To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 10 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. At the beginning of Chapter 10, why are Jem and Scout disappointed in Atticus?

   • He is too busy with his law office to play games or spend time with them
   • Correct answer: He is older than other fathers and seems to lack impressive physical abilities
   • He embarrasses them by arguing loudly with neighbors about the Tom Robinson case
   • He is strict about their behavior and punishes them more than other fathers

   Scout notes that Atticus is nearly fifty, wears glasses, works in an office, and does not hunt, fish, play football, or do any of the things other fathers do.

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2. 2

   Question 2. According to Atticus, what is a sin?

   • Hunting without a license
   • Shooting bluejays in the yard
   • Playing with air rifles on Sunday
   • Correct answer: Killing a mockingbird

   Atticus tells Jem to shoot all the bluejays he wants, if he can hit them, but to remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. He gives no reason; it is Miss Maudie who later explains why.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Miss Maudie say it is wrong to kill a mockingbird?

   • Mockingbirds eat the harmful insects that damage people’s gardens
   • Mockingbirds are rare in Alabama and protected by state law
   • Correct answer: Mockingbirds do nothing but make music for people to enjoy
   • Atticus keeps a pair of mockingbirds as pets in the back yard

   Miss Maudie explains that mockingbirds cause no harm—they don’t eat crops or nest in corncribs. They only sing, so killing one is an act of pure destruction.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What is wrong with Tim Johnson?

   • Correct answer: He is rabid and behaving erratically
   • He has escaped from his owner and is lost
   • He has been hit by a car and is limping
   • He is starving and looking for food

   Tim Johnson is a rabid dog. He walks with a slack jaw, shivers, and lists to one side as the disease affects his nervous system.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Who does Calpurnia call first about the mad dog?

   • Miss Maudie Atkinson
   • Eula May, the operator
   • Correct answer: Atticus at his office
   • Sheriff Heck Tate

   Calpurnia’s first call is to Atticus at his law office. She then calls Eula May, the telephone operator, to alert the neighborhood.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Why does Sheriff Heck Tate hand the rifle to Atticus instead of shooting the dog himself?

   • He does not know how to operate the rifle
   • Correct answer: He is afraid that if he misses, the bullet will hit the Radley house
   • It is against the law for the sheriff to discharge a firearm in town
   • He wants to test whether Atticus can still shoot

   Tate hesitates because a missed shot would go straight into the Radley place. He knows Atticus is the better marksman and hands him the rifle.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What does Atticus do with his glasses before taking the shot?

   • Correct answer: He pushes them up and lets them drop to the ground
   • He gives them to Calpurnia on the porch to hold
   • He cleans them carefully on his shirt before aiming
   • He hands them to Jem to hold for safekeeping

   Atticus pushes his glasses up to his forehead; they slip down, and he drops them in the street, where Scout hears them crack. Then he raises the rifle.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What was Atticus's nickname in his youth?

   • Sharpshooter Atticus
   • Dead-Eye Finch
   • The Maycomb Marksman
   • Correct answer: Ol' One-Shot

   Miss Maudie reveals that Atticus's nickname was "Ol' One-Shot" when he was a boy, and that he was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time.

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9. 9

   Question 9. According to Miss Maudie, why did Atticus give up shooting thirty years ago?

   • Correct answer: He felt God gave him an unfair advantage over living things and chose not to exploit it
   • Shooting became illegal within the town limits of Maycomb
   • He injured his hand in a hunting accident
   • His wife asked him to stop before she died

   Miss Maudie explains that Atticus realized his marksmanship gave him an unfair advantage over most living things, and he decided it was wrong to use that gift for sport or pride.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Who tells Jem and Scout about Atticus's shooting reputation?

    • Uncle Jack
    • Miss Stephanie Crawford
    • Sheriff Heck Tate
    • Correct answer: Miss Maudie Atkinson

    After the shooting, as the children wait on Miss Stephanie's front steps, Miss Maudie tells them their father was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time. Heck Tate starts to tell Jem but Atticus hushes him.

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11. 11

    Question 11. How does Jem react when Scout says she wants to tell everyone at school about Atticus?

    • He encourages her to tell everyone at school so the teasing about Atticus will finally stop
    • Correct answer: He tells her not to say anything because Atticus would have told them if he wanted it known
    • He says they should wait to tell anyone until Atticus is done with the Tom Robinson case
    • He suggests they ask Atticus for permission first, since it is his secret to share

    Jem stops Scout, reasoning that if Atticus wanted them to know about his shooting, he would have told them. Jem recognizes the value of his father’s humility.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does Miss Maudie mean when she says, "People in their right minds never take pride in their talents"?

    • Only foolish people have unusual talents
    • Talented people should hide their abilities from everyone
    • Correct answer: Natural gifts are nothing to boast about because they are not earned achievements
    • Pride is a mental illness that should be treated

    Miss Maudie is explaining Atticus’s philosophy: a God-given talent is not an accomplishment to brag about. True character is revealed through choices, not innate abilities.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does the rabid dog Tim Johnson most likely symbolize in the novel?

    • Correct answer: The irrational racism and hatred infecting Maycomb
    • The threat posed by the Radley family
    • The decline of Southern agriculture
    • The danger of keeping wild animals as pets

    Literary scholars widely interpret the rabid dog as a symbol of the racism spreading through Maycomb, a communal sickness that Atticus must reluctantly confront.

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14. 14

    Question 14. How does Chapter 10 foreshadow Atticus's role in the Tom Robinson trial?

    • Just as the neighbors hide behind closed doors from the dog, Atticus will later hide from the town by refusing to discuss the case
    • Just as Calpurnia runs to warn every house on the street, Atticus will later warn the town to stay away from the Tom Robinson trial
    • Just as Atticus gives the rifle back to Heck Tate after one shot, he will later give the Tom Robinson case to another lawyer in town
    • Correct answer: Just as Atticus faces the dog alone in the empty street, he will later stand alone defending Tom Robinson against the town's prejudice

    Atticus walks alone into the deserted street to face a danger the rest of the neighborhood hides from behind closed doors. It mirrors the lonely stand he is already taking by defending Tom Robinson, which the whole school is talking about.

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