Quiz: Two Short Stories Of Mark Twain
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This quiz features questions based on two famous short stories, "What Stumped the Blue Jays" and "Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall," written by Mark Twain. It follows the storyline of both the titles, characters, and perspectives. So, read carefully and try to recall what did you learn of both the stories.
- 1.In “What Stumped the Blue Jays,” what is Jim Baker’s story about?
- A.
A group of blue jays who attack a cat.
- B.
A blue jay who tries to steal another bird’s eggs.
- C.
A blue jay who tries to fill a house with acorns.
- 2.Twain’s style in “What Stumped the Blue Jays” is
- A.
Serious yet informal.
- B.
Humorous and informal.
- C.
Detailed and poetic.
- D.
Scholarly yet humorous.
- 3.What is the main purpose of “What Stumped the Blue Jays”?
- A.
To entertain readers.
- B.
To inform readers.
- C.
To persuade readers.
- D.
To warn readers.
- 4.“What Stumped the Blue Jays,” what special gift does Jim Baker say that blue jays have over other birds?
- A.
Best talkers.
- B.
Store the most food.
- C.
Eat the most.
- D.
Quieter than any other bird.
- 5.What purpose does the author have for including the following description in “What Stumped the Blue Jays?” You may say a cat uses good grammar. Well, a cat does—but you let a cat get excited once; you let a cat get to pulling fur with another cat on a shed, nights, and you’ll hear grammar that will give you the lockjaw.
- A.
To improve readers’ grammar.
- B.
To inform readers about cats.
- C.
To teach readers about fighting.
- D.
To make readers laugh.
- 6.In “What Stumped the Blue Jays,” which of the following characteristics do the blue jays seem to share with human beings?
- A.
They always support someone who has made a mistake.
- B.
They love to give advice and make fun of each other.
- C.
They are greedy and fight over everything.
- 7.According to “What Stumped the Blue Jays,” blue jays:
- A.
Gather in large groups.
- B.
Are smarter than cats.
- C.
Use bad grammar.
- D.
Have no sense of humor.
- 8.Which of the following sentences is one of the main ideas of “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall?”
- A.
Leaves stop making chlorophyll as summer ends.
- B.
Leaves reflect the colors of pumpkins and squash in the fall.
- C.
Photosynthesis begins in the fall.
- 9.According to “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall,” why does the United States have brighter fall foliage than Europe?
- A.
There is too much pollution in Europe.
- B.
There are no maple trees in Europe.
- C.
The United States has colder nights and drier, sunnier days in fall.
- 10.What is the main purpose of “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall”?
- A.
To persuade readers to stop pollution.
- B.
To inform readers of scientific facts about autumn leaves.
- C.
To explain the origin of macabre fall holidays.
- 11.Ackerman’s style in “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall” is:
- A.
Serious yet informal.
- B.
Humorous and informal.
- C.
Detailed and poetic
- D.
Scholarly yet humorous.
- 12.“Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall,” the author compares people to leopards because she wants to stress:
- A.
That leopards are endangered.
- B.
That leopards hide.
- C.
How powerful people are.
- D.
How carefully we must observe nature.
- 13.Which of the following examples reflects Ackerman’s style in “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall?”
- A.
Her detailed explanation of how the colored leaves fall.
- B.
Her humorous description of children playing in the leaves.
- C.
Her scholarly explanation of how leafless trees survive the winter.
- 14.What purpose might have inspired this final sentence of “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall?” Sometimes one finds in fossil stones the imprint of a leaf, long since disintegrated, whose outlines remind us how detailed, vibrant, and alive are the things of this earth that perish.
- A.
To make readers angry about the idea of dying.
- B.
To provide readers with a sense of wonder about life.
- C.
To make readers laugh.
- D.
To explain how fossils are formed.
- 15.What is the meaning of the word guffawed in the following passage from “What Stumped the Blue Jays?” Well, sir, they roosted around here on the house-top and the trees for an hour and guffawed over that thing like human beings.
- A.
Stared
- B.
Chattered
- C.
Frowned
- D.
Laughed
- 16.According to “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall,” the green chlorophyll in leaves is camouflage, which means that it:
- A.
Destroys the other colors in the leaves.
- B.
Hides the other colors in the leaves.
- C.
Makes the leaves fall off the trees.
- D.
Brightens the other colors in the leaves.
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