The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Questions and Answers
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Character Sketch Of Tom Sawyer
Tom is a well-rounded character, a mix of strengths and flaws, based on trickster and hero archetypes that were adapted in American literature to a create a particular type of American male hero....
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Where and when does this story take place?
When you speak about where and when, you are speaking about the setting of a piece of literature. We can talk about this as the "Setting of Time" and the "Setting of Place." Let's explore both...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What is the difference between work and play, and how is the difference shown in chapter 2 of Mark Twain's The...
For Tom Sawyer, the difference between work and play is simple: play is fun, and work isn't. Tom is about as work-shy as it gets, whether it's in relation to school-work or chores around the house....
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
How did Tom get Ben to paint the fence in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"?
In this part of the story Aunt Polly has attributed Tom the task of whitewashing her fence. Of course Tom would rather be out fishing, swimming or just hanging out with his pals, but he has been...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What is the theme or main idea of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain?
The main theme of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the joys of childhood when the world is full of wonders and children are free of the heavy responsibilities of adulthood. Mark Twain was writing...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What words describe Tom Sawyer? Also give quotes to support your points.
There are many words that describe Tom Sawyer. So, my list will have to be selective. Here are three words and quotes to back them up. First, Tom is crafty or mischievous. He can make others do...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What are some key superstitions from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and why are they important?
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, superstitions are important because people feel that with these beliefs they have control over certain situations. The children feel empowered by superstitions,...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What are three superstitions in chapter 6-8 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
In chapter 6, Huckleberry asserts that dead cats cure warts. However, Tom insists that spunk-water (the rain-water collected in an old rotten stump) is better at curing warts. He even proves it...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
How did Aunt Polly find out that Tom had been out swimming?
Aunt Polly finds out that Tom had been out swimming when Sid alerts her to the thread on Tom's collar. Instead of the original white thread she used to sew on Tom's collar, the thread is now black....
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Tom had discovered the great law of human action. What was it?
In Chapter Two of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom is forced to whitewash a fence. The fence is thirty yards long and made of boards nine feet high. Since it is a Saturday, all the other boys...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What is the main conflict of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"?
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom's energetic consciousness collides with adult civilization. Tom is presented against the backdrop of individuals and institutions that try to contain him,...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What are 15 main/important events from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
The important events that happen in Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain are as follows: 1.Tom uses reverse psychology to trick the other boys into white washing the fence for him. 2.Tom receive his bible and...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, how does Tom get other boys to do his work for him?
At the end of chapter 1 in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom is caught by his Aunt Polly sneaking into the house through the window late at night. When she sees that his clothes are a mess, she...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, why does Injun Joe want to take revenge on the Widow and how?
In the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the main antagonist, Injun Joe, who is half Native American and half white, seeks revenge on the Widow Douglas because he is physically punished and...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Why did Tom wish he was sick?
Tom wishes he were sick when he wakes up on a Monday morning and contemplates a whole five days of sitting still in school ahead of him: Monday morning found Tom Sawyer miserable. Monday morning...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, how does Tom make Ben whitewash the fence?
Tom has been ordered to whitewash the garden fence by Aunt Polly as punishment for his bad behaviour, and finds this a very hard and boring task. However, he manages to coax first Ben Rogers and...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What is the setting of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
Setting refers to the time and place in which the events of a narrative occur. Mark Twain's classic novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, published in 1876, is set in the fictional small town of St....
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
How did Tom and Huck find treasure in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
Tom and Huck overhear Injun Joe and his accomplice discussing the treasure. Tom is obsessed with pirates and treasure, as most boys are. However, one day he overhears two conmen, Injun Joe and his...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
How would you describe Aunt Polly’s attitude towards Tom? Where can you find evidence of this?
Aunt Polly finds Tom very difficult to deal with and frequently complains about the trouble he puts her through, but she clearly loves him and worries about his wellbeing. Because she loves him so...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
How is Sid different from Tom?
Sid is a great foil for Tom in the book. Unlike Tom, Sid is quiet and mindful of his manners. The text tells us that he has no "adventurous, trouble-some ways." In short, Sid is the total opposite...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Why do Tom and Joe run away, what do they take with them, where do they run, and why do they begin to feel guilty?
Just before chapter 13 begins, Becky Thatcher finally returns to school. Tom is happy and begins showing off in front of her. Unfortunately, Becky isn't at all pleased with Tom's antics. She...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What is an example of a lie Tom Sawyer tells in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is Mark Twain’s classic story of a young boy with a free spirit for adventure along the Mississippi River in the mid-nineteenth century. Although protagonist Tom is a...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
How does Tom Sawyer’s character change throughout the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
At the beginning of the story, the author paints Tom as a cocky yet likable boy whom his aunt has to constantly discipline to keep in check. He steals jam, skips school, and gets into fights. Even...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Analyze the character of Aunt Polly and her relationship to Tom in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Ah, Aunt Polly: tenderhearted, loving, but usually misguided Aunt Polly. She is the caretaker of Tom Sawyer (after Polly's sister, Tom's mother, died) and is always desperate to understand Tom....
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What are some negative traits of Tom Sawyer in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
Some of Tom Sawyer's negative traits are his mischievousness, ability to manipulate others, and his selfishness. For example, in the famous whitewashing scene, Tom manipulates the other boys into...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Where did Aunt Polly catch Tom hiding?
