Tom Sawyer chapter 16 – 20 wkst.

Directions: Answer each question with a complete sentence.

1. Why do you think it was so important to Tom that he return in such a dramatic manner, rather than simply leaving a note for Aunt Polly, as he had considered?

2. What does Tom’s wish to attend his own funeral reveal about him?

3. Tom claims that he had seen in a dream the events that actually took place the night he secretly visited the family. How do his abilities as an actor come through in this scene?

4. What are Tom and Joe really doing by themselves in the woods after they learn to smoke?

5. Has the image of smoking changed since the mid-1800’s? Why did Tom and Joe want to do it? Do teenagers still smoke to look “cool” as Tom and Joe tried to?

6. How does Becky’s need for revenge compare with Tom’s need for revenge? How does this compare with Injun Joe’s need for revenge?

7. Why is the piece of bark so essential in proving Tom’s love for Aunt Polly?

8. Why does Tom take the blame for Becky’s crime of ripping the book?

9. Tom apologizes to Becky at the beginning of chapter 20. How does Tom’s forgiving nature compare with Becky’s tendency to hold a grudge?

10. At the beginning of chapter 19, Aunt Polly describes her humiliation after discovering that Tom’s “dream” story is untrue. How do you think Tom feels about telling that story, compared with how he felt while he was telling it?