Question
Excerpt from Chapter 15 of 'To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
“All right, Mr. Finch, get ‘em outa here,” someone growled. “You got fifteen seconds to get ’em outa here.”
In the midst of this strange assembly, Atticus stood trying to make Jem mind him.
“I ain’t going,” was his steady answer to Atticus’s threats, requests, and finally,
“Please Jem, take them home.”
I was getting a bit tired of that, but felt Jem had his own reasons for doing as he did, in view of his prospects once Atticus did get him home. I looked around the crowd. It was a summer’s night, but the men were dressed, most of them, in overalls and denim shirts buttoned up to the collars. I thought they must be cold natured, as their sleeves were unrolled and buttoned at the cuffs. Some wore hats pulled firmly down over their ears. They were sullen-looking, sleepy-eyed men
who seemed unused to late hours. I sought once more for a familiar face, and at the center of the semi-circle I found one.
“Hey, Mr. Cunningham.”
The man did not hear me, it seemed.
“Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment gettin‘ along?”
Mr. Walter Cunningham’s legal affairs were well known to me; Atticus had once described them at length. The big man blinked and hooked his thumbs in his overall straps. He seemed uncomfortable; he cleared his throat and looked away.
My friendly overture had fallen flat.
Mr. Cunningham wore no hat, and the top half of his forehead was white in contrast to his sunscorched face, which led me to believe that he wore one most days. He shifted his feet, clad in heavy work shoes.
“Don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one time, remember?” I began to sense the futility one feels when unacknowledged by a chance acquaintance.
“I go to school with Walter,” I began again. “He’s your boy, ain’t he? Ain’t he, sir?”
Mr. Cunningham was moved to a faint nod. He did know me, after all.
“He’s in my grade,” I said, “and he does right well. He’s a good boy,” I added, “a real nice boy. We brought him home for dinner one time. Maybe he told you about me, I beat him up one time but he was real nice about it. Tell him hey for me, won’t you?”
Atticus had said it was the polite thing to talk to people about what they were interested in, not about what you were interested in. Mr. Cunningham displayed no interest in his son, so I tackled his entailment once more in a last-ditch effort to make him feel at home.
“Entailments are bad,” I was advising him, when I slowly awoke to the fact that I was addressing the entire aggregation. The men were all looking at me, some had their mouths half-open. Atticus had stopped poking at Jem: they were standing together beside Dill. Their attention amounted to fascination. Atticus’s mouth, even, was half-open, an attitude he had once described as uncouth. Our eyes met and he shut it.
“Well, Atticus, I was just sayin‘ to Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad an’ all that, but you said not to worry, it takes a long time sometimes… that you all’d ride it out together…” I was slowly drying up, wondering what idiocy I had committed. Entailments seemed all right enough for livingroom talk.
I began to feel sweat gathering at the edges of my hair; I could stand anything but a bunch of people looking at me. They were quite still.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
Atticus said nothing. I looked around and up at Mr. Cunningham, whose face was equally impassive. Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders.
“I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,” he said.
Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. “Let’s clear out,” he called. “Let’s get going, boys.”
As they had come, in ones and twos the men shuffled back to their ramshackle cars. Doors slammed, engines coughed, and they were gone.
I turned to Atticus, but Atticus had gone to the jail and was leaning against it with his face to the wall. I went to him and pulled his sleeve. “Can we go home now?” He nodded, produced his handkerchief, gave his face a going-over and blew his nose violently.
“Mr. Finch?”
A soft husky voice came from the darkness above: “They gone?”
Atticus stepped back and looked up. “They’ve gone,” he said. “Get some sleep, Tom. They won’t bother you any more.”
From a different direction, another voice cut crisply through the night: “You’re damn tootin‘ they won’t. Had you covered all the time, Atticus.”
Mr. Underwood and a double-barreled shotgun were leaning out his window above The Maycomb Tribune office.
