To Kill a Mockingbird - Part 1

To Kill A Mockingbird - Part 1

by: Harper Lee

Chapter 1

1. When Jem breaks his elbow, what is his main concern?

2. In what does Atticus invest his earnings?

3. Who is Calpurnia? Describe the relationship between her and Scout.

4. How did Jem and Scout’s mother die?

5. How does the death of Jem’s mother affect him? Why does it affect him more than Scout?

6. How many houses separated Atticus’s residence from the Radley place?

7. What is Dill’s full name? Who is he? Why is he in Maycomb?

8. What is the ‘pecan legend’?

9. What does ‘Boo’ Radley look like?

10. How does Dill try to convince Jem into trying to make “Boo” Radley come out?

11. Describe the first ‘Radley raid’.

Chapter 2

1. Why was Scout so eager to start school?

2. Why was Jem so willing to accompany Scout to school on her first day?

3. Why won’t Walter Cunningham take the teacher’s money?

4. Why do you think Scout’s teacher was having such a tough first day?

Chapter 3

1. What two things does Scout comment on during lunch with Walter Cunningham? Why do these comments get her into trouble?

2. How does Burris Ewell cause a commotion at school? How does he react to being sent home?

3. What ‘simple trick’ does Scout learn from Atticus as he tries to reassure her after a disappointing and emotionally confusing first day of school?

4. What is Atticus’s definition of ‘compromise’? What compromise do he and Scout make about school?

Chapter 4

1. What does Scout find in the Radley’s oak tree? What does she do with it? What is Jem’s reaction?

2. What do Jem and Scout find in the Radley’s oak tree? Why are these objects special? How can we infer that the objects were very important to someone?

3. Who is Cecil Jacobs? Why does he walk so far to school?

4. What game do Jem, Dill, and Scout play when Dill returns to Maycomb?

5. What is a ‘hot steam’?

6. Do you think Atticus knew what game was being played on his porch? What did Jem and Scout think?

7. What did Scout hear at the Radley place?

Chapter 5

1. Who is Miss Maudie Atkinson?

2. Who is Miss Stephanie Crawford?

3. What does Scout mean when she describes Miss Maudie as a ‘chameleon lady’?

4. Why do you think Miss Maudie is so friendly with the children?

5. What is a ‘foot-washing Baptist’? What do these people have against Miss Maudie’s flowers?

6. What do we find out about Dill’s relationship with his father in this chapter? How is this discovery made?

7. How do the children attempt to communicate with ‘Boo’ Radley?

Chapter 6

1. How do we know that Jem and Dill are doing more than “just going for a walk”?

2. Why is this an ideal time for the children to catch a glimpse of ‘Boo’ Radley?

3. Why does Scout finally decide to go with them?

4. Describe three things the children have observed Mr. Avery doing.

5. Why do the kids spit themselves dry?

6. What sound shattered the neighborhood?

7. How did Dill explain the absence of Jem’s pants to the crowd gathered outside the Radley place?

8. How did Jem really lose his pants? Why does he go back for them?

Chapter 7

1. How does Scout try to understand Jem’s sullen behaviour? What does she decide is the best course of action?

2. What did Jem find unusual about his pants when he retrieved them?

3. What else do Jem and Scout find in the knot-hole of the Radley’s oak tree?

4. What happens to the knot-hole in the tree? Who does it and what reason does he give for doing it? Why is his explanation suspect? What do you think is the real reason? Why is Jem so upset?

Chapter 8

1. What does Mr. Avery say about drastic changes in the weather? What effect does this have on Jem and Scout?

2. How does Scout react to the snow? What does this tell you about her life experience?

3. Who is Eula May? Why is she important to the people in Maycomb?

4. What is the ‘slushy operation’?

5. The snowman is a caricature of which neighbour?

6. What happened to Miss Maudie’s house? What is her reaction to this tragedy?

7. How does Scout end up with a blanket around her shoulders?

Chapter 9

1. Who is Tom Robinson and what is his relationship to Atticus? What causes Scout to ask about Tom?

2. What reason does Atticus give for acting as a defense lawyer in a case that even he admits he cannot win?

3. Why does Scout take up the “hobby” of swearing?

4. What does Scout promise Atticus and why does she break this promise?

5. What lessons does Uncle Jack learn about children from Atticus and Scout?

6. What are Atticus’ fears about the upcoming case?

7. Why does Atticus let Scout overhear his conversation with Uncle Jack?

Chapter 10

1. What is Jem and Scout’s major complaint about Atticus?

2. What three things does Miss Maudie say Atticus can do?

3. What is the only sin Scout has ever heard Atticus mention? Why is this action a sin?

4. Which character(s) could the mockingbird symbolize?

5. What do Jem and Scout learn about Atticus? How do they come to this realization?

Chapter 11

1. How does Mrs. Dubose treat the children? What are some of the things she says to taunt them?

2. Why does Scout think Atticus is courageous?

3. What insult does Mrs. Dubose shout at Jem that bothers him the most? What does Jem do to get revenge?

What is Jem’s punishment?

