To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 15 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Who leads the group of men that visits the Finch house on Saturday night?

   • Mr. Underwood
   • Link Deas
   • Correct answer: Heck Tate
   • Walter Cunningham

   Sheriff Heck Tate leads the group of men who come to the Finch house on Saturday evening to warn Atticus about potential trouble with the Robinson case.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why is Tom Robinson being moved to the Maycomb jail?

   • Correct answer: His trial is about to begin
   • The county jail closed
   • Atticus arranged it for safety
   • He requested a transfer

   Heck Tate is moving Tom to the Maycomb jail because the trial will probably be Monday. Atticus later says that if they had kept him there in the first place there wouldn't have been any fuss.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Atticus bring with him to sit outside the jail?

   • A shotgun, a wool blanket, and a thermos of coffee
   • A chair, a kerosene lantern, and his Bible
   • A folding cot, a flashlight, and his case file
   • Correct answer: A chair, a lamp on an extension cord, and a newspaper

   Atticus sets up a chair and a reading lamp powered by an extension cord from inside the jail, creating a strangely domestic scene on the sidewalk where he reads his newspaper.

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4. 4

   Question 4. How many cars arrive at the jail carrying the mob?

   • Three
   • Correct answer: Four
   • Six
   • Two

   Four automobiles pull into Maycomb and park near the jail. The men who emerge are a different group from those who visited the Finch house the night before.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does the mob tell Atticus to do?

   • Drop the Tom Robinson case for good
   • Correct answer: Move away from the jailhouse door
   • Hand over the keys to Tom's cell
   • Go on home before the sheriff returns

   The men tell Atticus to step away from the jailhouse door so they can get to Tom Robinson. Atticus refuses.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Why does Scout run into the mob?

   • Jem dares her to go and see who the men are
   • She does not see the men standing in the dark
   • She wants to protect Atticus from the men crowding around him
   • Correct answer: She thinks Atticus is about to get the better of them

   When Atticus asks "Do you really think so?", a question that meant somebody's man would get jumped, Scout decides it is too good to miss and runs to him, only to find that the men are strangers.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Which man does Scout recognize in the mob?

   • Correct answer: Walter Cunningham Sr.
   • Mr. Nathan Radley
   • Mr. Avery, the neighbor
   • Mr. Heck Tate, the sheriff

   Scout searches the unfamiliar faces and finally recognizes Walter Cunningham Sr., the father of her classmate Walter Jr.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Scout talk to Mr. Cunningham about?

   • Church suppers, the Missionary Society, and news from town
   • The weather, the summer heat, and gossip from school
   • Correct answer: His entailment, his son Walter, and their neighborly connections
   • Atticus's law practice, the trial, and why Tom is in jail

   Scout brings up his entailment, tells him she goes to school with his son Walter, reminds him that he once brought them hickory nuts, and asks him to tell Walter hey.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does Mr. Cunningham say to Scout before leading the mob away?

   • You should not be out here this late, child.
   • Tell Atticus I’m sorry about all this.
   • Your daddy's a good man, little girl.
   • Correct answer: I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady.

   Mr. Cunningham squats down to Scout’s level and tells her he will pass along her greeting to Walter. He then tells the men it is time to go.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What was Mr. Underwood doing during the confrontation at the jail?

    • Telephoning the sheriff's deputies to come back
    • Correct answer: Watching from a window with a double-barreled shotgun
    • Hiding inside the jailhouse near Tom's cell
    • Setting type on his linotype for tomorrow's paper

    After the mob leaves, Mr. Underwood reveals he had Atticus covered the whole time from his window above The Maycomb Tribune office, next to the jail, with a double-barreled shotgun.

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11. 11

    Question 11. Why is Heck Tate not at the jail when the men arrive?

    • He was out patrolling the Meridian highway for the cars
    • He was guarding the Finch house at Atticus's request
    • Correct answer: The mob lured him and his men away on a snipe hunt
    • He was at home asleep, trusting that Maycomb was quiet

    One of the men says they called Heck Tate's bunch off on a snipe hunt, so the sheriff's men are deep in the woods and won't get out until morning.

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12. 12

    Question 12. How does Jem respond when Atticus tells the children to go home during the confrontation?

    • Correct answer: He refuses to leave
    • He hides behind the jail
    • He runs to get the sheriff
    • He immediately obeys

    Jem refuses to leave his father’s side, showing both defiance and protectiveness. This marks a turning point in his maturation as he begins to understand the real danger Atticus faces.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What central theme does the mob scene most directly illustrate?

    • Children should not be involved in adult conflicts
    • Legal systems always protect the innocent
    • The importance of education in a small town
    • Correct answer: Individual conscience can overcome mob mentality

    The scene demonstrates how mob violence depends on anonymity, and when Scout forces Mr. Cunningham to see himself as an individual person rather than part of a faceless group, the collective will collapses.

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14. 14

    Question 14. What does Scout hear from inside the jail after the mob leaves?

    • Correct answer: Tom Robinson quietly asking if the men are gone
    • Tom Robinson thanking Atticus for standing guard
    • Another prisoner shouting to be let out of his cell
    • Nothing at all; the jail stays completely silent

    After the mob disperses, Tom Robinson’s quiet voice comes from inside the jail, asking Atticus if the men have left. Atticus confirms they are gone.

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