To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 1 Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. At the opening, Jem blames the Ewells for the events leading to his injury, while Scout traces the story farther back. What does this framing suggest?
The narrator is uncertain whether Jem was actually injured
The novel will present two unrelated versions of Maycomb
Understanding the outcome requires looking at a longer chain of causes
The Finch family refuses to discuss anything that happened before the injury
2. Which statement accurately describes Simon Finch’s role in the Finch family history?
He became Maycomb’s first sheriff and built the courthouse
He opened the law office that Atticus later inherited
He moved the family from Alabama to Meridian, Mississippi
He established Finch’s Landing after settling in Alabama
3. After Arthur Radley and other young men get into trouble, why does Arthur remain at home instead of going to the industrial school?
The judge dismisses every charge for lack of evidence
Arthur escapes before the judge can issue a decision
The Cunningham family pays for Arthur to attend a private school
Mr. Radley promises there will be no further trouble and takes responsibility for him
4. Chapter 1 portrays Maycomb as an old town where people move slowly and money is scarce. What context best explains this description?
The town is experiencing the Great Depression
The town has just been evacuated after a flood
The town is rapidly changing into an industrial center
The town is preparing for the arrival of the railroad
5. What challenge does Dill persuade Jem to complete at the Radley place?
Run up and touch the house
Knock on the front door and ask for Arthur
Leave a written invitation on the porch
Look through a window after dark
6. Which description best captures Calpurnia’s role in the Finch household as Scout presents it in Chapter 1?
She is a distant neighbor who occasionally watches the children
She is Atticus’s client and helps organize his legal papers
She is the household cook and a firm authority in the children’s daily lives
She is a visiting relative who tells stories about Finch’s Landing
7. Which sequence correctly describes the final moments of Chapter 1?
Dill touches the house, Boo opens the door, and Jem calls for Atticus
Jem runs to touch the house, returns to the children, and a shutter seems to move
Jem enters the yard, leaves a note, and sees someone cross the porch
Scout knocks on the door, Jem hides by the gate, and Nathan Radley appears
8. Which event is mentioned at the very beginning as prompting Scout and Jem to debate how their story truly started?
Jem breaking his arm at the elbow
Scout’s first day at school
Dill leaving Maycomb after the summer
Atticus accepting a difficult court case
9. Dill listens eagerly to Jem’s stories about Boo Radley. How does Dill then shape the children’s summer activities?
He urges them to investigate Finch’s Landing instead
He proposes trying to make Boo come out of the house
He asks Atticus to explain every Radley rumor
He persuades them to avoid the Radley property completely
10. What profession does Atticus Finch practice in Maycomb?
Medicine
Law
Banking
Journalism
11. Which comparison correctly matches the adult Finch siblings with the paths described in Chapter 1?
Alexandra remains at Finch’s Landing, Atticus studies law, and Jack studies medicine
Atticus remains at Finch’s Landing, while Alexandra practices law in Maycomb
Jack remains at Finch’s Landing, while Atticus and Alexandra study medicine
Alexandra moves to Boston, while Atticus and Jack jointly manage Finch’s Landing
12. Scout says there is little hurry in Maycomb because there is nowhere to go, nothing to buy, and no money to buy it with. What does this most strongly establish?
Maycomb’s residents reject all contact with nearby communities
Maycomb is temporarily closed because of a public celebration
Maycomb has a slow pace and limited economic opportunity
Maycomb has recently become wealthy but remains geographically isolated
13. Who narrates the story and introduces the events surrounding Jem’s broken arm?
Atticus Finch
Jeremy “Jem” Finch
Charles Baker “Dill” Harris
Jean Louise “Scout” Finch
14. How does the death of Scout and Jem’s mother affect the two children differently?
Scout remembers her clearly, while Jem does not remember her
Scout barely remembers her, while Jem remembers and misses her
Both children avoid discussing her because Atticus forbids it
Neither child remembers her because they were both infants
15. Which occurrence at the Radley house is presented as something Jem directly observes rather than merely a neighborhood rumor?
Boo wanders through Maycomb and looks into windows at night
Boo eats raw squirrels behind the house
Boo poisons pecans and leaves them near the schoolyard
A shutter appears to move after he touches the house
16. A small, confident boy arrives in Maycomb to spend the summer with Miss Rachel. Who is he?
Walter Cunningham
Francis Hancock
Charles Baker “Dill” Harris
Henry Lafayette Dubose