To Kill a Mockingbird Questions and Activities
Greetings -
People have been very generous to me on this list - they have shared lots of
materials, and so I am returning their kindness by sharing my humble materials
for TKAM, my favorite novel. Please use, change, and definitely improve.
Good luck with this wonderful novel.
Always -
Annie
PS.
Perfection Form and Sundance have some wonderful materials as does the Center
for Learning. I especially like the book LATITUDES for TKAM. I can't
remember whether Sundance or Perfection publishes that series. Email me if
you have questions, or you want to share more.
Name:Date: Period:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Writing Assignment: The Pantoum
Earlier this year you wrote a pantoum for "The Girl With Yin Eyes". I want you
again to write a pantoum, but this time you will use To Kill a Mockingbird for your
selected lines. Choose a chapter that you with which you connect or about which
you feel strongly (maybe it is the chapter that you think is the most pivotal
or the
most moving or the most surprising or the most unusual or . . . ) Think about what
you want your pantoum to say and what feeling (or mood) you wish to create in
your readers. Carefully select your lines from your chosen chapter and
construct
your pantoum to reflect your "theme" or message. Remember to play with your
lines so that your poem will flow well.
Your pantoum will be evaluated on its creativity and its effectiveness of
style and
mood. Additionally, you will write a Reflective Letter to accompany your pantoum.
Your pantoum and Reflective Letter will be due on Tuesday, October 28, 1997.
Note:
Refer to your earlier notes and handouts for the form of the pantoum.
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Name:Date: Period:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Writing Assignment: An Epilogue
An epilogue is a continuation of a story at some point in the future. The epilogue
can be set five minutes, a day, two weeks, a month, or years in the future.
It is in
keeping with the original story in terms of the characters and the style of writing.
I want you to write an epilogue for To Kill a Mockingbird. Your epilogue can be
set at any point in time after the final moments of the novel. Further, as a
bit of
creative freedom, you can present your epilogue from anyone's point of view. In
other words, your epilogue need not be told from Scout's point of view. Your
story addition can be about any of the characters - minor or major - and can
be told
from anyone's point of view. This will empower you to tell the inner story of some
character that particularly intrigued you, either because you write from that
character's point of view or because your epilogue shares his or her story
after the
close of the novel. However, your epilogue should, in some way, reflect the spirit
of the novel (no little space invaders descending on Maycomb and abducting Aunt
Alexandra and Mr. Avery).
On the back of this page I have provided a model that was written several
years ago.
Yours does not have to follow this example - I have provided this model to inspire
your own creativity.
Along with your epilogue, I want you to write a Reflective Letter that
explores how
you approached this assignment, why you made the choices that you did, and how
you ultimately feel about your final draft. (As always with Reflective
Letters, I
encourage you to write a rich letter, including whatever you feel that you
wish to
share with me.)
Your epilogue and Reflective Letter will be due to me on Monday, November 3,
1997. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.
*****************************************************************************
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Focus on Thinking Questions
Chapters 1-5
Answer the following questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. Be sure to
provide textual support (quotes with page numbers) for your responses.
Chapter 1
1.How old do you think the narrator is when she tells us the story? List
phrases from the chapter that help you arrive at this conclusion.
2.Atticus tells Scout that there are "other ways [besides chaining them to
beds] of making people into ghosts." What does he mean by ghosts? What
"ways" might he have in mind? List several.
3.Given what you know of Maycomb and of the Radley family, why don't the
Radleys seem to fit in? How might Maycomb itself be responsible for the
Radleys' strangeness?
4.Review the information about Dill. What kind of person is he? List several
of your conclusions. What do you know about his background that might account
for these aspects of his character?
Chapter 2
1.Given Miss Fisher's first activity with the first-graders (reading about the
cat family), what is ironic about her reprimand to Scout: "Let's not let our
imaginations run away with us, dear"?
2.What do the "errors" Scout commits the first day have in common with one
another? What does this tell you about Scout's first six years of life?
3.What do you think this sentence means: "If he held his mouth right, Mr.
