To Kill a Mockingbird
Chapter 1:
1. List the characters we meet in chapter 1.
2. In what year does the novel take place?
3. Who is the narrator?
4. What position does the Finch family have in town? Provide evidence from the text.
5. What is Atticus’s profession?
6. How old are Jem, Scout and Dill this summer?
7. Why does their age matter?
8. Who is Calpurnia? What role does she play for the Finch family?
9. Where is Jem and Scout’s mother?
10. What is unusual about the Radley family?
11. What are two superstitions which surround Boo Radley?
Chapter 2 When marking this chapter note examples of irony.
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Where does Dill go after the summer?
What great event occurs in Scout’s life?
What is the teacher’s name and why does she become annoyed with Scout?
Does this teacher seem to understand the town and its children? Why or why not?
What does Scout’s defending of Walter Cunningham show about her?
Chapter 3 When marking this chapter looks at the characterization of Scout and Atticus.
1. What makes Scout decide she wants to quit school and run away?
2. Who is Burris Ewell?
3. How does Atticus teach Scout to get along with other people?
Chapter 4 When marking this chapter look for examples of foreshadowing.
1. What does Scout find in the tree in the Radley’s front yard?
2. What do Jem and Scout find a few days later in the same place?
3. Why is Scout fairly sure that Boo Radley is still alive and in his house?
4. What kind of relationship do Scout and Jem share?
Chapter 5
1. Who is Miss Maudie Atkinson?
2. Where does she live in comparison to Scout?
3. What is Miss Maudie’s opinion of Atticus?
Chapter 6
1. What is the children’s plan for Dill’s last night in Maycomb?
2. How does Jem lose his pants?
3. How does Dill explain this?
Chapter 7
1. What does Jem tell Scout about the night he had to go back for his pants?
2. What do the children decide to do about what they find in the tree?
3. What do they find in the knothole in the tree?
4. What do they discover has happened to the knothole? Why does Jem cry when he realizes this
was done?
5. Do you think Jem knows who has been leaving items in the tree? Why or why not?
Chapter 8
1. What happened in Maycomb that is unusual that year?
2. What happens to Miss Maudie’s house?
3. Where does the blanket come from that is put around Scout while she is out that night?
Chapter 9 When text marking this chapter look for character traits about Atticus. Note which ones
are positive and which ones are negative.
1. Why does Scout get into a fight with Cecil Jacobs?
2. What does Atticus have to do with what is causing his children’s problems? Why si he doing it?
How does he intend to do it/ Does he expect to win? Why or why not?
3. How is Uncle Jack like Atticus? How is he different?
4. How does Aunt Alexandra feel about the way Jem and Scout are being raised?
Chapter 10 When text marking this chapter look for character traits about Atticus. Note which ones
are positive and which ones are negative.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What does Scout wish was different about Atticus?
What does Atticus say about Mockingbirds? What does this mean?
What does Atticus do to make him a hero in the sight of his children?
Why does Atticus give up shooting?
How does Jem feel about his father after the incident with the dog?
Chapter 11 When text marking this chapter look for character traits of Jem. Note which ones are
positive and which ones are negative.
1. Describe Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose?
2. What makes Jem so angry that he beats down her flowers?
3. What is Jem’s punishment for this act?
Chapter 12-13 When text-marking these two chapters pay attention to the changes in Scout and
Jem’s relationship.
1. How old are the children at this point in the story?
2. How are the relations between Jem and Scout now?
3. Where does Calpurnia take the children on Sunday?
4. What is different about Calpurnia when she is there?
Chapters 14-18
1. Why does Aunt Alexandra want Cal out of the house? What is Atticus’s response?
2. Why does Dill make up stories? What kind of home life does he have?
3. Atticus is guarding Tom Robinson at the courthouse and is approached by a gang of men. How
does Scout’s conversation with Mr. Cunningham affect the rest of what happens in chapter 15?
4. Scout says that in church there is “fake peace”. What does she mean by this? What is she saying
about the people in her town?
Chapters 19-21
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2.
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5.
6.
Why has Tom made a mistake saying he felt sorry for Mayella? What evidence does Tom have
against him? What made him look guilty?
Why is it ironic that Mr. Gilmer calls Tom “boy” while Atticus calls Mayella “ma’am”?
What is naïve about Jem’s belief that Tom Robinson will be found innocent?
Reverend Sykes tells Scout, “Stand up. Your father’s passin, “as Atticus leaves the courtroom.
What does this indicate about the black community’s attitude toward Atticus?
What is Atticus trying to prove by asking Mr. Well to sign his name?
Explain Magellan’s change in testimony and the reasons for this change. Why does Atticus
suggest that it is impossible that Tom raped her?
Chapter 22-25
1. How does Atticus explain the white man’s unfairness to blacks? Do you think he is right?
2. What is the first problem with the law, according to Jem? What is Jem realizing for the first time
in his life?
3. Study the conversation between Jem and Scout on p. 230 and tie it in with Jem’s statement on p.
230, ‘I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this
time…it’s because he wants to.” What does he mean?
4. What becomes of Tom? Why does this happen? Why does Atticus want Cal to go with him to
talk to Helen.
Chapter 26-31
1.
What puzzles Scout about Miss Gates’s feelings toward Hitler? Why does she get no answer
when she asks Jem about it?
2. How is Mr. Underwood’s editorial in the Maycomb TRIBUNE reminiscent of Atticus’s advice to
Jem and Scout when they got their guns?
3. How are other children treating Scout and Jem? Who does Cecil do his report on? What does
Atticus say about this?
4. Who hires Helen Robinson? Why does her employer walk her home?
5. What happens the night of the play?
6. In Chapter 30, who is seen for the first time?
7. Who do you believe killed Bob Ewell? Why?
8. Why doesn’t Mr. Tate want the county to know about Boo? What does he think would happen?
9. What is the mood at the end of the novel?