FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Quiz about The Story of the Bad Little Boy by Mark Twain

'The Story of the Bad Little Boy' by Mark Twain Quiz

This quiz tests players' knowledge of Mark Twain's second published short story, 'The Story of the Bad Little Boy.' I hope to place a quiz on all 66 of Twain's short stories. Best of luck.

A multiple-choice quiz by Triviaballer. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Triviaballer

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
270,042

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
540

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 103 (7/10), Guest 108 (8/10), Sethdv7 (9/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What was the name of the main character in 'The Story of the Bad Little Boy'? Hint

Bobby

Joe

Jim

Johnny

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In what activity is the bad little boy's nefarious behavior in stark contrast to most other boys? Hint

Little League Baseball

Boy Scouts

Choir

Sunday School

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. What was different about this bad little boy in regards to his mother that was usually not the case with bad little boys? Hint

She was not sick.

She was blind and deaf.

She was terminally ill.

She was not his true biological mother.

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. One day the bad little boy stole the key to his mother's pantry. What bad little deed did he commit after doing this? Hint

He stole all of the food in the pantry, sold it to his friends, and then used the money to buy comic books.

He ate all of his mother's jam and then filled the empty bottle with tar.

He emptied the honey jar into his mother's shampoo bottle and replaced the empty bottle with corn starch.

He put dog food in his mother's cereal.

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. What did the bad little boy steal when he went on Farmer Acorn's property? Hint

A dog

Apples

A pig

Oranges

6. Another example of the bad little boy's evil actions came when he stole a teacher's penknife and slipped it onto another boy to get him in trouble. Of course he picked 'the good little boy of the village,' George Wilson, to do this to. Where did the bad little boy place the penknife on George so that it'd fall out and he'd get in trouble? Hint

Into his cap

In his shoe

In his shirt pocket

On his belt

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. The bad little boy hated moral boys. What coarse language did the bad little boy use to describe his opinions about moral boys? Hint

I've grown to hate two things in life: good little boys and okra.

I'd rather be a flobberworm than one of dem moral kind.

I'm down on them milksops.

If I had littleuns that always followed dem rules I'd knock of sense into 'em.

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. The bad little boy habitually went out boating and fishing when he was not supposed to. Why was the bad boy not supposed to go fishing or boating when he did? Hint

He did not own a life jacket, lights on his boat, a boating license, or a fishing license.

He could not swim.

He boated and fished on the Sabbath.

The lake where he went fishing and boating contained alligators.

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Which of the following statements about the bad little boy's later life is false? Hint

He married and raised a large family whom he 'brained with an axe one night.'

He introduced foreign species like Tasmanian devils and piranhas to his village.

He got wealthy by all manner of cheating and rascality.

He became a universally respected member of the legislature.

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Consistently throughout the story the bad little boy is described as being unique from other bad little boys for a particular reason. What distinguishes the titular character from other young miscreants? Hint

Bad things did not happen to the bad little boy after he committed his wrongful exploits that typically happen to boys that engaged in those activities.

People came to respect the bad little boy because he was the best at pulling off dangerous and mischievous stunts.

The bad little boy rarely got caught for committing wicked deeds.

The bad little boy was shunned and hated wherever he went.

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Most Recent Scores

Today : Guest 103: 7/10
Apr 17 2024 : Guest 108: 8/10
Mar 28 2024 : Sethdv7: 9/10
Mar 06 2024 : Guest 139: 1/10
Feb 27 2024 : Buddy1: 9/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What was the name of the main character in 'The Story of the Bad Little Boy'?

Answer: Jim

In the story Twain wrote 'if you will notice, you will find that bad little boys are nearly always called James...It was strange, but still it is true, that this one was called Jim.'

2. In what activity is the bad little boy's nefarious behavior in stark contrast to most other boys?

Answer: Sunday School

The story does not mention the bad little boy being involved in Boy Scouts, Sunday School, Little League Baseball, or Choir, but if he was I'm sure he would have found ways to be troublesome.

3. What was different about this bad little boy in regards to his mother that was usually not the case with bad little boys?

Answer: She was not sick.

Unlike most other bad little boys, Jim's mother was not sick or pious, she showed very little affection to her son, and she repeatedly boxed his ears when he misbehaved.

4. One day the bad little boy stole the key to his mother's pantry. What bad little deed did he commit after doing this?

Answer: He ate all of his mother's jam and then filled the empty bottle with tar.

The bad little boy figured that 'the old woman would get up and snort' but she whipped him severely because he denied knowing anything about the tar in the jam bottle.

5. What did the bad little boy steal when he went on Farmer Acorn's property?

Answer: Apples

The bad little boy also injured the farmer's dog with a brick when the dog came after him.

Answer: Into his cap

The penknife ended up falling out of George Wilson's cap after which George hung was head and blushed as if to admit guilt even though he did not steal the penknife. The bad little boy did not fess up to being the one that incriminated George and the good little boy ended up being punished by the teacher who 'brought the switch down upon his trembling shoulders.'

7. The bad little boy hated moral boys. What coarse language did the bad little boy use to describe his opinions about moral boys?

Answer: I'm down on them milksops.

A milksop was a derogatory term used to describe a man lacking courage and other qualities deemed manly. I'm of the opinion that you can follow the rules and still not be a milksop.

8. The bad little boy habitually went out boating and fishing when he was not supposed to. Why was the bad boy not supposed to go fishing or boating when he did?

Answer: He boated and fished on the Sabbath.

Not surprisingly, the bad little boy did not follow the rules of the Sabbath by which he was supposed to abide.

9. Which of the following statements about the bad little boy's later life is false?

Answer: He introduced foreign species like Tasmanian devils and piranhas to his village.

No, according to the story the bad little boy did not introduce any foreign animals to his village. I suppose he was too busy accomplishing more devious measures.

Answer: Bad things did not happen to the bad little boy after he committed his wrongful exploits that typically happen to boys that engaged in those activities.

Unlike other bad little boys, this one did not fall and break his arm when he stole apples, drown or get struck by lightning when he went fishing and boating on the Sabbath, get his head knocked off by an elephant after he fed it tobacco, or shoot off three or four of his fingers when he stole his father's gun and went hunting on the Sabbath.

This bad little boy had an incredible streak of luck and lived a charmed life, two things most bad little boys usually don't have.

Source: Author Triviaballer

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Related Quizzes

This quiz is part of series Triv's Short Story Quizzes (1):

For those like me with a limited attention span

  1. The Gift of the Magi Average
  2. 'The Story of the Bad Little Boy' by Mark Twain Average
  3. Harrison Bergeron Average
  4. A Perfect Day for Bananafish Average
  5. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Average

Referenced Topics

Literature Animals Languages Names Fishing Mark Twain Elephant Teachers Mark Twain Hunting

Other Destinations

Explore Other Quizzes by Triviaballer

Go to Authors T-Z Quizzes

More Twain, Mark Quizzes

FunTrivia Homepage