To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 3 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Scout fight Walter Cunningham Jr. in the schoolyard?

   • He laughed with the class when Miss Caroline whipped her hand
   • Correct answer: She blames him for the trouble she got into with Miss Caroline
   • He told Miss Caroline she was writing a letter during the lesson
   • She thinks he took Miss Caroline's quarter and never paid it back

   Scout tackles Walter because Miss Caroline punished Scout after she tried to explain why Walter would not accept a lunch loan, and Scout blames Walter for the whole incident.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What does Calpurnia tell Scout after Scout mocks Walter's eating habits?

   • That Scout should have asked Calpurnia before inviting a guest home to eat
   • That Walter is a Cunningham and cannot be expected to know good table manners
   • Correct answer: That Walter is company and must be treated with respect regardless of how he eats
   • That Scout must apologize to Walter in front of Atticus before she finishes her dinner

   Calpurnia pulls Scout into the kitchen and tells her that anyone who enters the Finch home is company, and Scout must treat guests with courtesy no matter their habits or background.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Walter Cunningham discuss with Atticus at the dinner table?

   • Correct answer: Farming, crops, and rural conditions
   • His teacher Miss Caroline and school
   • His plans for college
   • The Radley house and Boo Radley

   Atticus draws Walter into a discussion about crops and farm problems, and the two talk together like two men, to the wonder of Scout and Jem.

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4. 4

   Question 4. How often do the Ewell children attend school?

   • They attend only the first week of each school year
   • They attend whenever the sheriff threatens their father
   • They attend only during winter, after the crops are in
   • Correct answer: They attend only the first day of each school year

   The Ewell children show up on the first day of school each year to technically satisfy the truancy laws, then disappear until the following September.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What famous advice does Atticus give Scout at the end of Chapter 3?

   • That there is nothing to fear but fear itself, so she should face school bravely
   • That reading every night will teach her more than any schoolteacher ever could
   • Correct answer: That she will never understand a person until she climbs into their skin and walks around in it
   • That she must fight anyone who insults her family, no matter how much bigger they are

   This metaphor about empathy and perspective-taking becomes the ethical framework for the entire novel, guiding how readers should evaluate every character and conflict that follows.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What compromise does Atticus propose to Scout about school?

   • Scout may stay home like Burris Ewell as long as she reads with Atticus every night
   • Correct answer: Scout will continue going to school and Atticus will keep reading with her every night
   • Scout will stay home and Atticus will teach her, the way Granddaddy taught him
   • Scout will go to school, but they will stop reading until Miss Caroline allows it

   Atticus validates Scout's frustration with school while quietly ensuring she continues to attend, modeling the empathy he has just preached by understanding her perspective first.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What precedent does Scout cite when arguing she should not have to attend school?

   • Correct answer: The Ewell family, who do not attend school
   • Jem, who is old enough to make his own decisions
   • Boo Radley, who never leaves his house
   • Dill, who only visits in summer

   Scout argues that if the Ewells can skip school with no consequences, she should be allowed to as well. Atticus explains that the Ewells are a special case.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Jem invites Walter Cunningham home for lunch after stopping Scout from fighting him.

     Happened

     After pulling Scout off Walter and learning the boy has no lunch, Jem invites Walter to eat at the Finch house, where he joins the family for the meal.

   • Miss Caroline physically punishes Burris Ewell for having head lice.

     Didn't happen

     Miss Caroline does not punish Burris. She simply tells him to go home and wash his hair. It is Burris who becomes aggressive and verbally attacks Miss Caroline, making her cry.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does the word "contemptuous" mean as used to describe Burris Ewell's attitude toward Miss Caroline?

   • Deserving of scorn or low regard
   • Tending to think deeply and quietly
   • Showing deep admiration and respect
   • Correct answer: Showing deep disrespect and scorn

   Contemptuous means feeling or showing deep disrespect. Burris Ewell is contemptuous of Miss Caroline and the school system, openly sneering at authority.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does "erratic" mean in "grammar became erratic"?

    • Wandering from place to place
    • Precise and carefully controlled
    • Correct answer: Irregular and unpredictable
    • Heated and angry in expression

    Erratic means irregular and unpredictable. When Calpurnia is furious, her usually good grammar slips and becomes uneven, as when she scolds Scout in the kitchen.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does "disapprobation" mean in "received with considerable disapprobation"?

    • Complete confusion about a subject
    • Correct answer: Strong disapproval or condemnation
    • Careful inspection or examination
    • Formal approval or official permission

    Disapprobation means strong disapproval. Atticus jokes that the school authorities would disapprove of their nightly reading, so Scout had better not mention their agreement at school.

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