Chapter 20 Practice Quiz — To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 20
Why have Scout and Dill left the courtroom at the beginning of Chapter 20?
Dill became physically sick during Mr. Gilmer's harsh cross-examination of Tom Robinson, so Scout took him outside to get some air.
Who do Scout and Dill encounter on the courthouse lawn?
They meet Mr. Dolphus Raymond, the wealthy white man who lives with a Black woman and has mixed-race children.
What does Mr. Dolphus Raymond offer Dill to drink?
He offers Dill a sip from his paper sack, which everyone in town assumes contains whiskey.
What is actually inside Mr. Raymond's paper sack?
A bottle of Coca-Cola. His reputation as a drunk is entirely fabricated.
Why does Mr. Raymond pretend to be an alcoholic?
He gives people a reason they can understand for why he lives with a Black woman. Blaming whiskey is easier for Maycomb to accept than the truth that he simply prefers his life as it is.
Why does Raymond trust Scout and Dill with his secret?
Because they are children who have not yet learned to suppress their honest moral reactions the way adults in Maycomb have.
According to Raymond, what does Dill's nausea at the trial reveal?
It reveals the correct human response to cruelty and injustice—a moral instinct that adults in Maycomb have trained themselves to ignore.
What unusual thing does Atticus do before his closing argument that shocks Scout and Jem?
He removes his coat, unbuttons his vest, and loosens his tie—something his children have never seen him do in public.
What is the symbolic meaning of Atticus removing his coat?
It represents emotional vulnerability. By stripping away his professional formality, Atticus signals he is speaking from deep personal conviction rather than performing a legal routine.
What does Atticus say about medical evidence in the case?
He points out that no doctor was ever called to examine Mayella Ewell, meaning there is no medical evidence that a crime was committed.
What physical evidence does Atticus use to cast doubt on Tom's guilt?
Mayella's bruises were on the right side of her face, indicating a left-handed attacker. Tom Robinson's left arm is completely useless from a childhood cotton gin accident, but Bob Ewell is left-handed.
What does Atticus argue actually happened between Mayella and Tom?
He argues that Mayella kissed Tom Robinson, her father caught her, Bob Ewell beat Mayella, and then the Ewells conspired to blame Tom to cover their shame.
What "rigid and time-honored code" does Atticus say Mayella broke?
The racial taboo against a white woman showing romantic interest in a Black man—a social code, not a legal one.
How does Atticus characterize Mayella in his closing argument?
He expresses pity for her as a victim of poverty, ignorance, and her abusive father, but argues her circumstances do not justify destroying an innocent man's life.
What founding American principle does Atticus invoke in his final appeal?
He quotes "all men are created equal" from the Declaration of Independence, arguing that the courts are the one institution where this principle must actually hold true.
What are Atticus's final words to the jury?
He says "In the name of God, do your duty" and then adds softly, "In the name of God, believe him."
How does Scout describe Atticus's speaking style during the closing argument?
She says he talks to the jury as if they were "folks on the post office corner"—conversational and direct rather than theatrical.
What theme connects Mr. Raymond's deception and the Ewells' accusation?
Both involve social performance—Raymond performs drunkenness to survive in Maycomb, while the Ewells perform victimhood to enforce racial hierarchy. Both deceptions exist because Maycomb demands conformity.
What is ironic about Atticus's claim that courts are the "great levelers"?
He makes this argument in a courtroom with a segregated balcony and an all-white jury—the very setting contradicts the ideal of equality he invokes.
Who appears at the courtroom gate as Atticus finishes his closing argument?
Calpurnia arrives with a note, having discovered that the Finch children have been missing from home since noon.
What does Raymond's Coca-Cola symbolize in the broader context of the novel?
It symbolizes the gap between appearance and reality in Maycomb. The town prefers comfortable lies to uncomfortable truths, whether about Raymond's drinking or about racial injustice.
How does Chapter 20 contrast Raymond's approach to injustice with Atticus's?
Raymond uses pragmatic deception to protect his private life from public judgment, while Atticus uses complete transparency and direct truth-telling. Raymond's method is effective; Atticus's is nobler but likely futile.
What warning does Raymond give Scout and Dill about growing up?
He warns them that as they get older, they may lose the ability to cry about the cruelty and injustice they are witnessing—that adulthood often means learning to tolerate what should be intolerable.