CHAPTER 21 Quiz — The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

by Mark Twain

Comprehension Quiz: CHAPTER 21

What does the duke criticize about the king's performance of Romeo?

  • He speaks too quietly and cannot be heard clearly
  • He bellows the lines like a bull instead of speaking softly
  • He forgets the words and keeps making up new ones
  • He moves around too much and won't stand still on the raft

What role does the duke call himself when they practice the swordfight?

  • King Lear from the tragedy King Lear
  • Macbeth from the Scottish tragedy Macbeth
  • Richard III from the history play Richard III
  • Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, from Hamlet

What is fundamentally wrong with the duke's version of Hamlet's soliloquy?

  • He translates the speech into French because they plan to perform in New Orleans
  • He recites the soliloquy backward to make it sound more dramatic and original
  • He jumbles together lines from Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, and other plays
  • He shortens the speech to only two sentences so the audience won't get bored

What event is scheduled in the Arkansas town that same afternoon?

  • A county fair with livestock judging and pie contests
  • A circus that will leave before nightfall
  • A political rally for the upcoming gubernatorial election
  • A church revival meeting led by a traveling preacher

What venue does the duke rent for the Shakespeare show?

  • A large barn on the outskirts of the Arkansas town
  • The local church, which doubles as a meeting hall
  • The courthouse in the center of the small town
  • An open-air stage they build from lumber in the town

According to the show bills, what false claim is made about Hamlet's soliloquy?

  • It was performed 300 consecutive nights in Paris by the illustrious Kean
  • It won the Royal Shakespeare Award at the London Theatre Festival
  • It was personally requested by Queen Victoria for a private showing
  • It received a standing ovation from the President of the United States

How does Huck describe the condition of the streets in the Arkansas town?

  • They are paved with cobblestones but covered in horse manure
  • They are nothing but mud, black as tar, nearly a foot deep in places
  • They are dry, dusty roads that kick up clouds when wagons pass
  • They are recently graded dirt roads with wooden planks for sidewalks

What is Boggs known for in the town?

  • He is the wealthiest landowner who bullies people with lawsuits
  • He is a harmless monthly drunk who threatens people but never hurts anyone
  • He is a former soldier who frightens people with true war stories
  • He is the town preacher who condemns people loudly on Sundays

What specific deadline does Colonel Sherburn set for Boggs?

  • Sundown — he must leave town before dark or face the consequences
  • Noon — he gives Boggs until the church bells ring at midday
  • One o'clock — he will endure the abuse no longer after that time
  • Three o'clock — the exact time the circus is scheduled to begin

Who do the townspeople send for in a last effort to calm Boggs?

  • The local sheriff, who has authority to lock him up
  • His wife, who is known to keep him in line at home
  • His daughter, whom they believe he might listen to
  • The town preacher, who has a reputation for calming disputes

What happens when Boggs's daughter arrives at the scene of the shooting?

  • She arrives just in time to pull her father to safety before Sherburn fires
  • She arrives too late and throws herself on her dying father, screaming and crying
  • She confronts Sherburn directly and demands he put away his weapon
  • She faints at the sight of the crowd and has to be carried to the drugstore

What does Colonel Sherburn do immediately after shooting Boggs?

  • He flees town on horseback before anyone can react to what happened
  • He stands over Boggs and delivers a speech about the code of honor
  • He tosses his pistol on the ground, turns on his heels, and walks off
  • He surrenders himself to the crowd and asks to be taken to the sheriff

What does the man in the stovepipe hat do after Boggs dies?

  • He delivers a eulogy praising Boggs as a good man and decent neighbor
  • He reenacts the entire shooting step by step, earning drinks from the crowd
  • He organizes a collection to pay for Boggs's funeral and support his daughter
  • He rides out of town to notify Boggs's family on their farm in the country

What does the crowd decide to do at the end of Chapter 21?

  • They decide to hold a formal trial for Colonel Sherburn in the courthouse
  • They decide to attend the duke's Shakespeare show to forget the tragedy
  • They decide to lynch Sherburn and rush off tearing down clotheslines for rope
  • They decide to send a delegation to ask Sherburn to leave town peacefully

What major theme does the Boggs-Sherburn episode primarily illustrate?

  • The importance of formal education and literacy in frontier communities
  • The power of religion and faith to redeem fallen individuals in small towns
  • Mob mentality, the Southern code of honor, and the moral cowardice of crowds
  • The economic inequality between wealthy plantation owners and poor farmers

Comprehension Quiz

Question 1 of 0
Score: 0 / 0
Read Chapter