4. What does Atticus believe is revealed about a person who calls other people names?

5. Why was Mrs. Dubose sick? What was the real reason Jem had to read to her for so long? How did she show incredible courage?

To Kill A Mockingbird - Part 2

Chapter 12

1. Where do Scout and Jem go to church?

2. How does the congregation react to their presence?

3. Describe how the congregation sings hymns and the reason(s) why they do it this way?

4. Why does Reverend Sykes keep the congregation in the church after the service is over?

5. Why can’t Helen Robinson find work?

6. What is Tom Robinson accused of doing?

7. What is Atticus’s opinion of the Ewells?

8. Who is there when the children return from church?

[castile, asafoetida, indignantly, rotogravure, impedimenta, denunciation, austere, tedious]

Chapter 13

1. Why does Aunt Alexandra come to Maycomb? How does Scout feel about this?

2. How does Aunt Alexandra fit into Maycomb life?

3. What is Aunt Alexandra obsessed with and how does this directly contradict Atticus’s beliefs?

[formidable, shinny, tight, myopic, caste, mandrake, inflection, elusive, curtness]

Chapter 14

1. What is Atticus’s definition of rape? What kind of definition is this?

2. What are the reactions of Aunt Alexandra and Atticus when they learn of Jem and Scout’s trip to church?

Why do they react so differently?

3. Why does Atticus demand that Scout apologize for talking back to her aunt?

4. What does Aunt Alexandra think of Calpurnia? What does she want Atticus to do? What does Atticus say in

Calpurnia’s defense?

5. What does Scout find under her bed? How did “it” end up there?

6. What code of childhood did Jem break? What does this tell us about his character?

7. Why does Dill think Boo Radley has never run off?

[enema, obscure, carnal, pensive, antagonize, rankling, edification, reverent, infallible, fortitude]

Chapter 15

1. Why do men in Maycomb gather outside? Why are the men gathered outside the Finch house?

2. Where does Atticus go? Why?

3. Why do the children follow him?

4. What happens at the jail? How does Scout diffuse the tense situation there?

[placid, change of venue, ominous, venerable, detractors, privy, oblivious, discreet, snipe, succinct, acquiescence, entailment, overture, futility, aggregation, uncouth, impassive, ramshackle, encumbered]

Chapter 16

1. What did Atticus mean when he said: “A gang of wild animals can be stopped simply because they’re still human”?

2. Why was Miss Maudie not going to the court?

3. What is a ‘mixed child’? What special problem do they face?

4. What does Scout find out in this chapter? Why is she confused about the town’s attitude toward Atticus’s defense of Tom Robinson?

5. Where did Jem, Scout, and Dill sit in the courtroom?

[conceded, lurched, akimbo, subpoena, elucidate, affluent, reminiscent, vista, unobtrusive, surged, connivance, litigants]

Chapter 17

1. What is Mr. Gilmer’s trademark?

2. What is Atticus’s first question to Heck Tate? Why do you think he asks this question?

3. What does Atticus learn about the girl’s injuries? Why is this important?

4. What does Atticus ask Bob Ewell to do? What is Atticus trying to show by doing this?

[solicitor, cast, scrutiny, skewed, terse, indigenous, corrugated, varmints, gleaning, acrimonious, benignly, meekly, devoid, quelling, genially, haughty, tenet, complacently, ambidextrous]

Chapter 18

1. Describe Mayella Ewell’s version of what happened.

2. At what point in her story does Mayella begin to get confused? What is Atticus trying to establish?

3. What happened to Tom Robinson’s arm? Why is this an important fact in the case?

[mollified, stealthy, contorted, pilgrimage, serenely, arid, wrathfully, rained, exodus]

Chapter 19

1. How does Atticus show the jury that Tom has nothing to hide?

2. Why does Scout almost feel sorry for Mayella Ewell? What prevents Scout from doing so?

3. Had Tom worked for Mayella before? How often? Why did Mayella seem to have so many things for him to do?

4. Describe Tom’s version of what happened between him and Mayella.

5. What suggests that Mayella had been planning the seduction for a long time?

6. According to Tom’s testimony who was Mr. Ewell most angry with?

7. Describe the predicament that Tom found himself in that day.

8. Describe two things Mr. Gilmer suggests to undermine Tom’s testimony? How does Tom respond?

9. Why does Scout have to take Dill from the courtroom? Who understands how Dill feels?

[volition, subtlety, predicament, expunge, impudent]

Chapter 20

1. What surprising thing do we learn about Mr. Dolphus Raymond? Why does he do this?

2. Atticus refers to a “time-honored code” in his final speech. What is that unwritten law, that code, that Mayella violated?

