Test on The Prince and the Pauperby Mark Twain
Directions: Write the correct answer to each of the following questions onto your own paper.
1. After Tom and Edward meet and exchange clothes for fun, they exchange lives when
- Edward longs to have the freedom Tom’s ordinary existence affords him and sneaks out of the castle; leaving Tom to fend for himself
- A chamber maid spots the boys and Tom pretends to be Edward, only to have the maid believe him and escort Edward off the castle grounds
c. Edward rebukes a guard for injuring Tom and the guard fails to recognize the prince dressed in rags; then throws
him off the castle grounds
d. Edward and Tom decide to switch lives for a day to experience how the “other side” lives, firsthand
2. What do members of the court assume when the boy they think is the prince does not know anything about court
manners?
a. They assume he is playing a practical joke on them.
b. They think he is just going through the beginning stages of puberty.
c. They think he has made God angry.
d. They believe he has lost his mind.
3. To test his newfound power after becoming the acting King of England, Tom’s first decree is
a. all prisoners shall be freed
b. Princess Elizabeth shall be released from the Tower
c. taxes on England’s citizens shall be lifted
d. the Duke of Norfolk shall not die
4. Soon after Tom became king, why did he release a male prisoner who had been found guilty of poisoning another man?
a. because the prisoner showed no signs that he had the intelligence required to accomplish a poisoning
b. because the man was a friend of Tom’s from Offal Court
c. because Tom had witnessed the man saving a drowning man the night he was accused of poisoning the victim
d. because a witch poisoned the man, not the accused prisoner
5. Tom also freed a woman and her daughter who had been found guilty of witchcraft. What did Tom ask her to do to
prove her innocence?
a. he asked her to create a tornado by twirling her scarf in the air
b. he asked her to create an earthquake by dancing
c. he asked her to create a hailstorm by washing her hands
d. he asked her to create a thunderstorm by taking off her stockings
6. What does King Henry VIII think caused his son to go mad?
a. too much responsibility
b. too much schooling
c. too much playing
d. too much punishment
7. When Edward thinks that Tom took his place at Westminster, he plans to have him
a. hanged, drawn, and quartered
b. flogged
c. guillotined
d. exiled from the country
8. Who killed Father Andrew?
a. the hermit
b. Miles’ brother, Hugh
c. John Canty
d. the vagabond, Hugo
9. Why does Miles Hendon take such good care of Edward even though he doesn’t think Edward is the king?
a. he was taken care of by a stranger for many years while he was a prisoner of war
b. he has always wanted a son
c. he thinks that, just in case the boy is really the king, he will be rewarded for his kindness
d. he feels sorry for the helpless, abused, insane little boy
10. After Edward is imprisoned for stealing a pig, he takes pity on two women who were arrested just because they were
Baptists. What was their punishment?
a. their cheeks were branded
b. they were stoned to death
c. they were burned at the stake
d. they were lowered into a pit of boiling hot oil
11. Why was Lady Edith surprised when Miles arrived?
a. She was his wife, but was caught having an affair with his brother, Hugh
b. She thought he had died in the war
c. She and Hugh had just murdered Miles’ father
d. She thought Edward was Miles’ son
12. Who recognizes Tom before he is nearly crowned king?
a. his Offal Court friends
d. his mother
c. the hermit
d. John Canty
13. Tom is embarrassed upon realizing that during his reign as King, he was using the royal seal as a
a. nut cracker
b. back scratcher
c. coffee stirrer
d. paperweight
14. Pleased with the way Tom governed in his stead, as Edward takes his proper place as King of England, he makes Tom
a. Ambassador to France
b. an Earl
c. the King’s Ward
d. a Knight
15. What privilege does Edward grant Tom so that everyone will always know that he was royal for a time?
a. the right to wear royal clothing
b. the right to receive a royal education
c. the right to live at Westminster
d. the right to sit at the king’s feet
16. How does Miles convince himself that the boy king is indeed his pauper friend?
a. he asks him questions about their time together
b. he calls him by his vagabond nickname
c. the whipping boy tells him what happened at the coronation ceremony
d. he pulls up a chair and sits at the foot of the throne
17. Which is a situation King Edward did NOT “right”?
a. Miles reclaimed Hendon Hall and was named Earl of Kent
b. favor was shown to the justice who pitied him when he had been accused of stealing
c. the daughters of the women Edward met in prison were provided good homes
d. the children at Christ’s Church were given the finest luxuries
18. What is the climax of the story?
a. When Edward challenges the crowning of Tom
b. When Miles receives the lashes for Edward
c. When the boys trade clothes and places accidentally
d. When Edward receives a beating from John Canty
19. What is the story’s resolution?
a. Edward was a merciful king in the midst of the murderous Tudor line
b. Edward granted rights and privileges to so many people that they were no longer considered grandeur
c. Edward was a king who was loved by his subjects, but who was not respected by those in the royal court
d. Edward tried to carry on his father’s ideals during his own reign
20. Why did Mark Twain write The Prince and the Pauper?
a. to entertain
b. to inform
c. to persuade
d. to describe
******* Now, complete the essay portion of the test. *******