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Atticus doesn't drink whiskey.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Illustrating and Supporting Points

To Kill a Mockingbird is full of vivid moments that show courage, prejudice and justice. This quiz helps you choose and explain strong evidence from the novel.

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Fascinating Fact:

To illustrate courage, Atticus’s decision to face the mad dog in the street, calmly taking the rifle and shooting it, provides a clear example of quiet, responsible bravery.

In GCSE English Literature, you are expected to choose precise quotations from To Kill a Mockingbird and explain how they support your points. Focusing on key moments, such as scenes of courage, prejudice or justice, helps you build clear analytical paragraphs that link evidence to the question.

Key Terms

Textual evidence: A short, well chosen quotation or detail from the novel that directly supports your point.
Embedded quotation: A quotation that is smoothly fitted into your own sentence so the analysis reads clearly and fluently.
Analytical comment: An explanation of how your evidence proves your point, often focusing on language, structure or themes.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How do I choose a good quotation from To Kill a Mockingbird?

Choose short quotations that clearly match the exam question, show something important about a character or theme, and contain words or images you can comment on in detail.

How can I structure a PEE or PEEL paragraph on courage?

Start with a clear point about courage, follow it with a focused quotation, then explain how specific words show bravery, and finally link your ideas back to the question.

What is the difference between summary and analysis in GCSE English?

Summary retells what happens in the story, while analysis explains how the writer’s choices, such as language or structure, create meaning and support your argument about the text.

Try These Related Quizzes

Read the text from To Kill a Mockingbird and then choose the answer which best uses evidence in support of a point.

1 .

"Until it happened I did not realize that Jem was offended by my contradicting him on Hot Steams, and that he was patiently awaiting an opportunity to reward me"

Scout is "patiently" waiting for her "reward" from Jem

Because of her "contradiction", Jem has planned "revenge" on Scout

Scout's use of the term "reward" is ironic, since it refers to the revenge Jem has planned for her

Scout's use of the term reward is ironic, since it refers to the revenge Jem has planned for her

Remember that you need to use quotation marks when referring directly to a single significant word

2 .

"He did not do the things our schoolmates' fathers did: he never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the living room and read"

Jem and Scout feel that sitting and reading is not typical behaviour for a father in Maycomb

Atticus does not "hunt", "play poker", "fish", "drink" or "smoke" like the other fathers do

Atticus "sat in the living room and read" instead of "fishing" and "hunting" like the other fathers in Maycomb

Atticus sits and reads, unlike the fathers of the "schoolmates"

Where individual words and phrases are not significant in themselves, paraphrasing can be a useful method of referring to the text

3 .

"It occurred to me that in their own way, Tom Robinson's manners were as good as Atticus's"

By using the words "as good as", Scout demonstrates lingering prejudice towards black people

Scout's prejudice is evident in her surprise that Tom Robinson's "manners were as good as Atticus's"

Scout's observation on Tom Robinson's behaviour shows that her prejudices have been challenged

All of the above

There are many correct ways to use evidence from a text! Being clear and accurate are essential, but you can experiment with variety

4 .

"I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that's what they seemed like"

By using the word seemed, Jem implies that he no longer believes Maycomb people to be the "best folks in the world"

By using the word "seemed", Jem implies that he no longer believes Maycomb people to be the best folks in the world

By using the word "seemed", Jem implies that he no longer believes Maycomb people to be the "best folks in the world"

By using the word "seemed", "Jem" implies that he no longer believes "Maycomb people" to be the "best folks in the world"

Both the single word "seemed" and the description of Maycomb people as the "best folks in the world" are directly quoted from the text because they are essential to the point

5 .

"Maycomb gave them Christmas baskets, welfare money, and the back of its hand"

Scout says that "Maycomb" gave the "Ewells" "Christmas baskets"

Scout compares Maycomb to a parent slapping a child when she states that the county gave the Ewells the "back of its hand"

Scout compares Maycomb giving the Ewells Christmas "baskets" to the relationship between parents and children

All of the above

Scout portrays the relationship between Maycomb and the Ewells as one between strict parents and unruly and unloved children

6 .

"Dill and Jem were simply going to peep in the window with the loose shutter to see if they could get a look at Boo Radley, and if I didn't want to go with them I could go straight home and keep my fat flopping mouth shut, that was all"

The boys expect their peek into the Radley house to be straightforward, because of the "loose" shutter

Scout does not believe that the boys' plan will go as "simply" as they expect, although she decides to keep her mouth "shut"

Scout is not offended when Jem and Dill tell her to keep her fat flopping mouth shut

The reader is meant to understand that Scout is quoting Jem and Dill, who tell her rudely to keep her "fat flopping mouth shut"

It is very easy to describe what you are reading, but is not always easy to make a point, rather than merely being descriptive. Practise making points about the texts you are studying

7 .

"Aunt Alexandra fitted into the world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove, but never into the world of Jem and me"

Aunt Alexandra is completely at home in Maycomb. This point is expressed in the simile of a paired hand and glove

Aunt Alexandra is completely at home in "Maycomb". This point is expressed in the simile of a paired "hand and glove"

Aunt Alexandra and Maycomb are like a "hand into a glove"

Aunt Alexandra and "Maycomb" are like a "hand into a glove"

"Hand" and "glove" do not need quotation marks because the entire phrase is not quoted directly and the words are not unusual in themselves. Instead the correct answer makes a point about the use of the simile

8 .

"'Atticus doesn't drink whiskey,' I said. 'He never drunk a drop in his life — nome, yes he did. He said he drank some one time and didn't like it'"

Scout claims that "Atticus had never drunk a drop in his life", but corrects herself afterwards

After Scout accidentally claims that Atticus had never drunk a drop in his life, she corrects herself with "nome" or "no, ma'am"

Scout realises she has accidentally told a lie when she says that Atticus had never drunk a drop in his life

Scout displays her strict honesty when she corrects her first statement that Atticus had "never drunk a drop in his life"

Remember to use quotation marks when you are using a phrase exactly as it appears in the text

9 .

"Why ladies hooked woollen rugs on boiling nights never became clear to me"

Scout does not believe that "ladies" should work with "woollen" rugs on "boiling nights"

Ladies who "hooked woollen rugs on boiling nights", this does not make sense to Scout

Scout does not understand women who hooked woollen rugs on boiling nights because she does not comprehend the behaviour of ladies

Scout's inability to understand women who "hooked woollen rugs on boiling nights" hints at her incomprehension of "ladies" more generally

Here the word "ladies" is significant, because Scout struggles to interpret or understand why she is expected to behave differently from boys. Remember that your sentence must be grammatical

10 .

"Being Southerners, it was a source of shame to some members of the family that we had no recorded ancestors on either side of the Battle of Hastings"

Scout's mention of the importance of recorded ancestors hints at Southerners' pride in being part of written history

Scout's mention of the importance of "recorded" ancestors hints at Southerners' pride in being part of written history

Scout's mention of the importance of "recorded" ancestors hints at "Southerners' pride" in being part of written history

Scout's mention of the importance of recorded ancestors hints at "Southerners'" pride in being part of written history

"Southerners" is merely descriptive here. The point being made concerns the importance of ancestors and history, not the use of the word "Southerners"

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - To Kill a Mockingbird

Author: Sheri Smith (PhD English Literature, English Teacher & Quiz Writer)