UKUK USUSIndiaIndia

Every Question Helps You Learn

Parents Students Tutors Teachers Knowledge Bank Survey Results
Join Us
UKUK USUSIndiaIndia
Join Us
KS1 (Age 5-7)KS2 (Age 7-11)11 Plus (Age 7-11)KS3 (Age 11-14)GCSE (Age 14-17)PSHEESLSpanishSpecialistGames
  1. Home
  2. GCSE
  3. English Literature
  4. To Kill a Mockingbird - Themes
Streak
Leading Streak Today 8
Your Streak Today 0
Streak
Leading Streak Today
8
Your Streak Today
0
To Kill a Mockingbird - Themes
The reader often sees Atticus standing alone.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Themes

This GCSE English Literature quiz challenges you on themes in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Themes in a work of literature range from the very subtle to the obvious. The multiple themes of a text interact with and comment upon one another. Theme is developed through setting, character, plot and dialogue. Pay close attention to the related ideas and concepts you detect and see whether you can trace the development of a theme over the course of a text. When writing about themes, it is always a good idea to consider your final thoughts as you reach the end of the text. Do these match the ideas you held when you began reading? Have your ideas changed? If so, try to pinpoint when and where your views on a key theme began to change.

By engaging with the key themes, readers are engaging with the author. Ideally, issues raised in the text will prompt readers to interrogate their own beliefs or ways of looking at the world. If you are made to think hard about an issue or even persuaded to change your mind, then the author has successfully encouraged you to engage with one or more of the text’s themes. You may well disagree strongly with other readers, your classmates, or even your teacher. This is entirely to be expected: wouldn’t it be odd to share identical views with everyone else? Your response to a text will be deeply personal, which is inevitable when you bring your own thoughts, beliefs and experiences into consideration of the text.

To Kill a Mockingbird deals with themes of community, prejudice, race, class, courage, gender expectations, education and ignorance and justice. These themes are interrelated. Each of these issues affects individual characters differently. Many of the themes are seemingly straightforward. Who, after all, would argue for the segregation of the 1930s American South? But pay close attention to the subtleties of the text and the various ways in which racism forms a hidden pattern to many characters’ lives, too.

Read the questions below and test your knowledge of the themes of To Kill a Mockingbird.

1.
Heritage and family are important themes in the novel. Which of the following is NOT correct?
Aunt Alexandra believes that families pass their quirks and characteristics down the generations
Boo Radley's violent episode with the scissors is excused because violence runs in his family
Calpurnia vouches for Tom Robinson's character by referring to the good character of his family
Social status in Maycomb depends to some extent on family history and ancestral claims to land
Many of the characters are ready to excuse or condemn others purely on the basis of their family connections and accepted familial characteristics
2.
Why does Atticus make Jem read to Mrs Dubose?
He wants Jem to make compensation for destroying Mrs Dubose's flowers
He feels sorry for Mrs Dubose, who is dying
He wishes to teach Jem about true courage
All of the above
Atticus has many reasons for making Jem read to Mrs Dubose. He especially wishes his children to see that courage can be found in the most unlikely places and the most unlikely people
3.
"When Jem an' I fuss Atticus doesn't ever just listen to Jem's side of it, he hears mine too." Scout's statement to Uncle Jack relates to which of the following themes of the novel?
Courage
Justice
Racial and class prejudice
Solitude
Scout has been raised to expect justice, to believe that innocence will not be punished and that people in authority will seek for the truth above all
4.
The reader often sees Atticus standing alone, for example in facing the rabid dog, preventing the lynching of Tom Robinson and in the courtroom. These scenes relate to which of the following themes?
Prejudice
Courage
Gender
Community
Although the children admire Atticus for his courage in facing the rabid dog, he shows much greater courage when he stands alone in his attempt to prevent Tom's death
5.
One of the stories which Jem and Scout believe, along with all the other children of Maycomb (and some adults), is that eating anything taken from the Radley yard is potentially fatal. This belief relates to which of the following themes?
Generosity and neighbourliness
Distinguishing truth from hearsay and folklore
The importance of family and heritage
All of the above
Jem and Scout test this belief for themselves when they try the chewing gum found in the knot-hole
6.
Atticus teaches Jem and Scout that they must learn to see the world from other people's perspectives. This relates to which of the following themes?
Understanding and compassion
Truth
Justice
All of the above
Atticus tells his children that they can never know someone until they have walked in that person's shoes. Understanding someone is the basis for compassion, truth and the pursuit of justice
7.
After expending much effort trying to draw Boo Radley out of his house, what does Jem realise?
That Maycomb prefers people like Boo Radley to keep hidden away
That 'old' families like the Radleys can behave however they please
That the Radleys are solitary people and that Boo cannot help following the family trait
Boo Radley's solitude might be chosen
Jem feels despair at the injustice he has witnessed amongst the people of Maycomb and empathises with anyone who would wish to shut himself away from communal life
8.
What does Scout eventually learn about being a "lady" from Aunt Alexandra?
Sometimes being a lady means hiding deep feelings behind a mask of politeness
A lady is always quiet and kind and never holds strong opinions
"Ladies" only engage in gossip and small talk
Scout never learns anything from Aunt Alexandra except how she does not wish to be as an adult
Scout recognises and admires the courage necessary for Aunt Alexandra to hide her worry about Atticus in order to play the role of the gracious hostess
9.
Why is Burris Ewell not forced to go to school?
The Ewell family have a formal exemption from obeying the law
Those in authority have no concern for the Ewell family
Those in authority know that he cannot be forced into being educated although he could, with effort, be forced to attend school
Those in authority are afraid of the Ewells and how they might respond if Burris is forced to attend school
Atticus gives the situation with the Ewells as a case where the law is knowingly bent to accommodate certain people
10.
Which of the following characters express racist attitudes?
Mrs Dubose
Mayella Ewell
Francis
All of the above
Nearly all of the white inhabitants of Maycomb are racist. Some are overtly so, using phrases such as "nigger lover", while most others have unsuspectingly absorbed racist attitudes into their thinking. The novel shows that racist attitudes need to be confronted and ruthlessly destroyed, somewhat like Miss Maudie's weeds
You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Themes

Author:  Sheri Smith
English Literature Play this quiz again

Contact Details

Education Quizzes

Heron's Way, Wragg Marsh
Spalding
Lincolnshire
PE12 6HH
England

Email

admin@educationquizzes.com

Customer Service

Home Page Students Teachers and Schools Tutors Education Quizzes - Join Us

Here To Help

Contact Us Quiz List and Sitemap Frequently Asked Questions Links and Resources Education Matters Blog

About Us

Our Team Testimonials Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Parent Reviews

© Copyright 2016-2024 - Education Quizzes
Work Innovate Ltd - Design | Development | Marketing

We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website.

To comply with the e-Privacy directive, we need your consent - I agree - No thanks - Learn more