Mark Twain - THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

Multiple-choice questions:
1) What is Mark Twains real name?
a. William Sydney Porter
b. Samuel Langhorne Clemens
c. George William Russell
d. John Dickson Carr

2) Where was Mark Twain born?

a. Texas
b. Missouri
c. South Louisiana
d. New York City

3) What is the meaning of his pen name, Mark Twain?

a. the love of life
b. freedom through social exclusion
c. the depth of water required for a boats safe passage
d. the open road leading to the wilderness, away from the morally corrupt civilisation

4) What is the setting of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn?
a. Texas
b. Missouri
c. South Louisiana
d. New York City

5) Which novel primarily deals with slavery and racism?

a. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
b. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
c. The Awakening
d. The Four Million

6) For Twain and other American writers of the late 19th century, what was realism?
a. It was merely a literary technique.
b. It was a way of speaking truth and exploding worn-out conventions.
c. It meant the universe was unpredictable and free will was an illusion
d. It focused on sin and guilt and consequences of pride and selfishness

7) In chapter 1 of the novel named the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom said his hair was
wet because he had ___________________________.
a) pumped water on his head.
b) immersed in warter.
c) jumped into the river.
d) pumped the road bike tire.

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8) While Ben worked on the fence, ______________________________________________.
a) Tom returned at home.
b) Tom threatened to lick Sid.
c) Tom gathered apples in the garden.
d) Tom sat munching an apple.

9) Tom traded chances to paint the fence for things like a dog collar, marbles, and a couple
of ______________________________.
a) dead cats
b) crickets
c) tadpoles
d) lizards

10) Tom threatened to __________________ Sid for telling on him.

a) lick
b) bite
c) twinge
d) pinch

11) Aunt Polly had sewed Toms collar with ___________________________.

a) yellow thread
b) white thread
c) brown straw
d) black cord

12) Toms nature is revealed in the first and second chapters of the Adventures of Tom
Sawyers of Mark Twain:
a) He is the rascally and disobedient boy out to confound and confuse any adult who tries to
repress his youthful nature.
b) He will be seen as quick-witted, full of fun, carefree, self-willed but good-natured.
c) He is always honorable and fair.
d) a, b and c

13) The first chapter firmly establishes Tom's relationship with his world:
a) He is a child, doing things a child would do.
b) He lives in a slave state without parents but with a loving, parent figure, Polly Aunt.
c) he has the tendency to take control.
d) a, b and c

Analysis questions:
1) How does Tom Sawyer change over the course of the two chapters?
2) Analyze childrens psychology through Toms conflict with the newcomer boy.
3) The symbolism of the fence and whitewashing the fence in The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer?

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Kate Chopin - THE STORY OF AN HOUR
Multiple-choice questions:
14) When was Kate Chopin born?
a. 1835
b. 1850
c. 1862
d. 1874

15) What is Kate Chopin best known for?

a. Her Iceberg Theory
b. Her unexpected twist ending and witticism
c. Her true depictions of womens lives and feelings
d. Her realism of place and language and hatred of hypocrisy and oppression

16) What is the main theme of Kate Chopins writing?

a. Realism
b. Feminism
c. Romanticism
d. Heroism

17) What does feminist themes mean?

a. Equal rights for women
b. Moral and social maturation
c. Freedom through social exclusion
d. Superstition in an uncertain world

18) Which novel by Kate Chopin was severely criticized for its content?
a. At Fault
b. The Trimmed Lamp
c. The Town
d. The Awakening

19) When was The Story of an Hour written?

a. 1876
b. 1884
c. 1894
d. 1904

20) Which of the following stories is NOT written by Kate Chopin?

a. A Respectable Woman
b. The Storm
c. Dsires Baby
d. The Furnished Room

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21) What is Mrs. Mallard's response to her husband's death in "The Story of an Hour"?
a) Anger
b) Sadness
c) Annoyance
d) Joy

22) What is Mr. Mallard's first name in "The Story of an Hour"?

a) Charles
b) Richard
c) Brently
d) John

23) In "The Story of an Hour," what word does Louise repeat to herself in her room?
a) Free
b)Why
c) Death
d)Life

24) What does NOT characterize Mrs. Mallard's face in "The Story of an Hour"?
a) Depression
b) Strength
c) Repression
d) Calmness

25) How did Mr. Mallard supposedly die in "The Story of an Hour"?
a) Stroke
b) Heart attack
c) Car accident
d)Train accident

26) What emotion does Louise NOT feel over the course of "The Story of an Hour"?
a) Grief
b) Ire
c) Exhaustion
d) Anticipation

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27) What emotion does Louise feel toward her husband in "The Story of an Hour"?
a) Companionship
b) Love
c) Hatred
d) Fear

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28) From where does Louise Mallard's revelation come in "The Story of an Hour"?
a) Her sister
b) The bedroom
c) Her grief
d) Nature

