To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide – Flashcards
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1. Describe the techniques used by Harper Lee to tell the readers the story.
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Harper Lee uses the techniques of using flashbacks having a young girl tell the story.
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2. The time and place in which a story takes place is called the setting. Describe the setting to To Kill a Mockingbird as best as you can from reading the first chapter.
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It takes place in Maycomb, Alabama and is situated next to the Radley house.
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3. In this chapter the author prepares the readers for the attitudes and prejudices that create the mood that will prevail throughout the novel. Cite some examples.
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"So Simon, having forgotten his teacher's dictum on the possession of human chattels, bought three slaves and with their aid established a homestead on the banks of the Alabama River some forty miles above Saint Stephens."
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4. How did Jem, Scout, and Dill entertain themselves? What did Dill encourage Jem and Scout to do when they got bored with those activities?
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They worked on, "Improving our treehouse that rested between giant twin chinaberry trees in the back yard, fussing, and running through our list of dramas."
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Look up the meaning of "satire." Use what you learn to show how the author used satire in describing Scout's experience with Miss Caroline Fisher.
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Satire means the use of humor, irony, or exaggeration. Scout had to explain things to Miss Caroline about how she learned to read and Miss Caroline thought she was using satire.
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Explain Scout's statement: "Walter hasn't got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can't use any stovewood."
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It means that even though he doesn't have money, what he can pay her with isn't usable to her.
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How do you think you would have felt if you had been Miss Caroline?
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I would have be happy for Scout instead of being mad at her from learning from her father.
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Compare and contrast Jem and Scout as evidenced by their treatment of Walter Cunningham.
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Scout starts to beat Walter up for getting her in trouble and Jem invites him to dinner. Scout is mean to him while Jem is kind and hospitable to him.
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In this chapter we met a member of the Ewell family. Do you think the Ewells will play an important role in upcoming chapters? Support your opinion.
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I don't think they will play an important role because Burris Ewell says he isn't going to school anymore so I don't think we will see much of him.
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Evaluate Atticus's advice to Scout: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view
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until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."- It means that you may think that something doesn't make sense or is unfair in your opinion but if you think about it like the other person would, maybe you would think about it differently.
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Calpurnia was the Finches' housekeeper. write a brief character sketch using information from the first three chapters to support your opinion.
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She cooks and cleans for them and is not one for unkindness. When Scout is unkind to Walter, she scolds her. She also compares her to Jem saying that she should be as good as him.
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What agreement did Scout and Atticus reach?
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They said that Atticus would continue to teach Scout and so would Miss Caroline. Scout has to keep Atticus' teaching a secret.
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Who, do you think, was leaving gifts for Jem and Scout?
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I think it was Boo Radley.
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Describe the game played by the children. Why did Jem evade Atticus's question when Atticus asked what they were playing?
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They played Rover Boys and Boo Radley.
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Why did Scout want to quit their game?
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They got caught by Atticus and she heard laughter in the Radley House.
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Why did Scout grow closer to Miss Maudie Atkinson? Explain the metaphor "chameleon lady."
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Miss Atkinson was acting as a mother figure to Scout. Chameleon lady refers to when Miss Atkinson works in her garden all day then changes and goes onto her porch looking beautiful.
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What did Miss Maudie say that prompted Scout to defend her father? What did she say in his defense?
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Miss Maudie says that she doesn't know what people do behind closed doors. Scout said that he never hits her or Jem.
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Judge the children's attempt to give a note to Boo. Do you think it was cruel? Explain.
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They try to give Boo the note with a fishing rod to make him come out. I think it was cruel because they were treating him like he wasn't human and like he wasn't equal to them.
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"Jem...realized that he had been done in by the oldest lawyer's trick on record." Explain.
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He realized that he told Atticus what happened and Atticus asked him if he wanted to be a lawyer some day to make him feel bad.
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What went wrong in Jem and Dill's plot to peep in the window to try to get a look at Boo Radley?
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They got shot at and had to scramble out of there. Jem lost his pants in the process.
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Explain the importance of Mr. Radley's assumption that a Negro was in his collard patch.
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It means that he must be racist because if it was then he would have shot him.
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Why was it significant that Jem was determined to return alone to the Radley residence to retrieve his pants?
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He wanted to keep up with his lie about loosing in strip poker and if Atticus found out he had been in the Radley's yard he would have spanked him.
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what surprise did Jem encounter when he returned to the Radley Place t retrieve his pants? Why did it upset him? Guess who was responsible and the possible significance.
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He saw that his pants were repaired an folded neatly on the gate. It upse him because now they might know it was him. I think Mrs. Radley was responsible.
