To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 13 31

To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 13 31

To Kill a Mockingbird – Chapters 13 – 31

Type or write the answers on your own paper. Make sure you label each chapter.

Chapter 13

  1. At the beginning of the chapter, Aunt Alexandra says two things. What do they reveal about her?
  2. Describe how Aunt Alexandra fits into the society of Maycomb.
  3. A) Briefly summarize the lecture Atticus gives his kids at the end.

B) Why does Scout say, “This was not my father”?

Chapter 14

  1. Atticus and Aunt Alexandra argue over Calpurnia. What does she want him to do?
  2. Why are Jem and Scout sent to bed?
  3. What does Scout think is under her bed at first? Who is actually under there?
  4. Summarize Dill’s trip and explain why he ran away.
  5. What does Dill say about Boo Radley at the end of the chapter?

Chapter 15

  1. What is the “nightmare” that now descends upon the children?
  2. What was (and is) the Ku Klux Klan? What do you think of Atticus's comment about it?
  3. How does Jem react when Atticus tells him to go home, and why?
  4. What persuades the lynching-party to give up their attempt on Tom's life? How does Scout’s presence and conversation affect events without her realizing it at the time?
  5. Why do you think Atticus is not angry with Jem at the end of the chapter?

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Chapter 16

  1. What “subtle change” does Scout notice in her father when he talks to Aunt Alexandra?
  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 this? Explain
  4. Comment on Judge Taylor's attitude to his job. Does he take the trial seriously or not? Support your answer with details from the text.

Chapter 17

  1. What are the main points in Heck Tate's evidence? Summarize or list as bullets
  2. What does Atticus show in his cross examination of Sheriff Tate?
  3. What do we learn indirectly of the home life of the Ewell family in this chapter?
  4. A) Why does Atticus ask Bob Ewell to write out his name?

B) What does the jury see when he does this?

Chapter 18

  1. Is Mayella like her father or different from him? Support your answer with details/examples.
  2. What might be the reason for Mayella's crying in the court?
  3. How does Mayella react to Atticus's politeness? Is she used to people being polite? Explain…

Chapter 19

  1. What made Tom visit the Ewell's house in the first place?
  2. Why does Scout think that Mayella Ewell was “the loneliest person in the world”?
  3. In your own words explain Mayella's relationship with her father.
  4. Based on the reaction in the courtroom, why is it a mistake for Tom to say he “felt sorry” for Mayella?
  5. How does Dill react to this part of the trial? Speculate about the reasons for his reaction.

Chapter 20

  1. In most states of the USA people who drink alcohol in public places are required to hide their bottle in a paper bag. Why does Dolphus Raymond hide Coca-Cola in a bag?
  2. Scout says that “Mr. Dolphus Raymond was an evil man.” What do we find out about him in this chapter? What do you conclude about him now?
  3. What, according to Atticus, is the thing that Mayella has done wrong?
  4. Explain, in your own words, Atticus's views on people being equal.

Chapter 21

  1. What does Jem expect the verdict to be? Does Atticus think the same?
  2. What is unusual about how long it takes the jury to reach a verdict? Is the verdict predictable or not?
  3. On page 280, Scout thinks back to a cold February morning when Mr. Tate urged Atticus to shoot a rabid dog. Even though the temperature is opposite, she says the atmosphere is the same. How is the atmosphere plus therole of Sherriff Tate and Atticus the same in these two scenes?
  4. Why does Reverend Sykes and the rest on the top balcony stand up for Atticus as he passes them?

Chapter 22

  1. 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's 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 are her reasons for this view?
  3. This story is set in the 1930s but was published in 1960. Have attitudes to racism remained the same or have there been any changes (for the better or worse) since then, in your view?
  4. 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?

Chapter 23

  1. What do you think of Atticus's 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. Aunt Alexandra accepts the fact that the Cunninghams may be good but they are not “our kind of folks.” What does that reveal abouther? What are the effects of class divisions on a society?
  4. At the end of this chapter, Jem forms a new theory about why Boo Radley has never left his house in years. What is his theory and why did he think that? Do you agree with Jem or not? Explain why.

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Chapter 24

  1. Do you think the missionary ladies are sincere in worrying about the “Mrunas” (a tribe in Africa)? Give reasons for your answer.
  2. Compare the reactions of Miss Maudie to those of the other ladies when Scout says she is wearing her “britches” under her dress.
  3. The conversation of the ladies is filled with irony arising from the purpose of their meeting and the recent situation with Tom Robinson and the rest of the black community. Find and explain at least one such irony.
  4. Explain briefly what happened to Tom. What is Atticus's explanation for Tom's attempted escape?
  5. How, in this chapter, do we see Aunt Alexandra in a new light? How does Miss Maudie support her?
  6. Why is Scout now a “lady?”

Chapter 25

  1. Why won’t Jem let Scout mash the roly-poly?
  2. How does Maycomb react to the news of Tom's death?
  3. Explain the contrast Scout draws between the court where Tom was tried and “the secret courts of men's hearts”. In what way are hearts like courts?

Chapter 25 questions continued on next page…….

  1. Why does Mr. Underwood compare the killing of Tom to the killing of mockingbirds?
  2. Why did Jem not want Scout to tell Atticus about Bob Ewell's comment? Was this a wise thing to ask her to do or not? Explain your reasoning.

Chapter 26

  1. In her lesson on Hitler, Miss Gates says that “we (American people) don't believe in persecuting anyone.” What seems odd or ironic to the reader about this claim?
  2. Why is Jem eating so many bananas?
  3. Scout is bemused by the attitude of Miss Gates towards Hitler and asks Jem: “How can you hate Hitler an’ then turn around an’ be ugly about folks right at home?” Why does this question of Scout’s upset Jem so much?

Chapter 27

  1. 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 was the purpose of the Halloween pageant? What practical joke had persuaded the grown ups to have an organized event?

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Chapter 28

  1. Describe what Scout does at the pageant that causes her to be embarrassed.
  2. Scout decides to keep her costume on while walking home. How does this affect her understanding of what happens on the way back?
  3. Briefly summarize the attack on Scout and Jem.
  4. Why doesn’t Atticus bring a chair for the man in the corner? Who might this stranger be?

Chapter 29

  1. What causes the “shiny clean line” on the otherwise “dull wire” of Scout's costume?
  2. Atticus and Heck Tate assign different motivations for Bob Ewell’s attack. What are they?
  3. Do you think the sheriff's explanation or Atticus's is the more likely to be true? Explain how their motivations and personalities help promote their differing explanations.
  4. Describe the appearance, at the end of the chapter, of Boo Radley.

Chapter 30

  1. Who does Atticus think caused Bob Ewell's death?
  2. Why does Heck Tate insist that Bob Ewell's death was self-inflicted? In what way is this partly true?
  3. Is Heck Tate right to spare Boo the publicity of an inquest? Give reasons for your answer.
  4. What does Scout understand at the end of the chapter when she says, “it’d be sort of like shootin’a mockingbird?”

Chapter 31

  1. List the earlier events that are summarized starting on page 373.
  2. Comment on why Harper Lee has Scout remember these events. How do they relate to “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes”?
  3. At the end of the novel, Atticus reads to Scout. What is his choice of story? Explain the significance of the title.
  4. Scout summarizes the story and says “Stoner’s Boy …when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things….” How does this relate to what just happened?
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