My Papa, Mark Twain

Question 1

In “My Papa, Mark Twain,” what does Susy Clemens’s perspective, or viewpoint, reveal?

A. what she thinks about herself and her sister
B. information about the main problems of her time
C. how much she knows about her father’s books
D. her feelings about and personal interest in her father

Answer 1

D. her feelings about and personal interest in her father

Question 2

Which detail from “My Papa, Mark Twain” most clearly reveals that this biography was written by Mark Twain’s daughter?

A. Clara and I are sure that Papa played a trick on Grandma.
B. He smokes a great deal.
C. Some of the simplest things he can’t understand.
D. He doesn’t like to go to church at all.

Answer 2

A. Clara and I are sure that Papa played a trick on Grandma.

Question 3

In “My Papa, Mark Twain,” Susy Clemens describes how her father looks. Which detail is in her description?

A. beautiful black hair
B. kind brown eyes
C. a sad, care-worn face
D. a wonderfully shaped head

Answer 3

D. a wonderfully shaped head

Question 4

Which phrase best describes Mark Twain as Susy Clemens presents him?

A. strict and proper
B. youthful and athletic
C. quiet and shy
D. humorous and kind

Answer 4

D. humorous and kind

Question 5

A fact is information that can be checked and proved. An opinion is a person’s judgment or belief. Which detail from “My Papa, Mark Twain” is a fact?

A. A mugwump is pure from the marrow out.
B. He doesn’t wear a beard.
C. He is the loveliest man I ever saw or ever hope to see. D. It is unquestionably the best book he has ever written.

Answer 5

B. He doesn’t wear a beard.

Question 6

Which detail from “My Papa, Mark Twain” is most clearly an opinion?

A. We consist of Papa, Mamma, Jean, Clara, and me.
B. The switch hovered in the air.
C. She let him go into a printing office to learn the trade.
D. It is a wonderfully beautiful and touching little scene.

Answer 6

D. It is a wonderfully beautiful and touching little scene.

Question 7

In “My Papa, Mark Twain,” why do you think Susy Clemens includes the description of Twain’s problems with the burglar alarm?

A. It shows that Twain has a good imagination.
B. It shows that he does not have a logical mind.
C. It shows why Twain’s wife had to work so hard.
D. It shows that he understands and fixes problems of every kind.

Answer 7

B. It shows that he does not have a logical mind.

Question 8

Which pair of phrases indicates an opinion in the following passage from “My Papa, Mark Twain”?

I think that one of the most touching scenes in it is where the pauper is riding on horseback with his nobles in the “recognition procession” and he sees his mother . . .

A. I think/most touching
B. is where/the pauper is riding
C. on horseback/with his nobles
D. in the “recognition procession”/he sees his mother

Answer 8

A. I think/most touching

Question 9

What does Susy Clemens’s perspective add to “My Papa, Mark Twain” that another author’s could not add?

A. a list of Mark Twain’s books
B. personal details about Mark Twain and his family
C. the names of Mark Twain’s family members D. a description of Mark Twain’s appearance

Answer 9

B. personal details about Mark Twain and his family

Question 10

Susy Clemens includes Mark Twain’s bad qualities (as she sees them) as well as his good qualities in her biography. In an essay, describe Mark Twain as Susy Clemens sees him.

Answer 10

Susy Clemens describes Mark Twain as a loving, handsome, charming, humorous, and good man. She also says he is forgetful and short-tempered. She says he cannot understand mechanical things, such as how a burglar alarm works, and he tends to get impatient when his wife tries to explain what he does wrong. Susy admits that her father talks too much, smokes too much, does not go to church, and uses bad language. She also feels that he is a wonderful writer and has a kind and sympathetic nature.

Question 11

Which detail from “My Papa, Mark Twain” shows most clearly that it was written from the perspective of Twain’s daughter?

A. Clara and I are sure that papa played the trick on Grandma about the whipping
that is related in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. . . .
B. . . . The Prince and the Pauper is full of touching places, but there is always a
streak of humor in them somewhere.
C. His complexion is very fair, and he doesn’t wear a beard.
D. He has beautiful gray hair, not any too thick or any too long. . . .

Answer 11

A. Clara and I are sure that papa played the trick on Grandma about the whipping
that is related in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. . . .

Question 12

In “My Papa, Mark Twain,” what does Susy Clemens mean when she writes the following?
I never saw a man with so much variety of feeling as papa has.

A. She never met her father.
B. Mark Twain never showed his feelings.
C. Mark Twain could express many different emotions in his writing.
D. She never saw her father laugh.

Answer 12

C. Mark Twain could express many different emotions in his writing.

Question 13

In “My Papa, Mark Twain,” the number of cats in the Twain home is a detail that supports the idea that

A. Twain is very absent-minded.
B. Twain does not care about keeping a neat home.
C. Twain loves animals.
D. Twain was writing a book about cats.

