Chapter 14 Practice Quiz — To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 14
What word does Scout ask Atticus to define after overhearing it in town?
"Rape." Atticus gives her the legal definition: carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent.
What does Aunt Alexandra want Atticus to do about Calpurnia in this chapter?
She wants Atticus to fire Calpurnia, arguing that Alexandra herself can fill the domestic role and that Calpurnia’s influence on the children is inappropriate.
How does Atticus respond to Alexandra’s demand about Calpurnia?
He refuses firmly, stating that Calpurnia is a member of the family, the children need her, and she will stay as long as she wants to.
Why do Scout and Jem get into a physical fight in Chapter 14?
The tension from the adult argument between Atticus and Aunt Alexandra spills over into the children’s relationship, and they brawl before being sent to bed.
Who does Scout find hiding under her bed?
Dill Harris, who has run away from his mother and stepfather in Meridian, Mississippi.
How did Dill travel from Meridian to Maycomb?
He took a train fourteen miles from Meridian to Maycomb Junction, then walked and hitched a ride on a cotton wagon the rest of the way.
What elaborate story does Dill initially tell about how he got to Maycomb?
He claims he was chained in a basement by his new father and escaped with the help of a passing animal show.
What is the real reason Dill ran away from home?
His mother and stepfather show no genuine interest in him. They provide material comforts but ignore him emotionally, leaving him to entertain himself.
What does Dill mean when he says his parents "just wasn’t interested" in him?
They buy him whatever he wants but do not engage with him—they close their door at night and leave him alone, offering material comfort without emotional connection.
Why does Jem decide to tell Atticus about Dill?
Jem is maturing and recognizes that a runaway child’s family needs to know he is safe, choosing adult responsibility over childhood loyalty.
How does Scout feel about Jem telling Atticus?
She feels betrayed, saying Jem has broken "the remaining code of our childhood." She sees it as Jem acting grown-up and superior.
What does Atticus do after learning Dill is under Scout’s bed?
He calmly tells Scout to get Dill food, calls Miss Rachel Haverford to confirm Dill can stay the night, and assures Dill his mother will be notified.
What question does Dill ask Scout about Boo Radley at the end of the chapter?
He asks why Boo Radley has never run away from home.
What is Scout’s answer about why Boo never ran away?
She suggests that maybe Boo has nowhere to run to, implying that running requires a destination where someone wants you.
What parallel does the chapter draw between Dill and Boo Radley?
Both are isolated figures: Dill flees emotional neglect while Boo remains confined, possibly because no alternative place of belonging exists for him.
How does Jem’s behavior in Chapter 14 show his growing maturity?
He chooses to inform Atticus about Dill rather than keep a childhood secret, aligning himself with adult responsibility over peer loyalty.
What does the Atticus-Alexandra conflict over Calpurnia represent thematically?
It tests whether family is defined by blood and racial convention (Alexandra’s view) or by loyalty, character, and shared experience (Atticus’s view).
How does Atticus’s defense of Calpurnia connect to his defense of Tom Robinson?
Both reflect his principle of judging people by character rather than race—he refuses to dismiss Calpurnia for racial reasons just as he insists on defending Tom fairly.
What event from a previous chapter has triggered Aunt Alexandra’s anger in Chapter 14?
Calpurnia took Scout and Jem to her Black church (First Purchase African M.E. Church), which Alexandra considers improper for white children.
What is the significance of Scout stepping on "something warm" under her bed?
It creates suspense before the reveal of Dill’s presence and symbolically represents the hidden troubles (neglected children, family tensions) lurking beneath the surface of domestic life.
What does the phrase "the remaining code of our childhood" refer to?
Scout uses it to describe the unwritten rule that children do not involve adults in their secrets—a code Jem breaks by telling Atticus about Dill.
How does Chapter 14 explore the theme of belonging?
Through three contrasts: Calpurnia belongs to the Finch family by love not blood, Dill has a family that does not make him feel he belongs, and Boo may stay home because he has nowhere else to belong.