To Kill a Mockingbird chapter 1-13 Review
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1-What event sparked the telling of the story?
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Jem and Scout's arguement over the cause of his accident
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1-Who is the narrator?
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Scout (Jean Louise) Finch
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1-What were 2 of the rumors that have developed about the Radley's?
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A ghost lives there that reeks havoc on the town and pecans that grew on a tree in the Radley's yard could kill someone
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2-Who is Miss Caroline Fisher/ what is Jem's reaction to her?
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She is Scout's teacher whom Jem has a crush on
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2-What story does Miss Caroline share? How do the students react? From this situation, what can you infer about Miss Caroline's relationship with the people of Maycomb?
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She tells the class that she is from Winston County in North Alabama; the children are shocked; it can be inferred that she does not like the people of Maycomb County
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2-What does Miss Caroline scold Scout for doing? What is ironic about this?
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She scolds Scout for being able to read already which is ironic because she, as a teacher, should be delighted that one of her students is ahead and needs less attention in that area than the others
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2-Why doesn't Walter Cunningham Jr. take Miss Caroline's quarter? What does it mean "to be a Cunningham"?
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Walter doesn't take the quarter because he knows he can't pay Caroline back; Cunninghams are not wealthy but they take what they have and refuse to take anything from another. They pay others back by giving them their possessions
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3-Whom does Jem invite over for lunch?
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Walter Cunningham
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3-Why does Calpurnia make Scout eat in the kitchen?
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She is angry with Scout for criticizing Walter's table manners
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3-What is Burris Ewell like/what do we learn about his family?
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Burris is rude, defiant, stubborn and dirty. We learn that the Ewells "bend the law" because they are very poor (they only go to the first day of school and their father hunts in off-season)
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3-Other than being the family cook, what role does Calpurina play in the kids' lives?
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She is a motherly figure
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3-What Advice does Atticus give to Scout about how to deal with Miss Caroline?
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Atticus tells Scout that she must not be so quick to anger with Miss Caroline. She must put herself in Caroline's shoes before she deems something she said or did to be wrong
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3-Is Scout learning more about life at school or at home (3 examples)
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Home; Atticus gives her advice, Calpurina teaches her not to judge others , Jem taught her not to go on other's property without their permission
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3-What compromise does Scout make with Atticus?
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If Scout keeps going to school, they can keep reading together
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4-What was the first thing Scout found in the oak tree? The second?
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First she finds 2 pieces of unwrapped bubblegum and then she finds a ring box with 2 old Indian pennies inside
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4-What is Scout looking forward to most in the summer?
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Seeing Dill
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4-What types of insults/threats does Jem use on Scout to get her to do what he wants?
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He does things such as calling her a girl and tells her she has no sense at all
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5-What begins the friendship between Scout, Jem and Dill? Why?
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Dill begins to cling to Jem; Dill asks Scout to "marry" him then forgets about it to play with Jem
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5-What is the relationship between Miss Maudie and Uncle Jack Finch like?
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Their relationship is somewhat complicated-Jack constantly yells a marriage proposal to Maudie but also teases her and tries to take her goat
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5-What is a "foot washing Baptist"? What point does Maudie make about some "religious" folks?
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A foot washing Baptist is a person who believes anything enjoyable/women are sins (they follow the Bible strictly); she says some people are so focused on the afterlife that they never figure out how to live their regular lives
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5-How does Scout qualify Miss Maudie as her friend?
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She says Miss Maudie never told on them, played "cat and mouse" or snooped into their personal business
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5-What does Miss Maudie mean when she says, "Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the streets"?
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She means that he wouldn't act differently around certain groups of people; he is always the same
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6-Who is Mr.Avery?
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Mr.Avery is the man who boards across the street from Mrs.Dubose and is constantly on his front porch
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6-How does Jem lose his pants? How does Dill explain the lost pants to the adults?
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Jem's pants get stuck in the wire fence, so he takes them off to get through; Dill claims he won them when he beat Jem in a game of "strip poker"
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6-What is the last thing Dill does before he leaves for the summer?
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He kisses Scout right in from of Jem because they are "engaged"
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6-Why does Jem go back for his pants? What does this indicate about the relationship he has with his father?
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He goes back because he knows Nathan will tell his father when he finds Jem's pants; Jem says he's never been in deep trouble with Atticus and wants it to stay that way
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7-Who do you think sewed up Jem's pants? Why (cite at least two specific details from the previous chapter to support you answer)?
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Most likely Boo Radley; This could be a way to communicate with the kids like how they found the gum and ring box in the tree and Nathan was outside in front of the house at the time so it couldn't have been him
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7-What new items do Scout and Jem find in the knot hole of the tree? Who is putting these there/why do you think that?
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A gray ball of twine and two soap figures-a boy and girl; Boo because the ball of twine could represent sewing up Jem's pants and the soap figures could possibly be Scout and Jem
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7-Why would Nathan Radley lie about the tree? Why is Jem so upset?
