To Kill A Mockingbird Study Guide Chapter 1 Introduction Jem is 10, Scout is 6, Dill is 7 Summer 1. What is the point of having a flashback at the beginning of the book? 2. Give some examples of some of the items mentioned in the south. 3. What was the purpose of describing the history of the Finch family? 4. Where does the story take place? 5. Name and describe five of the important characters we are introduced to. 6. What did the three kids do that was so exciting? Chapter 2 Fall 1. What event happens to Scout in this chapter? 2. When does the story take place and what is the crash? 3. What other family is introduced? 4. Give Jem s definition of entailment. 5. How does Mr. Cunningham repay Atticus, and why? Chapter 3 1. What lesson does Scout learn about how you should treat company? 2. What other family is introduced and what are they like? 3. What does Atticus tell Scout about getting along with others.
Chapter 4 Summer Jem is 11, Scout is 7, and Dill is 8. 1. What does Scout find in the tree? 2. What else do they later find in the hole in the tree? 3. What happens to Scout in the tire? 4. What happened before she ran away from the Radley house? Chapter 5 1. Who is introduced in this chapter? 2. What do Scout and Miss Maudie say about Atticus s character? 3. How do the kids try to communicate with Boo Radley? Chapter 6 1. What adventure did the kids get mixed up in and what happens? 2. What does Scout say about her relationship with Jem at this point and why? (pg. 56)? Chapter 7 Fall 1. What does Jem tell Scout about when he returned for his pants? 2. What else do they find in the tree (seven items)? 3. What happened to the knothole? 4. What is one sign of Jem s growing maturity? Chapter 8 Winter 1. Who dies in town? 2. What strange occurrence takes place that frightens Scout? 3. What disaster occurs? 4. What happens to Scout during the disaster?
Chapter 9 1. What is the first sign of real trouble for Jem and Scout? 2. Who is Atticus defending and why? 3. What does Atticus tell Scout about fighting? 4. What was the disaster that struck at Christmas? 5. What does Scout learn about Dill? 6. What is a sign that Scout is growing up? Chapter 10 1. Why, according to Atticus, is it a sin to kill a mockingbird? 2. How does Atticus unknowingly prove himself to his children? 3. Why was Jem proud of his father? Chapter 11 Spring 1. Why did Scout think her father was the bravest man who ever lived? 2. What did Jem do to vent his fury at Mrs. Dubose? 3. What is the basic reason Atticus is defending Tom Robinson? 4. What doesn t abide by majority rule? 5. What was the real reason Mrs. Dubose wanted Jem to read to her? 6. What did Mrs. Dubose give to Jem and why? 7. What did Atticus say about Mrs. Dubose and why? Chapter 12 Summer Jem is 12, Scout is 8, and Dill is 9. 1. What was happening to Jem? 2. How did it affect Scout? 3. Why didn t Dill show up?
Chapter 12 Continued. 4. Why did Jem and Scout go to church with Calpurnia? 5. How do the church people react to Jem and Scout? Chapter 13 1. Who comes to visit? 2. What is Aunt Alexandra s concept of fine folk? 3. Describe the thinking of the closed society as expressed on page 131. Chapter 14 1. Contrast Atticus s attitude to Calpurnia as opposed to Alexandra s. 2. What was under Scout s bed? 3. How did Jem break the remaining code of their childhood? Chapter 15 1. What is Atticus s criterion for fine folk? 2. What happened at the jail? Chapter 16 1. What did Atticus say about a mob and its dispersal? 2. What didn t the town like about Atticus defending Tom? Chapter 17 1. What did Jem gasp when the sheriff said Mayella hadn t been examined by a doctor? 2. What was the importance of Mayella being hit in the right side of the face? 3. Contrast the description of the Ewell property with the Black settlement.
Chapter 17 Continued 4. What, according to Scout, was the only thing that made Mr. Ewell better than his neighbors? 5. Why did Atticus make Mr. Ewell write his name? Chapter 18 1. What made Jem and Scout think Tom Robinson didn t rape Mayella? 2. What does Mayella call the men in the courtroom and why? 3. Why did Mayella hate Atticus? 4. What was Atticus s opinion on Judge Taylor? Chapter 19 1. Who was Atticus s only defense witness? 2. Why did Tom attract Mayella, in Scout s opinion? 3. What happened on November 21, according to Tom? 4. What was Tom s reaction to Mayella s advances? 5. Why didn t he hit her? 6. Why did Tom do chores for Mayella? (two reasons) 7. What was Tom s unforgivable sin? 8. Why did Dill start to cry? 9. How does Scout react to all of this? Chapter 20 1. What did Dolphus Raymond have in his sack? 2. Why does he pretend? 3. What did he tell Scout about Atticus?
Chapter 20 Continued 4. What was Mayella s guilt and why did she want Tom destroyed? 5. What was the great equalizer, according to Atticus? Chapter 21 1. What were the two intermingled scenes on pages 210-211 and what is the connection? 2. How could Scout tell that Tom was convicted? 3. Why did the black people stand up when Atticus walked by? Chapter 22 1. What kind of person is Dill? 2. What did Bob Ewell do and say to Atticus? Chapter 23 1. How did Atticus react to the incident and why? 2. Why did the jury decide as they did, according to Atticus? 3. How does Atticus feel about the whites cheating the blacks? 4. What is Aunt Alexandra really trying to teach Jem and Scout? 5. What is Jem s explanation concerning Aunt Alexandra s concern about family? 6. Why does Boo Radley stay inside, according to Jem? 7. What is this a sign of? Chapter 24 1. Why do Tom and his family have to be forgiven? 2. Describe the Christian attitudes of the ladies at the tea?
Chapter 24 Continued 3. What is Scout s attitude towards men and women? 4. What happened to Tom? 5. What is Atticus s purpose? 6. How does Scout show her maturity? Chapter 25 1. Why was what happened to Tom compared to The senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children? Where else does a similar passage occur in the book? 2. Explain what Scout means when she says, Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed. Chapter 26 Fall 1. How did Scout now feel about their involvement with Boo Radley? 2. How did people treat Jem, Scout and Atticus? 3. What is the point in mentioning Cecil Jacobs s current events discussion? 4. What was Scout s question and why did it upset Jem? Chapter 27 1. What were the three things that occurred? 2. Why was Mr. Ewell harboring a grudge against Atticus? 3. Who are the nine old men that killed the NRA? 4. Why was Scout dressed like a ham?
Chapter 28 1. What happened on the way back from the pageant? 2. Who was left under the tree? Chapter 29 1. Who was the other man in the dark? Chapter 30 1. Why did Atticus object to Heck Tate s version of the events of the night? Chapter 31 1. Why does Scout feel sad?