Cunningham could get a WPA job"? (You may have to look up WPA.) What larger
issue must a person consider when taking charity in any form?
Chapter 3
1.When Scout questions Walter's table manners, you learn something about
Calpurnia and about her place in the family. What do you learn? Why might
this surprise some citizens of Maycomb?
(Over, please)
To Kill a Mockingbird: Focus on Thinking Questions, Chapters 1-5 Page 2
2.What character traits have you noticed that are likely to make Scout's life
hard? Consider what you have learned from Scout's interactions with Atticus,
Walter, Calpurnia, and Miss Caroline.
3.The narrator tells us, "In Maycomb County, hunting out of season was a
misdemeanor at law, a capital felony in the eyes of the populace." First, put
this sentence into your own words; next, explain why the "populace" would feel
this way in 1935; then, try to explain why this offense and the offense of
truancy are overlooked in the case of the Ewells. Finally, draw a conclusion
about the citizens of Maycomb: what do they care more about than truancy and
hunting laws?
Chapter 4
1.How is Jem changing? Give several specific ways.
2.When Atticus reacts to Jem's Boo Radley game, what do you notice about the
way he disciplines his children? Again, list several principles in which you
think he believes.
3.In speaking of the Boo Radley Game, Part II, the narrator tells us, "Jem was
a born hero." What traits does Scout have in mind? Dill's and Scout's roles
change, too, in the Boo Radley Game, Part II. How have they changed and what
does this tell you about the children?
Chapter 5
1.Explain Miss Maudie's statement: " . . . sometime the Bible in the hand of
one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of - oh, of your father."
Can you imagine an instance (or think of an instance in your experience) when
this might be true? Describe it.
2.In response to Scout's question about whether Boo is crazy, Maudie says: "If
he's not he should be by now. The things that happen to people we never
really know. What happens in houses behind closed doors, what secrets -"
What is she suggesting has happened to Boo? What kinds of secrets in general
might she be referring to?
3.What do you know about Dill that might explain why he wants Boo to come out
and "sit a spell with us" in order to "feel better"? Why, too, is it
understandable that Dill lies so often and so well?
4.Explain the "lawyer's trick" Atticus uses to get Jem to confess to the
backyard Boo-dramas.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Focus on Thinking Questions
Chapters 6-11
Answer the following questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. Be sure to
provide textual support (quotes with page numbers) for your responses.
Chapter 6
1.During the scene in which the neighbors gather to discuss the gunshot and in
which Jem and Dill tell their cover-story, many of the assumptions of the
adult community are revealed. Reread the scene and list several assumptions
that you notice.
2."Matches were dangerous but cards were fatal," the narrator explains. The
standard wisdom that children should not play with matches is given a new,
humorous twist in this scene. As far as Maycomb children are concerned, in
what ways might cards be more dangerous than matches - even fatal?
3.What makes Jem and Scout begin to "part company"? Define their two separate
ways of looking at the situation. What has Jem learned that Scout is still
too young to see?
Chapter 7
1.Why do you think Mr. Nathan Radley filled in a knothole in a healthy tree?
2.Why do you think Jem cries at the end of this chapter?
Chapter 8
1.When Scout comes home with the mysterious blanket wrapped over her
shoulders, "Jem seemed to have lost his mind. He began pouring out our
secrets right and left . . . " What is it that Jem is trying to get Atticus
to understand?
2.Given what you know of Miss Maudie, explain her reaction to the loss of her house.
Chapter 9
1. Look closely at the reasons Atticus gives Scout for defending Tom Robinson.
Also look at his statement, "every lawyer gets at least one case in his
lifetime that affects him personally. This one's mine, I guess." What is it
about this case that strikes so deeply at what Atticus believes?
(Over, please)
To Kill a Mockingbird: Focus on Thinking Questions, Chapters 6-11 Page 2
2.Compare Scout's reasons for walking away from the schoolyard fights with
Jem's reasons for returning to the Radley's to get his pants. How are the two
situations similar and different?
3.What lesson does Scout teach Uncle Jack about children and what further
lesson does Atticus add? What element do the two lessons have in common?
Consider whether you agree with both lessons and be ready to defend your opinions.