It was long past my bedtime and I was growing quite tired; it seemed that Atticus and Mr. Underwood would talk for the rest of the night, Mr. Underwood out the window and Atticus up at him. Finally Atticus returned, switched off the light above the jail door, and picked up his chair.
“Can I carry it for you, Mr. Finch?” asked Dill. He had not said a word the whole time.
“Why, thank you, son.”
Walking toward the office, Dill and I fell into step behind Atticus and Jem. Dill was encumbered by the chair, and his pace was slower. Atticus and Jem were well ahead of us, and I assumed that Atticus was giving him hell for not going home, but I was wrong. As they passed under a streetlight, Atticus reached out and massaged Jem’s hair, his one gesture of affection.''
This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then answer Part B.
Part A. In paragraphs 1–4 of the excerpt, how does the narrator develop the perspective of the crowd of men?
Responses
The men appear threatening and uncomfortable with confrontation.
The men appear threatening and uncomfortable with confrontation.
The men are tired and uninterested in Tom Robinson’s case.
The men are tired and uninterested in Tom Robinson’s case. EndFragment
The men are casually waiting to see what Jem, Scout, and Dill will do.
The men are casually waiting to see what Jem, Scout, and Dill will do.
The men are quietly respectful toward Atticus and try to please him.
StartFragment The men are quietly respectful toward Atticus and try to please him.
Question 2
Part B.
In paragraph 5, how is the narrator’s perspective developed differently than the crowd’s perspective in Part A?
Responses
Scout ignores the men and only watches Atticus and Jem fighting
Scout ignores the men and only watches Atticus and Jem fighting EndFragment
Scout views the men with confusion but also looks for someone familiar
Scout views the men with confusion but also looks for someone familiar
Scout wants to talk to the men about politics and entailments
Scout wants to talk to the men about politics and entailments
Scout sees the men as curious onlookers, but she knows they're not dangerous
StartFragment Scout sees the men as curious onlookers, but she knows they're not dangerous
Question 3
In paragraph 9 of the excerpt, what does the phrase “My friendly overture had fallen flat” suggest about Scout’s conversation with Mr. Cunningham?
Responses
Mr. Cunningham was rude and told her to leave.
Mr. Cunningham was rude and told her to leave.
Scout’s attempt to connect with him failed to have the intended effect.
Scout’s attempt to connect with him failed to have the intended effect.
Scout was actually trying to talk to Mr. Cunningham's son, Walter.
Scout was actually trying to talk to Mr. Cunningham's son, Walter. EndFragment
Mr. Cunningham didn’t recognize Scout at all.
Mr. Cunningham didn’t recognize Scout at all.
Question 4
Read this sentence from paragraph 12.
“I began to sense the futility one feels when unacknowledged by a chance acquaintance.”
The word “futility” comes from the Latin root futilis, meaning “worthless or ineffective.” Based on this information, what is the meaning of the word “futility” as it is used in this sentence?
Responses
Confidence in making a good impression
Confidence in making a good impression
Satisfaction in trying something new
Satisfaction in trying something new
Excitement about seeing someone you know
Excitement about seeing someone you know EndFragment
Frustration from failed effort
Frustration from failed effort
Question 5
This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A:
Which two statements explain how Scout helps change Mr. Cunningham’s mind?
Responses
Scout talks about Atticus’s legal work and explains entailments in a way Mr. Cunningham understands.
Scout talks about Atticus’s legal work and explains entailments in a way Mr. Cunningham understands.
Scout shows confidence and bravery by speaking up to a group of grown men.
Scout shows confidence and bravery by speaking up to a group of grown men.
Scout reminds Mr. Cunningham of his son and speaks to him as a friend.
Scout reminds Mr. Cunningham of his son and speaks to him as a friend.
Scout makes the conversation personal by asking Mr. Cunningham to say hello to Walter.
Scout makes the conversation personal by asking Mr. Cunningham to say hello to Walter.
