To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

1. To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee Study Guides ECHS C. Edge

2. Chapter 1Vocabulary • Context Clues. Consider the underlined word in each of the following sentences and choose the most appropriate meaning based on context clues. 1. When Jem’s arm healed, and his fear of never being able to play football was assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. a. deciphered b. completed c. relieved d. impressed 2. The Radleys kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in our town. a. forecast b. dilemma c. event d. inclination 3. The people ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of stores around it, took their time about everything. a. rushed b. walked slowly c. skipped d. skated 4. The house looked so eerie that we were sure a malevolent phantom lived inside. a. evil b. kind c. transparent d. cheerful

3. Chapter 1Questions • 1. What does the Radley house mean to the children? What was the first “dare” made concerning this house?

4. Chapter 1Questions • 2. How does the author establish a feeling of mystery in this chapter?

5. Chapter 1Questions • 3. How did the Finches get to Montgomery? What was the “disturbance between the North and the South”?

6. Chapter 1Questions • 4. Contrast Dill’s family situation with the Finch’s.

7. Chapter 1Questions • 5. Who is narrating this story? What do we know so far about the character from whom we will be hearing this tale?

8. Chapter 1Activity • EXPOSITION • In the opening pages of a novel, the author tries to convey a great deal of information and seize the reader’s interest. Reread the first two pages of the book and record what you learned about the setting, the main characters, and the beginnings of a plot conflict.

9. Chapter 2 and 3Vocabulary • Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right. Then use each word to fill in one of the sentences below. • Inequities a. the act of conducting business • Fractious b. annoyances • Disapprobation c. humiliation • Mortification d. unfair circumstances • Vexations e. irritable • Transaction f. disapproval

10. Chapter 2 and 3Vocabulary • The ___ young man caused displeasure to everyone around him. • Racial segregation caused educational ___. • His ___ was confirmed by a shake of his head and a frown. • A signed contract was the end product of our ___. • Delayed trains and crowded subways were our daily ___. • Her ___ was increased by the teasing of her classmates.

11. Chapter 2 and 3Questions • 1. Who is Jean Louise?

12. Chapter 2 and 3Questions • 2. What is the contrast between Jem and Scout’s reaction to school?

13. Chapter 2 and 3Questions • 3. Why does Scout tell Miss Caroline about Walter Cunningham?

14. Chapter 2 and 3Questions • 4. How does Atticus explain the Ewell family? According to Atticus, why must Scout attend school?

15. Chapter 2 and 3Questions • 5. What advice does Atticus give to Scout?

16. Chapter 2 and 3Questions • 6. Describe Atticus’ personality and philosophy?

17. Chapter 2 and 3Questions • 7. What aspect of life is satirized in chapters two and three?

18. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Vocabulary • Vocabulary: It is often possible to determine the meaning of the unfamiliar words from their context. This is called using context clues. • Consider the underlined word in each sentence and choose the most appropriate meaning.

19. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Vocabulary • 1. The remainder of my schooldays were no more auspicious than the first. • A. awesome • B. favorable • C. distrustful • D. unhappy • Given that Scout had a horrible first day of school, we can assume the most appropriate definition for auspicious would be ___. • B. favorable

20. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Vocabulary • 2. Why, one sprig of nut grass can ruin a whole yard…Miss Maudie’s face likened such an occurrence unto an Old Testament pestilence. • A. unequalled event • B. offense • C. Bible story • D. epidemic disease • Based on knowledge of the biblical plagues that God thrust upon the Egyptians in order to convince the Pharoah to let his people go free and that this would be something to be avoided at all costs, we can assume that pestilence most likely means ___. • D. epidemic disease

21. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Vocabulary • 3. So, that was what you were doing, wasn’t it?...putting his life’s history on display for the edification of the neighborhood. • A. process of instruction • B. act of honor • C. long awaited satisfaction • D. disgrace • Based on the fact that no one has seen Boo Radley in over 15 years and that most stories about him are superstitions and legends, we can assume that these shows that Jem, Dill, and Scout were performing were the long awaited evidence of what happened to Boo, so we can assume that the definition of edification would most likely be ___. • C. long awaited satisfaction

22. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Dialect • Dialect—way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or a particular group of people. • Southern dialect is used extensively in this novel to provide a more realistic picture of the people in this small southern town. Translate each of these examples of southern dialect into standard speech.

23. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Dialect • 1. “Looks like if Mr. Arthur was hankerin’ after heaven he’d come out on the porch at least.” • It looks as if Mr. Arthur wanted to go to heaven, he would at least come out on the porch.

24. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Dialect • 2. “Gracious child, I was raveling a thread, wasn’t even thinking about your father.” • Goodness child, I was just telling a story. I wasn’t even thinking about your father.

25. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Dialect • 3. “Yawl write, hear?” he bawled after us. • “Don’t forget to write!” he called after us.

26. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Questions • 1. What is the importance of the Radley’s oak tree in these chapters? What happens the last day of school to heighten the mystery about the Radley house? • It begins to act as a device for the children to communicate with Boo Radley. Jem, Dill, and Scout sneak over to the Radley house to peek at Boo Radley, but Mr. Radley shoots his shotgun at them to scare them.

27. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Questions • 2. In your own words tell one of the stories about Boo Radley. Describe the children’s reaction and Atticus’ reaction to this story. • Boo stabbing his father in the leg with the scissors and Mrs. Radley running out of the house screaming, “he’s killing us all!” Atticus demands that they leave that family alone.

28. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Questions • 3. Who is Miss Maudie Atkinson? Why is she important in these chapters? • She is a neighbor who befriends the children. As Jem and Dill begin to leave Scout out of their play activities, she spends more time with Miss Maudie and learns some truth behind the legends of Boo Radley.

29. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Questions • 4. What is significant about the neighbor’s conclusions about the identity of the person in the collard patch? • Based on the statements made by Miss Maudie and Atticus, it seems apparent that they know who it was. (if you see a white n_gger, that’s him)

30. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Questions • 5. What plot is hatched by the boys before Dill returns to Mississippi? What is the result of these actions? • They plan to go into the Radley’s backyard to sneak a peek in one of the windows to see if they can see Boo Radley. Mr. Radley catches them and shoots his gun at them to scare them.

31. Chapters 4, 5, & 6Questions • 6. What is the general feeling children have toward the Radley place? Give examples and support your statement. • They are scared of it, but find it fascinating. They are afraid to go touch it, but they continually look for ways to get closer to it.

32. Chapter 7Vocabulary • Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right. Use each word to fill in the sentences that follow. • Breeches a. a period of watchful attention • Rendered b. knee-length trousers • Vigil c. thoughtful, contemplative • Meditative d. caused to become • Answers: 1. b., 2. d., 3. a., 4. c.

33. Chapter 7Vocabulary • When Grandfather was a boy, he wore ________________. • The anxious parents kept their _____________ at the bedside of their ailing son. • The light shining in his eyes ________ him helpless before his captors. • The young man became ________ when asked to consider his future goals in life. Answers: • Breeches • Vigil • Rendered • meditative

34. Chapter 7Questions • 1. How does Scout feel about school this term?

35. Chapter 7Questions • 2. What happened to Jem’s pants? Who is responsible?

36. Chapter 7Questions • 3. What is found in the Radley Oak in this chapter? Why do the children think the trinkets are for them?

37. Chapter 7Questions • 4. The children suspect various characters. Cite each “suspicious” charaacter and the reason why Jem and Scout eliminate each possibility.

38. Chapter 7Questions • 5. Compare the reactions of Scout and Jem when the tree is doctored up by Nathan

39. Chapter 8Vocabulary • A difficult word can sometimes be deciphered without a dictionary. You can use the context to help you figure it out. In these sentences from chapter 8, use the context to choose the correct meaning of each underlined word. • 1. For reasons unfathomable to the most experienced prophets in Maycomb County, autumn turned to winter that year. a. required b. prohibited c. comprehensible d. incomprehensible • Answer: d

40. Chapter 8Vocabulary • Mr. Avery said it was written on the Rosetta Stone that when children disobeyed their parents, smoked cigarettes and made war on each other, the seasons would change. Jem and I were burdened with the guilt of contributing to the aberrations of nature, thereby causing unhappiness to our neighbors and discomfort to ourselves. a. power b. ugliness c. ghosts d. abnormalities • Answer: d

41. Chapter 8Vocabulary • Miss Maudie puzzled me. With most of her possessions gone and her beloved yard a shambles, she still took a lively and cordial interest in Jem’s and my affairs. She must have seen my perplexity. a. bewilderment b. exhilaration c. remorse d. depression • Answer: a

42. Chapter 8Questions • 1. Why does Scout react to the snow by yelling, “The world’s endin’, Atticus…!”? • Answer:

43. Chapter 8Questions • 2. What is the significance of the reference point of Appomattox in Mr. Avery’s remark, “It hasn’t snowed in Maycomb since Appamattox.”? • Answer:

44. Chapter 8Questions • 3. Why do you think Boo Radley covered Scout as she watched the fire? How did she react when she learned the identity of her benefactor? • Answer:

45. Chapter 8Questions • 4. What character traits were manifest by Miss Maudie in her reaction to the burning of her house? How did she explain her attitude to Jem and Scout? • Answer:

46. Chapter 9, 10, and 11Vocabulary • Match the words on the left with the appropriate definitions on the right. Then use each word to fill in the blanks in the sentences below. • Rectitude a. of the current age • Guilelessness b. the part to be learned first • Obstreperous c. sincerity, straightforwardness • Rudiments d. large, magnificent tomb • Mausoleum e. unruly or boisterous • Articulate f. quarrelsome, grouchy • Contemporary g. moral virtue, rightness of principle • Cantankerous h. to be able to put one’s thoughts into words • Answers:1. g., 2.c., 3.e., 4.b., 5.d., 6.h., 7.a., 8.f.

47. Chapter 9, 10, and 11Vocabulary • A lawyer must be ___ in order to be persuasive before a jury. • You must study the ___ of football before you get out on the field to play. • The children were so ___ that the management asked them to leave the theatre. • The general’s military victories were celebrated after his death by building a ___ in his honor. Answers: 1. articulate, 2. rudiments, 3. obstreperous, 4. mausoleum

48. Chapter 9, 10, and 11Vocabulary 5. ___ furniture tends to be less ornate than its Victorian counterparts. 6. Lack of sleep will cause even the most mild-mannered person to become ___. 7. After twenty years of unselfish service to his political party, no one would doubt the ___ of his motives. 8. It is refreshing to observe the ___ of young children. Answers: 5. contemporary, 6. cantankerous, 7. rectitude, 8. guilelessness

49. Chapter 9, 10, 11Questions • 1. What is “Maycomb’s usual disease”? Who coins this phrase?

50. Chapter 9, 10, 11Questions • 2. Who is Tom Robinson? Why is Atticus defending him? Why does Judge Taylor appoint him?