“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of

Calaveras County”By Mark Twain

Close ReadAnswer the following

Questions in your Read/ Write Notebook

1. Question

At the beginning of this FRAME story, what does the narrator’s

friend from back East ask him to do?

1. AnswerAt the beginning of the frame story, the narrator’s friend from back East asked him to look up a man named Simon Wheeler. The friend from the East wanted the narrator to inquire about a cherished friend, Leonidas. W. Smiley.

What tone or attitude does the narrator display?

Which words/phrases bestdisplay that tone?

2. Question

2. Answer

The tone suggests annoyance, boredom and sarcasm. Words and phrases such as “bore me

nearly to death,” “infernal,” “tedious,” and “useless” tell readers what the narrator’s

mood is.

3. Question

How does the narrator’s perception of Simon Wheeler

begin to change in paragraph 3?(In paragraph 2, he displays a look

of “winning gentleness and simplicity…”)

3. AnswerIn the third paragraph, the narrator describes Simon Wheeler shows as a bit more aggressive than he first seemed. He backs the narrator into a corner and “blockaded” him there.

4. Question

Who tells the (inner) story about Jim

Smiley?

4. Answer

Simon Wheeler tells the storyabout Jim Smiley.

5. Question

In the inner story, it is clear that Jim Smiley is addicted to gambling. Twain uses exaggeration to make

Smiley’s gambling humorous. Give two examples.

5. Answer (1st example)

One of Twain’s humorous examples of Jim Smiley’s gambling addiction is that Smiley would place a bet on how long

it took for a bug to get to its destination. Simon Wheeler says that , “…he would ‘foller’ that straddle-bug

to Mexico…”

5. Answer (2nd example)

Another funny example of Smiley’s gambling addiction was when he

found out that Parson Walker’s wife, who was thought to be dying, was suddenly a much better and on the

road to recovery. Smiley placed a bet that she would NOT survive.

6. Question

What is it about Jim Smiley’s animals: why did most people

usually bet against them?

6. Answer

The animals were not what they seemed to be. They looked run-

down and lifeless. They did not look like “winners.”

(Who else acts differently than we expect, based on our first

impression?)

7. Question

How did Jim Smiley’s bulldog win him money?

7. Answer

Smiley’s bulldog won with his “one trick.” He would allow his opponent to get the better of him at the start of the fight. Then he would bite their hind legs until the other dog gave up.

8. Question

How did Smiley’s bulldog lose his last fight?

8. Answer

Smiley’s bulldog lost his final fight because his opponent had no hind legs.

9. Question

What was the name of Jim Smiley’s frog? What did Jim train him to do

and why is this ironic?

9. Answer

The name of Jim Smiley’s frog was Dan’l (Daniel) Webster. It is ironic

that he trained him to jump because frogs do that naturally.

10. Question

In the jumping frog contest between Dan’l Webster and the stranger’s frog, who won? Why?

10. Answer

The stranger’s frog won. While Jim was out trying to catch a frog for

the stranger to use in the contest, the stranger filled Dan’l Webster’s mouth with quail shot so that he

couldn’t jump.

Now that you have read the entire story, what are some of the themes that

emerged?