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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 does Tom's grandmother help John do?

2. What does a servant from the inn tell Miles?

3. What does Mrs. Canty decide to do to test Edward?

4. For what does Hertford go to the prince?

5. Why doesn't anyone react when Tom eats with his fingers?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Canty do with the prince when he gets to his house? What does Canty tell the prince to do? How does Mrs. Canty react?

2. What is Tom's house like? Who lives there with him?

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

4. What does the prince's presentation to the people look like?

5. What does Canty tell Edward when Hugo leads him to Tom's father?

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

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

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

9. What does Tom do that Edward wouldn't do while eating? How does everyone react?

10. What does Edward command Miles to do before the prince will go to sleep? What does Miles do first when morning comes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Before Mark Twain begins his tale, his indication that it might or might not have actually happened is a way of suggesting that the facts themselves are secondary. What counts most, the author implies, are the truths to be found behind the events.

1. Discuss, in depth, what you think is meant by the above statement. Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to illustrate your discussion.

2. List three truths you believe can be found behind the actual plot or actions in The Prince and the Pauper and explain why you believe those to be truths.

3. In your opinion, what is Mark Twain's agenda is for writing The Prince and the Pauper? Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to support your opinions.

Essay Topic 2

If Tom had not recognized, almost by accident, that he had the power to change people's lives with a word, the state of boredom might have gone on indefinitely. His initial interest in the prisoners he sees from the palace windows is just curiosity, but then he realizes that he can command them to come before him and hear about their cases.

1. The power Tom realizes he has interests him much more than the riches available to him. Discuss why you think power would be more tempting than riches to Tom. Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to support your ideas.

2. Some would say that power and wealth are two sides of the same coin, one cannot have one without the other. Do you think this is true? Why or why not? Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to support your ideas.

3. If you were offered large wealth but complete anonymity and no power or a lot of power over events but no wealth, which would you choose? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Twain uses Chapter 9 to depict the majesty and spectacle of a court pageant. His goals in elaborately describing the pomp and finery of the procession are to impress upon the reader the remarkable esteem in which the future king is held and to make the point that the position itself is, in many ways, more important than the individual who holds it.

1. Discuss what is meant by the above statement.

2. Defend or rebut the following statement: Since it is the position, not the person, that is more important in a monarchy such as in this book, it doesn't matter who becomes a king or queen.

3. How did Tom's short service as the king demonstrate the truth of the above statement? How did it rebut the statement? Use examples from The Prince and the Pauper to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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