This GCSE English Literature quiz focusses on understanding the text in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Understanding a text is a basic precondition of analysing or writing about it. And yet it is not always an easy task. After all, if authors had a simple message to convey, it would not take them hundreds of pages and thousands of words in which to do so! Reading a text from long ago, or from another country, or even just written in a strong dialect can make the task slightly more difficult. Occasionally it takes a little time to get used to how a particular author writes.
Authors use a variety of methods in order to convey meaning. They do not often state what they mean directly.
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Instead, character, setting, plot, theme and dialogue are the means through which authors communicate with the reader. Consider each of these elements closely and try to understand the text as you read. Sometimes re-reading can be a big help, especially if you realise that you might not have understood everything the first time. If this becomes necessary, don’t worry! This happens to everyone and just proves that you are paying attention!
When you read a text, your comprehension works on several levels simultaneously. Consider how context and setting relate to events. Think about the way in which events relate to each other. Create a timeline of events: it can be one very useful method for understanding a text. Remember that events are not always revealed in the order in which they occur chronologically. Chapter summaries can be a useful aid to your revision, helping you to visualise the structure of the text, especially when that differs from the chronological timeline.
Think about the way in which actions reveal the characters’ motivations. Does the text offer clues to explain their behaviour? Should readers take their words at face value, or should the subtext of those words be examined more closely? Do the actions and beliefs of the characters match the words which they say? Try to answer why or why not, justifying your views by referring in detail to the text.
Analysing beginnings and endings is a great method of revision. Why do you think the text begins as it does? How do you find out about the characters’ pasts? Is there a distance between the narrator and the time when reported events took place? Are future events foreshadowed? How? Analyse individual chapters in the same way, considering the significance of their beginnings and endings. Undertaking careful and detailed analysis of this sort will really improve your knowledge and understanding of the text!
Read the questions below on To Kill a Mockingbird and test your knowledge and understanding of the text.
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1.
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How old is Scout at the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird? |
|
[ ] |
Nearly six years old |
[ ] |
Eight years old |
[ ] |
Twenty years old |
[ ] |
She does not tell us her age |
|
|
2.
|
What is Atticus's profession? |
|
[ ] |
Doctor |
[ ] |
Farmer |
[ ] |
Lawyer |
[ ] |
Journalist |
|
|
3.
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Which of the following is NOT true? |
|
[ ] |
Many rumours circulate Maycomb concerning Boo Radley |
[ ] |
Boo Radley has never left his house before he begins leaving gifts in the knot-hole |
[ ] |
Boo Radley was once in danger of going to prison |
[ ] |
When Mr Radley dies, his son Nathan takes his place staying in the house with Boo |
|
|
4.
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Tom Robinson has many reasons to be afraid of telling the truth when he is on trial. One of these reasons is that his testimony will cause shame to those accusing him. Which of the following is a source of shame for the Ewells? |
|
[ ] |
Mayella ordered Tom to help her with chores |
[ ] |
Tom frequently passed by the Ewell's home on his way to work |
[ ] |
Mayella kissed Tom |
[ ] |
Mayella could not cope with looking after all her brothers and sisters |
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|
5.
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How are the professionals of Maycomb county often paid, according to Atticus? |
|
[ ] |
By being given practical items such as food or firewood |
[ ] |
By cheque |
[ ] |
By monthly payments of cash |
[ ] |
Never |
|
|
6.
|
How does Atticus prove that Tom Robinson could not have caused Mayella's black eye? |
|
[ ] |
He proves that Tom was not present at the Ewell's on the date of the incident |
[ ] |
He strongly implies that the assailant must be left-handed |
[ ] |
He proves that Mr Ewell is right-handed |
[ ] |
He strongly implies that the assailant must be right-handed |
|
|
7.
|
Why does Dill run away from home? |
|
[ ] |
He doesn't feel wanted or needed |
[ ] |
His parents abandoned him |
[ ] |
He is physically neglected |
[ ] |
His parents are cruel |
|
|
8.
|
Why doesn't Scout like school? |
|
[ ] |
She misses Calpurnia |
[ ] |
She is constantly in trouble for bullying |
[ ] |
She is bullied by the other children |
[ ] |
She feels she doesn't learn anything |
|
|
9.
|
After Scout walks Boo Radley home, she tries to put herself in his place to imagine why he came to help her and Jem. She refers to herself and her brother as... |
|
[ ] |
Boo's friends |
[ ] |
Boo's children |
[ ] |
Boo's neighbours |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
10.
|
Why does the sheriff, Mr Tate, insist that Mr Ewell fell on his own knife? |
|
[ ] |
It is the truth |
[ ] |
He is trying to protect Jem |
[ ] |
He is trying to protect Boo Radley |
[ ] |
He is trying to protect Scout |
|
|
1.
|
How old is Scout at the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird? |
|
[ ] |
Nearly six years old |
[ ] |
Eight years old |
[ ] |
Twenty years old |
[x] |
She does not tell us her age |
|
|
2.
|
What is Atticus's profession? |
|
[ ] |
Doctor |
[ ] |
Farmer |
[x] |
Lawyer |
[ ] |
Journalist |
|
|
3.
|
Which of the following is NOT true? |
|
[ ] |
Many rumours circulate Maycomb concerning Boo Radley |
[x] |
Boo Radley has never left his house before he begins leaving gifts in the knot-hole |
[ ] |
Boo Radley was once in danger of going to prison |
[ ] |
When Mr Radley dies, his son Nathan takes his place staying in the house with Boo |
|
|
4.
|
Tom Robinson has many reasons to be afraid of telling the truth when he is on trial. One of these reasons is that his testimony will cause shame to those accusing him. Which of the following is a source of shame for the Ewells? |
|
[ ] |
Mayella ordered Tom to help her with chores |
[ ] |
Tom frequently passed by the Ewell's home on his way to work |
[x] |
Mayella kissed Tom |
[ ] |
Mayella could not cope with looking after all her brothers and sisters |
|
|
5.
|
How are the professionals of Maycomb county often paid, according to Atticus? |
|
[x] |
By being given practical items such as food or firewood |
[ ] |
By cheque |
[ ] |
By monthly payments of cash |
[ ] |
Never |
|
|
6.
|
How does Atticus prove that Tom Robinson could not have caused Mayella's black eye? |
|
[ ] |
He proves that Tom was not present at the Ewell's on the date of the incident |
[x] |
He strongly implies that the assailant must be left-handed |
[ ] |
He proves that Mr Ewell is right-handed |
[ ] |
He strongly implies that the assailant must be right-handed |
|
|
7.
|
Why does Dill run away from home? |
|
[x] |
He doesn't feel wanted or needed |
[ ] |
His parents abandoned him |
[ ] |
He is physically neglected |
[ ] |
His parents are cruel |
|
|
8.
|
Why doesn't Scout like school? |
|
[ ] |
She misses Calpurnia |
[ ] |
She is constantly in trouble for bullying |
[ ] |
She is bullied by the other children |
[x] |
She feels she doesn't learn anything |
|
|
9.
|
After Scout walks Boo Radley home, she tries to put herself in his place to imagine why he came to help her and Jem. She refers to herself and her brother as... |
|
[ ] |
Boo's friends |
[x] |
Boo's children |
[ ] |
Boo's neighbours |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
10.
|
Why does the sheriff, Mr Tate, insist that Mr Ewell fell on his own knife? |
|
[ ] |
It is the truth |
[ ] |
He is trying to protect Jem |
[x] |
He is trying to protect Boo Radley |
[ ] |
He is trying to protect Scout |
|
|