Chapter 10
1.Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird? What is the larger principle
involved here? By the way, what's a sin? (You may want to ask some people
and record their responses.)
2. What do the children learn in this chapter? List several things.
3.Consider vision symbols in the opening scene of this chapter and the
shooting scene. Write a comment on your observations. You may want to
consider the following questions: When does Atticus see well? What
reason/reasons can you think of that Harper Lee might have had for having him
break his glasses in the mad-dog scene?
4.Miss Maudie says, " I think maybe he put his gun down when he realized God
had given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I guess he decided
he wouldn't shoot till he had to, and he had to today." What other advantages
does Atticus have? Does he use them when he doesn't "have to"? Do you think
it's "civilized" to deny your gifts? (Maudie says, "People in their right
minds never take pride in their talents." Is this true?)
Chapter 11
1.What exactly is a "nigger-lover?" Does it really not mean anything, as
Atticus claims? According to Maycomb, why is it such a sin? (This is a hard
question; remember the historical time and place.)
2.Explain Mrs. Dubose's use of the alarm clock.
3.What type of courage does Mrs. Dubose teach the children? What other events
in the novel can you compare and/or contrast to this act of courage?
4.Why doesn't Atticus tell the children about Mrs. Dubose's motives before her
death? How might Jem have behaved had he known - and what would he have
failed to learn as a result?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Focus on Thinking Questions
Chapters 12-17
Answer the following questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. Be sure to
provide textual support (quotes with page numbers) for your responses.
Chapter 12
1.What meaning of the cartoon in the Montgomery Advertiser doesn't Scout
understand?
Why does Harper Lee keep inserting these incidents where Scout misses the full meaning
of an event she witnesses or a remark she hears?
2.What purpose is served by the scene between Cal and Lula at First Purchase? List
several possibilities.
3.Why does Cal speak differently at First Purchase? The narrator concludes
that Cal
"lives a double life"; is such a life justified? Defend your answer.
Chapter 13
1.Lee has her narrator describe the caste system as seen by Scout in the paragraph
beginning, "There was indeed a caste system in Maycomb . . . " Reread this
paragraph and explain the origin of such sayings (Scout calls them dicta) as
"No Crawford Minds His Own Business." What use can such pronouncements have
for a community? What problems does such a system create?
2.How does Alexandra change the family? More specifically, how does she change
Atticus?
3.As in the incident with Uncle Jack, Scout teaches an adult something in the chapter.
What do you think that Atticus learns?
4.The last line in Chapter 13 is: "I know now what he was trying to do, but
Atticus was
only a man. It takes a woman to do that kind of work." Explain the
quotation, then
argue its truth or falsity.
Chapter 14
1.What do you think of Atticus's rule: "You mind Jem whenever he can make
you"? What
problems might it cause? What advantages does such a rule have?
(Over, please)
To Kill a Mockingbird: Focus on Thinking Questions, Chapters 12-17 Page 2
2.Dill's answer to the question, "Why do you reckon Boo Radley's never run
off?" is only
partial. Why do you think he's never run off? Try for a more complete
response than
Dill's; consider all you know of Boo's life.
Chapter 15
1.Analyze Atticus's conversation with his neighbors. What verbal "weapons"
does he try to
use?
2.What's really happening when Atticus moves backward toward the porch and the
crowd
draws in? What is Jem thinking at this point? What is Atticus thinking?
What is the
crowd thinking? (Try to put each answer in one clear sentence.)
3.Atticus gently reminds Jem, "No son, those were our friends." What error is
Jem in
danger of committing that Atticus refuses to commit? What does the whole episode
foreshadow about the "nightmare" ahead?
Chapter 16
1.Scout says that "The full meaning of the night's events hit [her] and she
began crying."
Reread the preceding paragraphs. What parallels has she seen between the
mad-dog and
the mob scenes?
2.Try to explain why Braxton Underwood, who "despises Negroes," would protect
Atticus
from a mob that wanted to lynch a black person accused of raping a white woman.
3.Explain in what ways Scout and Jem made Mr. Cunningham stand in Atticus's shoes.