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O. Henry - THE COP AND THE ANTHEM
Multiple-choice questions:

29) When was O. Henry born?

a. 1835
b. 1850
c. 1862
d. 1874

30) What was O. Henrys real name?

a. William Sydney Porter
b. Samuel Langhorne Clemens
c. George William Russell
d. John Dickson Carr

31) What is the setting of several works by O. Henry?

a. Texas
b. Missouri
c. South Louisiana
d. New York City

32) What is O. Henry famous for?

a. His conciseness, precision and directness
b. His humor and straightforward verse style
c. His unexpected twist ending, witticism and clever wordplay
d. His realism of place and language and hatred of hypocrisy and oppression

33) When was The Cop and the Anthem first published?
a. 1884
b. 1890
c. 1904
d. 1906

34) What are some classic elements of an O. Henry story found in The Cop and the
Anthem?
a. A setting
b. An ironic ending
c. Sympathy for people of the lower class
d. A, B, and C

35) Which of the following stories is NOT written by O. Henry?

a. A Pair of Silk Stockings
b. "The Gift of the Magi"
c. "The Ransom of Red Chief"
d. "The Last Leaf"

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36) What special thing lets Soapy know that winter is coming?
a) Birds flying south.
b) Women buying coats.
c) Cops arresting people.
d) Dead leaves falling.

37) How does Soapy plan to go to prison?

a) Eating at a restaurant without paying.
b) Stealing a car and crashing into people.
c) Attacking a police officer with an umbrella.
d) Scaring young women on the street.

38) The policeman didn't believe Soapy smashed the window because Soapy
a) was nowhere near the scene of the crime
b) admitted it so willingly
c) had no reason to break the window

39) What is Soapy's plan to change his life?

a) He will leave the city.
b) He will look for a job.
c) He will become a cop.
d) He will buy new clothes.

40) Soapy wanted to spend three months in jail because he

a) felt guilty about a crime
b) needed a quiet place where he could reflect about his life
c) wished to spend the winter in a warm place

41) As he listened to the church music and thought about his youth, Soapy decided to
a) make something of his life
b) try once more to get thrown in jail
c) spend the next few months living in the park

42) Three months in jail were what Soapy craved and desired. Which expression best
defines the word CRAVED?
a) disliked greatly
b) wanted urgently
c) seldom thought about

43) Soapy ordered and consumed steak, pancakes, doughnuts, and pie. As used in this
sentence, the word CONSUMED means
a) decided against
b) ate completely
c) thought about

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44) As Soapy listened to the music, all was peaceful and serene. What is the meaning of the
word SERENE?
a) loud
b) quiet
c) unusual

45) Which sentence best characterizes Soapy?

a) he was well-dressed and often ate at expensive restaurants
b) he had an excellent job in the downtown business district
c) he didn't have a job and spent his nights sleeping on a park bench

46) What happened last in the plot of the story?

a) a judge sentenced Soapy to three months in jail
b) Soapy smiled and winked at a young woman
c) two waiters threw Soapy out into the street

47) What was the AUTHOR'S PURPOSE in writing this story?

a) to instruct the reader
b) to entertain the reader
c) to change the reader's mind

48) What is amusing about this story is that

a) Soapy realized there was still time to pursue his youthful dream
b) winter was coming and it was beginning to get cold
c) the moment Soapy changed his mind about going to jail, he was sent there

49) At one point in the story, Soapy walked off with another man's umbrella. From the
man's actions, we may infer that he
a) paid a great deal of money for the umbrella
b) was given the umbrella as a gift
c) had stolen the umbrella from someone else

50) Based on this story, it is reasonable to conclude that O. Henry

a) usually wrote about rich and famous people
b) didn't enjoy writing about city life
c) had an excellent sense of humor

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MARK TWAIN (1835-1910)
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name of Mark Twain,
grew up in the Mississippi River frontier town of Hannibal, Missouri.
Born in frontier Missouri, where North meets South and East meets West, Samuel
Clemens passed his boyhood years on the banks of the great river about which he wrote
again and again. He took his pen name from his days as a riverboat pilot on the
Mississippi River where the cry mark twain signaled the depth of water two fathoms
(3.6 meters) was required for the safe passage of riverboats.
Known for his realism, memorable characters, bluntness and hatred of hypocrisy and
oppression, Twain is definitely one of the most recognizable figures in American history.
Early 19th-century American writers tended to be too flowery, sentimental, or
ostentatious partially because they were still trying to prove that they could write as
elegantly as the English. Twain's style, based on vigorous, realistic, colloquial American
speech, gave American writers a new appreciation of their national voice. Twain was the
first major author to come from the interior of the country, and he captured its distinctive,
humorous slang and iconoclasm.
For Twain and other American writers of the late 19th century, realism was not merely a
literary technique: It was a way of speaking truth and exploding worn-out conventions.
Thus it was profoundly liberating and potentially at odds with society. The most well-
known example is Huck Finn, a poor boy who decides to follow the voice of his
conscience and help a Negro slave escape to freedom, even though Huck thinks this
means that he will be damned to hell for breaking the law.
His best-known works are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn (1884). Clemens set both of these novels in his native Missouri and
drew heavily on his boyhood memories of growing up in Hannibal. He examined
American culture on the edge of the frontier and dealt seriously with such issues as
slavery, poverty, and class differences. His natural wit and keen observations of human
naturedeveloped and perfected during his years as a journalistfound full expression
in his fiction.
He wrote 28 books and numerous short stories, letters and sketches.
Famous works: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Prince and the Pauper
(1881), Life on the Mississippi (1883), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), etc.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Twain based The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) largely on his personal memories of
growing up in Hannibal in the 1840s. In his preface to the novel, he states that [m]ost of
the adventures recorded in this book really occurred and that the character of Tom
Sawyer has a basis in a combination . . . of three boys whom I knew.
Unlike Twains later masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer concerns itself primarily with painting an idyllic picture of boyhood life
along the Mississippi River.