Scout tells Mr. Cunningham she doesn’t understand why they’re there, which makes him feel ashamed.
Scout tells Mr. Cunningham she doesn’t understand why they’re there, which makes him feel ashamed. EndFragment
Question 6
Part B:
Which detail from the passage best shows that Scout’s words influenced Mr. Cunningham?
Responses
“Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders. ‘I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,’ he said. Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. ‘Let’s clear out,’ he called.”
“Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders. ‘I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,’ he said. Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. ‘Let’s clear out,’ he called.”
“I was slowly drying up, wondering what idiocy I had committed. Entailments seemed all right enough for livingroom talk.”
“I was slowly drying up, wondering what idiocy I had committed. Entailments seemed all right enough for livingroom talk.”
“They were quite still. ‘What’s the matter?’ I asked. Atticus said nothing. I looked around and up at Mr. Cunningham, whose face was equally impassive.”
“They were quite still. ‘What’s the matter?’ I asked. Atticus said nothing. I looked around and up at Mr. Cunningham, whose face was equally impassive.” EndFragment
“Mr. Cunningham displayed no interest in his son, so I tackled his entailment once more in a last-ditch effort to make him feel at home.”
“All right, Mr. Finch, get ‘em outa here,” someone growled. “You got fifteen seconds to get ’em outa here.”
In the midst of this strange assembly, Atticus stood trying to make Jem mind him.
“I ain’t going,” was his steady answer to Atticus’s threats, requests, and finally,
“Please Jem, take them home.”
I was getting a bit tired of that, but felt Jem had his own reasons for doing as he did, in view of his prospects once Atticus did get him home. I looked around the crowd. It was a summer’s night, but the men were dressed, most of them, in overalls and denim shirts buttoned up to the collars. I thought they must be cold natured, as their sleeves were unrolled and buttoned at the cuffs. Some wore hats pulled firmly down over their ears. They were sullen-looking, sleepy-eyed men
who seemed unused to late hours. I sought once more for a familiar face, and at the center of the semi-circle I found one.
“Hey, Mr. Cunningham.”
The man did not hear me, it seemed.
“Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment gettin‘ along?”
Mr. Walter Cunningham’s legal affairs were well known to me; Atticus had once described them at length. The big man blinked and hooked his thumbs in his overall straps. He seemed uncomfortable; he cleared his throat and looked away.
My friendly overture had fallen flat.
Mr. Cunningham wore no hat, and the top half of his forehead was white in contrast to his sunscorched face, which led me to believe that he wore one most days. He shifted his feet, clad in heavy work shoes.
“Don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one time, remember?” I began to sense the futility one feels when unacknowledged by a chance acquaintance.
“I go to school with Walter,” I began again. “He’s your boy, ain’t he? Ain’t he, sir?”
Mr. Cunningham was moved to a faint nod. He did know me, after all.
“He’s in my grade,” I said, “and he does right well. He’s a good boy,” I added, “a real nice boy. We brought him home for dinner one time. Maybe he told you about me, I beat him up one time but he was real nice about it. Tell him hey for me, won’t you?”
Atticus had said it was the polite thing to talk to people about what they were interested in, not about what you were interested in. Mr. Cunningham displayed no interest in his son, so I tackled his entailment once more in a last-ditch effort to make him feel at home.
“Entailments are bad,” I was advising him, when I slowly awoke to the fact that I was addressing the entire aggregation. The men were all looking at me, some had their mouths half-open. Atticus had stopped poking at Jem: they were standing together beside Dill. Their attention amounted to fascination. Atticus’s mouth, even, was half-open, an attitude he had once described as uncouth. Our eyes met and he shut it.
“Well, Atticus, I was just sayin‘ to Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad an’ all that, but you said not to worry, it takes a long time sometimes… that you all’d ride it out together…” I was slowly drying up, wondering what idiocy I had committed. Entailments seemed all right enough for livingroom talk.