4.What makes a "mixed child" "real sad"? What does this tell you about
society? Why
does Lee have Scout ask, "Well how do you know we ain't Negroes?"
Chapter 17
1.Based on his comments and behavior in court, write a character description
of Bob Ewell.
2.At one point Bob Ewell comments that the "nest [of black families] down
yonder" is
"dangerous to live around 'sides devaluin' [his] property." What is ironic
about this?
And, perhaps even more ironic, what is the grain of truth in the statement?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Focus on Thinking Questions
Chapters 18-24
Answer the following questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. Be sure to
provide textual support (quotes with page numbers) for your responses.
Chapter 18
1.Why doesn't Mayella have friends, or even quite know what it would mean to
have a
friend? Consider her situation within the family, her family's situation in
the town, and
the town itself.
2.Why doesn't Mayella confess the truth? Again, consider all the
circumstances of her life
and the social context in which she must continue to live.
Chapter 19
1.As Tom gives his testimony, Scout draws parallels between Mayella and
several other
people she has recently learned to understand. To who does she compare
Mayella and
why?
2."Nobody liked Tom's answer" to the question of why he helped Mayella for no
pay.
Explain Mr. Gilmer's fury at Tom's feeling sorry for Mayella. Consider why thius
attitude itself might almost constitute a crime in Maycomb, and what might
follow if
such an attitude became common.
3.Why does Dill start to cry? This sensitivity is foreshadowed - remember the incident
with the turtle? Find that section and reread it (the last page of Chapter
1). What
parallels can you find between what's happening in the courtroom and what Dill sees
as cruelty to the turtle.
Chapter 20
1.Why is this chapter included in the novel?
2.Connect Atticus's statement about "cheating a colored man" with the title of
the book.
3.Mayella has committed crimes against Tom and against the state (false accusation,
lying under oath, even "murder" of an innocent man) because she is ashamed of
breaking a "code" and "tempting a Negro." What's the difference between a law
and a
code? In your opinion, which is more powerful?
4.What does Atticus find wrong with the idea that all men are created equal -
and what
does he think is right about it?
(Over, please)
To Kill a Mockingbird: Focus on Thinking Questions, Chapters 18-24 Page 2
Chapter 21
1.Atticus tells the children on the last page of Part I that he wants them "to
see what
real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun
in his
hand." In what way is courage, in this case, something like a man with an
empty gun?
Chapter 22
1.Explain why "It's not time to worry yet."
2.After commenting to Alexandra about his aunt's alcoholism, Dill asks,
"Tellin' the
truth's not cynical, is it?" Well, is it? When might telling the truth
appear cynical?
3.What does Jem mean by his "caterpillar in a cocoon" image?
4.How does Aunt Alexandra react to her brother's defeat? What does it show
you about
her?
Chapter 23
1.What does Atticus expect Jem to learn if he "stand[s] in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute"?
Why is Ewell so angry? After all, he won.
2.Jem says we should do away with juries. Why? What alternative does Atticus
suggest?
3.What interferes (even today - maybe more today) with the ideas of judgment
by a
jury of one's peers? According to the explanation Jem receives, why does this
happen?
4.Atticus shows prejudice in his discussion of women on juries. What
stereotypes does
he have of women? How do you feel about this lapse in Atticus's usual
reliance on
pure reason?
5.According to Jem, what puts someone in one social category or another?
Think hard
about his theory. List some problems with it.
Chapter 24
1.Explain the basic irony of the Missionary Society's meeting for the
betterment of
conditions for "those poor Mrunas."
2.What irony is there in Mrs. Merriweather's insistence that Helen Robinson be
forgiven?
3. What does Maudie mean by the people with "background"?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Focus on Thinking Questions
Chapters 25-31
Answer the following questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. Be sure to
provide textual support (quotes with page numbers) for your responses.
Chapter 25
1.What about the escape attempt does Maycomb think was "typical of a nigger"? List.
2.What does Scout see clearly for the first time when she reads Underwood's claim
that Tom's death was "senseless killing"? What had she thought prior to reading
the editorial?
