Mrs. DeMauro
Ms. Salmon
Mr. LaMorte
Team Three Tom Sawyer
Comprehension Questions
Chapter One:
1. Summarize this chapter in paragraph format (approximately five meaningful sentences).
2. In your opinion, why did Tom beat up the new boy in town?
3. What is your opinion of Tom Sawyer?
Chapter Two:
1. Summarize the "whitewashing incident."
2. Do you think Tom is a leader or a follower? Explain your answer and
cite details.
3. Interpret this quote, "Work consists of whatever a body's obliged to do and that PLAY
consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do." Defend your answer.
Chapter Three:
1. In paragraph format, summarize the "sugar bowl incident" and discuss the moral or
lesson to be learned from it.
2. Why did Aunt Polly hit Tom and not Sid? What is the moral of this chapter?
3. Illustrate the scene between Tom and Beck on page 17.
Chapter Four:
1. How did Tom's attempt to win the bible, for memorizing scriptural verses, backfire on
him and what is the lesson or moral to be learned from this incident?
2. Why was the response, "David and Goliath," a ridiculous answer to the biblical question?
3. Why do you think Tom wanted to win the bible?
4. Predict what the rest of the scene might look like. What will be the reaction of Aunt Polly,
Sid, Mary, the Preacher, and Becky?
Chapter Five:
1. How had Tom entertained himself, as well as, the rest of the congregation during the church service?
2. What was the dog's reaction to the pinch bug?
3. How did the parishioners respond to the scene in church?
4. In the end, what was Tom's greatest concern with the pinch bug and the dog?
Chapter Six:
1. Write three main ideas from this chapter.
2. How did Tom fake being sick to avoid school?
3. How did Aunt Polly solve the situation?
4. What is Tom's remedy to cure warts?
5. Using adjectives and in sentence form, characterize Huck.
6. How did Tom feel about sitting with the girls in class?
7. How does Tom try to impress Becky Thatcher?
Chapter Seven:
1. How does Tom convince Becky to skip school?
2. How do Tom and Joe distract themselves in class?
3. What admision causes Becky to break their engagement?
4. What emotions does Becky reveal in this chapter?
5. Interpret the quote, "All emotions are involuntary when genuine."
Chapter Eight:
1. Summarize this chapter in paragraph format.
2. How do Tom and Joe use their imaginations?
3. What emotions is Tom conveying in this chapter?
4. Create an on going list of SUPERSTITIONS revealed in this book.
5. What do Tom and Huck mean by the last paragraph on page 85?
Chapter Nine:
1. Summarize this chapter in paragraph format.
2. How do you think Tom and Huck feel about sneaking out to the graveyard at the end of the chapter?
3. What are the consequences of them eing present at a crime scene? Explain your answer in detail.
4. Draw a story map of the tragedy in the graveyard.
5. Why does Injun Joe want revenge on Dr. Robinson?
6. Why do you think Dr. Robinson was digging up the grave?
7. How does the scuffle first break out? What might have been a better solution.
8. Why does Muff believe he indeed committed the murder?
9. Who killed Dr. Robinson?
Chapter Ten:
1. In paragraph format, summarize this chapter.
2. What emotions are being experienced by Tom and Aunt Polly?
3. Do you think the boys were right not telling about the murder? Explain your answer.
4. Explain why Tom is ridden with fear and guilt.
5. Mark Twain said, "An uneasy conscience is a hair in the mouth." How does this quote
apply to this chapter? How does it apply to life?
6. The boys vowed to, "Give up their evil ways." Do you think they really will change?
Chapter Eleven:
1. Using adjectives, characterize Muff Potter.
2. What odd behavior demonstrates that Tom is suffering a guilty conscience?
3. Why is the town willing to ignore the fact that Injun Joe was involved in the illegal
act of grave robbing?
4. Why do the town's folk believe Muff Potter is guilty of murder?
5. Curiousity is a strong human trait. How is the curiosity of the town's people in
Tom Sawyer similar to the curiousity of people today?
Chapter Twelve:
1. Illustrate or summarize the Cat and the Painkiller incident.
2. How does Mark Twain break the sad mood in this chapter? What technique does he use?
3. Using adjectives and evidence, characterize Aunt Polly.
Chapter Thirteen:
1. How do the boys entertain themselves through fantasy?
2. What ight be the consequences of running away?
Chapter Fourteen:
1. Draw a picture of Jackson Island.
2. Write a short news announcement providing information tht the boys had drown in
the river.
3. Create a daily diary of Tom, Huck, or Joe from their prosepective about life on
Jackson Island.
Chapter Fifteen:
1. What is the mood of this chapter?
2. Tom overhears Aunt Polly and guests, singing Tom's praises and
mourning over the poor boy. "Tom was snuffling more now, himself --more in
pity for himself that anybody." Explain.
