The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Questions and Answers
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What are a few examples of hyperbole in Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
he would go to work and bore me nearly to death with some infernal reminiscence of him as long and tedious as it should be useless to me. If that was the design, it certainly succeeded. Twain's...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
How does the first narrator in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" differ from the second narrator,...
The first narrator is very different from Simon Wheeler in a number of ways, including style, his superior understanding and use of grammar and syntax, his address of the reader directly, and his...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What are three examples of exaggeration in the short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
Three examples of exaggeration in the short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain include: 1. The narrator revealing what will be in store for him if he inquires of...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Why does the narrator seek out Simon Wheeler in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County?
The narrator seeks out Simon Wheeler because the narrator's friend back East requested that the narrator find Simon and ask him about another guy, named Leonidas W. Smiley. Presumably because the...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What vernacular words does Twain use in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and how is this more...
In this story, the vernacular is used by Simon Wheeler, a man who relates the tale of Jim Smiley and his trained frog to the narrator. When telling this tale, Simon uses lots of vernacular words,...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What is Simon Wheeler's manner as he tells the story of Jim Smiley in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
The story that Simon Wheeler tells the narrator in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was not original with Mark Twain. It was, nevertheless, the first story that caused Twain to...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What enhances the humor of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
The very notion that there would be a young reverend in a mining camp is humorous because mining camps were notorious for all manner of immoral behavior and the absence of virtuous women and men of...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Why did the narrator's friend suggest he ask Wheeler about Leonidas Smiley?
According to the opening paragraph, the narrator's friend simply wanted to have some contact with his friend's friend Leonidas W. Smiley. The narrator's friend wrote him "from the East." In those...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Why is the story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" a frame narrative?
This humorous story by Mark Twain is considered a frame narrative because it consists of a story within a story. The outer story, the frame story, is the story of the narrator's interaction with...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What is the irony in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
The main irony in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is that Jim Smiley is outfoxed by the stranger. According to Simon Wheeler: Smiley was monstrous proud of his frog, and well he...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Give two examples of exaggeration as a comic device in paragraphs 5 and 6 in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of...
Mark Twain's use of exaggeration is great in this story, and it is one of the aspects that makes it so humorous. For instance, in paragraph 5, Twain is describing the bull pup, Andrew Jackson, a...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
How does Mark Twain represent realism in "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
Realism was the tendency of writers and artists in Mark Twain's era (the late 1800s to early 1900s) to create work that reflected real life, without romanticizing anything or making events too...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What prompts Simon Wheeler to tell the story of Jim Smiley in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
In the famous short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain, the unnamed narrator goes to an old tavern in a mining camp called Angel's for an interview at the...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Describe Simon Wheeler’s tone and if you think it adds to the humor of Mark Twain’s story.
In Mark Twain's "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," the sesterer, Simon Wheeler, exaggerates his description of the frog's talents. For instance, he acts as though the frog were...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What are some examples of figurative expressions in Wheeler’s language in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras...
Wheeler uses hyperbole, an exaggeration that is a type of figurative language, when he says of Smiley, "he would foller that straddle-bug to Mexico but what he would find out where he was bound for...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What does the narrator's reaction at the end of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" tell the reader?
In Mark Twain's story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," the narrator sits through Simon Wheeler's long tale about Old Jim Smiley and his bets (mostly because Wheeler has backed the...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
How did the stranger outwit Smiley in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
In this story, Jim Smiley is outwitted when he makes a bet with a stranger and loses. Remember that Jim Smiley is well-known in Cavaleras County as a man who loves to make bets on pretty much...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What are six uses of hyperbole describing Jim Smiley in Twain's "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
Here are six more instances of hyperbole to describe Jim Smiley: If there was a horse-race, you'd find him flush, or you'd find him busted at the end of it; if there was a dog-fight, he'd bet on...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What does the narrator hope to learn from Simon Wheeler in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County” is the perfect story to showTwain’s style of writing a humorous story. The story starts out with a narrator in search of someone or something, and...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Why was Smiley so proud of his frog?
Based on the information that the narrator gives readers, I think a reader could say that Smiley is mighty proud of his frog for two reasons. The first reason Smiley is proud of his frog is because...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Give examples of various forms of comedy in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."
The story's first paragraph is a confession by the narrator that he had been duped. This kind of self-effacing humor is universally amusing, as it is human nature to laugh at oneself and invite...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
The first paragraph of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" opens the “frame” to this story. What tone...
The tone Mark Twain uses in the frame story of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is one of chagrin mingled with grudging admiration. The unnamed narrator had received a letter from...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What is the narrator's attitude towards Wheeler? Support your answer with details from the story.
The narrator finds Wheeler to be annoying and amusing all at the same time, but is in reality a bit irritated with Wheeler's ramblings, and anxious to escape them. You can find evidence of this...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
I understand that grotesque humor is something funny arising out of something tragic or painful, but I don't see...
First. the term grostesque humor is loosely defined as something comic and based on a character or event that is painful to see and funny at the same time, bizarre, abnormal, unnatural--it makes...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What is one key feature of Simon Wheeler's storytelling in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
One key feature of Simon Wheeler's storytelling is that he is long-winded, or rambling. The narrator has been asked to visit Simon Wheeler and to inquire about a certain man named Leonidas W....