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List all the gifts put in the tree for the children.
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They found two pieces of gum, two pennies, a ball of twine, two figures carved from soap, more gum, a spelling bee medal, and a pocket watch.
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Jem was obviously disturbed by the fact that Mr. Radley had filled the hole in the tree with cement. Why, do you think, did he appear more upset than Scout?
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I think he was more upset than Scout because he was older and is starting to understand life a little more and he was mad that Mr. Radley ruined the place that his little sister got so excited about.
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Why did Scout believe that the world was coming to an end?
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She thought the world was coming to an end because she saw snow and she didn't know what it was.
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According to Mr. Avery, who was to blame for the harsh winter? What was his source of information?
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He said Naughty children caused the harsh winter and the information was from the Rosetta Stone.
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Mr. Avery either did not know, or chose to ignore, the real meaning of the Rosetta Stone. Find out what the Rosetta Stone was and explain.
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The Rosetta Stone contains info used to honor the Egyptian pharaoh so I don't think he knew what the Rosetta Stone said.
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What can you gather from Scout's use of the word "******"?
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It shows she didn't know that it was derogatory and Atticus tells her it's common and not to use it.
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Why did Atticus suggest that the children "disguise" their snowman?
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He had them disguise it because it looked so much like Mr. Avery, whom they were modeling the snowman after.
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Who put the blanket around Scout? Comment on the importance of this fact.
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Boo Radley put it around Scout to show that he was doing a kind thing and caring for her.
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How did Miss Maudie react to the loss of her house?
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She was happy because she wanted more room to plant her flowers and to get rid of her old house.
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For the first eight chapters, the plot focused around Boo Radley. In this chapter we were introduced to another plot
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one involving Tom Robinson. Explain who Tom Robinson was and his relationship to Atticus Finch. -Tom Robinson is an African American man on trial for raping a White Woman. Atticus is acting as Tom's lawyer and defending him.
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What prompted Atticus to advise Scout, "You just hold your head high and keep those fists down"?
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Cecil Jacobs said in school that Atticus defends N****** and that upsets Scout and prompts her to fight and Atticus does not want her to.
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Analyze Atticus's statement; "Simply because we were licked a hündred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.
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It is saying that even though a lot of White people think what Atticus is doing is wrong, he is still going to try.
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Why did Scout imagine that her Aunt Alexandra was a changeling?
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She thought this because Aunt Alexandra was completely different from Atticus,
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Using Francis and Scout as examples, whose method of upbringing do you think was more successful, Atticus or Aunt Alexandra's?
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I think Atticus was more successful because Scout was defending herself and her father.
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Toward the end of this chapter the author used foreshadowing to give us a hint of trouble to come. Cite two examples.
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One was that Mockingbirds were being compared to African Americans and it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they do is make music. That shows that Tom Robinson should be innocent. Another example is the criticism that Atticus receives from Cecil and Francis will only get worse as the book goes on.
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What did Atticus mean by "Maycomb's usual disease"?
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He means racism.
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Jem tried very hard to live up to Atticus's standards of being a gentleman. How did Mrs. Dubose provoke Jem into cutting the tops off the camelia bushed and breaking Scout's baton?
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She said that Atticus was no better than the N****** he worked for.
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The following statement described Mrs. Dubose's tirade: "We were followed...by a philippic on our family's moral degeneration." Define the word "philippic" and explain the historical origins of the word.
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A philippic is a word or phrase that condemns a person (Wikipedia). It was used in the ancient Greek times.
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Explain Atticus's statement: "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is the person's conscience." Do you agree?
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I agree because nobody can tell your conscience what to think.
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What commitment did Jem make to atone for the destruction of Mrs. Dubose's property?
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He would go to her house everyday after school and read to her.
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How did Atticus respond to Scout's question of whether or not he was a "******
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lover"? -He says that he is because he tries to love everybody. He also says that the term is used by trashy people.
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Jem's growing maturity was evidenced by his response to Mrs. Dubose's statement: "Don't guess you feel like holding it (his head) up, though, with your father what he is." Explain.
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He looks up at Mrs. Dubose and isn't mad at the comment so he was controlling himself.
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What did we learn that explained Mrs. Dubose's fits?
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She was addicted to morphine.
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According to Atticus, why did Mrs. Dubose's actions show great courage? How did this relate to Atticus's own situation?
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It showed great courage because she fought a fight she knew she wasn't going to win.
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What information do we learn about conditions in Alabama in 1935. Why might this information be significant to the plot?
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We learn that the town is segregated and that the Black people didn't want Scout and Jem at their church.
