← The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Flashcards
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer — Study Flashcards
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| Who wrote "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"? | Mark Twain (real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens) |
| Where and when was the Preface signed? | Hartford, 1876 |
| According to the Preface, who is Huck Finn based on? | Huck Finn is drawn from life (based on a real person) |
| According to the Preface, who is Tom Sawyer based on? | Tom Sawyer is a composite character combining the characteristics of three boys the author knew, not one individual person |
| What does the Preface say about the superstitions in the book? | They were odd superstitions prevalent among children and slaves in the West at the time of the story, thirty or forty years before it was written |
| What is the author's stated purpose for the book in the Preface? | Mainly to entertain boys and girls, but also to pleasantly remind adults of what they were like as children |
| Who is Aunt Polly? | Tom Sawyer's aunt who is raising him; she struggles between disciplining him and loving him too much to punish him |
| Who is Jim in Chapter I? | The small colored boy who does chores like sawing wood and splitting kindling, while Tom tells him about his adventures |
| Who is Sid? | Tom's younger half-brother; a quiet, well-behaved boy with no adventurous or troublesome ways |
| What trick does Tom play on Aunt Polly at the start of Chapter I? | He shouts "Look behind you, aunt!" to distract her from switching him, then escapes over the fence |
| Why does Tom skip school in Chapter I? | He plays hookey (skips school) and goes swimming, having a good time instead of attending class |
| How does Aunt Polly try to catch Tom in a lie about swimming? | She questions him about the warm weather and feels his shirt to see if it's dry, using "deep" questions to trap him |
| How does Tom outsmart Aunt Polly's shirt-collar test? | He had prepared by having his shirt collar securely sewed, so when she checks if he unstitched it to wet his head, he passes the test |
| What does Aunt Polly quote to justify disciplining Tom? | "Spare the rod and spile the child, as the Good Book says" |
| What does the phrase "hookey" mean in the story (Southwestern usage)? | It means "afternoon," referring to skipping school in the afternoon |
| What household chores are mentioned in Chapter I? | Sawing wood, splitting kindling, and picking up chips |
| What is Aunt Polly's "pet vanity" according to the narrator? | She believes she has a talent for dark, mysterious diplomacy and enjoys her "clever" attempts to trick Tom into confessing |
| How does the story open, setting the tone for Tom's character? | With Aunt Polly repeatedly calling "Tom!" and searching for him, showing his mischievous, elusive nature from the very first scene |
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