Name:______
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Ch. 1
1. From whose point of view is the story told?
2. What is the setting for the story? Describe the town briefly.
3. What does Atticus do for a living?
4. Who is Calpurnia? Describe her in brief detail.
5. Who is Dill? Why is he in Maycomb?
6. What is the Radley place? What is the story of the family in it?
(Separate the facts from the town talk and hearsay.)
Ch. 2
1. Who is Miss Caroline Fisher? List one mistake she makes with one of the individual children.
2. Describe the Ewells and the Cunninghams as represented in the way Burris Ewell and Walter Cunningham act on the first day of school. In what ways are the families alike? In what ways are they different?
3. How do the country people most often pay for services given to them?
Ch. 3
1. What do we learn of Calpurnia’s values and standards of living?
2. What important lessons does Scout learn from her father about how to treat people
in different situations?
3. What does Atticus propose as a solution to the conflict between Scout and her
teacher?
4. Why aren’t the Ewell children forced to go to school after the first day?
Ch. 4
1. Describe the incident with the tire.
2. What game to the children invent with many variations?
3. What mood does the chapter end on? (Why?)
4. Describe Scout's views on education.
5. What did she find in the knothole of the tree?
6. Dill obviously lies or makes things up. Give an example.
Ch. 5.
1. Describe Miss Maudie. What do her feelings and attitudes represent or show about her?
2. What do we learn about Mr. Radley in this chapter?
3. How do three children try to get a note to Boo Radley? What happens?
Ch. 6
1. What is the big adventure for Dill’s last night in Maycomb? What do the kids tell the grown-ups they were doing to cover Jem’s lack of pants?
2. Why is Scout feeling left our in this chapter?
Ch. 7
1. What strange thing had happened when Jem went back for his pants?
2. What is the contradiction with Mr. Radley filling the tree according to what Mr.
Radley told Jem and what Atticus said? What does this say about Mr. Radley?
Ch. 8
1. What makes Scout think the world is coming to an end?
2. Describe the absolute morphodite that kids build. Who did it resemble?
3. What event takes place in the night and affects Miss Maudie?
4. How is this the occasion for an unexpected visit from Boo Radley?
5. Why does Jem cry and tell Atticus ever secret the kids have?
Name:______
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Ch. 9
1. What reasons does Atticus give Scout for defending Tom Robinson?
2. Describe Uncle Jack. What doesn’t he know about the kids?
3. Why do Scout and her cousin Francis fight?
Ch. 10
1. Who is Tim Johnson?
2. What incident proves Atticus’s worth to the children?
3. What is Atticus’s nickname? Why doesn’t her hunt anymore?
Ch. 11
1. Who is Mrs. Henry LaFayette Debose? Describe her. How does she treat the kids?
2. What does Jem do to Mrs. Dubose? What is his punishment?
3. Why does Mrs. Dubose set her alarm to a little later each day? What is her real illness?
4. What is Atticus’s definition of courage?
Ch. 12
1. Cal takes the kids to church with her. Tell how the majority of the people treat them?
2. At the church, a collection is taken. Who is it for and why?
Ch. 13
1. Who is waiting on the front porch and why? What does this person want to teach the kids?
2. Describe their new guest.
Ch. 14
1. Why did Dill run away from home?
2. What does he want he and Scout to get?
3. Why does Dill think that Boo never ran away?
Ch. 15
1. What is the expression that Atticus uses before he “lowers the boom”?
2. How does the incident at the jail provide insight into the situation concerning
Tom Robinson?
3. How can you account for the men leaving after Scout’s frantic conversation with
Mr. Cunningham?
Ch. 16
1. What is Atticus’ theory on a mob?
2. From what happens in the chapter, what can you say about the character of Miss
Stephanie?
3. Who is Mr. Dolphus Raymond? Describe him.
4. Describe Judge Taylor as a judge. What interesting habit does he have?
Ch. 17
1. Why is the issue of a doctor so important to the case?
2. On which side of the body did Mayella receive most of her bruises and injuries?
3. What is the significance of Ewell being left-handed?
4. What do geraniums show about Mayella?
Ch. 18
1. What is Ewell’s house like?
2. What is the reason for Mayella’s crying scene? If you look beneath the surface of this incident, what might this reveal concerning what she is about to testify to?
3. Why does Mayella react strangely to Atticus calling her Miss?
4. What does Tom Robinson’s physical build aid to Atticus in proving him innocent?
Name:______
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Ch. 19
1. What does Scout discover about Mayella Ewell?
2. Why does Tom Robinson help Mayella with her chores?
3. Why did Tom run away from the Ewell house? What is ironic about his situation?
Ch. 20
1. What secret does Dolphus Raymond reveal about himself in comforting Dill?
2. What insight into human nature is displayed through Atticus’ final speech to the jury about Mayella? What is unusual about the way he delivers the speech?
3. Do you think all men are created equal? Take a stand and defend it briefly.
Ch. 21
1. What is the importance of the jury taking so long to deliberate and reach a decision?
2. Why did Tom Robinson receive the judgment that he did it?
3. What sign of respect do the Black members of the community accord Atticus?
Ch. 22
1. How does Atticus react to the outcome of the trial? What does this indicate about his character?
2. How do the Black people of the community react?
Ch. 23
1. What is the importance of the quotation “Don’t fool yourselves –it’s all adding up and one of these days we’re going to pay the bill for it. I hope it’s not in your children’s time.”
3. What do the children lean about the jury system of Maycomb? Who serves on the jury? Why?
4. How does Aunt Alexandria define “background”?
5. How does Jem define class distinctions? Why does he get mad at Scout when she replies that there is one kind of people-“folks”.
Ch. 24
1. Describe the ladies of the missionary circle. What does the conversation pp. 231-33 reveal about the women who are engaging in it? Are the ladies Christian in their attitudes? In what ways do they overlook their “mission”?
2. Why do you think Tom attempted to escape? Did the guards really want to take
him alive?
3. Explain the quotation “Whether Maycomb knows it or not, we’re paying the highest we can pay a man. We trust him to do right. It’s that simple”.
Ch. 25
1. What was Maycomb’s reaction to Tom’s death?
2. Some of the most important lines in the book read: “Then Mr. Underwood’s meaning became clear: 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.” Explain their significance in relation to the whole story.
Ch. 26
1. What evidence do you have of Scout’s increasing maturity and understanding?
2. How is Miss Gates inconsistent in her beliefs?
Ch. 27
1. Why did Ewell try to enter Judge Taylor’s house?
2. Why did Maycomb initiate the Halloween pageant? What was Scout’s role and describe her costume.
Ch. 28
1. What happens to Jem and Scout on their way home from the party?
2. What is ironic about the garments Aunt Alexandra hands Scout to put on after the incident and they are safe at home?
3. What is the outcome of the episode? What happens to Jem? What happens to
Ewell?
Ch. 29
1. Why did Ewell go after Atticus’s children?
2. Who has finally appeared in the story?
Ch. 30
1. Who does Atticus say killed Ewell? Who really did kill him?
2. What is Scout referring to when she says, “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird wouldn’t it?”
Ch. 31
1. What is Scout’s definition of a good neighbor? How does Boo Radley fit this definition?
2. How does the story of the Gray Ghost read by Atticus relate to what has happened with Boo Radley.
3. What significance does Atticus’ final remark “Most people are Scout, when you finally see them.” have to the story and to life in general?