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Explain how the First Purchase African M.E. Church got its name. Describe the means by which the congregation sang hymns. What was this necessary?
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It got its name from being the first thing that freed slaves bought. What Zeebo sang the congregation sang back because most of them couldn't read.
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Why did Reverend Sykes say, "Nobody leaves here till we have ten dollars"? What does this tell us about the black community?
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He said that because he wanted at least ten dollars to give to Tom's wife Helen. It tells you that they will give up what they have to support a brother or sister.
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Analyze Calpurnia's remark: "Ït's not necessary to tell all you know."
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It means that you don't have to say everything if it will hurt the person your telling.
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How did the author use foreshadowing while explaining the reason for Aunt Alexandra's stay with them?
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The foreshadowing explained that Aunt Alexandra was there to give Scout a female role model.
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Atticus lectured the children about trying to live up to their name. Why did this upset Scout and Jem?
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It upset them because he wasn't acting like himself.
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The author used foreshadowing near the end of this chapter. Explain.
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Atticus reminds them that they are Finches and maybe that means that through all the trouble they will face they have to remain true to who they really are.
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When Alexandra said, "You've got to do something about her," to whom did she refer?
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She was referring to Scout.
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What did she want Atticus to do? How did Atticus react?
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She wanted Atticus to fire Calpurnia but he said no.
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What did Jem do that "broke the remaining code of (their) childhood"? Judge his decision to take that action.
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He ratted on Dill. I think it was good so they could feed him.
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Explain what Atticus meant when he told Dill to "put some of the country back where it belongs."
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He meant that he has to behave differently when he lives with them.
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According to Dill, why did he run away? Why was this reason difficult for Scout to comprehend?
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He ran away because his parents didn't really want him there. It was difficult for Scout because he was still loved by his parents too.
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Dill constantly made up tall tales. Guess why.
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He made up tales because that is what he wished his life was like.
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Conclude why Mr. Tate said, "Change of venue. Not much point in that, now is it?"
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He said that because Tom Robinson was being transferred to the county jail.
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The author used foreshadowing in the beginning of the chapter to give the readers a clue as to what would happen at the end of the chapter. Explain.
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Mr. Tate says that Tom Robinson is being moved to the jail and that means that people are going there to beat him up.
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What prompted Jem to go downtown?
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Atticus usually doesn't take the car and Jem found it suspicious.
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Compare and contrast the crowd of men who gathered outside the Finch home to those who gathered in front of the jail.
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The people outside the Finch home are friends and the people outside the jail were foes.
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What happened to break the tension of the mob?
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Scout talked to Mr. Cunningham about Walter and to tell him she said hey.
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Atticus did not reprimand Jem for disobeying his instructions to go home. Why not?
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They basically saved him from getting beat up.
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How did Jem's behavior toward Scout show his growing maturity?
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He was comforting her.
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Explain the reference to William Jennings Bryan.
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Miss Maudie said at the courthouse that it ought to be William Jennings Bryan speaking because of all the people there.
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Miss Maudie compared the atmosphere surrounding the trial to a Roman carnival. Why?
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She is comparing it to a Roman carnival because they used to watch people die in the coliseums and they may be watching Tom Robinson die.
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Miss Maudie used sarcasm when asking Miss Stephanie about going to the courthouse. Explain.
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Miss Stephanie is always in everyone's business.
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Scout overheard a conversation among the members of the Idlers' Club. What did she learn that put a "different light on things"? Why did this confuse her?
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She learned that some people were against Tom Robinson because of the color of his skin and she was confused because Atticus judges people by their personality.
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With whom did Scout, Jem, and Dill view the court proceedings?
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They sat with Rev. Sykes and the rest of the African American group.
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If you had been on the jury, what would you have thought about the fact that no one had called a doctor to examine Mayella?
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I thought it would have been suspicious.
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When Mr. Tate testified that Mayella Ewell had been beaten on her right side, something became clear to both Mr. Tate and Atticus, What was it?
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Bob Ewell was left handed and it would've been easier for him to hit her right side.
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Characterize the Ewells.
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They live next to a dump and and don't take showers very often.
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Why did Atticus ask Mr. Ewell to write his name?
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He didn't know if he was literate.
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Scout became nervous when Atticus asked Mr. Ewell if he could write his name. Why?
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She thought that Atticus should never ask a question he didn't know the answer to.
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Cite evidence that Mayella was different from the other Ewells.
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She was the oldest Ewell of seven children and she planted flowers in her garden and she bathed regularly..
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Why did Mayella think that Atticus was making fun of her?
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He was calling her Miss Mayella and Ma'am and she had never been called that.
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What pertinent fact did we learn about Tom Robinson's physical condition?
