Ch's 1-8
Ch's 9-15
Ch's 16-23
Ch's 24-31
Ch's 32-43
100
Who is the speaker of this quote?
"They said he was a p'fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knotted everything. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country coming to?"
Pap
100
What is the name of the woman that Huck talks to, while dressed as a girl?
Mrs. Judith Loftus
100
What was Emmeline Grangerford "famous" for?
Writing sentimental / bad poetry.
100
Which character is being described?
She was red-headed, most awful beautiful and her face and eyes was all lit up like glory.
Mary Jane Wilks
100
The name of the plantation where Jim is locked up at the end of the novel.
The Phelps plantation
200
On Jackson's Island (Ch. 8), why does Huck decide not to turn Jim in?
He has given Jim his word that he wouldn't.
200
a. How is Jim protective of Huck in Ch. 9 when they visit the "House of Death"?
b. What key information do we learn about this scene much later in the book?
a. Jim shields Huck's eyes from the dead man in the boat.
b. The dead man is Pap.
200
a. What title does the duke claim to have, and
b. what insulting nickname does the king come up with for the duke?
a. Duke of Bridgewater
b. Duke of Bilgewater
200
What does Mary Jane do in Ch. 25 that shows she is too trusting?
When the king and the duke find the $3,000 that Peter has supposedly left them, they give the money to Mary Jane, who immediately gives it back to them -- along with $3,000 that her father left to her -- and tells them to invest it for her.
200
What disturbing exchange does "Tom" (aka Huck) have with Sally Phelps in Ch. 32 when he claims that a steamship blew a cylinder head?
Huck says no one was hurt but a (n-word) was killed. Sally's reply makes it clear that she doesn't think Black people are human.
300
In Ch. 3, what is a key difference Huck sees in the personalities of Miss Watson and the Widow Douglass?
Miss Watson is stricter and more rigid, while the Widow is gentler and kinder.
For example: "Sometimes the widow would take me one side and talk about Providence in a way to make a body's mouth water; but maybe next day Miss Watson would take hold and knock it all down again. I judged I could see that there was two Providences, and a poor chap would stand considerable show with the widow's Providence, but if Miss Watson's got him there warn't no help for him any more" (11).
300
Give the name of the robber from Ch. 12 who does NOT want to kill Jim Turner.
Jake Packard
300
a. Explain how Twain makes it clear that Col. Grangerford is a target of satire.
b. WHY is Twain mocking him?
a. Twain has Huck state repeatedly that Grangerford is a "gentleman" so we know it's probably a suspect judgement;
b. Grangerford has done nothing to stop the feud between his family and the Shepherdsons.
300
There is some comic relief in Ch. 26, but -- as is typical of Mark Twain -- the humor has an "edge" to it. Give an example to support this.
a. Huck tells multiple fibs to Joanna, who is suspicious of him, but then Mary Jane comes in and chides Joanna for not believing him. (She makes Joanna apologize to Huck.)
b. The duke and the king are staying in Mary Jane's room. When Huck goes there to find the gold, he must hide himself in between Mary Jane's dresses when the king and the duke suddenly enter the room.
300
a. In Ch. 33, we learn the fate of the king and the duke. Explain.
b. How does Huck feel when he sees what happened to them?
a. They are tarred and feathered, then placed astraddle a rail.
b. Huck feels sorry for them. He says that humans "can be awful cruel to one another."
400
In Chapter 8, Jim is portrayed as gullible. Give two supporting examples from this chapter.
1. He loses most of his $14 by investing in a cow.
2. He takes his remaining $5 and invests in a bank, but it goes under.
3. He gives his final nickel to a man who was supposed to give it to the poor (and earn Jim his money back a hundred-fold), but the man disappears with the nickel.
400
What surprising thing (for the 1800s) does Huck say to Jim in Ch. 15 and why is this important?
Huck apologizes to Jim for making him think that the two had NOT been separated in the fog; it shows Huck humbling himself to a Black person, which wasn't often done.
400
a. What scene immediately follows Col. Sherburn's speech to the townspeople, and
b. why might Twain have chosen this scene to come right afterwards?
a. Huck goes to the circus and sees a "drunken" man ride horses.
b. This scene provides relief from the tension built up from the mob that was sent to lynch Col. Sherburn.
400
In Ch. 29, what two tests do the townspeople give to the two sets of heirs?
a. handwriting test
b. they dig up Peter's body to see if there's a tattoo on his chest.
400
How do Tom and Huck confound Uncle Silas in Ch. 37?
Before he can plug up the rat holes, Tom and Huck plug them up without his knowledge.
500
How does Huck feel about prayer in Ch. 3 and does his attitude remain the same in Ch. 8?
In Ch. 3, Huck can't understand why people don't always get what they pray for. He decides that there is "nothing" in prayer.
In Ch. 8, he thinks there might be something in prayer because the bread thrown into the river (to recover his body) comes right to him. He feels that prayer works for some people (but not for him).
500
Note the Ch. 14 title: "Was Solomon Wise?" How would Jim have answered this question? Explain.
Jim would have answered no, because King Solomon threatened to cut an infant in half as a way of identifying the true mother. Jim said that only someone with a lot of children could think it okay to cut a child in half.
500
Why does Huck see Jim "moaning and mourning" at the end of Ch. 23 and what epiphany does Huck have as a result?
Jim misses his family. Huck realizes that black people care just as much for their families as white people do for theirs.
500
a. Why does Huck want to pray in Ch. 31?
b. What happens when he tries to pray, and what does he conclude from it?
a. He wants to pray to be the "right" kind of boy, i.e. one who would return a slave to his master.
b. He can't pray because his prayer is not authentic -- his heart is not in it.
500
What did novelist Jane Smiley think of the last 12 chapters of Huck Finn?
She called them boring, which she said is a sure sign that an author has lost the battle between plot and theme.
