The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Study Guide

  1. Why did Tom fight with the well-dressed boy?
  1. How did Aunt Polly treat Tom? How did he feel about it?
  1. Why did Tom have to whitewash the fence?
  1. How did Tom get others to whitewash the fence?
  1. What games did Tom and his good friend Joe like to play?
  1. What did Tom do about Amy Lawrence when he met Becky?
  1. Why shouldn’t Tom have been punished when the sugar bowl broke?
  1. Did Tom memorize dozens of Bible verses to get a Bible?
  1. Why did the dog go wild in the church?
  1. Why did Tom get his tooth pulled?
  1. How did most of the mothers feel about Huck?
  1. Why did Tom and Huck go to the graveyard?
  1. What did Tom give Becky when he told her he loved her?
  1. What did Tom tell Becky he would like to be when he grew up?
  1. Why did Becky get so angry with Tom after he gave her an andiron?
  1. Why did Tom believe things that seem to be foolish and invented?
  1. Who killed Doc Robinson?

18. What did Tom and Huck do to be sure they didn’t tell about the murder?

  1. Why did Tom wrap a rag around his mouth after he saw the murder?
  1. What did Aunt Polly think about new-fangled medicines?
  1. How did Tom collect so many tickets?
  1. What was the reward for earning tickets?
  1. How did children earn tickets?
  1. According to Tom, who were David and Goliath?
  1. How did Tom and Huck think they could cure warts?
  1. What did the devil do before saying a magic spell?
  1. When did Tom and Huck go to the graveyard?
  1. Why did Tom like getting punished in school?
  1. What did Tom do on his slate after he gave Becky a peach?
  1. What did Becky throw on the ground when she got mad at Tom?
  1. Who were the men in the graveyard?
  1. Why was Muff Potter accused of the murder?
  1. Who was absent from school for a long time?
  1. What did Tom decide to do to try to escape his troubles?
  1. Who finally told the truth in the courtroom?
  1. What did Sid like to do to his brother Tom?
  1. Who got to do whatever he wanted every day?
  1. Who took care of Huck near the end of the novel?
  1. What did Becky do to make Tom jealous?
  1. Who was Tom’s half sister?
  1. Who was planning to hurt Widow Douglas?
  1. Why did Sid point out the color of the thread on Tom’s collar?
  1. How did Tom feel about Aunt Polly?
  1. Why did Tom trade treasures for Sunday School tickets?
  1. When did the boys decide to go back home after running away?
  1. How did Tom find out what Aunt Polly and Joe Harper’s mother talked about while Tom was missing?
  1. How did the boys feel when they were on the island? What bad weather happened while they were there?
  1. What did the boys pretend to be during different play times?
  1. What caused the cat to go wild?
  1. How did ink get on Tom’s spelling book?
  1. How did Mr. Dobbins’ book get torn?
  1. What happened when Mr. Dobbins asked about his torn book?
  1. How did the students get back at Mr. Dobbins on Examination Day?
  1. What did Injun Joe do in the courtroom when Tom confessed that he saw the murder?
  1. Who buried the treasure in the haunted house?
  1. What were Injun Joe and his partner going to do when Tom and Huck overheard them?
  1. What was Huck doing when Tom and Becky were lost in the cave?
  1. Where did Tom and Huck eventually find the money?
  1. What happened in the cave when Judge Thatcher had the cave locked up?
  1. What was wrong with Huck when the widow took care of him?
  1. What happened to the money at the end of the novel?
  1. Why do you think Huck felt like you would feel if your grandmother bought you an ugly jacket?
  1. What are some fantasy adventures that Tom and Huck had in the novel?
  1. Why doesn’t Polly feel awful when she punishes Tom for something he didn’t do?
  1. What do Tom and Joe learn to do while they are on the island?
  1. Why does a search party go into the cave?
  1. Why does Tom visit Muff Potter in jail?
  1. Why doesn’t Muff’s lawyer call anyone to the stand in the courtroom?
  1. What causes Tom to have nightmares?
  1. Why doesn’t Huck like staying with Widow Douglas at the end of the story? Why does he change his mind?