The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: A Scavenger Hunt
1. Samuel Clemens grew up in Hannibal, MO, a small town on the banks of the Mississippi
River. The rivers features prominently in much of his writing, including The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer. Look at page 56 in Historical Atlas of the United States. Why do you think the
river was so important to a growing nation?
2. Read pages 18 to 20 in Mississippi River: A Journey Down the Father of Waters.
a. What were steamboats used for in the 1800s?
b. List at least two disadvantages of steamboats.
3. Tom considered his marble collection an important part of his assets. “He got out his worldly
wealth and examined it -- bits of toys, marbles, and trash . . .” (Chapter II). Examine the
marbles on the table. Why do you think marbles were important to children in the nineteenth
century? What sort of things do children value today and collect?
4. Watch the Mini Bio video at the top of the resource guide.
a. What was the name of his first published story?
b. When was it published?
5. Visit the chronology of Samuel Clemens’ life on the web site, Mark Twain: Known to
Everyone, Liked by All, which is a companion web site to the PBS film directed by Ken
Burns. ( http://www.pbs.org/marktwain/learnmore/chronology.html )
Read the timeline of his life. List four jobs he held during his life.
6. Young Samuel Clemens realized his dream of becoming a riverman when he became a
licensed steamboat pilot. Visit Mark Twain at Large: The Mississippi River (
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/MTP/mississippi.html ).
a. What does the phrase “mark twain” mean?
b. Why did Clemens stop working as a pilot?
7. Tom Sawyer was not fond of school. Visit American Elementary Schools in the mid-1800s
(http://library.thinkquest.org/J002606/mid1800s.html ) to learn more about Tom’s
experience.
a. When was school in session?
b. Why?
8. Tom used a slate to draw a picture for Becky, but soon he needed to focus on his studies.
“As the school quieted down Tom made an honest effort to study, but
the turmoil within him was too great. In turn he took his place in the
reading class and made a botch of it; then in the geography class and
turned lakes into mountains, mountains into rivers, and rivers into
continents, till chaos was come again. . .” (Chapter VI)
Look at a digital copy of Geography for Beginners from1864. This is typical of a textbook
Tom might have used in school. ( http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/pagevieweridx?c=nietz&cc=nietz&idno=00a470015m&node=00a470015m%3A5&frm=frameset&view=i
mage&seq=15 )
Skim through Section I – General Definitions. Are you familiar with all these definitions?
a. Record one term, and its definition, that is new to you.
9. In addition to his books, Mark Twain is famous for his quotations. Visit this web site of
Twain’s quotes. (http://www.twainquotes.com/quotesatoz.html ) Spend some time exploring.
a. Record your favorite quote.
b. Explain why you choose it.
Bonus:
Later in the book, Tom visits a cave. Missouri is well known for its extensive cave system.
Watch the following five minute video, titled History of Missouri Caves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tICMxckvP5A. List three ways early settlers used caves.