To Kill a Mockingbird

PART ONE/INTRODUCTION & Chapter 1

1. Narrator:

2. Describe the narrator:

3. Point of view:

4. Setting (time period, place--city/state):

5. What’s going on in the world?

6. Evidence from the novel that indicated the time period/events of the world:

7. Compare Maycomb’s community to our community. List the similarities & differences.

SIMILARITIES to Our Community / DIFFERENCES from Our Community

8. Themes of the novel:

9. How is at least one of the themes revealed to us in the first chapter?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapters 2-3

1. Scout makes three mistakes during her first day at school. What are her mistakes, and why do they make Miss

Caroline so angry?

2. What is the WPA, and why won't Mr. Cunningham work for it? What does this reveal about his character?

3. Burris Ewell and Walter Cunningham are both from extremely poor families. How do the boys differ?

4. What advice (or “trick”) does Atticus give Scout to get along better with people?

5. What kind of man is Atticus? Give evidence from chapters 1-3 to support your opinion.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapters 4-5

  1. Where do you suppose the gum and the pennies are coming from? What makes you think so? Use evidence from the novel to support your answer.
  2. Describe the “Radley” game the children play. Why does this “game” fascinate them?
  3. What do Jem & Scout think of Boo Radley? What do Atticus and Miss Maudie think of him?
  4. Compare Miss Maudie & Miss Stephanie. How are the two women different? Are they alike in any way?
  5. Why did Scout start spending more time with Miss Maudie?
  6. In what way did Jack Finch always tease Miss Maudie?
  7. What was Jem & Dill’s plan to get Boo to come out of the house?

Start a ‘table’ of characters in your portfolio that looks like this:

See example

Character / Who is this person? / Description
Jem Finch / Scout’s older brother / He’s a deep thinker, pretty smart, misses his mom

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 6

  1. Describe what Jem, Scout, and Dill do in the Radley yard at the beginning of the chapter. What do they see that makes them run away?
  1. What happens to Jem’s pants? What excuse does Dill make up to explain the situation?
  1. Scout is unable to sleep because she is so scared. How does she describe her sleepless night? Identify an example of personification in her description.
  1. Why is it important to Jem to get his pants before morning, even though the mission is dangerous?
  1. Jem has decided that what he, Scout, and Dill did was wrong. What might account for Jem’s change of heart? How does Scout feel about it?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 7

  1. Why was Jem trembling when he came back from getting his pants?
  2. What do you think Jem is on the verge of telling Scout? (82)
  3. Nathan Radley claims he plugged the hole because the tree was dying. What is the real reason he plugged it?
  4. Why does Jem cry at the end of the chapter?
  5. Based on the contents of the knothole, what do we know about the person who is putting the items in there? Be specific, using evidence from the previous chapters.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 8

  1. How does the weather change in this chapter?
  2. How do Jem and Scout spend the day?
  3. What happens to Miss Maudie’s house & what is her reaction?
  4. What does Jem confess to Atticus?
  5. Who put the blanket on Scout? How do you know?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 9

  1. What does Atticus tell Scout about his reasons for defending Tom?
  2. What do Jem and Scout get for Christmas from Atticus?
  3. Describe what happens at Finch’s Landing.
  4. At the end of the chapter, why did Atticus want Scout to hear his words?
  5. How and why does the mood of the novel start to change in this chapter?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 10

  1. Why does Scout think Atticus is feeble?
  2. Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?
  3. Who does Scout try to shoot?
  4. What does Atticus do in this chapter that impresses Jem & Scout? Explain why this act impresses the kids…
  5. What does Scout learn about Atticus from the mad dog episode?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 11

1. Why does Jem destroy Mrs. Dubose’s flowers?

2. When Atticus states that Mrs. Dubose is a model of real courage, what does he mean?

3. What does Atticus make Jem do as a punishment for what he did to Ms. Dubose’s flowers?

4. What do we learn about Ms. Dubose in this chapter?

5. What did Ms. Dubose leave for Jem before she died?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 12

1. Describe Scout and Jem’s experience at Calpurnia’s church.

2. What does Scout notice about Calpurnia?

3. Why did Dill not come to Maycomb for the summer?

4. Provide two reasons explaining why Calpurnia’s church does not have hymn books for singing.

5. What is Scout confused about when she discovers that it is the Ewell’s that has accused Tom Robinson?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 13

  1. Why does Aunt Alexandra come to visit?
  2. What is Aunt Alexandra’s theory on the way people act?
  3. Aunt Alexandra spends this chapter trying to convince Jem and Scout something about themselves. What is it?
  4. Describe the ways in which Aunt Alexandra was spending her time while she was in Maycomb.
  5. Why do you think Atticus had such a hard time trying to talk to the children at the end of the chapter?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 14

  1. Why does Aunt Alexandra want to dismiss Calpurnia?
  2. What was the cause of Jem & Scout’s fist fight?
  3. What is Dill’s explanation for why he ran away?
  4. What is the real reason that Dill ran away?
  5. Generally, the children do not ‘tattle’ on each other. Why do you think Jem told Atticus about Dill running away?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 15

  1. Why did Jem follow Atticus to town?
  2. Explain why the 1st crowd of men come to visit Atticus
  3. Explain why the 2nd group of men visit Atticus downtown at the jail.
  4. Why isn’t the sheriff there to support Atticus?
  5. How does Scout break up the mob outside the jail cell?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 16