3. Do you think Tom is satisfied with his visit back home? Why or why not?
Chapter Sixteen:
1. What is ailing the boys in this chapter?
2. How did the boys react to smoking?
3. Why did Tom and Joe have to go look for their knife immediately after smoking?
4. Why didn't the boys leave the island immediately?
5. Using your visualization strategies, draw a land map of Jackson Island.
Chapter Seventeen:
1. What is the mood at the beginning of the chapter? Give examples to defend your reply.
2. How does Becky feel about Tom now? Defend your answer.
3. How are the boys received when they arrive at their own funeral?
4. Why did Tom feel sorry for Huck at the end of this chapter?
5. What inferences can we make about Huck's life?
Chapter Eighteen:
1. How has Tom confused and fooled Aunt Polly?
2. Was it Tom's intention to hurt his family? How do you think Tom gets himself in these predicaments?
3. Why is Tom paying so much attention to Amy Lawrence?
4. What are your feelings about the treatment of Amy Lawrence and Alfred?
5. What is meant by the statement by Alfred, "The girl had simply made a convenience of him to vent her spite upon
Tom Sawyer."?
6. How are relationships between boys and girls in this chapter similar to relationships today?
7. What is the theme of this chapter? Defend your answer.
Chapter Nineteen:
1. How would you feel if you were Tom and had disappointed Aunt Polly?
2. Have you ever experienced a time when you disappointed a significant person in your life? Share your feelings
in this experience.
3. Do you think Tom will do it again?
4. What is the theme of the chapter? Defend your answer.
5. What do you think the interpretation of the title might be? The cruelty of what?
Chapter Twenty:
1. Why was Becky to be punished?
2. What was in the teacher's hidden text book?
3. Why do you think the schoolmaster was upset?
4. Why does Tom step up and take Becky's punishment? What does this noble gesture reveal about the true
character of Tom?
5. How had Tom redeemed himself with Becky?
6. What might have been a better punishment for Becky?
Chapter Twenty One:
1. With whom does the school master live?
2. What is the relationship between the schoolmaster and the sign painter's son?
3. Explain what it would be like having your teacher as a boarder in your home? Are there more benefits or
disadvantages? Explain.
4. How does the schoolmaster prepare for examination day?
5. How did the boys finally repay the schoolmaster for his mean treatment all year?
6. What can we infer will happen next? What is the bad news?
7. Illustrate a 19th century school room.
Chapter Twenty Two:
1. Explain this quote based upon the chapter reading: "The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become."
2. Explain this quote based upon the chapter reading: "To promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make
a body want to go and do that very thing."
Chapter Twenty Three:
1. What choices had Tom made that demonstrated maturity and justice?
2. Interpret this quote: "It's curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare."
Chapter Twenty Four:
1. Summarize this chapter.
2. Predict what will happen in the next chapter based on the title.
Chapter Twenty Five:
1. Summarize this chapter.
2. Illustrate the mansion on Cardiff Hill.
3. In the previous chapers, Twain continues to poke fun at superstition. What does superstition add to the novel in terms of
development of character and plot. Discuss some of the superstitions in the novel. What superstitions do people believe
in today?
Chapter Twenty Six:
1. Interpret this quote, "One ragged, unkempt creature, with nothing very pleasant about his face."
2. Make a prediction about what is going to happen in the next chapter.
3. Write about a real or imagined time when you overheard a conversation that was not meant for you to hear.
Describe what you learned, and tell how you acted upon the information.
Chapter Twenty Seven and Twenty Eight:
1. Describe Huck's unfortunate life. How is Huck viewed by the people in his community? What inferences can you
make people's prejudices and how they view Huck?
2. Discuss the subtle (arranged in an ingenious and elaborate way) prejudice with Uncle Jake in Chapter 28.
3. Characterize Injun Joe's asocial (inconsiderate of or hostile to others) behavior.
4. In your opinion, can Injun Joe be redeemed (save from sin, error, or evil)?
Chapter Twenty Nine:
1. Summarize the chapter. Be sure to include information about Huck, the Widow, the Welshman, and Injun Joe.
2. Using clues in the title and the preceding chapters, predict the outcome of the book.
3. Compare and contrast Huck Finn and Injun Joe.
Chapter Thirty:
1. Interpret this quote thought by the Welshman, "Such a laugh was money in a man's pocket because it cut down the
doctor's bill like everything."
2. Describe the treatment given to Huck by both the Welshman and the Widow. Explain their attitudes.
3. Predict what happened to Tom and Becky.
Chapters Thirty One and Thirty Two:
1. Compare and contrast Tom and Becky's response and behavior in the cave.
2. Discuss Tom's level of courage, leadership, and maturity in this chaper.
3. Interpret this quote, "Circumstances make men, not men make circumstances."
4. Illustrate the cave.
Chapters Thirty Three:
1. Discuss how Tom uses persuasion on Huck in this chapter.
2. In your opinion, is Tom a leader? Defend your answer and give examples from this chapter.
Chapters Thirty Four and Thirty Five:
1. Interpret this quote, "Journey not the Destination." How does this quote apply to Tom and Huck's adventure?
How does it relate to our own lives. Provide examples.
2. Identify and describe the three plots in Tom Sawyer.