Life on the Mississippi

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Prologue-Chapter XV

Reading Check

1. What does Twain dream of becoming as a young boy?

2. Who trained Twain while he worked on the Paul Jones?

3. Who does Mr. Bixby claim would have killed Twain if Twain had described the route of the Mississippi River to him?

4. Which of Twain’s rivals nearly drowns but ends up appearing heroic?

5. What does Twain believe to be the best profession, practiced by the “freest men in America”?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is the purpose of Twain’s comparison of the Mississippi River and other bodies of water, including the Nile and Amazon Basin?

2. Why does Twain include the Mississippi River’s history in his narrative? What makes him become a pilot?

3. In what way does Twain refer to his other literary works to describe life on and near the river?

4. What are Twain’s depictions of his own pride? What is the effect of pride on how others perceive him?

5. What does Twain find surprising about navigating the Mississippi River once he does it for himself? What effect does navigation of the Mississippi have on some of the pilots?

Paired Resource

The Mississippi River

• This article describes the Mississippi River, its size, and its uses.
• Shared themes include Travel, America’s Growth and Prosperity, and Knowledge and Education.
• What is the Mississippi River’s rank in length in the world? Why might the measurements of the river change from year to year? Approximately how many people depend on the Mississippi River for water supply? What commerce is available because of the river?

Chapter XVI-Chapter XXX

Reading Check

1. When are passengers prohibited from boarding steamboats?

2. Which one of Twain’s acquaintances intends to pay his lenders in alphabetical order?

3. Which steamboat blows up, fatally injuring Twain’s brother?

4. What is Twain’s occupation during the Civil War?

5. Who, according to Twain, worked as pirates on the Mississippi River?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Twain identify as the problem with cut-offs on the Mississippi River? What is the intended purpose of these cut-offs?

2. What is Twain’s experience with Brown? How does Brown’s treatment of Twain impact the way others treat him?

3. What are the changes that are made along the Mississippi River following the American Civil War?

4. What feelings does Twain experience upon his return to the Mississippi River? How do the changes he observes affect him? 

Paired Resource

“How the Transcontinental Railroad Transformed America”

• This 11-minute video explores the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad on America.
• Shared themes include America’s Growth and Prosperity and Knowledge and Education.
• Why was the Transcontinental Railroad essential to growth and prosperity in America? How could the development of the railroad have a negative impact on the steamboat industry? (For a shorter viewing, consider showing from the start of the video to 4:22 and from 9:49 to the end.)

The Pennsylvania Steamboat Disaster

• This article recounts the destruction of the steamboat Pennsylvania.
• Shared themes include Maturity.
• What caused the Pennsylvania to explode, and who was determined to be responsible for the accident? What was the cause of Henry Clemens’s death aboard the vessel? How does the Pennsylvania serve as an example of the dangers associated with steamboat piloting?

Chapter XXXI-Chapter XLV

Reading Check

1. Whom does Twain intend to visit in Napoleon, Arkansas?

2. Who no longer wants to work with Twain after having been mistakenly given a winning hand in a fixed poker game?

3. Which town does Twain find to be the same as he remembers it, only more hygienic and with fewer fires?

4. What does Twain note is the “chief topic of conversation” in the South, but not the North?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is Twain’s errand in Napoleon, and what does he mean when he says it isn’t “a noonday kind of errand”(Chapter XXXI)?

2. According to Mr. H and his friend, how do the mosquitoes of Arkansas compare to those of Louisiana?

3. What are Twain’s observations on death and the business of death?

4. What are some observations that Twain makes about the speech and pastimes of the people who live in proximity to the Mississippi River?

Paired Resource

“New Orleans Grave Traditions Unearthed”

• This article explores the unique burial traditions of New Orleans. (Subscription may be required to view.)
• Shared themes include Knowledge and Education.
• What are some of the unique features associated with grave sites in New Orleans? Why have bodies traditionally been buried above ground in the city? What are the potential causes of the lack of profit Twain’s undertaker friend complained of?

Chapter XLVI-Chapter LX

Reading Check

1. Which famous southern celebration is Twain disappointed that he missed?

2. Which of Twain’s former mentors does he encounter on his journey along the Mississippi River?

3. What role does the acquaintance of Twain play in Julius Caesar?

4. According to the carpenter’s story, what was the last name of all his murder victims?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How did Twain come by his pen name? What is the tone of Twain’s retelling of this event?

2. What does Twain discover about his reputation in his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri?

3. Why is Twain concerned as a young person that he may be responsible for an individual’s death?

Recommended Next Reads 

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

• This autobiography explores the life of Benjamin Franklin from his youth to his involvement in the Pennsylvania Assembly. 
• Shared themes include Knowledge and Education, America’s Growth and Prosperity, and Maturity.
• Shared topics include inquiry, mistakes of youth, and rise to popularity.
• Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin on SuperSummary

A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett by David Crockett

• This autobiography describes the life of David Crockett and his experience as an American frontiersman from his childhood to his work in the legislature.
• Shared themes include America’s Growth and Prosperity and Maturity.
• Shared topics include overcoming hardship, becoming famous, and the pursuit of fortune.
• A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett on SuperSummary