Comprehension Questions – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

By Mark Twain

Grades 8-12; Genre - Fiction; GRL Z; AR pts: 12.0

Tom Sawyer is a thirteen year old boy growing up on the banks of the Mississippi River.  Under the care of his Aunt Polly he tests her patience with his quick wit and adventuresome spirit.  Tom often goes looking for adventure with his friend Huck Finn and they find themselves witnessing a murder and finding some real treasure.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Who’s Tom Sawyer’s caregiver?  Aunt Polly  p. 10
  2. How does Aunt Polly feel about Tom?  She knows she should punish him, but it breaks her heart when she has to.  She loves him, but frustrated with him.  P. 11
  3. Tell me about Tom.  Trouble maker, likes to fight, lazy, skips school, lies  p. 11
  4. Why did Tom chase the boy home after their fight?  The boy hit him with a rock.   P. 16

Chapter 2

  1. What did Tom have to do Saturday morning as a punishment for his ruined clothes?  Whitewash the fence  p. 18
  2. How did Aunt Polly stop Jim from getting tricked by Tom into washing his fence?  Kicked his hind end p. 19
  3. What did Tom’s friends do when they saw him painting the fence?   Taunt him, jeered    p. 22
  4. How did Tom get out of whitewashing the fence?  He tricked his friends into doing it for him.  p. 22

Chapter 3

  1.  What rewards did Tom get when his aunt thought he’d done the fence?  An apple and doughnut  p. 25
  2. What did the new girl throw over the fence for Tom before she went inside?  A pansy   p. 26
  3. Who did Aunt Polly think broke the sugar bowl?  Tom   p. 28
  4. Why couldn’t his aunt apologize for belting Tom even though he didn’t do it?  You couldn’t say, “I was wrong,” and apologize back then   p. 28

Chapter 4

  1. When Tom was doing his lessons, why did he choose to memorize the Sermon on the Mount?  They had the shortest verses   p. 32
  2. At Sunday School, what could the children earn with their tickets?   A Bible   p. 35
  3. How was Tom able to get enough tickets to win a Bible?  He traded tickets with the other boys   p.  39
  4. What did Amy Lawrence realize when Tom would only look at the new girl?  He didn’t like her anymore   p. 40

Chapter 5

  1. How did Tom feel about church?  Didn’t like it/ endured it  p. 44
  2. Why did Tom think boys with handkerchiefs were snobs?  They were good boys with manners   p. 43
  3. What did Tom catch right when the minister said, “Amen”?  a fly  p. 45
  4. What bit the poodle during the sermon?  A pinch bug/ beetle   p. 46

Chapter 6

  1. What did Tom pretend was the matter with him so he didn’t have to go to school?  he had a bad toe  p. 49
  2. Why was Tom forbidden to play with Huckleberry Finn?  He was a bad kid   p. 51
  3. What did Huck say dead cats help cure?   warts   p. 54
  4. Why did Tom tell the truth about talking to Huck Finn and being late to school?  So he’d get punished with sitting by the girls  p. 57

Chapter 7

  1. Who’s Tom’s best friend?  Joe Harper   p. 61
  2. What did Tom and Joe play with during school?   a tick   p. 62
  3. What did Tom say he and Becky needed to do to be engaged?  Kiss   p. 65
  4. What upset Becky and made her cry?  When Tom mentioned Amy Lawrence   p. 66

Chapter 8

  1. Why did Tom run away from the school?  Becky wouldn’t talk to him   p. 68
  2. Why did he want to run away?  To make her feel bad and get attention   p. 68
  3. What’s a superstition?  A belief that’s not based on reason or knowledge   p. 70
  4. When Joe arrived, what book did he and Tom act out?  Robin Hood  p. 72

Chapter 9

  1. Why did Tom want to stay awake when he went to bed?  He was going to the cemetery with Huck  p. 75
  2. What were the three men doing in the cemetery?  Digging up the grave Tom and Huck were near  p.  77
  3. Why did the three men end up fighting?  Potter wanted more money from Dr. Robinson   p. 78
  4. How did Injun Joe make Potter think he’d killed Dr. Robinson?  Injun Joe put the knife in Potter’s hand   p. 79

Chapter 10

  1. What did the boys do to promise they wouldn’t tell anyone about the murder?  Sign in blood that they wouldn’t tell   p. 84
  2. Who did Tom and Huck sneak up on while he was sleeping?  Muff Potter   p. 87
  3. Who was awake when Tom came home?  Sid   p. 87
  4. What was Tom’s punishment for going out at night?  Aunt Polly crying and making him feel guilty  p. 88

