Characters 1
Name the Finch family member who is the town’s moral center and defends Tom Robinson.
Atticus Finch
What is the name of the man who attacked the Finch children in the dark, wooded area near the Radley lot on their way home from the school Halloween pageant?
Mr. Robert E. Lee "Bob" Ewell
In which decade and fictional Alabama town is the novel set?
1930s, Maycomb, Alabama.
What symbol in the novel represents innocence and the idea of harm to the harmless? (one-word answer)
Mockingbird.
Atticus says that country people, like the Cunningham’s, were hit the hardest by “the crash.” To what is he referring?
The 1929 Stock Market Crash
Who is the mysterious neighbor the children try to learn about and eventually meet?
Who is the narrator of the text?
Daily Double: What narrative POV is the novel told in (First, second, third person limited, third person omniscient)?
Scout Finch
First
What item(s) do Scout and Jem first find in the knothole of the Radley tree?
Two sticks of Wrigley’s gum (first), then two pennies in a small box.
Explain how the knothole gifts function as a symbol of connection between Boo and the children. (short answer expected)
The gifts show Boo’s quiet kindness and the possibility of human connection across fear.
How are the Ewells different from the Cunningham's?
The Ewell’s are different from the Cunningham’s because they don’t have any pride, either. The Ewell mother is dead and the father is an alcoholic. The children essentially drop out of school every year. In Maycomb’s social strata, the Ewell’s are far below the Cunningham’s in terms of respectability.
Identify the Finch family’s housekeeper who acts as a caregiver and moral guide.
Calpurnia
Who is Scout’s older brother who experiences significant moral growth during the novel?
Jeremy "Jem" Finch
Why does Atticus say he must defend Tom Robinson even if the town will likely reject them? (short answer expected)
Atticus refers to the pre-Civil War racial dynamics and believes in doing the right thing and modeling moral courage.
Jem calls “mixed” children sad because they don’t belong. Relate this observation to the novel’s exploration of belonging and prejudice. (short answer expected)
Students should connect Jem’s comment to social exclusion and the novel’s critique of prejudice.
What public defender did Judge Taylor skip over in an attempt to try to help Tom?
Maxwell Green
Which Mr. Ewell family member accuses Tom Robinson of assaulting her?
Mayella Ewell
Name Dill’s aunt who lives next door to the Finches.
Miss Rachel
Briefly describe how Tom Robinson dies and Atticus’s interpretation of Tom’s actions. (short answer expected)
Tom ran and was shot while trying to escape; Atticus suggests Tom had lost hope and may have been trying to give himself some agency despite likely being shot; students may agree/disagree with reasoning.
Discuss how the narrator’s (Scout’s) point of view as a child-then-reflector affects readers’ understanding of events. Provide one example from the novel. (short answer expected)
Example: Scout’s childhood perspective later framed by adult reflection—first line foreshadowing Jem’s broken arm; creates mystery and retrospective insight.
Heck Tate has tampered with evidence to make it appear that Ewell was killed by falling on his own knife. What piece of evidence did Heck remove from the scene of the crime?
Bob Ewell's switchblade
Name the man who is shot while trying to escape custody and is discussed as a “mockingbird” figure.
Thomas "Tom" Robinson
Identify the socially prominent Finch relative who pressures Scout to act like a lady.
Aunt Alexandra
Explain two possible meanings of Atticus’s unopposed re-election after the trial. (short answer expected)
Community forgiveness/indifference; silent support for Atticus (they thought he did the right thing); Atticus’s role as civic duty exemplified.
When Atticus speaks of defending Tom Robinson, he says, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” What could Atticus really be saying here?
Since the book is set during the 1930s, Atticus is referring to the time in Maycomb before the Civil War, slavery has been abolished, but there’s still a huge divide between the white and black families in the town and racism rules the town. Atticus decides he’s going to fight this losing battle because there’s honor in trying to do the right thing. He needs to be a role model for his children. In his own way, he plans to “jar” the town a bit and be an agent for social change.
In her lesson on Hitler, Miss Gates says that Americans “don’t believe in persecuting anybody.” What’s ironic or hypocritical about her statement?
She condemns the way Hitler and Germany treat Jewish people (among many other groups) while Maycomb treated its Black citizens very poorly.