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His left hand was taken off by a cotton gin when he was young.
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Atticus tried to point the guilt in another direction. Whom did he suspect?
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He suspected Bob Ewell because he was left handed
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If you had been on the jury, would you have had doubts regarding Tom Robinson's guilt? Explain.
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I would have doubts because Tom Robinson only had one hand.
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Characterize Tom Robinson from what you learned in this chapter.
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He is very honorable and helps Mayella without getting paid.
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What did Scout mean by the following: "She was even lonelier than Boo Radley"?
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Mayella didn't know what friends were and she thought Atticus was making fun of her.
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How did Tom's testimony about the evening of November 21 differ from Mayella's?
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Tom Robinson said that it was Mayella that jumped on him instead of the other way around for Mayella's testimony.
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Atticus was not the only white man to stand up for Tom. Who else spoke out in Tom's behalf?
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The judge spoke out on Tom's behalf.
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Tom regretted his explanation of why he helped Mayella. Explain.
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He didn't want to say she was lying and he was afraid of being tried in court.
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How did Dill show his sensitivity.
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He was crying and throwing up because of how Mr. Gilmer treated Tom.
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What did Mr. Dolphus Raymond mean by the following: "You little folks won't tell on me now, will you? It'd ruin my reputation if you did"?
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If they said he was only drinking Coca-Cola, he wouldn't be known as the town drunk.
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Why did Mr. Raymond entrust the children with his secret? What pessimism did he express?
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He did because they didn't fully understand it yet. He also said that they will learn in a few years when they had seen more of the world.
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Evaluate Atticus's closing statements. If you had been on the jury, would he have convinced you of Tom's innocence? Explain.
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Yes because most of the damage was done with a left hand and Tom only had a right hand.
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According to Atticus, Mayella was motivated to lie to rid herself of guilt. What rigid code of her society did she break?
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She tempted a Negro man.
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According to Atticus, the prosecutor's case was based upon "an evil assumption." Explain.
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The evil assumption was that Tom raped Mayella because everyone thinks that Negro men are all bad.
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What did Atticus mean by "the distaff side of the Executive branch"?
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The side concerning women.
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Analyze Atticus's statement: "Courts are the great levelers" and "A court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury."
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It means that everyone is equal in a court.
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Predict why Calpurnia interrupted the court session.
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She interrupted to tell Atticus something important.
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Jem misinterpreted Atticus's statement, "But I expect it'll be over before you get back." Explain.
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Jem thought he meant the whole court case but Atticus meant the time out.
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As Scout awaited the return of the jury, she was overcome with a certain impression. It reminded her of an impression she had had the winter before. Explain.
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She had a certain feeling something was going to happen.
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What clue made Scout believe that the verdict would be guiilty?
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Not a single member of the jury looked at Tom Robinson.
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Why did Reverend Sykes ask Scout to stand?
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She does as a sign of respect for her father.
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Compare Atticus's response to Jem's question "How could they do it?" to Dolphus Raymond's reason for telling the children his secret in Chapter 20?
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White people believe what they want to believe and they thought Dolphus Raymond was a drunk like Tom Robinson was guilty.
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Why did Atticus say that they weren't through yet?
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He thought he might be able to still try and acquit Tom.
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Miss Maudie made a gesture that implied that to her, Jem had matured greatly. Explain.
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She gave him a piece of the big cake instead of making him his own little one.
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According to Miss Maudie, who also had helped Tom Robinson?
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Judge Taylor did.
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According to Miss Maudie, what ray of optimism could be found in the outcome of the trial?
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The case lasted a long time.
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What news did Miss Stephanie tell the children?
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Bob Ewell spat on Atticus.
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In Chapter Three, Atticus gave Scout advice about how to understand a person. In this chapter, he used similar advice to explain to Jem why he wasn't going to "do something about" Bob Ewell's threatening behavior. Explain.
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Atticus told them not to get involved and he said that Bob Ewell just needs to feel like he's retaliating.
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What was it about the statute that bothered Atticus?
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There were no eyewitnesses
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Atticus showed pride in Jem's power of observation. Explain.
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Jem thought that they should be the ones sitting on a jury.
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What surprising news did Atticus tell Jem about the jury in the Robinson case?
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That the jury might be able to turn around.
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Summarize what Aunt Alexandra said that caused Jem to say, "Scout, don't let Aunty aggravate you"?
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She said that Scout wasn't allowed to play with Walter because he was trash.
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Explain the irony in the missionary circle's concern with the "squalid lives of the Mrunas"
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The irony is that they pity the Mrunas but not African Americans.
