Chapter 16 Practice Quiz — To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 16
What does Atticus tell the children about Mr. Cunningham the morning after the mob scene?
He says Mr. Cunningham is basically a good man who has blind spots, and that a mob is always made up of people who can be reached as individuals.
Who was covering Atticus with a shotgun during the mob confrontation?
Mr. Braxton Underwood, the editor of the Maycomb Tribune, from his window above the newspaper office.
How does Scout describe the atmosphere in Maycomb on the day of Tom Robinson's trial?
She compares it to a Saturday or a holiday, with families bringing picnic lunches and filling the courthouse square like a festival.
Why does Miss Maudie refuse to go to the trial?
She calls it a "Roman carnival" and says she has no interest in watching a man fight for his life as though it were entertainment.
What does Miss Maudie say about Atticus when the children ask about the trial?
She says Atticus is one of the men in the town who were "born to do our unpleasant jobs for us."
Who is Mr. Dolphus Raymond?
A wealthy white man from an old Maycomb family who lives openly with a Black woman and has mixed-race children.
Why does Mr. Dolphus Raymond pretend to be a drunk?
So the townspeople have a comfortable explanation for why he crosses racial boundaries, rather than confronting the fact that he does it deliberately.
What tragic event from Mr. Raymond's past does Jem describe?
His white fiancee shot herself after the wedding rehearsal, possibly after discovering his relationship with a Black woman.
Why can't the children find seats in the courthouse?
The entire main floor is packed. Every seat is taken by the time they arrive.
Who leads the children to the colored balcony?
Reverend Sykes, the minister of Calpurnia's First Purchase African M.E. Church.
What do four Black spectators do when the children arrive at the balcony?
They give up their front-row seats for Scout, Jem, Dill, and Reverend Sykes.
How does Scout describe Judge Taylor's demeanor?
He appears relaxed to the point of sleepiness, but actually misses nothing that happens in the courtroom.
What is the symbolic significance of the children sitting in the colored balcony?
It positions them literally and figuratively with Maycomb's marginalized Black community, reflecting their growing moral alignment with racial justice.
What does Aunt Alexandra argue about the children's behavior at the jail?
She insists the children should never have been anywhere near the jail and that Atticus allowed a dangerous situation.
What lesson does Atticus teach Jem about human nature in this chapter?
That people contain both decency and cruelty, and that one capacity does not erase the other.
What does Miss Maudie's "Roman carnival" comparison suggest about the trial?
It frames the townspeople as spectators at a blood sport rather than citizens seeking justice, highlighting the dehumanizing spectacle of the event.
How does the physical layout of the courthouse reflect Maycomb's social structure?
White spectators occupy the main floor while Black citizens are confined to the upper balcony, mirroring the racial hierarchy the trial is supposed to judge impartially.
What is Scout's observation about Mr. Raymond's mixed-race children?
She notes they belong nowhere: the Black community won't fully accept them because they are half white, and white society rejects them entirely.
What role does Mr. Underwood's revelation play in the chapter?
It reveals unexpected solidarity with Atticus and shows that not everyone in Maycomb is indifferent to justice, even if they express support quietly.
What literary device does Harper Lee use by having Scout narrate from the colored balcony?
Dramatic irony and symbolic perspective: the reader sees the justice system's racial bias through the eyes of children seated among those it oppresses.
What is the "Idlers' Club" that Scout mentions?
A group of old men who sit around the courthouse square and are regular spectators at trials, serving as an unofficial commentary chorus on Maycomb life.
How does the mob scene from Chapter 15 connect to the themes of Chapter 16?
Chapter 16 processes the mob's meaning through Atticus's breakfast conversation, extending the theme that individuals can be reached even inside a crowd.
What contrast does Lee draw between Miss Maudie and the rest of Maycomb?
While the town treats the trial as entertainment, Miss Maudie refuses to participate, representing principled moral withdrawal from collective spectacle.