3. Briefly summarize Atticus’s final speech.

4. Why does Atticus say that the jury system is not the ideal?

[perpetrated, corroborative, indicted, midst, enormity, subsequent, circumstantial, persevering, unmitigated, temerity, cynical, caliber, distaff, idle, industrious, pauper]

Chapter 21

1. How does Jem feel about Atticus’ chances for winning the case?

2. Who disagrees with Jem? What is his reason for doing so?

3. What is the verdict? Why do you think this is the verdict? How do the children know the verdict before it is announced?

4. Why does Jem jerk repeatedly?

5. What do the Negroes do at the end of the chapter and what does this action indicate about their feelings for Atticus?

[relenting, acquit, indignant, vengeance, exception, demurred, tranquil, roused]

Chapter 22

1. What does Miss Maudie mean when she says, “…there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them…We’re so rarely called upon to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us”?

2. How does Miss Maudie respond when Jem asks, “Who in this town did one thing to help Tom Robinson”?

3. What does Bob Ewell do to Atticus? Why would he do this after he has won the trial?

[wallow, bleakly, feral, fatalistic, ruefully, heathen]

Chapter 23

1. What is Atticus’s philosophy on carrying a gun?

2. What was Atticus’s reason for letting Bob Ewell spit in his face?

3. List two things Jem suggests to improve the justice system. Describe Atticus’s response to each suggestion.

4. What are two reasons that juries are made up of country people instead of town people?

5. According to Atticus, what constitutes white trash?

6. What happened with the jury that has given Atticus some hope that people’s prejudices may be changing?

7. How does Jem describe the hierarchy of hatred that exists among the kinds of folks in Maycomb county?

8. What is the reason that Jem thinks Boo Radley has stayed inside for all these years?

[obscure, furtive, commutes, improbable, adamant, stolidly, resentments, vehement, sordid, stout, reverently, hieroglyphic]

Chapter 24

1. Why is Miss Maudie upset with Mrs. Merriweather?

2. If Scout were the Governor of Alabama, what would she do?

3. What happens to Tom Robinson? How does this occur?

4. What does Scout mean when she says, “After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I”?

[ charlotte, missionary, squalid, impertinence, duress, devout, stately, largo, bovine, brevity, undelectable]

Chapter 25

1. How does Helen react to the news of Tom’s death?

2. What is the town’s reaction to Tom’s death?

3. Why does Mr. Underwood claim that it was a sin to kill Tom Robinson? To what does he compare Tom’s death?

4. What does Scout mean when she says, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom

Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute

Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed”?

5. What is Bob Ewell’s reaction to Tom’s death?

[assurances, veneer]

Chapter 26

1. How much time has passed since the beginning of the novel?

2. How do Jem and Scout know that Boo Radley is still alive?

3. How have Scout’s feelings about Boo changed since the beginning of the novel?

4. What is Scout’s definition of democracy? What confuses Scout about the way her teacher, Miss Gates, reacts to Hitler’s persecution of the Jews, and her reaction the night of Tom Robinson’s trial?

[twinge, remorse, torment, recluse, spite, borne, spurious, persecuting, dictatorship]

Chapter 27

1. Who is believed to be responsible for the attempted break in at Judge Taylor’s house?

2. Describe what occurs between Link Deas and Bob Ewell.

3. Why is Scout not bothered that neither Atticus, Aunt Alexandra, nor Calpurnia are attending the pageant?

[annals, harbor, eccentricities]

Chapter 28

1. How can Scout be seen in the darkness? Who do Scout and Jem think is following them? Why?

2. Describe who Scout feels as she tries to find Jem? Where is Jem?

3. What clothing garment does Aunt Alexandra give to Scout to wear?

4. What is Jem’s condition? What does Scout fear?

5. Who does Scout think the stranger is?

6. Who attacked Scout and Jem? What happened to him?

[incantations, irascible, gait, teeming, rustic, divinity, mortification, hock, floundering, staccato, untrammeled]

Chapter 29

1. How does Scout’s costume help her?

2. What is Heck Tate’s opinion of Bob Ewell?

3. Who saved Jem and Scout’s life?

[turmoil, reprimand, garishly]

Chapter 30

1. Who does Atticus think killed Bob Ewell? Why does he want to take the case through the process of the law?

2. What is Heck Tate’s version of events? Who is he trying to protect? How does he justify this decision?

3. Explain exactly how Bob Ewell died. Account for both knives and all relevant parties.

4. How does Scout help Atticus understand Heck Tate’s decision?

[blandly, bided]

Chapter 31

1. What tells us that Arthur Radley hasn’t had much experience with acts of affection?

2. Why does Scout feel it is important for Boo to lead her home? Why is this an important recognition for her character?

3. Describe what Scout sees as she stands on the Radley’s porch and how she feels about it.

4. Who can we assume Atticus is referring to when he says, “Most people are, Scout, when you really see them”?

[raling, timid, apprehensive, amiable, shrewder]