CHAPTER 29 Practice Quiz — The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 29
Who arrives at the beginning of Chapter 29 claiming to be the real Wilks brothers?
A nice-looking old gentleman who speaks with an authentic English accent (Harvey Wilks) and a younger man with his right arm in a sling (William Wilks).
What excuse does the real Harvey Wilks give for their late arrival?
Their baggage was put off at the wrong town the night before, and his brother William broke his arm.
How does the king react to the arrival of the real Wilks brothers?
He laughs and mocks their claim, pointing out how convenient it is that the deaf-mute brother has a broken arm and cannot make signs, and that their baggage is conveniently lost.
Who is Levi Bell, and what role does he play in the investigation?
Levi Bell is the Wilks family lawyer who had been away in Louisville. He returns and devises the handwriting test to determine which set of claimants is genuine.
Who is Hines, and why is he important in this chapter?
Hines is a big, rough man who lives up at the Point and saw the king arrive by canoe with Tim Collins and a boy (Huck). He publicly identifies Huck, undermining the king's story.
Why does the handwriting test fail to resolve the dispute?
The king and duke's writing does not match Harvey's letters, but neither does the new claimant's, because William always copied letters for Harvey—and William cannot write with his left hand due to his broken arm.
What does the king claim is tattooed on Peter Wilks's breast?
A small, thin, blue arrow that is hard to see unless you look closely.
What does the real Harvey say is on Peter Wilks's breast?
The initials P—B—W, with dashes between them. The B stands for an initial Peter dropped when he was young.
What do Ab Turner and his partner say they saw on Peter Wilks's body?
They say they saw no marks at all, contradicting both the king's and the real Harvey's claims.
What solution does the lawyer propose after the tattoo test fails?
Levi Bell proposes digging up Peter Wilks's corpse to examine the body directly.
What is discovered in the coffin when it is opened?
The bag of gold that Huck had hidden on Peter Wilks's breast in an earlier chapter.
How does Huck escape from the mob at the graveyard?
When Hines lets go of his wrist in excitement at seeing the gold, Huck bolts into the darkness and runs for the road.
What weather conditions contribute to the atmosphere during the graveyard scene?
A violent thunderstorm with increasing darkness, lightning flashes, heavy rain, and booming thunder.
What does Huck see as he flees past the Wilks house?
A light flashing in Mary Jane's window, which makes his heart swell "like to bust" because he knows he will never see her again.
How does Huck reach the raft after escaping?
He finds an unchained canoe during a lightning flash, paddles out to the raft in the middle of the river, and reunites with Jim.
Why is Huck momentarily frightened when he boards the raft?
He has forgotten that Jim is still disguised as old King Lear and a "drowned A-rab," and Jim's appearance in the lightning startles him so badly he falls overboard.
What devastating discovery does Huck make at the very end of the chapter?
A flash of lightning reveals the king and the duke in a skiff, rowing toward the raft—they have escaped the mob and are catching up.
What literary device does Twain use with the thunderstorm during the graveyard scene?
Pathetic fallacy—the storm mirrors the chaos, danger, and emotional turmoil of the scene, with lightning providing dramatic reveals at key moments.
What is ironic about the king's bluff regarding the tattoo?
The king fabricates a specific detail (the blue arrow) with complete confidence, but neither his answer nor the real Harvey's answer can be verified by the men who prepared the body, showing that brazen lying can be as convincing as truth.
How does Levi Bell's comment to Huck reflect a theme of the novel?
Bell tells Huck, "I reckon you ain't used to lying, it don't seem to come handy; what you want is practice."—an ironic observation since Huck has survived largely by lying, but here fails because the truth-versus-deception stakes are too high.
Why does Huck wish he had not sent Mary Jane out of town?
As the mob marches him to the graveyard, Huck realizes Mary Jane could have intervened to save him and expose the frauds, but she is at Mr. Lothrop's house following Huck's own plan.