To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 21 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Calpurnia come to the courthouse during the trial?

   • To warn Atticus that a mob is gathering outside
   • To hear Atticus give his closing argument
   • To bring Atticus his supper from the house
   • Correct answer: To tell Atticus that the children are missing

   Calpurnia brings a note to Atticus informing him that his children are not at home. He soon discovers they have been in the Colored balcony.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. Where have the children been watching the trial?

   • On the courthouse steps with the Idlers' Club
   • In the front row with Aunt Alexandra
   • Correct answer: In the Colored balcony with Reverend Sykes
   • Outside, peering in through a window

   Jem, Scout, and Dill have been watching the entire trial from the Colored balcony, seated with Reverend Sykes and other Black spectators.

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. What condition does Atticus set for the children to return to hear the verdict?

   • Correct answer: They can return after supper if the jury is still out
   • They must promise not to repeat anything they heard in court
   • They must leave before the verdict is read
   • They must sit with Aunt Alexandra downstairs

   Atticus tells the children they may return after eating supper, as long as the jury has not yet come back with a verdict.

   Read the passage
4. 4

   Question 4. How does Jem feel about the likely outcome during the jury's deliberation?

   • He is worried the jury will convict Tom Robinson
   • Correct answer: He is confident Atticus will win an acquittal
   • He is indifferent about the outcome
   • He believes a mistrial is likely

   Jem is optimistic throughout the deliberation, believing that the strength of Atticus's case makes acquittal certain.

   Read the passage
5. 5

   Question 5. What warning does Reverend Sykes give Jem?

   • That Judge Taylor has already leaned too far toward Tom's side
   • That Tom Robinson plans to appeal no matter what the jury decides
   • Correct answer: That he has never seen a jury decide in favor of a Black man over a white man
   • That the jury may stay out all night before deciding the case

   Reverend Sykes tempers Jem's optimism by sharing his experience that no jury in his lifetime has ever ruled in favor of a Black defendant over a white accuser.

   Read the passage
6. 6

   Question 6. How does Scout know the verdict before Judge Taylor reads it?

   • Correct answer: She notices the jurors do not look at Tom Robinson
   • Reverend Sykes leans over and tells her quietly
   • She reads it on Judge Taylor's face as he sits up
   • She overhears the jurors whispering in the jury box

   As a lawyer's child, Scout knows the sign to watch for: a jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted. When not one juror looks at Tom, she understands the outcome.

   Read the passage
7. 7

   Question 7. What is the jury's verdict?

   • Not guilty, as Jem had predicted
   • Correct answer: Guilty, as each juror is polled in turn
   • A hung jury, so a mistrial is declared
   • Guilty of a lesser charge than rape

   Judge Taylor polls the jury and each juror answers guilty, despite the strong case Atticus presented in Tom Robinson's defense.

   Read the passage
8. 8

   Question 8. How does Jem react physically to the guilty verdict?

   • He shuts his eyes tight and refuses to watch
   • He shouts down at the jury from the edge of the balcony
   • He runs down the stairs and out of the courthouse
   • Correct answer: He grips the rail so hard that his hands turn white

   When Scout peeks at Jem, his hands are white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerk at each guilty as if he were being stabbed. The verdict strikes at his faith in justice.

   Read the passage
9. 9

   Question 9. What do the Black spectators in the balcony do as Atticus leaves the courtroom?

   • They applaud loudly
   • Correct answer: They all stand up silently
   • They bow their heads in prayer
   • They call out words of thanks

   In one of the novel's most powerful moments, the entire Black community in the balcony rises to its feet as a silent tribute to Atticus's moral courage.

   Read the passage
10. 10

    Question 10. What does Reverend Sykes say to Scout during this moment?

    • Correct answer: "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'."
    • "Aw, she doesn't know what we're talkin' about."
    • "There are things you don't understand."
    • "Now don't you be so confident, Mr. Jem."

    After someone nudges Scout to get her attention, Reverend Sykes tells her to stand, using her formal name to underscore the solemnity of the moment.

    Read the passage
11. 11

    Question 11. Why is the jury's long deliberation considered significant?

    • It indicates the jurors wanted a harsher sentence for Tom
    • It means Judge Taylor was confused about the law
    • Correct answer: It suggests some jurors initially doubted Tom's guilt
    • It shows the jury was waiting for more evidence

    The jury stays out for hours, and Jem is happy about it: a long deliberation suggests Atticus's defense raised real doubt in the jury room, even though the verdict still goes against Tom.

    Read the passage
12. 12

    Question 12. As the courtroom waits for the jury, Scout's feeling takes her back to which earlier day?

    • The night Atticus faced the mob at the jailhouse
    • The snowy morning Jem built the snowman
    • The winter night Miss Maudie's house burned down
    • Correct answer: The February morning Atticus shot the mad dog

    The still courtroom feels like the cold February morning when the mockingbirds were still and Heck Tate brought the rifle; Scout half expects him to say "Take him, Mr. Finch" again.

    Read the passage
13. 13

    Question 13. What major theme does Chapter 21 most directly address?

    • Correct answer: The loss of innocence through confronting injustice
    • The value of family traditions and inherited pride
    • The dangers of gossip and rumor in a small town
    • The importance of education in a small Southern town

    The guilty verdict shatters Jem's belief in a just world, marking a critical moment in his coming of age and loss of innocence.

    Read the passage