I began to feel sweat gathering at the edges of my hair; I could stand anything but a bunch of people looking at me. They were quite still.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
Atticus said nothing. I looked around and up at Mr. Cunningham, whose face was equally impassive. Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders.
“I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,” he said.
Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. “Let’s clear out,” he called. “Let’s get going, boys.”
As they had come, in ones and twos the men shuffled back to their ramshackle cars. Doors slammed, engines coughed, and they were gone.
I turned to Atticus, but Atticus had gone to the jail and was leaning against it with his face to the wall. I went to him and pulled his sleeve. “Can we go home now?” He nodded, produced his handkerchief, gave his face a going-over and blew his nose violently.
“Mr. Finch?”
A soft husky voice came from the darkness above: “They gone?”
Atticus stepped back and looked up. “They’ve gone,” he said. “Get some sleep, Tom. They won’t bother you any more.”
From a different direction, another voice cut crisply through the night: “You’re damn tootin‘ they won’t. Had you covered all the time, Atticus.”
Mr. Underwood and a double-barreled shotgun were leaning out his window above The Maycomb Tribune office.
It was long past my bedtime and I was growing quite tired; it seemed that Atticus and Mr. Underwood would talk for the rest of the night, Mr. Underwood out the window and Atticus up at him. Finally Atticus returned, switched off the light above the jail door, and picked up his chair.
“Can I carry it for you, Mr. Finch?” asked Dill. He had not said a word the whole time.
“Why, thank you, son.”
Walking toward the office, Dill and I fell into step behind Atticus and Jem. Dill was encumbered by the chair, and his pace was slower. Atticus and Jem were well ahead of us, and I assumed that Atticus was giving him hell for not going home, but I was wrong. As they passed under a streetlight, Atticus reached out and massaged Jem’s hair, his one gesture of affection.''
This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then answer Part B.
Part A. In paragraphs 1–4 of the excerpt, how does the narrator develop the perspective of the crowd of men?
Responses
The men appear threatening and uncomfortable with confrontation.
The men appear threatening and uncomfortable with confrontation.
The men are tired and uninterested in Tom Robinson’s case.
The men are tired and uninterested in Tom Robinson’s case. EndFragment
The men are casually waiting to see what Jem, Scout, and Dill will do.
The men are casually waiting to see what Jem, Scout, and Dill will do.
The men are quietly respectful toward Atticus and try to please him.
StartFragment The men are quietly respectful toward Atticus and try to please him.
Question 2
Part B.
In paragraph 5, how is the narrator’s perspective developed differently than the crowd’s perspective in Part A?
Responses
Scout ignores the men and only watches Atticus and Jem fighting
Scout ignores the men and only watches Atticus and Jem fighting EndFragment
Scout views the men with confusion but also looks for someone familiar
Scout views the men with confusion but also looks for someone familiar
Scout wants to talk to the men about politics and entailments
Scout wants to talk to the men about politics and entailments
Scout sees the men as curious onlookers, but she knows they're not dangerous
StartFragment Scout sees the men as curious onlookers, but she knows they're not dangerous
Question 3
In paragraph 9 of the excerpt, what does the phrase “My friendly overture had fallen flat” suggest about Scout’s conversation with Mr. Cunningham?
Responses
Mr. Cunningham was rude and told her to leave.
Mr. Cunningham was rude and told her to leave.
Scout’s attempt to connect with him failed to have the intended effect.
Scout’s attempt to connect with him failed to have the intended effect.
Scout was actually trying to talk to Mr. Cunningham's son, Walter.
Scout was actually trying to talk to Mr. Cunningham's son, Walter. EndFragment
Mr. Cunningham didn’t recognize Scout at all.
Mr. Cunningham didn’t recognize Scout at all.
Question 4
Read this sentence from paragraph 12.
