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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. Where does Edward take Tom when he rescues him from the palace guards?

2. What does Hertford ask Tom in Chapter 14?

3. What does Tom think about his life?

4. What clothes does Tom wear for the ceremony in question #53?

5. Where does Miles look for Edward?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the setting of The Prince and the Pauper? What are the circumstances of Tom's birth and Edward's birth?

2. What does Tom read about? What does he do with what he learns? What does he desire from his reading?

3. Where is Miles looking for Edward? What does he think Edward might have done?

4. Where does Edward go the first time he escapes from Canty and the others?

5. What does Tom do after dinner?

6. What is Tom doing when the prince first does not return?

7. What does Tom do on the first day in which they believe he is the king?

8. What does Miles tell Edward of his problem with Miles' brother?

9. Why is Tom taken to meet with Lord St. John and Lord Hertford? Who else comes in to talk with Tom? How does he feel about them?

10. Whom is Tom told to see after Lady Jane leaves? What is the result of that meeting?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tom realizes that finding out as much as possible about the criminals' cases is the best way to determine their guilt or innocence. His careful examination of their situation shows that good judgment, and even wisdom, are not the sole province of either royalty or adults. In giving Tom personal knowledge of the man who was accused of murder, Twain shows how wrong justice can be.

1. Do you think it is conceivable that a boy from the slums would have the wisdom to figure out how to look at evidence in a criminal case and render such an astute judgment? Why or why not? Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to support your ideas.

2. Do you think there are innocent people in prison in the United States? Explain your reasoning.

3. If Tom had not known personally that the man he saved from execution had a solid alibi, what steps could he have taken to get to the truth of the man's situation?

Essay Topic 2

Tom's charmed existence continues, while Edward's troubles only deepen, until he finally gets help from Miles Hendon. Just as this brave soldier rescues the boy, Tom reacts to news of the king's death by issuing a command to rescue the Duke of Norfolk from execution. Again, the contrast between Edward's helplessness and Tom's power is forcefully made.

1. Discuss the above statement in terms of power. Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to support your ideas.

2. Discuss the ways in which Edward and Tom can both adapt to the huge changes in their lives. Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to support your ideas.

3. Overall, how believable is the plot of this book? Discuss why it could seem real and why it seems completely unbelievable. For example, when the guards first pushed Edward out the gate, is it believable that palace guards wouldn't recognize their prince even dressed in rags? Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Tom's two guardians, now alone, reflect that the king is ill and the prince is mad. St. John hints that he doubts the boy really is the prince, but Hertford declares this treasonous, and St. John quickly retracts. When St. John leaves, Hertford begins to wonder if the boy could be an impostor, but then he reflects that the child denies being the prince, which no impostor would do. He decides that it must mean that the prince has gone mad.

1. What are the implications for a political system that a thought that is true could be labeled treasonous? Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper and other sources to support your ideas.

2. How does an idea that is true being treasonous in a 1500 era monarchy relate to a modern country, for example, China, whose citizens are not allowed to speak truth that conflicts with official positions? Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to support your ideas.

3. When Hertford decides Tom is mad, not an impostor, he does so with what might be termed circular reasoning. What do you think is meant by the term circular reasoning? Discuss why Hertford's thinking might qualify as such.

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