To Kill a Mockingbird

Study Questions for Chapters 16-18

Chapter 16

1. What subtle change does Scout notice in her father?

Scout notices that her father is more stressed out than usual.
2. What sort of person is Dolphus Raymond?
Dolphus Raymond has kids of different races.
3. How does Reverend Sykes help the children see and hear the trial? Is he right to do?
Sykes takes Jem, scout, and dill to the balcony where only black people can watch.
4. Comment on Judge Taylor's attitude to his job. Does he take the trial seriously or not?
Judge Taylor doesn't take the job seriously because he comes into the trial believing that Tom Robinson is
guilty.
Chapter 17

1. What are the main points in Heck Tate's evidence? What does Atticus show in his crossexamination of Sheriff Tate?
Heck Tate's evidence was that she was beaten on the right side of her face and body. Atticus shows
that Heck just said what he was told, and that he doesn't actually know what happened.
2. What do we learn indirectly of the home life of the Ewell family in this chapter?
We learn that the Ewell family is very poor, and they interact with black folks a lot more than the normal
people. They are also very uneducated.
3. What do you learn from Bob Ewell's evidence?
We learned that she was screaming a lot, and that he looked in the window and saw Tom raping her.
4. Why does Atticus ask Bob Ewell to write out his name? What does the jury see when he
does this?
Atticus has Ewell write his name to see if he is a lefty or a righty. The jury sees that he is a lefty,
meaning that he could have beaten his daughter up.
Chapter 18

1. Is Mayella like her father or different from him? In what ways?

Mayella isn't like her father because she is more quiet. She is just like him because she is poorly
educated, and takes care of things around the house.
2. What might be the reason for Mayella's crying in the court?
Mayella may be crying because her father beat her, not Tom Robinson.
3. How does Mayella react to Atticus's politeness? Is she used to people being polite?
Mayella thinks he is making fun of him because she isn't used to people being polite.

4. How well does Mr. Gilmer prove Tom's guilt in the eyes of the reader (you) and in the
eyes of the jury? Can you suggest why these might be different?
Mr. Gilmer proves Toms guilt in the eyes of the jury well because he says that Tom has a record, so he is
capable of it, and the jury is looking for an excuse to make him guilty. In the eyes of the reader it isn't,
however, because we aren't biased, and they have no evidence.