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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the three men have with them?

2. What does Polly give Tom as reward for finishing his chore?

3. What does Tom write the pact between the boys on?

4. Who does Tom give a dose of tonic to?

5. Why doesn't Huck want to tell what the boys saw?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Tom and Huck do with their pact after they sign it?

2. What grievance does Injun Joe have against the doctor?

3. What story does Huck Finn recall to cast doubt on the omen the boys see?

4. How does Tom trick other boys into doing his work for him?

5. What does the minister say about the boys at the funeral?

6. What has Mary earned in Sunday School, and what did she have to do to earn it?

7. Describe Aunt Polly's dilemma in punishing Tom.

8. What does Tom tutor Becky in when they meet surreptitiously during lunch?

9. Describe Tom's high spirits at suppertime.

10. What mistake does Tom make that gives away to Polly that he played hooky?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Superstition and myth is an important part of Tom Sawyer's worldview. Discuss superstition and myth in the novel.

1) What superstitions and myths does Tom believe in? Why does Tom believe in these superstitions and myths?

2) What does Tom do when events in reality contradict the myths or superstitions he believes in? Why does he react this way?

3) What are the other characters' opinions and beliefs about myths, superstitions, or the supernatural? How does Tom use Polly's belief in the supernatural to manipulate her?

Essay Topic 2

Tom Sawyer never learns his verses in Sunday School, and he doesn't seem to interested in his schoolwork during the week, either. However, Tom knows passages of Robin Hood by heart, which he reenacts with great accuracy.

1) What is the role of interest and engagement in learning? Why is Tom drawn to some types of learning but not others?

2) How could Tom's teachers make learning more interesting for him?

Essay Topic 3

As the author says, the story of Tom Sawyer is the story of a boy, and at the end of the story, he is on his way to manhood. Describe how The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a coming of age story. What are the qualities of boyhood in Tom during the story? What are the qualities that make a person adult in the story? What steps does Tom take toward adulthood? How much further does Tom have to go toward adulthood at the end of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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