  1. Who is Dolphus Raymond?
  2. What is Atticus’ theory on the African Americans’ gossiping in town?
  3. Why does Mr. Raymond sit with the African Americans in the courtroom instead of the white people?
  4. Why did Scout wish Atticus would have told her that he was appointed to defend Tom Robinson?
  5. Why do you think so many people in town have shown up for this particular trial?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 17

  1. What does Atticus ask Mr. Tate?
  2. Where do the Ewells live?
  3. Why does Atticus want Mr. Ewell to write his name?
  4. In what way does the narrator point out that the black people of Maycomb keep their homes much nicer than the Ewells? What was the point?
  5. What do you think Mr. Ewell is trying to do?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 18

  1. Atticus is trying to get the jury to think about Mayella’s motivation for lying. What is that motivation?
  2. What startling revelation is made about Tom?
  3. Who actually (or supposedly) beat Mayella?
  4. What happens to a great deal of the Ewell’s money?
  5. What excuse did Mayella use to lure Tom into her yard/house?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 19

1. Why does Atticus point out that Tom’s record has one blemish: he served 30 days in jail?

2. Scout compares Mayella to Boo Radley: lonely, no friends. She realizes Tom was probably the only person who treated her… (how?)

3. When Tom goes by the Ewell house on Nov. 21, why is it so quiet?

4. Why do you think she wanted to treat the kids to ice cream?

5. Why does Tom run (a sign of guilt) after Mayella “jumps” on him?

6. Tom makes a fatal mistake in his testimony to Mr. Gilmer by saying he felt sorry for Mayella. Why was this the wrong thing for Tom to say?

7. Dill has to leave the courtroom because it makes him sick watching Mr. Gilmer talk to Tom that way. Why doesn’t it have the same effect on Jem & Scout?

8. As Scout is trying to comfort Dill she says, “…after all he’s just a Negro,” referring to Tom. Does this surprise you that Scout still feels this way toward black people after all Atticus has tried to teach her?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 20

Looking at Atticus’s actions and closing remarks on pages 202-206, answer the following, using evidence from the novel to support your answer.

Ethos(appeal to ethics) / Evidence from Novel (quote/pg. #) / Explanation (in your own words)
How has Atticus proven his own credibility to the jury?
How does he use the Ewell’s character (or lack of it) in his argument?
Logos(appeal to logic) / Evidence from Novel (quote/pg. #) / Explanation (in your own words)
How does Atticus use facts & figures to back up his claim?
Pathos(appeal to emotion) / Evidence from Novel (quote/pg. #) / Explanation (in your own words)
How has Atticus evoke an emotional appeal to the audience?
What injustice(s) does he point out?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 21

  1. Why do all the black people stand when Atticus passes by?
  2. What does Reverend Sykes say about juries?
  3. As they wait for the verdict, Scout thinks of what earlier events?
  4. What did Jem think the verdict was going to be?
  5. Aunt Alexandra was upset about something in this chapter (as usual). What was it?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 22

Effect/Cause Matching

______1. Tom Robinson served 30 days A. she wants the house to be empty.

in jail because...

______2. Tom goes into the Ewell yard many B. they are grateful for his defense of Tom.

times because...

______3. Mayella saves up money for ice cream C. the jury stayed out for so long.

because...

______4. Tom runs from the Ewell house because... D. they are treated the same in court.

______5. Dill cries and leaves the courtroom E. she can’t find the children.

because...

______6. Dolphus Raymond pretends to be a F. Bob Ewell appears in the window.

drunk because...

______7. Atticus says all people are equal G. Mr. Gilmer cross-examines Tom

because... mercilessly.

______8. Cal comes to court because... H. he couldn’t pay the fine for disorderly

conduct.

______9. People give food to the Finches because... I. he wants an excuse for his lifestyle.

______10. Miss Maudie says Maycomb took a

“baby step” because...J. Mayella needs help with chores

.

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Chapter 23

No questions for chapter 23…don’t be sad

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 24

Answer the following question:

**Thinking about what we already know about Tom, why do you think he tried to escape from jail?

Create 5 questions on your own that go along with chapter 24. Two of them should be ‘short answer’ questions & the other three should be discussion questions. You must answer your questions.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 25/26

1.Explain the following statement: “Tom was tried in the secret courts of men’s hearts.”

2.Describe the irony of Miss Gates’s statement, “We (American People) don’t believe in persecuting anyone.”

3.Why does Jem get upset with Scout?

4.What activity is Scout’s class doing weekly?

5.What dilemma is Scout trying to reason out in her mind?

Chapters 26/27

Create a 4-square that identifies the four topics in each box

Indicate something from the text that shows Scout has matured / Identify an example of foreshadowing in one of these 2 chapters
Name a situation from the novel that shows how Scout is still confused on certain points / Identify a noticeable change in Jem

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 28/29

Create a story board scene to describe the events in chapter 28/29.

You should have the following:

2 boxes from school

4 boxes from the events that took place in the woods

2 boxes once the children arrive home

2 boxes indicating Scout’s conversation on the porch

See examples below to get an idea of how a story board may look:

To Kill a Mockingbird

Chapter 30/31

  1. WHY does Heck Tate want to protect Boo? Find evidence from the novel (chapter 30) where Heck Tateaddresses this. Make sure you answer why.
  2. “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (p. 370) Explain Scout’s quote, answering the following:

- Who is Scout talking about?

-What does she mean?

3. Symbolism: who else in the novel is a “mockingbird”? Why? How are the two characters related?

4. How does Atticus’s advice to Scout (put yourself in their shoes) come full circle in chapter 31?