grownups to have an organized event? 4. What is Scout s role in the pageant;of what is her costume made? Chapter Comment on how this chapter reminds the reader of earlier events in the novel. 2. How does Scout feel about Jem in this chapter? What does she say about him? 3. On the walk home, how does Scout s costume turn out to be a life saver? What happens by the tree? 4. Who do you suppose the villain is? Who do you suppose the hero is? 5. What does Heck Tate find under the tree? Chapter What explanation does Atticus give for Bob Ewell s attack? 2. What does Heck Tate give as the reason for the attack? 3. Do you think that the sheriff s explanation or that of Atticus is more likely to be correct? 4. When do you suppose Boo Radley came out of his house? 5. How does Scout describe Boo? 6. How does Scout s meeting with Boo compare to how she imagined it would be earlier in the novel? Chapter Who does Atticus think caused Bob Ewell s death? Why doesn t he want it covered up? 2. Who really did stab Ewell, and why did Heck decide not to tell anyone of this?

11 3. There seems to be an immediate understanding between Scout and Boo. Why? 4. How does Scout assure Atticus that Mr. Tate is right? 5. Why do the two men, Tate and Atticus, agree to say that the stabbing had been accidental? 6. Is this a difficult decision for Atticus to make? Why or why not? Chapter Why does Scout say, I would lead him through our house, but I would never lead him home.? 2. Scout understands many things when she takes Boo home and sees the street from this new vantage point. Explain some of the things she sees now. 3. What are some of the words Scout uses in this chapter to describe Boo Radley? 4. What is Atticus final statement about people?