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KATE CHOPIN (1850-1904)
She was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850.
She married when she was 20 years old. In the next eight years, she had six children.
Chopins husband died unexpectedly in 1882, and her mother died the following year.
Chopin was very depressed, so her doctor suggested that she should start writing. Starting
in the 1890s, she wrote two novels and about a hundred short stories.
Her fiction is identified with the South, richly flavored with local dialect, providing
penetrating views of the heterogeneous culture of South Louisiana.
Her writing often had feminist themes (i.e. main topics that are in favor of equal rights for
women). She is well-known as one of the first American authors to write true depictions
of womens lives and feelings. When Chopin was writing, the feminist movement had
barely begun, and in Louisiana, women were still considered to be their husbands lawful
property. As a result, Chopins brazen, sensual, independent protagonists were years
ahead of their time.
Kate Chopin died of a brain hemorrhage in 1904, at the age of 53.
Famous works:
- 2 novels: At Fault (1890), The Awakening (1899)
- 2 collections of short stories: Bayou Folk (1894), A Night in Arcadie (1897)
- Short stories: The Story of an Hour (1894), A Respectable Woman (1894),
The Storm (1898), etc.
The Awakening is primarily a lyrical, stunning study of a young woman whose deep
personal discontents lead to adultery and suicide. Praised for its craft and damned for its
content, the novel was a scandal, which marked the beginning of the end of Chopins
writing career. The novel soon fell out of print, remaining undiscovered until the 1950s.
The Story of an Hour
The Story of an Hour was written and first published in Vogue in 1894.
It reflects Chopins view of the repressive role that marriage played in womens lives as
the protagonist, Louise Mallard, feels immense freedom only when her husband has died.
While he is alive, she must live for him, and only when he dies does her life once again
become her own.

O. HENRY (1862-1910)
O. Henry (1862-1910) was originally born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North
Carolina.
As a young man, he moved to Austin, Texas where he worked as a bank teller. He moved
again to Houston, Texas in 1895 and became a newspaper columnist.
In 1896, however, he was called back to Austin, where he was charged with embezzling
money from the bank where he had worked. Not wanting to go to prison, O. Henry fled
trial. His wifes illness caused him to return, stand trial and take the punishment of three
years in a federal prison. While in prison, he began writing short stories, and it is there
that he took the pen-name O. Henry for his writings.
After his release from prison in 1901, he moved to New York, which is the setting for
many of his stories.
He is the author of over 250 stories and is most famous for his use of surprise or 'twist'
endings. He is also noted for his witticism, clever wordplay, and the use of conversation,

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 often humorous or slangy and sometimes exaggerated. From his own life, he drew the
material for his account of the everyday people, the hard luck souls that he describes with
a warmth of human understanding and sympathy.
He died in 1910, at age forty-seven, from complications that likely arose from his heavy
drinking.
Famous works:
- Books: Cabbages and Kings (1904), The Four Million (1906) (a collection of short
stories), The Trimmed Lamp (1907), etc.
Both The Four Million (1906) and The Trimmed Lamp (1907) explored the lives of
the multitude of New York in their daily routines and searchings for romance and
adventure.
- Short stories: The Cop and the Anthem (1904), "The Gift of the Magi" (1905), "The
Green Door" (1906), "The Last Leaf" (1907), "The Ransom of Red Chief" (1910),
etc.
The Cop and the Anthem
It was first published in the Sunday edition of New York World in 1904 and was later
included in The Four Million (1906), O. Henry's collection of short stories set in New
York City.
The story covers one night and one morning in the life of Soapy, a homeless man living
in New York City in the early 1900s. It includes several of the classic elements of an O.
Henry story, i.e. a setting in New York City, an empathetic look at the state of mind of a
member of the lower class, and an ironic ending.

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