Chapter 11

  1. How do you know Tom is stressed about Injun Joe and the murder?  Has bad dreams   p. 92
  2. Why did Tom say he had a tooth ache and tied a wrap around his mouth?  So Sid wouldn’t hear what was in his dreams   p. 92
  3. What did Tom take to Muff Potter when he was in jail?  Small comforts   p. 93

Chapter 12

  1. Why had Tom become melancholy and depressed?  Becky Thatcher was sick   p. 94
  2. Who did Tom give the pain-killer to?  Peter the cat   p. 96
  3. How did Tom behave when Becky came to the school?  all show off and whooping around with the boys  p. 98
  4. How did Becky treat him?  like she didn’t approve of him   p. 99

Chapter 13

  1. Why did Joe and Tom want to run away?  They felt no one loved them   p. 100
  2. What kind of lifestyle were the boys going to live?  Pirates   p. 101
  3. Where did they go to live?  Jackson Island   p. 104
  4. Why did Tom and Joe say their prayers?  They were scared they’d get hit with a thunderbolt from heaven   p. 107
  5. Who was the intruder that came to Joe and Tom and made them feel guilty for running away and stealing?  Their consciences’   p. 107

Chapter 14

  1. Why were the runaway boys happy their raft drifted away?  It meant they were really freed from civilization  p. 110
  2. How did the boys begin to feel in the afternoon after swimming, exploring and finally relaxing by the fire?  Homesick    p. 111
  3. Who were the people in the ferry boat looking for?   Tom, Huck, and Joe   p. 112
  4. How did Tom and Huck respond to Joe’s wanting to go home?  Couldn’t believe it, made him feel like he was a chicken   p. 113 

Chapter 15

  1. Where did Tom go when he snuck away from camp?  Back home   p. 116
  2. How were Aunt Polly and Joe’s mother talking about the boys?  That they were mischievous, but good hearted boys   p. 117
  3. When were the boys to be given funerals if they weren’t found?  By Sunday   p. 118
  4. When did Tom say he’d be back?  By breakfast   p. 119

Chapter 16

  1. Why did Joe want to go home?  So he could see his mother/ he’s homesick   p. 122
  2. What did Huck and Tom call Joe when he wanted to go home?  A crybaby   p. 122
  3. Who wanted to go home after Joe started dressing to go home?  Huck   p. 123
  4. What had Tom kept Joe and Huck on the island with Tom?  Tom’s secret   p. 123
  5. How did Tom and Joe feel when they were smoking the pipe?  Sick and throwing up  p. 125

Chapter 17

  1. What were the children who knew Tom, Huck and Joe doing on the Saturday before the funerals?  Talking about who spoke to them last   p. 131
  2. Who was in the back during the funeral?  Tom, Huck and Joe   p. 132
  3. How did everyone respond when they saw the boys?  Happy   p. 132

Chapter 18

  1. What did Sid think of Tom’s “dream”?  didn’t believe it was just a dream   p. 138
  2. What did Tom do to make Becky jealous?  Ignoring her and talking with Amy   p. 140
  3. How did Becky make Tom jealous?  Reading a book with another boy   p. 141
  4. What did Alfred do to Tom’s spelling book?  Poured ink in it   p. 142

Chapter 19

  1. Why couldn’t Aunt Polly believe Tom anymore?  Because he’d lied so much, can’t trust him anymore  p. 145
  2. What did she find that helped her believe and forgive Tom?  she found the bark in his jacket   p. 146

Chapter 20

  1. What did Becky do to their teacher’s book?  Rip out a page   p. 148
  2. Why did Becky let Tom get in trouble for the ink in his spelling book?  She thought he would tell on her ripping out the page   p. 150
  3. How did Tom save Becky from getting in trouble?  Confessed he did it   p. 151

Chapter 21

  1. Why do the boys want to get revenge against the school master?  It’s the end of the year and master punishes them for every little thing   p. 153
  2. How did Tom do with his speech?  Failure, he was too nervous and forgot it  p. 155
  3. What was the boy’s revenge on the school master?  They had a cat steal his wig during the examination  p. 160

Chapter 22

  1. What did Tom need to refrain from when he was a part of the Cadets of Temperance?  Smoking, drinking, swearing  p. 161
  2. Where had Becky gone for the summer break?  Constantinople house   p. 162
  3. What sickness did Tom get over the break?  Measles  p. 163

Chapter 23

  1. How did Tom and Huck feel about Muff Potter getting hung for the murder?  Really awful, guilty  p. 166
  2. What nice things did Muff Potter do for them?  Help them fish, gave Huck food, good to them   p. 166
  3. Who did the defense lawyer call to the stand?  Tom  p. 170
  4. What did Injun Joe do when Tom told his side of the story?  Jumped out the window and ran away   p. 171

