CHAPTER 40 Practice Quiz — The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 40
What does Huck hide under his hat when Aunt Sally catches him?
A hunk of butter on a piece of corn-pone
How many armed farmers are waiting in the sitting room?
Fifteen farmers, each with a gun
What does Aunt Sally think is wrong with Huck when the butter melts down his forehead?
She thinks he has brain fever and his brains are oozing out
What disguise does Tom wear for the escape?
Aunt Sally's dress, which he stole
What is the "sheep-signal" mentioned in this chapter?
A signal (imitating a sheep's bleating) that Tom plans to use to coordinate the escape
How do the three fugitives get out of the cabin?
They hide under the bed and crawl out through the tunnel they had dug
What causes the noise that alerts the armed men during the escape?
Tom's trousers catch on a splinter on the top fence rail and snap it when he pulls loose
Why don't the dogs catch Huck, Tom, and Jim?
The dogs recognize them and ignore them, continuing on toward the shouting and commotion
Where is Huck's raft hidden?
On an island in the river
What injury does Tom receive during the escape?
He is shot in the calf of his leg
What does Jim say when he learns Tom has been shot?
He refuses to leave without a doctor, saying he won't "budge a step" even "if it's forty year"
How does Tom react when Huck tells him the house is full of armed men?
His eyes blaze with excitement, and he wishes he could attract two hundred pursuers
What historical figure does Tom reference while on the raft?
Louis XVI of France and his execution during the French Revolution
What does Huck mean when he says Jim "was white inside"?
Huck means Jim is morally good and decent; it reflects the era's racial language while ironically praising Jim's character
What elaborate instructions does Tom give Huck about fetching the doctor?
Tom says to blindfold the doctor, make him swear secrecy, give him gold, lead him through back alleys in the dark, and take away his chalk so he can't mark the raft's location
What literary technique does Twain use in the melting butter scene?
Dramatic irony and comic relief—readers know it is butter while Aunt Sally believes it is Huck's brains
What contrast between Tom and Jim does this chapter highlight?
Tom treats the escape as a thrilling game, while Jim demonstrates genuine selflessness by refusing to flee without getting Tom medical help
What does Huck declare to Jim once they reach the raft?
"Now, old Jim, you're a free man again, and I bet you won't ever be a slave no more."
What mode of transportation do the boys use to descend from the upstairs bedroom?
A lightning rod that runs down the side of the house
How does the chapter end?
Huck leaves in the canoe to fetch a doctor for Tom, while Jim hides in the woods to wait