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
How does the dialect affect the scene setting of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
The dialect reflected in the speech of Simon Wheeler sets him apart from the narrator, whose manner of speaking involves more sophisticated word choices. Simon Wheeler does not sound like a highly...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What is the moral of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
One could argue that the moral of the story is that just about anyone can be fooled, no matter how smart or educated they are. This is a perfectly plausible answer as it's in keeping with a similar...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Are there any literary devices in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain?
Twain uses several literary devices in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". The first technique we notice is that the tale is a "frame story". That means that one story, the story...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
How does the narrator hear the story of the jumping frog in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
In "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twin, the narrator hears the story of the jumping frog from Simon Wheeler. He embarks on a trip to find Wheeler at the behest of a...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
In paragraphs 2 and 3 we meet Simon Wheeler. What does the description of his appearance suggest about him?
Simon Wheeler's face is described as expressionless; "he never smiled, he never frowned," meaning that he never gave anything away to the narrator in terms of his mood or intentions other than...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
In "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," explain the irony of the stranger's parting words.
The stranger, Mark Twain, utters the following at the end before he departs: "Oh! hang Smiley and his afflicted cow!" He states that he muttered these words "good-naturedly," which is patently...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What is unusual about Smiley's mare and what are the metaphors used to describe her?
The first metaphor used to describe the horse is "the fifteen minute nag". This is because she looked so sickly and slow that people would give her a head start in a race. She would let the other...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What adjectives best describe the character of Jim Smiley?
Jim is opportunistic, obsessive, sneaky, and ultimately naive. 1. Jim is opportunistic: the storyteller, Simon Wheeler, describes Jim as "lucky," but really Jim's supposed luck comes from his habit...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
In "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," find at least three places in the story where Twain uses...
The use of the vernacular in literature is a technique that is particularly effective when a story is written, as this one is, in the voice of a storyteller—that is, somebody who is relating the...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Twain's Style in "The Celebrated Frog of Calaveras County" Why does the author use misspellings, strange sentence...
Twain made use of the vernacular in this and in other works of his fiction to add an element of authenticity to his work. Clearly, having the dialogue that the characters speak set down as they...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What is the plot of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain?
The humorous story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain has a plot structure using a literary device known as a frame, in which one story is told within another story....
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What happened to Smiley's frog?
Jim Smiley's frog, Dan'l Webster, was a well-trained amphibian that Smiley used to enhance his winnings at gambling. Smiley had invested heavily in Dan'l. Although he was just a common bullfrog...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What sort of person is Jim Smiley?
Jim Smiley was a man who was hopelessly addicted to gambling. He placed bets compulsively, but he also invested in gambling seriously as his occupation. He would bet on just about any random event...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
In what ways does Twain use irony in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
One ironic element of Mark Twain's story is the ease with which the celebrated frog is defeated. The eponymous amphibian turns out a total disappointment, not through its own fault, but because of...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Why does Twain have Wheeler, rather than the narrator, relay the story of Jim Smiley in "Jumping Frog"?
Twain wants to put the reader into the shoes of the narrator, to get us to imagine that we are there in this remote Western tavern, listening to this shaggy-dog story. And because that story is so...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
How does the use of authentic dialect add to "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
In all large countries, regional dialects exist that differ from the standard form of the national language in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. In most of the European nation-states, what...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What characteristics of regionalism are in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
The first major success for fledgling writer Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." The story was not Twain's original creation but a well-known tall...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
How does Wheeler's description of the frog as "modest & straightfor'ard" provide humor in "The Celebrated Jumping...
Mark Twain's short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," is that much more entertaining when he personifies the animals. He does a fine job presenting the [nearly] unbelievable...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What is ironic about "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and what type of irony is it?
There are two kinds of irony in Twain's The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. The first That is encountered is verbal irony and the second encountered is situational irony. Verbal irony...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
How does Twain capture the flavor of the old West in the story of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
I think it is clear that this story lives, breathes and eats the "Old West" that you refer to in your question. Twain was a master of capturing a particular moment and context in history so...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What onomatopoeia, hyperbole, similes, metaphors, and personifications are in Twain's story?
Western humorists such as Mark Twain make extensive use of exaggeration, hyperbole. For example, westerner Simon Wheeler exaggerates when describing the frog's talents: "You never see a frog...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
What is the significance of the animals' names in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County"?
Mark Twain was a master at the art of satire. The significance behind the animal names, fifteen minute nag, Andrew Jackson, and Dan'l Webster is to convey distinct personalities to the reader....
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
How does the author develop the character of Simon Wheeler in the "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
The way the character of Simon Wheeler is developed is primarily through the tone that Twain has him recount his hilarious "tall tale" about the aforementioned frog. Note what the narrator tells us...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Why does Wheeler call Smiley the "curiousest man" and what evidence does he give to support this?
Readers should look to the fourth paragraph in order to find evidence to answer this question. The paragraph is somewhat lengthy with examples, but the main gist of why Smiley is the "curiosest...
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
In what ways is "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" a humorous story?
Twain uses three elements classic to comedy to create a humorous story. First, as anyone who has read the Lemony Snickett stories knows, warning a reader from the outset that a story will be too...
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