Chapter 24

  1. Who did Tom tell the murder story to?  The defense lawyer  p.172
  2. When?  The night before the trial   p. 172
  3. Why were Tom and Huck so terrified at night?  Injun Joe would come and kill them  p. 172

Chapter 25

  1. What did Tom and Huck decide to go dig for?  Treasure   p. 174
  2. Why wouldn’t Huck want to save his treasure?  his dad would come back and take it    p. 177
  3. After digging around the tree, where were the boys going to dig next?  In the haunted house  p. 180

Chapter 26

  1. Why did Huck and Tom decide not to dig for treasure on Friday? Friday’s unlucky  p. 182
  2. Who really was the “deaf and dumb Spaniard”?  Injun Joe   p. 185
  3. What stopped Tom from sneaking out of the house when the two men were asleep?  The floor creaked  p. 186
  4. What stopped Joe from going up the stairs and finding the boys?  The stairs broke   p. 189

Chapter 27

  1. What told Tom the adventures the day before had been real and not a dream?  Huck talked about losing the treasure   p. 192
  2. What were the boys going to do to find out if the Number Two by the tavern was Injun Joe’s hiding place?  They were going to try to unluck it and see   p. 193
  3. Why doesn’t Huck want to follow Injun Joe?  He’s scared he’ll kill him   p. 193

Chapter 28

  1. Who was laying on the floor of the Number Two house?  Injun Joe   p. 196
  2. Why didn’t he wake up when Tom went in?  drunk   p. 196
  3. What’s the deal Huck made Tom about watching for Injun Joe to leave the whiskey house?  Huck will watch for Injun Joe to leave and Tom will go grab the chest   p. 198

Chapter 29

  1. Why did Becky’s mom want her to stay with someone the night of the picnic instead of going home?  It would be too late and too far to travel that night   p.200
  2. Why did Huck decide he’d better follow the men?  There was no time to go get Tom   p. 203
  3. Why did Injun Joe want to take revenge on the Widow Douglas?  Her husband was a justice of the piece and had him horsewhipped   p. 204
  4. Why did Huck want to help the Widow Douglas?  She’d been kind to him   p. 203

Chapter 30

  1. Why didn’t Huck want the Welshman to tell the Widow Douglas who saved her?  he didn’t want Injun Joe to kill him for telling on him  p. 209
  2. Where and when did Mrs. Thatcher find out Becky was missing?  At church the next day  p. 213
  3. Who watched over Huck as he was sick with a fever?  Widow Douglas   p. 214
  4. Where did the searchers find Becky and Tom’s names?  In the cave on a wall   p. 215

Chapter 31

  1. How did Becky and Tom get lost in the cave?  Bats chased them and they raced away without leaving marks   p. 218
  2. What snack did Tom take out of his pocket?  A piece of their wedding cake   p. 222
  3. What did Tom use as a guide so they didn’t get more lost?  A kite string   p. 225
  4. Who did Tom see in the cave holding a candle?  Injun Joe   p. 225

Chapter 32

  1. How did Tom and Becky escape the cave?  Tom went searching again with his kite line for a way out and saw a speck of daylight.  He found the hole and they climbed through.   P. 228
  2. What happened to Injun Joe’s ragged companion?  He drowned   p. 229
  3. What did Judge Thatcher do to the opening of the cave?  Closed up the door with triple locks on it   p. 230

Chapter 33

  1. How did Injun Joe die?  Of starvation from being locked in the cave   p. 232
  2. Where did Tom think the money from Injun Joe was?  In the cave   p. 234
  3. Where in the cave did they find the treasure?  in Injun Joe’s cavern under the rock that has the cross on it   p. 238
  4. What did Tom and Huck need to do after they got to the Widow Douglas’ drawing room?  Wash and dress in nice clothes   p. 241

Chapter 34

  1. Why did Huck want to escape and go out the window?  he doesn’t like crowds   p. 242
  2. What did Mr. Jones announce to everyone about Huck?  That he’d been the one to save the Widow Douglas   p. 243
  3. What did the widow announce to everyone about her plans?  She was going to give Huck a home   p. 243
  4. What did Tom tell everyone at the party about?  The money   p. 244

Chapter 35

  1. How did Judge Thatcher feel about Tom?  Liked him the more Becky told him about him/ wanted him to be a lawyer   p. 246
  2. What did Tom want to do with his life?  Be a robber p. 249
  3. How does Huck feel about his new life with the Widow Douglas?Doesn’t like it at all     p. 247