Chapter 26
1.What is odd about the question, "What reasonable recluse wants children
peeping
through his shutters"? Why do you think Lee chose the word reasonable?
2.Hitler? Why is he in here? (What was going on in Germany in 1935?)
3."Over here we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from
people who are prejudiced. Pre-ju-dice . . . There are no better people in the
world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn't think so is a mystery to me." What's
wrong with this statement? (at least two things)
4.Jem reacts furiously to Scout's question about Miss Gates's remark at the trial.
What do you think the trial meant to him that it did not mean to Scout?
Chapter 27
1.What purpose does this chapter serve?
2.What does Aunt Alexandra mean when she says, "Somebody just walked over my
grave"? Why is this included? (There are two reasons. One is related to
plot and
one to theme.)
3.Reread the last sentence of the chapter. What other long journeys have the two
children taken together? How might their definition of a long journey have
changed since Chapter 1?
(Over, please)
To Kill a Mockingbird: Focus on Thinking Questions, Chapters 25-31 Page 2
Chapter 28
1.Jem "gallantly" walks Scout to the pageant, carrying her costume. As they walk
across the schoolyard, they discuss Boo and comment that "Haints, Hot Steams .
. .
vanished with our years." Above them a mockingbird sings. What is the effect
of all these details on the reader?
2."The man who brought Jem in . . . He was some countryman I did not know." Why
is it important that Scout doesn't identify the rescuer?
Chapter 29
1.What character traits does Aunt Alexandra show in reaction to the crisis? List
proof for each one.
2.Do the same for Heck Tate.
Chapter 30
1.In the course of the chapter, what does Scout do (in true ladylike fashion)
to make
Boo feel less uncomfortable? (List three or more things.)
2.What does Atticus think happened out there in the dark? What does he think
Heck Tate
is trying to do in claiming Ewell fell on his knife? What is Heck Tate really trying
to do with this lie?
3.After Heck Tate leaves, Atticus must explain the lie to Scout. Why is this
easier than
he expects? (Consider the whole book as you answer. Then look specifically
at the
conversation and find the one word used by Tate that made it easy for Scout to
see the
necessity of the lie.)
Chapter 31
1.Analyze the following:
a. Boo: " 'Will you take me home?' He almost whispered it, in the voice of a child
afraid of the dark."
b. Scout: "I would lead him through our house, but I would never lead him home."
Use all your skills as a good reader, as well as your knowledge of prior events.
2.Scout says, further, that "we had given him nothing." Why is she wrong?
3.Why does Lee have Scout comment on the view from Boo's porch? What threads does
it tie together? How does the point of view change during her fantasy
description of
Boo's view?
4.Why do you think Scout never saw Boo again? Would it have been a better
ending if
she had become his friend?
*****************************************************************
Name:Date:Period:
READING VOCABULARY LIST:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Chapters 1-9
DIRECTIONS: For each vocabulary word, please give the part of speech and the
complete definition as it appears in your dictionary. Then, for each
vocabulary word, use the word in a creative sentence which clearly indicates
that you understand the meaning of the vocabulary word.
1.eccentric
2.malevolent
3.intimidation
4.condescended
5.indigenous
6.pronouncements
7.irked
8.persevere
9.compromise
10.tyranny
11.unanimous
12.evasion
13.chameleon
14.tormenting
15.quibbling
16.teetered
17.malignant
18.entrusted
19.adjacent
20.perplexity
21.ingenuous
22.fanatical
23.isolate
24.debating
25.acquainted
******************************************************************
Name:Date: Period:
READING VOCABULARY LIST:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Chapters 10-17
DIRECTIONS: For each vocabulary word, please give the part of speech and the
complete definition as it appears in your dictionary. Then, for each
vocabulary word, use the word in a creative sentence which clearly indicates
that you understand the meaning of the vocabulary word.