“I began to sense the futility one feels when unacknowledged by a chance acquaintance.”
The word “futility” comes from the Latin root futilis, meaning “worthless or ineffective.” Based on this information, what is the meaning of the word “futility” as it is used in this sentence?
Responses
Confidence in making a good impression
Confidence in making a good impression
Satisfaction in trying something new
Satisfaction in trying something new
Excitement about seeing someone you know
Excitement about seeing someone you know EndFragment
Frustration from failed effort
Frustration from failed effort
Question 5
This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A:
Which two statements explain how Scout helps change Mr. Cunningham’s mind?
Responses
Scout talks about Atticus’s legal work and explains entailments in a way Mr. Cunningham understands.
Scout talks about Atticus’s legal work and explains entailments in a way Mr. Cunningham understands.
Scout shows confidence and bravery by speaking up to a group of grown men.
Scout shows confidence and bravery by speaking up to a group of grown men.
Scout reminds Mr. Cunningham of his son and speaks to him as a friend.
Scout reminds Mr. Cunningham of his son and speaks to him as a friend.
Scout makes the conversation personal by asking Mr. Cunningham to say hello to Walter.
Scout makes the conversation personal by asking Mr. Cunningham to say hello to Walter.
Scout tells Mr. Cunningham she doesn’t understand why they’re there, which makes him feel ashamed.
Scout tells Mr. Cunningham she doesn’t understand why they’re there, which makes him feel ashamed. EndFragment
Question 6
Part B:
Which detail from the passage best shows that Scout’s words influenced Mr. Cunningham?
Responses
“Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders. ‘I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,’ he said. Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. ‘Let’s clear out,’ he called.”
“Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders. ‘I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,’ he said. Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. ‘Let’s clear out,’ he called.”
“I was slowly drying up, wondering what idiocy I had committed. Entailments seemed all right enough for livingroom talk.”
“I was slowly drying up, wondering what idiocy I had committed. Entailments seemed all right enough for livingroom talk.”
“They were quite still. ‘What’s the matter?’ I asked. Atticus said nothing. I looked around and up at Mr. Cunningham, whose face was equally impassive.”
“They were quite still. ‘What’s the matter?’ I asked. Atticus said nothing. I looked around and up at Mr. Cunningham, whose face was equally impassive.” EndFragment
“Mr. Cunningham displayed no interest in his son, so I tackled his entailment once more in a last-ditch effort to make him feel at home.”
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Sure! Here are the answers to the questions based on the excerpt provided from *To Kill a Mockingbird*.
**Question 1: Part A.**
**Response:** The men appear threatening and uncomfortable with confrontation.
**Question 2: Part B.**
**Response:** Scout views the men with confusion but also looks for someone familiar.
**Question 3:**
**Response:** Scout’s attempt to connect with him failed to have the intended effect.
**Question 4:**
**Response:** Frustration from failed effort.
**Question 5: Part A.**
**Response:**
1. Scout reminds Mr. Cunningham of his son and speaks to him as a friend.
2. Scout makes the conversation personal by asking Mr. Cunningham to say hello to Walter.
**Question 6: Part B.**
**Response:** “Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders. ‘I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,’ he said. Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. ‘Let’s clear out,’ he called.”
**Question 1: Part A.**
**Response:** The men appear threatening and uncomfortable with confrontation.
**Question 2: Part B.**
**Response:** Scout views the men with confusion but also looks for someone familiar.
**Question 3:**
**Response:** Scout’s attempt to connect with him failed to have the intended effect.
**Question 4:**
**Response:** Frustration from failed effort.
**Question 5: Part A.**
**Response:**
1. Scout reminds Mr. Cunningham of his son and speaks to him as a friend.
2. Scout makes the conversation personal by asking Mr. Cunningham to say hello to Walter.
**Question 6: Part B.**
**Response:** “Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders. ‘I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,’ he said. Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. ‘Let’s clear out,’ he called.”