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He might have filled in the hole because he knew Boo was leaving objects in it and, like his father, Nathan wanted to cut off his communication with the outside world; Jem is upset because he has lost his connection to Boo and can't tell Atticus because he promised he'd stop harassing the Radleys
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8-What causes Scout to think the world is coming to an end?
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She sees it snowing outside and she has never seen snow before
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8-What does Atticus mean when he says, "Looks like all of Maycomb was out tonight, in one way or another"?
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He means that even those who they would least expect to help were helping or were outside watching (espcially the mysterious person, most likely Boo, who put the blanket on Scout
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8-Who or what is the "Absolute Morphodite? How does this situation relate to Scout's childish naïveté?
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The snowman because it resembles both Mr.Avery and Miss Maudie; Scout mishears Jem and Miss Maudie and instead of calling the snowman a hermaphrodite calls it a "morphodite"
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9-Who is Tom Robinson?
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He is a black man that Atticus (who is a lawyer) is defending in a court case
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9-What does Atticus mean when he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try not to win"? What is he referring to (historically and present)?
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He means that they are sure to lose even if it's clear he didn't do it; slavery and the remaining resent for black people in the South
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9-Why has Scout started swearing?
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She learned some swear words at school and decided to use them
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9-Why does Scout tell Uncle Jack that he does not understand children?
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She says this because he immediately believes Francis over Scout, even though he hasn't heard his side of the story
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9-Who is Tom Robinson up against in his trial?
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The Ewell (pronounced "Yule") family
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9-What is Maycomb's "usual disease"?
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They are quick to blame a black person over a white person in a crime (they are racists)
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9-Why would Atticus want Scout to overhear him speaking with Uncle Jack?
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He wants her to learn not to judge a person based on their skin color no matter what anybody says
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10-Why are Scout and Jem embarrassed of Atticus?
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They are embarrassed that he is a lot older than their friends' fathers
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10-Who is Tim Johnson and what happens when he comes into the Finch's neighborhood?
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He is a dog; he appears to be "sick" and Calpurnia calls all the neighbors and alerts them of his presence
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10-Why does Heck Tate insist that Atticus take his rifle? What is Atticus's old nickname?
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He thinks Atticus would have a better chance of shooting Tim; Ol' One Shot
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10-Why didn't Atticus ever tell Scout and Jem about his skill? What lesson is he trying to teach them?
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It may be because he's moral-he doesn't want to harm any other living thing that is defenseless; He is trying to teach them morality and to respect others whether they be humans or animals and not to harm "nature's gifts"
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11-Who is Mrs.Dubose? How do the children feel about her?
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She is an old woman who says very nasty and hurtful things; the children hated her as she always judged/scolded them
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11-What does Jem do to Mrs.Dubose that gets him into trouble? Why does he do it?
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He goes into her yard and cuts all her camilla bushes; he is angry that she insulted Atticus
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11-What is Jem's punishment?
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He has to apologize to Mrs.Dubose
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11-What is Atticus being called that Scout finally asks about? How does he explain it?
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He is being called a "(derrogatary word for black person) lover"; he says that it is an ugly phrase to call a person that generated from people who felt those like Atticus favored black people over white people
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11-What does Atticus reveal as the true reason for his forcing Jem to visit Mrs.Dubose? How does it explain her strange behavior?
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Atticus had Jem go to Mrs.Dubose's to read because it would help break her addiction to morphine; her "starnge behavior" were fits of withdrawl
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11-What is Atticus's definition of "true courage"?
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In his definition, Atticus states that courage isn't "a man with a gun", but pushing through unfortunate circumstances and not giving up even though the chances of success seem small
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12-Why do you think Calpurnia takes so much care in getting Jem and Scout ready for church?
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Probably because she wants the other church goers to have a good impression of her and respect her for the proper maintenance of the children
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12-How does Cal speak differently in church than in the Finch house? How does Scout react to this?
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She speaks more like the other black people (with more of a southern accent); she is surprised as Cal does not speak this way at home
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12-Who is Lula? How does she feel about Cal and why?
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A woman that goes to Cal's church; she dislikes that Cal brought white children because she believes they should go to their own church
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12-How does the Congregation sing hymns? Why do they do it this way?
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They follow a person who sings the words from the hymn book which they repeat; they are illiterate
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12-Why does Reverend Sykes close the church doors?
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He closed them so the members of the church couldn't leave before they donated enough money to reach ten dollars for Helen Robertson (Tom's wife)
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12-Who is on the front porch when Cal and the kids get home from church?
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The kids' Aunt Alexandra
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13-What is Alexandra look like and what is her personality like?
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She is tidy, rude, snobby, graceful, old-fashioned, and controlling; she is "solid" and looks like a classic Finch
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13-How does Aunt Alexandra define a "fine family"?
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She says a "fine family" is one that has lived in one place for a long time and has let their roots grow there
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13-Is Atticus comfortable with this definition?
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No; his discomfort is seen when he talks to the kids about the topic in a very rigid manner, as if he had been told what to say