1.contemporaries
2.inconspicuous
3.peril
4.contradict
5.inaudible
6.cantankerous
7.compensation
8.emerge
9.acquired
10.ecclesiastical
11.extract
12.preoccupation
13.pensive
14.antagonize
15.infallible
16.defendant
17.begrudge
18.oblivious
19.acquiescence
20.encumbered
21.dispelled
22.indulge
23.amiably
24.complacently
**********************************************************
Name:Date: Period:
READING VOCABULARY LIST:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Chapters 18-31
DIRECTIONS: For each vocabulary word, please give the part of speech and the
complete definition as it appears in your dictionary. Then, for each
vocabulary word, use the word in a creative sentence which clearly indicates
that you understand the meaning of the vocabulary word.
1.stealth
2.prejudice
3.irrelevant
4.subtlety
5.predicament
6.fraud
7.subsequent
8.pauper
9.obscure
10.pursuits
11.improbable
12.inevitable
13.apprehension
14.sustain
15.hypocrites
16.allegedly
17.persecuted
18.assessment
19.consented
20.inconveniences
********************************************************
Name:Date: Period:
To Kill a Mockingbird FINAL TEST
PART A: For each of the following, please respond fully and clearly.
1.Define epitaph.
2.Define theme.
3.Define static character.
4.Define mirror characters.
5.Define symbols.
6.Define understatement.
7.Define physical comedy/sight gag.
8.Define hyperbole.
FINAL TEST Page 2
PART B: For each character, indicate two quotations that BEST reflect the
character's behavior and life.
1.Atticus Finch
a. "The law is good, if man uses it lawfully." - Bible
b. "Men are very generous with that which costs them nothing." - Corneille
c. "Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Einstein
d. "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth." - Thoreau
2.Maudie Atkinson
a. "Prejudice is a vagrant [wandering] opinion without visible means of
support." - Bierce
b. "Hating anything in the way of ill-natured gossip ourselves, we are always
grateful to those who do it for us." - Saki
c. "Alas for the rarity of Christian charity under the sun." - Hood
d. "Never say more than is necessary." - Sheridan
3.Tom Robinson
a. "The savage in man is never quite eradicated [wiped out]." - Thoreau
b. "I believe that in the end truth will conquer." - Wycliffe
c. "All men are created equal, except Negroes." - Lincoln
d. "There's not the least thing can be said or done, but people will talk and
find fault." - Cervantes
4.Bob Ewell
a. "Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens." -
Webster
b. "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Hoffer
c. "It is a wise father that knows his own child." - Shakespeare
d. "Hatred is something peculiar. You will always find it strongest and
most violent where there is the lowest degree of culture." - Goethe
5.Boo Radley
a. "A gift, no matter how small, is great when given with affection." - Pindar
b. "Silence gives consent." - Goldsmith
c. "The gentle mind by gentle deeds is known." - Spenser
d. "No human thing is of serious importance." - Plato
FINAL TEST Page 3
PART C: For each of the following, IDENTIFY the speaker or speakers and
EXPLAIN the meaning and importance of each quotation.
1."You never really understand a person until you consider things from his
point of view --- . . . --- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
2."How could they do it, how could they?"
"I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it
tonight
and they'll do it again and when they do --- seems that only the
children weep."
3."Let the dead bury the dead this time . . ."
4."Will you take me home?"
5."My paw's never touched a hair o' my head in my life. He never touched me."
FINAL TEST Page 4
PART D: In a well-developed paragraph, respond to each of the following. Be
sure to support your opinion with specific references to the novel.
1.Discuss whether To Kill a Mockingbird expresses a pessimistic or an
optimistic view of life.
2.Harper Lee shows that both children and adults "kill mockingbirds." Which
is worse and why?
In this section of your page you erase what is written here and write
whateeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenderful novel.
Always -
Annie
PS.
Perfection Form and Sundance have some wonderful materials as does the Center
for Learning. I especially like the book LATITUDES for TKAM. I can't
remember whether Sundance or Perfection publishes that series. Email me if
you have questions, or you want to share more.
Name:Date: Period:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Writing Assignment: The Pantoum
Earlier this year you wrote a pantoum for "The Girl With Yin Eyes". I want you
again to write a pantoum, but this time you will use To Kill a Mockingbird for your
selected lines. Choose a c
Email: kglee@webtv.net
