The Notorious Jumping Frog
What happens in the frame story of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
Guy goes to find Leonidas W. Smiley but realizes he doesn't exist. (The narrator retells a story he heard from a bartender, Simon Wheeler, at the Angels Hotel in Angels Camp, California, about the gambler Jim Smiley.)
How did the stranger beat Jim Smiley in the bet?
He put a spoonful of quail shot in the frog's mouth when Jim was not looking.
How did Jim Smiley's dog finally lose a fight?
He was matched up against a dog with no hind legs.
The example that best shows Smiley's addiction to gambling with disregard for anything else is the bet he places on ....?
Parson Walker's wife
What made Smiley's frog not win?
Quail shot
In "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," who tells the story about Jim Smiley and his frog?
Simon Wheeler
The story begins with the narrator asking for information from whom?
Simon Wheeler
What is one aspect of "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" that makes the story humorous?
Simon Wheeler does not recognize how ridiculous his tale is
Why did Andrew Jackson take a severe beating at the start of each fight?
Smiley could increase the bets against him.
The climax in the plot of the story about Smiley's frog occurs when ...?
Smiley discovers the quail shot
Why did Smiley act indifferent when the stranger asked him about Dan'l Webster?
Smiley was hoping to convince the stranger to bet on how well Dan'l could jump.
How did Jim Smiley's bulldog win him money?
The dog always gave up for the first part of the fight, letting the other dog win. People would double their bets against it, and Jim would bet even more money that his dog would win. When all hope appeared lost, his dog would grab onto the other dog's hind legs until it gave up.
The reader is led to believe that Andrew Jackson, the fighting dog, lost his last fight because of what?
a broken spirit after being tricked
When Twain writes that "[Smiley's dog would grab the other dog . . . and hang on till they *throwed up the sponge*," the phrase "throwed up the sponge" probably means that the people watching the dog fight __________.
admit that they lost the bet
Jim Smiley has a problem. What is it?
betting/gambling
Which of the following best describes Jim Smiley? bored and annoyed suspicious and aggressive clever and competitive gentle and tranquil
clever and competitive
According to Jim Smiley, a frog can become a great jumper if it is ....?
educated
How did the stranger get the best of Jim Smiley?
filling Dan'l Webster with lead
What does the first narrator suspects has happened to him at the beginning of the story?
his friend back East had set him up
The tone of Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" can best be described as __________. humorous pleasant bitter desperate
humorous
What did he train the frog to do?
jump high in the air
Dan'l Webster "was planted as solid as a church" is an example of _________. exaggeration irony personification simile
simile
When Jim Smiley brought Dan'l Webster downtown and "*lay for a bet*," Twain means that Jim Smiley would ...?
wait for someone to make a bet with him
How much was the bet?
$40
What was his bull-pup's name?
Andrew Jackson
What was the setting of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
Angel's Camp, a mining camp in rural California
What was the name of Jim Smiley's frog?
Daniel Webster
What was the narrator's attitude toward Simon Wheeler?
The narrator though he was boring and did not understand the purpose of the Jim Smiley story.
Why was Smiley so eager to catch up with the stranger?
The stranger tricked him out of his money.
Why did people generally bet against Jim Smiley's animals?
They were sickly looking and did not appear as if they would be any good at fighting or racing.
