Chapter 26 Practice Quiz — To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 26
What grade is Scout in when Chapter 26 begins?
Scout is entering the third grade.
What grade is Jem in during Chapter 26?
Jem is in the seventh grade.
What extracurricular activity does Jem join at school?
Jem joins the football team, initially serving as a waterboy because he is too thin to play.
How does Scout feel about the Radley Place now?
She no longer feels afraid of it. The house has lost its terror and seems like an ordinary part of the neighborhood.
What does Scout regret about Boo Radley?
She feels sad that they never found a way to repay Boo for the gifts he left them in the knothole of the tree.
What current event does Cecil Jacobs bring to class?
Cecil brings a newspaper clipping about Adolf Hitler and his persecution of Jewish people in Germany.
What word does Miss Gates write on the blackboard?
She writes "DEMOCRACY" and defines it as "equal rights for all, special privileges for none."
What distinction does Miss Gates draw for the class?
She explains the difference between a democracy and a dictatorship, saying America is a democracy while Germany under Hitler is a dictatorship.
What does Miss Gates say about Jewish people?
She says Jewish people are among the finest people in the world and that she cannot understand why Hitler persecutes them.
What claim does Miss Gates make about Americans and persecution?
She tells the class that in America, "we don't believe in persecuting anybody."
What did Scout overhear Miss Gates say after the trial?
Scout heard Miss Gates say "it's time somebody taught 'em a lesson" about Black people who were "gettin' way above themselves."
Why is Miss Gates's classroom lesson ironic?
She condemns Hitler's persecution of Jews as wrong while herself supporting racial prejudice against Black people in Maycomb.
What question does Scout ask Jem about Miss Gates?
She asks how Miss Gates can hate Hitler for persecuting Jews and then "turn around and be ugly about folks right at home."
How does Jem react when Scout mentions the courthouse?
He becomes suddenly and fiercely angry, grabbing Scout and telling her he never wants to hear about the courthouse again.
What does Jem's anger reveal about him?
It reveals that the Tom Robinson trial has left deep emotional scars, and he is still struggling to process the injustice.
Where does Scout go after Jem yells at her?
She retreats to Atticus's room, upset and in tears.
What advice does Atticus give Scout about Jem?
Atticus tells Scout to leave Jem alone, explaining that he has things to sort out and will come around eventually.
What literary device is primarily at work in Miss Gates's lesson?
Dramatic irony — the reader and Scout both recognize the contradiction between Miss Gates's words and her actions, though Miss Gates herself does not.
How does Chapter 26 connect to the novel's broader theme of hypocrisy?
It mirrors other instances where Maycomb's citizens express noble principles while practicing racial discrimination, such as the missionary circle pitying Africans while mistreating local Black residents.
What does Scout's recognition of Miss Gates's hypocrisy show about her development?
It demonstrates that Scout has internalized Atticus's values deeply enough to detect moral inconsistency in adults, even if she cannot fully articulate it.
How do Jem and Scout differ in their response to injustice in this chapter?
Scout approaches the hypocrisy with curious bewilderment and wants to discuss it. Jem responds with anger and refusal, showing his disillusionment runs deeper.
What does Scout's changed attitude toward the Radley Place foreshadow?
It foreshadows her eventual meeting with Boo Radley, whom she will see as a gentle protector rather than a frightening figure.
What does the word "democracy" mean as Miss Gates defines it?
"Equal rights for all, special privileges for none."
Why is the classroom setting important for this chapter's themes?
The classroom is where children are actively being shaped by adult values, making it a powerful setting to expose the gap between what adults teach and what they practice.