CHAPTER 23 Practice Quiz — The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 23
What do the duke and king stage in the Arkansas town?
They stage "The Royal Nonesuch," a fraudulent show billed as a great tragedy starring Edmund Kean the Elder.
How does the king appear on stage during the Royal Nonesuch?
He comes prancing out on all fours, completely naked and painted all over in colorful stripes, "as splendid as a rainbow."
How does the audience react to the king's performance on the first night?
They laugh wildly and demand three encores, but then become furious when they realize the brief show is all they are getting.
Why does the first-night audience decide not to expose the Royal Nonesuch as a fraud?
A prominent townsman convinces them to stay quiet and promote the show so the rest of the town will be equally fooled, saving them from being the sole laughing-stock.
What do the audience members bring to the third-night performance?
They bring rotten eggs, rotten cabbages, dead cats, and other foul items hidden in their pockets and under their coats, intending revenge.
How do the duke and king escape the third-night audience?
The duke tells a man to tend the door, then he and Huck flee to the raft. The king is already hiding aboard — he never went to the theater that night.
How much money do the con men earn from the Royal Nonesuch?
They earn four hundred and sixty-five dollars over the three-night run.
What does the duke say about the townspeople after the escape?
He calls them "greenhorns" and "flatheads," saying he knew the first crowd would keep quiet, the second would be fooled, and the third would come for revenge.
How does Huck explain the duke and king's behavior to Jim?
Huck says "all kings is mostly rapscallions" and launches into a wildly inaccurate history lecture about Henry VIII and other monarchs to prove his point.
What historical inaccuracies does Huck include in his lecture about Henry VIII?
Huck attributes the Boston Tea Party, the Thousand and One Nights, the Domesday Book, and drowning the Duke of Wellington in a butt of malmsey all to Henry VIII.
What literary technique does Twain use in Huck's garbled history lecture?
Satire and dramatic irony — Huck's facts are absurdly wrong, but his underlying point about the corruption of power is valid, and the reader recognizes what Huck does not.
What observation does Huck make about Jim's feelings for his family?
Huck realizes Jim "cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n," acknowledging Jim's full humanity despite the racist assumptions of his society.
Why is Huck's observation about Jim's love for his family significant?
It represents a moment of growing awareness that challenges the dehumanizing assumptions of slavery, even though Huck still frames it in terms of surprise.
What story does Jim tell Huck about his daughter 'Lizabeth?
Jim tells how he slapped 'Lizabeth for not shutting the door when told, only to discover later that scarlet fever had left her completely deaf and dumb.
How does Jim discover that 'Lizabeth is deaf?
A door slams shut loudly right behind her and she does not flinch or move at all, revealing she cannot hear anything.
How does Jim react when he realizes 'Lizabeth is deaf?
He bursts out crying, grabs her up in his arms, and says "de Lord God Amighty fogive po' ole Jim, kaze he never gwyne to fogive hisself as long's he live!"
What theme does Jim's story about 'Lizabeth illustrate?
It illustrates the humanity of enslaved people, parental love and guilt, and challenges the racist assumption that Black people do not have deep family bonds.
Why does Jim not call Huck for his watch turn?
Jim often lets Huck sleep through his turn out of kindness and care, demonstrating his generous and selfless nature.
What does the Royal Nonesuch con reveal about human nature?
It reveals that people would rather spread a con than admit they were fooled — vanity and pride override honesty and justice.
What is the narrative contrast between the two halves of Chapter 23?
The first half is comic (the Royal Nonesuch scam and Huck's garbled history), while the second half is deeply emotional (Jim's grief and guilt about his daughter).
How does Chapter 23 develop Huck's character?
Huck begins to see Jim as a full human being with the same feelings as white people, a crucial step in his moral evolution away from the values of slave-holding society.
What does the word "sold" mean in the context of the Royal Nonesuch?
In 19th-century slang, "sold" means cheated or swindled — the townspeople realize they have been tricked into paying for a worthless performance.
Who is Edmund Kean the Elder?
Edmund Kean was a famous English stage actor. The duke falsely claims the king is performing as Edmund Kean to lend credibility to their fraudulent show.