Mark Twain — Questions and answers

Read the full story

Why did Mark Twain go on a big lecture tour around the world?

Choices

  1. To visit many different countries and see new sights.
  2. To become even more famous as a humorist.
  3. To pay back all the money he owed to people. ✓
  4. To perform his funny stories just for fun.

Answer: To pay back all the money he owed to people.

From page 1

What kind of things did young Samuel see around the Mississippi River that helped him understand people and stories?

Choices

  1. Only the quiet nature far away from the town.
  2. Big cities with tall buildings and many cars.
  3. Paddlewheel steamboats and interesting people by the river. ✓
  4. Books and lessons from a fancy school in London.

Answer: Paddlewheel steamboats and interesting people by the river.

From page 2

What important job did Samuel Clemens have on the Mississippi River for four years?

Choices

  1. He was a fisherman catching fish.
  2. He was a steamboat pilot, guiding boats. ✓
  3. He was a river doctor, helping sick passengers.
  4. He was a builder, making new docks.

Answer: He was a steamboat pilot, guiding boats.

From page 3

What does the pen name 'Mark Twain' mean?

Choices

  1. A special kind of silver from the mines.
  2. The name of a famous newspaper.
  3. A riverboat term for safe water. ✓
  4. The name of a new fast train.

Answer: A riverboat term for safe water.

From page 4

What was the name of Mark Twain's first very famous story that made him well-known?

Choices

  1. "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
  2. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" ✓
  3. "The Innocents Abroad"
  4. "The Mississippi River Journey"

Answer: "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"

From page 5

What kind of book was The Innocents Abroad?

Choices

  1. A scary mystery about a haunted castle.
  2. A funny travelogue about his journeys. ✓
  3. A serious history book about Europe.
  4. A cookbook with recipes from different countries.

Answer: A funny travelogue about his journeys.

From page 6

Which two very famous books about American life did Mark Twain write in the 1870s and 1880s?

Choices

  1. The Innocent Tourist and The Jumping Frog's Tale
  2. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ✓
  3. Life on the Mississippi and Roughing It
  4. The Prince and the Pauper and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Answer: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

From page 7

What was Mark Twain's biggest mistake in business that caused him to go bankrupt?

Choices

  1. He bought too many steamboats that broke down.
  2. He invested a lot of money in a typesetting machine called the Paige Compositor. ✓
  3. He spent all his money on fancy clothes and travel.
  4. He loaned too much money to his friends.

Answer: He invested a lot of money in a typesetting machine called the Paige Compositor.

From page 8

How did Mark Twain change in his later years, as reflected in his writings?

Choices

  1. He became very cheerful and wrote only happy stories.
  2. He stopped writing and traveled the world just for fun.
  3. He became a strong critic of unfairness and spoke his mind, even if it was unpopular. ✓
  4. He only wrote about science and new inventions.

Answer: He became a strong critic of unfairness and spoke his mind, even if it was unpopular.

From page 9

Besides being a humorist, what else is Mark Twain remembered for?

Choices

  1. Discovering new lands and building railroads.
  2. Being a deep social critic and a master of realistic writing. ✓
  3. Only writing very short and silly poems.
  4. Inventing the first flying machine.

Answer: Being a deep social critic and a master of realistic writing.

From page 10