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Why did Scout assume that Mrs. Merriweather was talking about Mayella when she said, "Well, I always say forgive and forget...?
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Scout thought that Mayella was unchristian, but because she was White, they don't really care.
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What caused Aunt Alexandra to give Miss Maudie a look of pure gratitude?
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Miss Maudie defended Atticus.
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Scout expressed the idea that she preferred the company of her father and his friends. What did she mean by the following: "Mr. Heck Tate did not trap you with innocent questions to make fun of you"?
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She meant that the men aren't hypocrites.
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Why did Atticus interrupt the gathering of the missionary circle to ask Calpurnia to accompany him?
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Tom Robinson got shot seven times.
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Atticus said, "I told him what I thought, but I couldn't in truth say that we had more than a good chance." Judge Atticus's decision not to promise Tom more than "a good chance."
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I think it was good because Tom probably wasn't going to go fee anyway.
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In this chapter, we saw Aunt Alexandra's character develop more fully. Explain.
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She just wants the town to stop bugging Atticus.
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How had Scout's attitude towards Aunt Alexandra.changed?
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She likes her more because she was acting like Jem.
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Jem stopped Scout from killing a roly
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poly. Relate this to the major theme of the book. -Don't kill something if it hasn't done anything wrong.
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The symbol of the mockingbird appeared once again in this chapter. Explain.
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It's don't kill something if it didn't do anything to you.
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Analyze the statement: Ï"In the secret courts of had men's hearts Atticus had no case."
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It meant that Atticus had no say in the verdict because the men that heard it already sided against Tom.
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There is an uneasy feeling at the end of this chapter. What caused it?
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Scout hearing the name Ewell.
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Scout showed evidence of her growing maturity when she felt a "twinge of remorse" when passing by the Radley Place. Explain.
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She begins to understand that Boo is a human too and they shouldn't have made fun of him.
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What was ironic about Miss Gaté's harsh censure Hitler's persecution of the Jews?
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She said that Jews were the best people in the world but she said that Negroes had to be taught a lesson.
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Analyze Jem's inability to discuss anything to do with the court house.
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He was so mad he just leaped off the bed and shook Scout's collar.
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What three things happened to further frustrate Bob Ewell?
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He got fired from his job, he got threatened to not go near Helen, and everyone knows the truth about what he did to his daughter.
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NRA is an acronym for National Recovery Act. To whom did Atticus refer when he that "nine old men" killed the NRA?
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He means the supreme court.
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There was a feeling of apprehension at the end of this chapter. What elements helped create this mood?
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Aunty had a feeling, Scout said it was the longest walk ever, and Bob Ewell was waiting for them.
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The apprehensive mood continued in this chapter. Cite details that contributed to this mood before the attack on the children.
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It is Halloween, and aa mockingbird and shuffling feet are heard behind them.
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Why, do you think, did Aunt Alexandra bring Scout her overalls rather than a dress?
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Aunty began to understand her.
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Guess who brought Jem inside.
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Boo Radley brought him home.
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Describe Jem's condition after the attack.
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He had a broken arm and a bump on his head.
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What important news did Mr. Tate reveal at the end of the chapter?
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Bob Ewell was found dead under a tree.
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Why did Aunt Alexandra feel guilty about the attack on the children? How would you have felt in her situation?
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She thought she knew Bob would eventually try something like that. I would have felt bad too.
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What prompted Mr. Tate to say, "We'll have to make him (Jem) a deputy"?
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Jem saved his sister from Bob.
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Who brought Jem into the house?
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Boo Radley.
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How did Scout show kindness to Boo?
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She took his hand and told him he could pet him.
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What conclusion did Atticus jump to regarding the death of Bob Ewell?
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Atticus thought Jem killed him.
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Who really killed Bob Ewell? What evidence makes you think this?
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It was Boo Radley because he brought Jem home.
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Whose kitchen knife was it? Whose switchblade was it? Why did Mr. Tate say that he had taken the switchblade off a drunk earlier that evening?
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It was Boo Radley's kitchen knife and Bob's switchblade. Bob couldn't afford a switchblade.
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How did Scout continue to show compassion to Boo?
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She relates him to being a mockingbird.
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Whom do you think the Gray Ghost symbolized? Find the sentence that makes you think this.
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Boo because he's "dead and thin."
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What helped Scout "stand in Boo Radley's shoes"?
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Standing and looking out his window to show her how he saw the world.
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What does the mockingbird represent?
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It represents innocence.
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Who were the mockingbirds in the story? Explain.
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Tom Robinson was one because he didn't commit the crime and Boo Radley was one because he was just protecting the children and Jem and Scout because they were just innocent kids.