Answer 13

C. Twain loves animals.

Question 14

In “My Papa, Mark Twain,” Susy Clemens reveals her unique perspective on the subject of her father when she

A. tells the names of the family cats.
B. says she has read many of her father’s books.
C. tells who is in her family.
D. reveals personal stories about her father at home.

Answer 14

D. reveals personal stories about her father at home.

Question 15

According to the information Susy Clemens presents in “My Papa, Mark Twain,” her father could best be described as

A. strict, proper, and predictable.
B. practical, energetic, and lively.
C. quiet, shy, and serious.
D. humorous, absent-minded, and affectionate.

Answer 15

D. humorous, absent-minded, and affectionate.

Question 16

Which of these details from “My Papa, Mark Twain” is the clearest statement of fact?

A. He hasn’t extraordinary teeth.
B. I shall have no trouble in not knowing what to say about him.
C. Our burglar alarm is often out of order.
D. A mugwump is pure from the marrow out.

Answer 16

C. Our burglar alarm is often out of order.

Question 17

In “My Papa, Mark Twain,” what does Susy Clemens tell you about Mark Twain in this passage?
. . . he could listen to himself talk for hours without getting tired, of course he said this in joke, but I’ve no dought it was founded on truth.

A. Twain was a good and sympathetic listener.
B. Twain enjoyed talking more than listening to others.
C. Twain liked to make fun of people.
D. Twain preferred writing to speaking.

Answer 17

B. Twain enjoyed talking more than listening to others.

Question 18

Which of the following sentences from “My Papa, Mark Twain” is an opinion?

A. We consist of Papa, Mamma, Jean, Clara, and me.
B. It is a wonderfully beautiful and touching little scene. . . .
C. The switch hovered in the air.
D. Grandma wouldn’t make Papa go to school, so she let him go into a printing office to learn the trade.

Answer 18

B. It is a wonderfully beautiful and touching little scene. . . .

Question 19

In “My Papa, Mark Twain,” Twain’s problem with the burglar alarm shows that

A. Twain has trouble understanding how such devices work.
B. Twain is not concerned about keeping his house secure from burglary.
C. Twain has a good imagination.
D. Twain is very helpful with chores around the home.

Answer 19

A. Twain has trouble understanding how such devices work.

Question 20

In“MyPapa,MarkTwain,”whatexcusedoesSusyClemensgiveforherfather’snot being able to understand how the burglar alarm works?

A. He has no mechanical ability.
B. He cannot be bothered with unimportant things.
C. He has the mind of a writer and cannot understand simple things.
D. Her mother takes care of things like that.

Answer 20

C. He has the mind of a writer and cannot understand simple things.

Question 21

Which clue indicates that the following passage from “My Papa, Mark Twain” is an opinion?
One of papa’s latest books is The Prince and the Pauper and it is unquestionably the best book he has ever written, some people want him to keep to his old style, . . .
A. One of papa’s latest books
B. unquestionably the best
C. some people
D. his old style

Answer 21

B. unquestionably the best

Question 22

According to Susy Clemens in “My Father, Mark Twain,” one of her father’s faults is that

A. he uses strong language.
B. he pretends to be someone he is not.
C. he has too many cats.
D. he plays jokes on people who are mean.

Answer 22

A. he uses strong language.

Question 23

If a biographer who is not related to Mark Twain wrote about him, what would probably be the biggest difference between that description and Susy Clemens’s description in “My Papa, Mark Twain”?

A. It would have more details based on Internet research.
B. It would contain both negative and positive criticism of Twain’s books. C. It would contain more information about the narrator.
D. It would not reveal such a loving attitude toward Twain.

Answer 23

D. It would not reveal such a loving attitude toward Twain.

Question 24

In “My Papa, Mark Twain,” Susy Clemens creates a vivid portrait of her father. Write an essay that tells the good points and the faults that Clemens reveals about her father.

Answer 24

In Susy Clemens’s opinion, Mark Twain is attractive and intelligent. She suggests that he is the center of the fam- ily and that everyone, especially her mother, caters to him. She tells the reader that he is fond of animals, that he has a kind, sympathetic nature, and that he is humorous. The faults she describes are his excessive billiard playing, smoking, talking, strong language, absent-mindedness, and lack of mechanical ability.

Question 25

Write an essay about Susy Clemens’s perspective of her relationship with her father, Mark Twain. Include facts about the relationship as well as Susy Clemens’s opinions that are included in “My Papa, Mark Twain.”

Answer 25

Susy Clemens’s description of her father shows that she
loves him. It is her opinion that he is very handsome and a good person. She admires his writing and believes that the public does not appreciate him or know his writing as well as she does. She is aware of some of his shortcomings, such as his fondness for wanting to talk more than to listen. Susy speaks of her father’s short- comings with fondness.