The start of Tom Sawyer opens with Aunt Polly looking all over the house and yard for Tom. The first word of the book is her shouting, "TOM!" (ch. 1). She looks around the room, checks under a bed...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
In chapter 10 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, why does the brass knob add to Tom's troubles?
The brass knob is one of Tom Sawyer's most treasured possessions. It's also a sign of how serious he is about Becky Thatcher that he's prepared to give her this special gift. Unfortunately for Tom,...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Why do Tom and Huck go to the graveyard?
The section of the book that you are talking about is a hilarious section. Huck and Tom sound like a couple of old men sitting on a porch having a ridiculously silly argument over nothing. The...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
How did Tom Sawyer trick his friends?
Near the beginning of the novel, Tom is punished by Aunt Polly by being forced to whitewash the fence in front of his house on a Saturday morning. With a thirty-by-nine-yard fence in front of him,...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
How did Tom make Ben do whitewashing?
In chapter 2 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Aunt Polly punishes Tom for his mischief by giving him the task of whitewashing whole of their fence. Of course, Tom wouldn’t want to do...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Character sketch of Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer is the archetypal adventurous boy. Mark Twain is a master of character description, creating some of the most iconic American characters—like Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Tom is, first...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What are the main events of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in chronological order?
There are actually quite a few main events that can be picked from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Here are a few of them: Tom Sawyer and his friend Huck Finn visit a graveyard and witness the murder...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What does the last sentence in Chapter 10 mean? What happened?
What the last sentence in this chapter means is that Tom Sawyer's heart is broken. Finding the brass andiron knob lying there was the last straw. It was the thing that (when added to all the...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer says that "an inspiration burst upon" Tom. Cite evidence from the text to...
Aunt Polly punishes Tom by having him whitewash a fence on a beautiful Saturday morning when he is longing to be free to play. Tom is upset that the day of idleness and fun he'd planned is ruined...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What do the following lines from Chapter 1 in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer mean: "The old lady pulled her spectacles...
The old lady was wearing her beautiful, fancy glasses that she wore just to look great. The problem was that she couldn't actually see anything through them (she might as well have been looking...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Why and how did Aunt Polly decided to punish Tom?
There are several instances throughout the novel where Aunt Polly punishes Tom for his behavior. Her most common form of punishment is beating Tom. In chapter 1, Aunt Polly attempts to beat him for...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What is the character of Aunt Polly's realationship to Tom in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
Aunt Polly is Tom Sawyer's kind-hearted guardian. She is the sister to the late mother of Tom and Sid. Aunt Polly wants to raise Tom right, but the high-energy boy is always into some sort of...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Why is Huck carrying a dead cat in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
In chapter 6 of Tom Sawyer, the titular Tom comes across the town ne’er-do-well, Huckleberry Finn. Huck is carrying a dead cat with him on the way to the graveyard. The superstition is that dead...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
How does Tom Sawyer describe school in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
Tom loathes going to school and dreads Monday mornings, even to the point of wishing on Mondays that there had been no holiday at the weekend, "it made the going into captivity and fetters again so...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What was Tom doing when Ben was whitewashing the fence?
While Ben was whitewashing the fence, Tom was relaxing, eating, and planning how to fool more kids. In chapter 2, Tom is whitewashing the fence, and he is not enjoying it; however, Tom isn't about...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, what are the requirements to win a Bible?
Chapter 4 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer centers around a Sunday-school competition that exchanges tickets for correctly recited Bible verses. If students collect enough tickets, they win a Bible....
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What do you think Aunt Polly's reaction is when she finds out about Tom's exploits?
Aunt Polly's ambivalence about Tom is clear from the very beginning of the book: she is infuriated and concerned by his misbehavior, but at the same time she feels very tenderly toward him. We see...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, what kind of relationship do Tom and Aunt Polly have?
Aunt Polly loves Tom and does her best to provide him love and support even though he is sometimes difficult. Tom is a very spirited boy. He does not fit well into the boundaries of society. He...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What is the resolution of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
After Tom and Becky get lost in the riverside cave at the picnic, terror ensues. Becky and Tom's guardians are frightened by their absence, and Becky and Tom themselves must face an uncertain end...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Who are the main characters in "Strong Temptations" by Mark Twain, and why?
"Strong Temptations" is the chapter 2 title from the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Interestingly, not all editions of the book include this chapter title. Some editions don't title the...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What qualities does Aunt Polly exhibit in her behaviour towards Tom in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
Aunt Polly is loving and patient with her mischievous nephew Tom. Aunt Polly is pretty much in over her head with her nephew Tom Sawyer. Tom is not only mischievous but clever, constantly coming...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What are some reasons that Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and what is the purpose of the book?
As far as the reason for writing the book is concerned, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) makes it clear in the preface of the first edition where he says: "Although my book is intended mainly for...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What is the conflict in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? For example, is it man versus man, man versus society, or man...
As with most stories, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has multiple conflicts. Man versus man is definitely one of the conflict types that exists in this great book; however, Tom is in conflict with...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What are three ways Tom shows maturity in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is in some ways a coming-of-age story about an intelligent boy who has always been able to manipulate others for his own purposes. He changes as a result...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
In chapters 1–8 how does Tom get caught skipping school and going to the swimming hole?
It's a beautiful hot, sunny day in St. Petersburg; certainly not the kind of day you'd want to spend in school. Mind you, Tom Sawyer never wants to spend any day in school, whatever the weather....
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