Study Guide Questions To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 1-7
Chapter 1.
1. Who is the narrator's brother? Give his full name and age.
2. What is the setting of the story? Give city, state, year.
3. Who is Scout's father? What does he do for a living?
4. Where is Scout and Jem's mother?
5. Who is Boo Radley?
6. After he gets in trouble with the law, what does Mr. Radley do? What is Boo's retaliation?
7. Who lives next door to the Finch's?
8. What do you learn about Maycomb, Atticus Finch and his family?
9. What do you learn about Dill’s character?
10. What, briefly, has happened to Arthur “Boo” Radley?
11. Who is the narrator of the story? Give the full name and age
12. Why does the Radley place fascinate Scout, Jem and Dill?
13. What do you notice about the narrative voice and viewpoint of the novel?
Chapter 2
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19.
What do the children plan to achieve before the end of summer? Whose idea is this?
Describe some of the fears/superstitions that the townspeople have about Boo Radley.
What do you think of Miss Caroline Fisher? List qualities that make her good or not good at her job.
Why does Ms. Caroline become angry with Scout?
Why won't Walter Cunningham take the quarter from Ms. Caroline?
Why does Scout attack/fight Walter Cunningham? What does this cause Jem to do?
Chapter 3
20. What leads to Burris Ewell’s leaving school before the day is over? And what does Little Chuck Little
do that prompts Burris to leave?
21. Why does Calpurnia scold Scout?
22. What does it mean to climb into someone’s skin and walk around in it?
23. Who is Calpurnia?
24. What is Walter Cunningham like? What does his behavior during lunch suggest about his home
life?
25. How does Atticus treat Walter? What does this show about Atticus’ character
26. Contrast the difference in the way Jem and Scout treat Walter. What does this show about the
difference between Jem and Scout at this point in the novel?
27. Atticus says that you never really understand a person “until you climb into his skin and walk around
in it”. What does this mean? Is it an easy thing for Scout to learn? Why or why not?
28. What do you learn in this chapter about the Ewells?
Chapter 4
29. Who’s the “meanest old woman who ever lived”?
30. What does Atticus catch the children doing that upsets him?
31. What does Scout think of current fashions in education?
32. What characteristics of children are revealed through the Boo Radley game?
33. Why doesn't Scout enjoy the games as much as the boys do?
34. What might be the cause of the laughter from inside the house?
Chapter 5
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41.
Who is Miss Maudie Atkinson and what’s her relationship with Scout?
What does Maudie say about Boo?
What did Scout hear after crashing into the Radley Place in a tire?
How do the children try to send a message to Boo? What does the message say?
Describe Miss Maudie Atkinson. What do the children think of her?
What purpose do you think Miss Maudie’s character plays in the novel?
What does Miss Maudie tell Scout about Boo? (provide a quote) How does this compare with what
Scout already believes?
42. What reasons does Atticus give for the children not to play the Boo Radley game? Do you think he
is right? Why or why not?
Chapter 6
43. What is the children’s new plan in Chapter 6?What does Jem lose when he and the others go to the
Radley Place?
44. What brave act does Jem perform by himself? Why does he do it?
45. Why does Scout disapprove of Jem and Dill’s plan of looking in one of the Radley’s windows?
46. What does Mr. Nathan know about the intruders in his garden? Why does Miss Stephanie refer to
a “negro” over whose head Mr. Nathan has fired?
47. Why does Dill’s explanation of dress almost land him in trouble?
Chapter 7
48. What was unusual about Jem’s pants when he retrieved them from the fence?
49. What is symbolic about the broken pocket watch?
50. What does Nathan Radley do to the tree where the gifts are placed, and why do you think he did
this?
51. Atticus says the tree is healthy. Nathan Radley says it is sick. How then can the tree serve as a
symbol for Boo Radley?
52. How does Jem respond to the tree being plugged with cement, and why do you think he responds
this way?
53. When Jem tells Scout about getting his trousers back, he tells her of something strange. What is
this?
54. Can you find any evidence that Jem is beginning to understand more than Scout about Boo Radley?
55. Does Jem still fear the gifts in the tree? Give reasons for your answer.
56. When the children plan to send a letter to the person who leaves the gifts, they are prevented. How
does this happen? Why does it, and why might he do so?